''Amsinckia menziesii'' is a species of
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
in the family
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution.
The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...
, the
borage
Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales.
It grows satisfactorily in gard ...
or
forget-me-not
''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the northern hemisphere they are colloquially known as forget-me-nots ...
family.
Varieties
The plant has two varieties:
:''Amsinckia menziesii'' var. ''intermedia'' - common fiddleneck, intermediate fiddleneck
:''Amsinckia menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'' - Menzies' fiddleneck
Var. ''intermedia''
![Amsinckia intermedia 2003-03-04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Amsinckia_intermedia_2003-03-04.jpg)
''Amsinckia menziesii'' var. ''intermedia'' (common fiddleneck, or intermediate fiddleneck) is one of the common
fiddleneck
''Amsinckia'' is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as fiddlenecks. The common name is derived from the flower stems, which curl over at the top in a manner reminiscent of the head of a fiddle. Fiddlenecks are in the family Boraginac ...
s of western
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, distributed from
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
through the
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Like other members of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, it has a terminal flowering whorl somewhat shaped like the head of a
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
or fiddle, hence the name fiddleneck. The flowers are yellow-orange, orange, or dark yellow.
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the species has become a common weed of cultivated areas in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
In the British Isles, it is an introduced species naturalised particularly in the east of the country and recorded in the wild since 1910.
Its seeds, while inedible to humans due to their high
pyrrolizidine alkaloid
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), sometimes referred to as necine bases, are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids based on the structure of pyrrolizidine. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect he ...
content, are the favorite food of
Lawrence's goldfinch
Lawrence's goldfinch (''Spinus lawrencei'') is a small songbird of erratic distribution that breeds in California and Baja California and winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Description
At about long and weighing abou ...
during that
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
n bird's
nesting season
The nesting season is the time of year during which birds and some other animals, particularly some reptiles, build nests, lay eggs in them, and in most cases bring up their young. It is usually in the spring.
Bird conservation
Bird conservati ...
of spring and early summer.
References
Jepson Manual treatment - ''Amsinckia menziesii ''USDA: NRCS Plants Profile ''Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia''Images at CalPhotos
External links
CalFlora Database: ''Amsinckia menziesii'' (Menzies' fiddleneck, Small flowered fiddleneck)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Amsinckia menziesii''USDA Plants Profile for Amsinckia menziesii (Menzies' fiddleneck)*
menziesii
Flora of Western Canada
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
Natural history of the Colorado Desert
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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