Rhinotropis californica

(Nuttall) J. R. Abbott

J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 5: 134. 2011.

Common names: California milkwort
Basionym: Polygalacalifornica nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray Fl. N. Amer. 1: 671. 1840
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 10.

Herbs, sometimes suffrutescent, multistemmed, often forming a ground cover, 0.5–3.5 dm. Stems laxly erect, decumbent, or prostrate, pubescent to subglabrous, hairs incurved. Leaves sessile or subsessile; blade ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 7–50 (–60) × 3–20 (–26) mm, base usually rounded to acute, sometimes cuneate, apex rounded to acute, surfaces pubescent, hairs incurved. Racemes terminal or leaf-opposed, 1–4 (–5) × 1.8–3 cm; rachis not thorn-tipped; peduncle 0–1 cm; bracts early deciduous, linear to lanceolate. Pedicels (2.5–) 3.5–8.5 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Cleistogamous or semi-cleistogamous flowers often present terminally, on much reduced scale-leaved lateral branches from prox­imal (or distal) leaf-axils, or terminally on leafy branches that often leaf-opposed. Flowers usually pink, rarely white, keel distally yellow (fading white), (2.5–) 9–14.5 mm, cleistogamous and semi-cleistogamous flowers mostly 2.5–5 mm, intergrading with chasmoga­mous flowers; sepals deciduous, elliptic, 4–6.5 mm, pubescent or glabrous; wings obovate, (7.5–) 8–12 × 2.5–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; keel (7–) 8–11 mm, sac glabrous (sometimes proximally ciliate), beak oblong, (1.2–) 1.6–3 × 0.7–1 mm (mostly absent in cleistogamous flowers), usually notched or contorted abaxially, rarely subentire, pubescent. Capsules ellip­soid to ovoid, 7.3–10.5 × 4.5–7 mm, in cleistogamous and semi-cleistogamous flowers 4.5–8 mm, base obtuse, rounded, or subtruncate, margins with narrow, entire or slightly erose wing, glabrous, margins sometimes ciliolate. Seeds 3.5–6 mm, densely pubescent; aril 1.7–4 mm, less than 1/2 length of seed. 2n = 18.


Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Rocky or clay soils, deep duff, rich soils, serpentine soils, slopes or drainages, full sun to deep shade, open habitat, chaparral, mixed evergreen forests, oak woodlands, coniferous forests.
Elevation: 10–1400 m.

Discussion

Rhinotropis californica occurs in western California and Oregon.

Cleistogamous and semi-cleistogamous flowers can appear earlier than chasmogamous flowers. Their flowers, fruits, and seeds are similar to those of chasmogamous flowers, but typically are smaller and without the keel beak.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Rhinotropis californica"
rounded +  and acute +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
J. Richard Abbott +
(Nuttall) J. R. Abbott +
subtruncate +, rounded +, obtuse +, cuneate +, usually rounded +  and acute +
Polygalacalifornica nuttall +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
subentire +, contorted +, notched +  and oblong +
reduced +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
obovate +, elliptic +  and ovate +
uniform +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
deciduous +
linear +  and lanceolate +
leaf-opposed +
0.73 cm7.3 mm <br />0.0073 m <br /> (1.05 cm10.5 mm <br />0.0105 m <br />) +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
California milkwort +
reduced +
Calif. +  and Oreg. +
10–1400 m. +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
white +  and pink +
in proximal leaf-axils +  and subterranean +
semi-cleistogamous +  and cleistogamous +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
samaroid +  and pseudomonomerous +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
isodiametric +  and slightly oblong +
Rocky or clay soils, deep duff, rich soils, serpentine soils, slopes or drainages, full sun to deep shade, open habitat, chaparral, mixed evergreen forests, oak woodlands, coniferous forests. +
perennial +
suffrutescent +
leaf-opposed +  and terminal +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
cleistogamous +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
subsessile +  and sessile +
basal +  and cauline +
not +  and winged +
leaf-opposed +, axillary +  and terminal +
ciliolate +  and glabrous +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
semi-cleistogamous +  and cleistogamous +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Flowering spring–summer. +
syncarpous +  and 2[-8]-carpellate +
aggregated +  and fasciculate +
J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
leaf-opposed +  and terminal +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
not thorn-tipped +
usually brownish +  and whitish +
exfoliating +
ellipsoid +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
deciduous +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
unequal +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br /> (?) +
9 +, 8 +  and 7 +
prostrate +  and decumbent +
pubescent +  and subglabrous +
not +  and petiolate +
Rhinotropis californica +
Rhinotropis +
species +
crested +  and lobed +
erose +  and entire +
0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
deciduous +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
obovate +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (1.25 cm12.5 mm <br />0.0125 m <br />) +
2.5mm;6mm +