''Epixiphium wislizeni'', commonly known as baloonbush, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It is the sole species in genus ''Epixiphium''. It is a scrambling or climbing perennial

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

native to

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

state in northern Mexico and the south western United States ( Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas) where it grows in sand dunes. It has tubular flowers in shades of blue to violet and white and more-or-less triangular untoothed leaves. The species was first described in 1859 as ''Maurandya wislizeni''. In 1926

Philip A. Munz Philip Alexander Munz (1892–1974) was an American botanist, plant taxonomist and educator who worked at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and was a professor of botany at Pomona College, serving as dean there for three years. In 1935 Munz publ ...

placed it in a separate genus as ''Epixiphium wislizeni''. The species epithet ''wislizeni'' commemorates

Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus (first name sometimes spelled Frederick) (21 May 1810, Königsee – 23 September 1889) was a German-born American MD, explorer and botanist. He is best known for his printed recollections from travels to Northern Mexi ...

. It is regularly misspelt "''wislizenii''". Maurandya wislizeni 12May07 9239

References

Plantaginaceae Monotypic Plantaginaceae genera Flora of Arizona Flora of California Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of New Mexico Flora of Texas Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Plants described in 1859 {{Plantaginaceae-stub