Habit: Annual, green to yellow-brown or +- purple; generally ascending-branched.
Leaf: alternate or +- basal, sessile, +- linear, distal finely divided.
Inflorescence: spike and/or flowers solitary in axils; bracts generally leaf-like.
Flower: calyx +- equally 4-lobed; corolla tube generally slender, upper lip folded lengthwise, tip of upper 2 corolla lobes open, opening directed forward, forming a beak, lower lip deeply 3-pouched, 3-toothed, throat abruptly generally indented forming a fold proximal to lower lip; stamens 4, anther sac 1 per stamen, generally included; stigma generally slightly enlarged, entire to slightly 2-lobed.
Seed: 20--80, 0.8--1.2 mm, ovoid, attached at base, dark brown; coat netted, generally tight-fitting.
Chromosomes: 2n=22.
Species In Genus: 6 species: western North America, China.
Etymology: (Greek: 3 bladders, from lower lip pouches)
Note: Hybrids common. Related to
Castilleja,
Orthocarpus; isolated reproductively.
Jepson eFlora Author: Margriet Wetherwax, T I. Chuang & Lawrence R. Heckard
Reference: Chuang & Heckard 1991 Syst Bot 16:644--666
Unabridged Reference: Hong 1996 Novon 6:372--374Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Triphysaria
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