Collinsia multicolor

Collinsia multicolor is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, known by the common names San Francisco blue eyed Mary[1] and San Francisco collinsia. It is endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it is known from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. As of 2008 there are 22 known occurrences.[2] Populations south of Santa Cruz have been extirpated.[3]

Collinsia multicolor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Collinsia
Species:
C. multicolor
Binomial name
Collinsia multicolor
Synonyms

Collinsia franciscana

The plant grows in coniferous forests and shady, moist habitats of the coastal chaparral scrub.

Description

Collinsia multicolor is an annual herb producing a delicate, slender stem 30 to 60 centimeters tall. The upper parts of the stem are hairy and sticky with glands. The oppositely arranged leaves are triangular lance-shaped with serrated edges, each pair clasping the stem where they meet.

The inflorescence is a series of whorls or clusters of flowers, the lower series bearing one or two flowers and the upper bearing several in a whorl. Each flower arises on a pedicel. The corolla is between one and two centimeters long and has two white upper lobes sometimes dotted with purple and three lavender to purple lower lobes.

This plant was first described by the English architect Joseph Paxton in association with John Lindley.

References
  1. "Collinsia multicolor". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. "Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
  3. Elkhorn Slough Local Profile


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.