''Nemacladus gracilis'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common names slender threadplant or slender nemacladus. 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 ...

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 ...

, where it is known from the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa B ...

and adjacent mountains, desert, and valley territory. It can be found in rocky and sandy areas in woodland and grassland habitat. It is a small annual herb producing an upright reddish brown stem no more than about 10 centimeters long. Small lobed oval leaves under a centimeter long occur at the base of the plant. The

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 ...

is a series of branches bearing occasional flowers on thin, curving

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

. There is a single tiny

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

at the base of each pedicel. The flower is only about 2 millimeters long. It has five lavender-veined white lobes fused along the lower half.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
Campanulaceae Endemic flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Campanulaceae-stub