Sairocarpus coulterianus
Sairocarpus nuttallianus
Coulter's snapdragon
Nuttall's snapdragon, violet snapdragon
12–150 cm, seldom self-supporting, basally hairy, otherwise glabrous;
branches twining.
6–200 cm, not self-supporting, glandular-hairy;
branches twining.
opposite proximally, basal rosette sometimes present, alternate distally;
blade lanceolate to linear, 20–50(–110) × 1–5(–25) mm, surfaces glabrous or slightly villous.
opposite proximally, alternate distally;
blade ovate, 2–60 × 1–50 mm, surfaces glandular-hairy.
terminal, racemes.
axillary, flowers solitary.
1–5 mm.
2–20(–25) mm.
cleistogamous and chasmogamous;
calyx lobes equal to subequal, glandular-hairy, adaxial lobe 3–6 × 0.5–1 mm;
corolla white to light purple, 9–12 mm, base gibbous, mouth 1–1.5(–2) mm diam., palate purple-spotted, rounded, 4–8 mm diam., glandular-hairy.
cleistogamous and chasmogamous;
calyx lobes equal, glandular-hairy, adaxial lobe 3–6 × 1–3.5 mm;
corolla pale purple to purple, sometimes dark-veined, 7–12 mm, base slightly gibbous, mouth 2.5–3.5 mm diam., palate white, purple-veined, rounded, 2.5–6 mm diam., puberulent.
narrowly ovoid, 5–10 mm, sparsely glandular-hairy, abaxial locule indehiscent.
ovoid, 3–11 mm, glandular-hairy, abaxial locule with 1 pore.
black, 1 mm, longitudinally ridged, reticulate.
brown, 0.5–1 mm, ridged longitudinally.
= 30.
= 32.
Sairocarpus coulterianus
Sairocarpus nuttallianus
The relatively large, rounded palates make the flowers of Sairocarpus coulterianus distinctive. Plants growing in chaparral and coastal sage habitats usually have basal rosettes. Sometimes, the racemes develop an elongate, prehensile tip. Sairocarpus coulterianus is known from the southern Outer South Coastal Ranges, southwestern mainland California, and the northwestern edge of the Sonoran Desert.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Plants of Sairocarpus nuttallianus are unique in having gold-colored hairs in the mouth of the corolla. D. M. Thompson (1988) recognized two intergrading subspecies based on degree of hairiness and slight differences in seed sculpturing, but the differences are minor and inconsistent.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
