''Navarretia prolifera'' is a species of flowering plant in the
phlox family known by the common names bur pincushionplant and yellow bur navarretia. 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 else ...
to the
Sierra Nevada foothills
:''See Sierra Nevada for general information about the mountain range in the United States.''
The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex: the plants and animals are a significan ...
of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where it grows near running water.
Description
''Navarretia prolifera'' is an annual herb with branching or whorled spreading stems up to about 16 centimetres in height. The leaves are threadlike or divided into threadlike lobes. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
is a cluster of flowers surrounded by hairy leaflike bracts divided into pointed, needlelike lobes. The flower is about a centimeter long. There are two subspecies of the plant, ssp. ''lutea'' bearing yellow flowers and ssp. ''prolifera'' with yellow-throated purple flowers. The less common ssp. ''lutea'' is known only from
El Dorado County, California.
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Navarretia prolifera''Photo gallery: ssp. ''lutea''Photo gallery: ssp. ''prolifera''
prolifera
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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