''Harpagonella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family. They are known as the grappling-hooks, because of the appearance and function of their fruits. The strange fruits are two small nutlets enclosed in a burlike calyx, which is armed with numerous spines covered in minute, hooked barbs. These diminutive, annual plants are found in sandy, clayey, and gravelly soils, and have small white flowers. This genus is native to

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 ...

, and is found in southern

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 ...

, southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, northern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, and the Baja California peninsula. The genus has been regarded as one of the most morphologically distinctive of the Amsinckiinae, largely because of their unusual fruits. The genus was formerly monotypic, but the plants native to Arizona have since been recognized as a distinct species.

Species

* '' Harpagonella arizonica'' ( syn. ''H. palmeri'' var. ''arizonica'') – Commonly known as the Arizona grappling-hook. Native to Arizona, northern Sonora, and southeastern Baja California. Type collected near

Lowell, Arizona Lowell is a populated place situated in Cochise County, Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its ...

. Found on sandy or gravelly soils. Differs from ''H. palmeri'' in having significantly larger fruits. * ''

Harpagonella palmeri ''Harpagonella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Boraginaceae, borage family. They are known as the grappling-hooks, because of the appearance and function of their fruits. The strange fruits are two small nutlets enclosed in a burlike cal ...

'' – Commonly known as Palmer's grappling-hook or stick-tight. Native to southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. Type collected on

Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island ( es, Isla Guadalupe, link=no) is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The ...

, Baja California by Edward Palmer. Found on clayey soils.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment

USDA Plants Profile

Photo gallery
Boraginaceae Boraginaceae genera Flora of Northern America {{Boraginaceae-stub