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red besseya, red coraldrops, red kittentail or coraldrops

alpine kittentail or besseya, alpine kittentails

Leaves

strictly annual, disintegrating in 1st year;

blade oblong-ovate to ovate, 25+ mm wide, leathery, base cuneate, truncate, or rounded to lobate, sometimes cordate, margins crenate, teeth apices acute to rounded, surfaces sparsely hairy;

basal veins extending into distal 1/2 of blade, lateral veins 3–6 on each side of midvein.

strictly annual, disintegrating in 1st year;

blade ovate to slightly cordate, sometimes oblong, 25+ mm wide, leathery, base cuneate, truncate, cordate, or lobate, margins crenate, teeth apices acute, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy;

basal veins extending into distal 1/2 of blade, lateral veins 3–6 on each side of midvein.

Racemes

erect, to 45 cm in fruit;

sterile bracts 10–30, ovate-spatulate, largest 1+ cm;

flowers 100+, densely aggregated (separating in fruit).

erect, to 10 cm in fruit;

sterile bracts 5–14, ovate-spatulate, largest 1+ cm;

flowers 100+, densely aggregated (separating in fruit).

Stamens

inserted on receptacle.

inserted on receptacle.

Ovaries

ovules 17–40.

ovules 17–40.

Capsules

densely hairy.

glabrous.

Sepals

4, basal connation between abaxial and adaxial lobes on each side of flower.

4.

Petals

1–4, apex entire or erose;

corolla reddish, bluish purple, green, or white, bilabiate or unilabiate, rudimentary, much shorter than calyx, glabrous, lateral and abaxial petals of abaxial lip connate 1/2+ their lengths, abaxial and adaxial petal lips basally adnate to stamens, tube absent.

(3 or)4(or 5), apex entire or erose;

corolla blue, bluish purple, lavender, or reddish, bilabiate, ± rudimentary, tubular, longer than calyx, glabrous, lateral and abaxial petals of abaxial lip connate 1/2+ their lengths, tube absent.

Synthyris rubra

Synthyris alpina

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun; fruiting Apr–Jul. Flowering May–Aug; fruiting Jun–Sep.
Habitat Grasslands, open coniferous forests. Stony alpine meadows or fellfields.
Elevation 200–1700 m. (700–5600 ft.) 2800–4300 m. (9200–14100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CO; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Natural hybrids of Synthyris missurica and S. rubra occur near Kamiah, Idaho (A. R. Kruckeberg and F. L. Hedglin 1963).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Synthyris alpina is a host plant for checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas anicia), which consumes leaves and sequesters iridoid glycosides (K. M. L’Empereur and F. R. Stermitz 1990). Flowering in plants of S. alpina begins at the margins of melting snow banks.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 304. FNA vol. 17, p. 298.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Synthyris Plantaginaceae > Synthyris
Sibling taxa
S. alpina, S. borealis, S. bullii, S. canbyi, S. cordata, S. dissecta, S. laciniata, S. lanuginosa, S. missurica, S. oblongifolia, S. pinnatifida, S. plantaginea, S. platycarpa, S. ranunculina, S. reniformis, S. ritteriana, S. schizantha, S. wyomingensis
S. borealis, S. bullii, S. canbyi, S. cordata, S. dissecta, S. laciniata, S. lanuginosa, S. missurica, S. oblongifolia, S. pinnatifida, S. plantaginea, S. platycarpa, S. ranunculina, S. reniformis, S. ritteriana, S. rubra, S. schizantha, S. wyomingensis
Synonyms Gymnandra rubra, Besseya rubra, Veronica rubra Besseya alpina, Veronica besseya
Name authority (Douglas ex Hooker) Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 455. (1846) A. Gray: Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 34: 251. (1862)
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