Orthocarpus barbatus

Annuals 8–27 cm. Stems erect or ascending, hispid to pilose and puberulent. Leaves 20–40 mm; blade: proximal margins entire, distal 3–5-lobed. Inflorescences racemes, 2–11 cm; bracts 10–20 mm, margins 5–7-lobed in distal 2/3, proximal not resembling distal leaves, midlobe yellow-green to white distally, triangular, 6–8 mm wide, apex acute, not cuspidate, lateral lobes narrowly triangular. Pedicels 2–3 mm. Flowers: calyx 8–10 mm; corolla 10–12 mm, slightly longer than bracts, abaxial lip inflated, lobes 3, triangular, adaxial lip pale-yellow to yellow, 4–5 mm, 1–1.5 mm longer than abaxial, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, tip not hooked, bearded. Capsules 7–10 mm, apex acute. Seeds 18–27, light-brown, narrowly ovoid to reniform, 0.8–1 mm, reticulate, ridged. 2n = 28.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Sagebrush meadows and slopes.
Elevation: 300–900 m.

B.C., Wash.

Discussion

Orthocarpus barbatus is endangered in British Columbia. It is distinguished by its yellow corollas, yellow-green bracts, sometimes tipped with white, and the tuft of hairs at the tip of the adaxial corolla lip.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa