Habit: Annual, glabrous to subglabrous.
Stem: generally erect, 5--80 cm, ×-section generally angled, branches 0--few.
Leaf: simple, basal and cauline, opposite, generally entire; basal short-petioled, spoon-shaped; cauline generally sessile, oblong to ovate or obovate.
Inflorescence: clustered, head-like or interrupted spike, terminal; bracts palmately divided into 3--5 linear segments.
Flower: calyx 0; corolla 2-lipped to +- radial and funnel-shaped, white to dark pink, tube base generally spurred; stamens 3.
Fruit: achene; body +- triangular, 2--4 mm, strongly winged or not, wings lateral, wide, +- glabrous to densely hairy.
Species In Genus: 5 species: western North America, southwestern South America.
Etymology: (Greek: spur)
Note: Self-fertile; large-flowered taxa cross- and self-pollinated, small flowered taxa self-pollinated only. Wing shape, color, hairiness vary in some species.
Jepson eFlora Author: Abigail J. Moore
Reference: Morey 1962 Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford Univ
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Plectritis
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