| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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Jepson Interchange (more information) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual to shrub
Leaves generally simple, generally alternate, generally petioled; stipules 0; blade entire to deeply lobed
Inflorescence various
Flower bisexual; calyx lobes generally 5; corolla ± radial, cylindric to rotate, lobes generally 5; stamens 5, alternate corolla lobes; ovary superior, generally 2-chambered, style 1
Fruit: berry or capsule, 2–5-chambered
Genera in family: 75 genera, 3000 species: worldwide, especially ± tropical; many alien weeds in CA; many cultivated for food, drugs, or ornamental (potato, tomato, peppers, tobacco, petunia);many TOXIC .
Species in genus: 1 sp
Etymology: (Greek: a digger)
| Native |
Annual 5–20 cm, branched from slender taproot, leafy, sticky; some hairs scale-like
Leaf 1–3 cm, linear to ovate, entire to shallowly lobed, drying ± wavy; petiole 5–10 mm, narrowly winged
Inflorescence: umbels in axils, few-flowered
Flower: calyx 2–3 mm, < 10 mm in fruit; corolla 5–8 mm, narrowly urn-shaped, purplish, lobes small; stamens attached at base of tube, unequal, some slightly exserted; style = stamens
Fruit: capsule, 2-valved, 6–7 mm wide, spheric
Seeds 10–15, round, flat; body 2 mm wide; wing 0.5 mm wide
Ecology: Sandy soils, dunes
Elevation: 1200–1500 m.
Bioregional distribution: s East of Sierra Nevada (Inyo Co.)
Distribution outside California: w Nevada
Flowering time: May
Seriously threatened by grazing.