''Orthocarpus'', or owl's-clover, is a genus of
flowering plants in the family
Orobanchaceae (broomrapes). They are native to North America. A number of species formerly included in ''Orthocarpus'' have been transferred to the genus ''
Castilleja'', which includes the plants commonly known as Indian paintbrush. Plants of the genus are generally less than in height.
Like their close relatives in genus ''
Castilleja'', ''Orthocarpus'' are root hemiparasites, capable of photosynthesis but extracting water and mineral nutrients through attachment to the roots of host plants.
Some animal species such as the
Edith's checkerspot
Edith's checkerspot (''Euphydryas editha'') is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is a resident species of western North America and among the subspecies, entomologists have long been intrigued by their many phenotypic variation ...
butterfly use these plants as hosts during ovipositing.
Species
,
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
accepted the following species:
*''
Orthocarpus barbatus''
J.S.Cotton
*''
Orthocarpus bracteosus''
Benth.
*''
Orthocarpus cuspidatus''
Greene
*''
Orthocarpus holmgreniorum''
(T.I. Chuang & Heckard) L. M. Shultz & F. J. Smith
*''
Orthocarpus imbricatus''
Torr. ex S.Watson
*''
Orthocarpus luteus''
Nutt.
*''
Orthocarpus pachystachyus''
A.Gray
*''
Orthocarpus purpureoalbus''
A.Gray ex S.Watson
*''
Orthocarpus tenuifolius''
(Pursh) Benth.
*''
Orthocarpus tolmiei''
Hook. & Arn.
References
*
Orobanchaceae genera
Orobanchaceae
{{Orobanchaceae-stub