''Anulocaulis annulatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the
four o'clock family
Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...
known by the common name valley ringstem. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
of
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 ...
, especially in the vicinity of
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...
. This is a perennial herb growing a number of thin, erect stems sometimes exceeding a meter in height from a thick
caudex
A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695
In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...
.
The smooth stems have darkened internodes at intervals which are glandular and sticky. The leaves are mostly located at the base of the plant. Each has a short petiole and a thick, bumpy blade up to 10 centimeters wide. The leaf is coated in large, stiff hairs with glandular bases. The branching
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
bears clusters of very hairy, tubular flowers. Each flower is just under a centimeter long with a greenish throat and a striped pink face. The fruit is a small, hard body about half a centimeter long.
See also
* ''
Anulocaulis
''Anulocaulis'' is a small genus of flowering plants known generally as ringstems. These five species are sometimes treated as members of genus ''Boerhavia''. Ringstems are thickly-rooted perennial wildflowers with glutinous brown bands at their ...
''
''
Nyctaginaceae
Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...
''
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaPhoto gallery
Nyctaginaceae
Flora of California
Plants described in 1893
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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