Paronychia franciscana |
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California whitlow wort, San Francisco nailwort, San Francisco whitlow wort |
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Habit | Plants perennial, mat-forming; caudex branched, woody. |
Stems | prostrate, usually much-branched throughout, 5–50 cm, pubescent. |
Leaves | stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3–6 mm, apex narrowly acute to long-acuminate, entire; blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, ± fleshy, apex spinulous, entire, ± moderately antrorsely appressed-pubescent. |
Flowers | 5-merous, short-cylindric, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to slightly tapering distally, 1.9–2.4 mm, glabrous, sepals puberulent distally; sepals greenish, becoming reddish brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins often apparent, oblong to ovate, 1.2–1.3 mm, herbaceous, margins translucent, ca. 0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood broadly rounded, awn erect, 0.5–0.7 mm, conic in proximal 1/6 with whitish, smooth spine; staminodes absent; styles 2, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
Cymes | axillary, inconspicuous, 2–6-flowered, tightly congested. |
Utricles | ± globose to 4-angled, 1.2–1.3 mm, papillate distally. |
Paronychia franciscana |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Grassy hills |
Elevation | 20-300 m (100-1000 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Although Paronychia franciscana was described from California, where it has been known from the San Francisco area since 1887, the species is native in Chile. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 38. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia |
Sibling taxa | |
Name authority | Eastwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 288. (1901) |
Web links |