Jepson Herbarium
		University of California, Berkeley

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Annual to subshrub; hairs needle-like, barbed, occasionally stinging.
Leaf: alternate [ opposite], generally ± pinnate-lobed; stipules 0.
Inflorescence: cyme, raceme.
Flower: bisexual, radial; sepals generally 5, generally persistent; petals generally 5, free or fused to each other or filament tube; stamens 5–many, filaments thread-like to flat, occasionally fused at base or in clusters; petal-like staminodes occasionally present; pistil 1, ovary inferior, chamber generally 1, placentas generally 3, parietal, style 1.
Fruit: capsule or achene.
Seed: 1–many.
18+ genera, 250 species: especially Am (Africa, Pacific). [Ernst & Thompson 1963 J Arnold Arbor 44:138–142] —Scientific Editors: Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.

Key to Loasaceae

Annual to perennial herb; hairs barbed to needle-like, not stinging; stems pale pink or generally ± white, branched or not.
Leaf: linear to ovate, entire to pinnate-lobed; basal in rosettes, generally petioled; cauline generally sessile, ± reduced distally on stem.
Inflorescence: generally cyme (or flower 1); bracts green to white, margin green.
Flower: sepals lanceolate to deltate, persistent; petals generally 5, free, white to yellow or orange; stamens generally many, ± free, generally unequal, inner filaments generally thread-like; outermost stamens opposite sepal lobes generally modified, ± widened, or petal-like with anther or not; ovary generally cylindric, placentas generally 3, style thread-like, stigma 3-furrowed or -lobed.
Fruit: capsule, cup-, barrel-, or urn-shaped to narrowly cylindric, occasionally curved.
Seed: generally many, shape variable.
± 100 species: w North America, ± tropical America. [Darlington 1934 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 21:103–226]

Annual 7–40 cm.
Stem: erect, glabrous to hairy.
Leaf: 1–9 cm, entire to lobed.
Inflorescence: dense; outer bract widely ovate, toothed to lobed, ± concealing fruit; inner bract ± fused to ovary, obovate, ± toothed to lobed; lower 3/4 of bracts white- scarious, margin green.
Flower: sepals 1–4 mm; petals 3–7(9) mm, obovate, pale yellow to yellow, base orange; stamens ± = style; style 1.5–5 mm.
Fruit: generally erect, 5–12 mm, 2–3 mm wide, cylindric.
Seed: ± 1 mm, irregular-angular with concave sides, tan, dark-mottled or not; seed coat cells generally domed, < 1/2 tall as wide in age.
2n=18. Disturbed slopes, pine forest, sagebrush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland; 1200–2700 m. High Sierra Nevada (e slope), Tehachapi Mountain Area, Western Transverse Ranges, San Gabriel Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, East of Sierra Nevada, Desert Mountains;

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.