''Orthocarpus'', or owl's-clover, is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ''Striga'') were formerly included in the ...

(broomrapes). They are native to North America. A number of species formerly included in ''Orthocarpus'' have been transferred to the genus ''

Castilleja ''Castilleja'', commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one ...

'', 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 ''

'', ''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 ''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 ...

'' J.S.Cotton *''

Orthocarpus bracteosus ''Orthocarpus bracteosus'' is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name rosy owl's-clover. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in moist mountain h ...

'' Benth. *''

Orthocarpus cuspidatus ''Orthocarpus cuspidatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names Copeland's owl's clover, Siskiyou Mountains orthocarpus, and toothed owl's-clover. It is native to mountain and plateau habitat in Orego ...

'' Greene *''

Orthocarpus holmgreniorum ''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 ...

'' (T.I. Chuang & Heckard) L. M. Shultz & F. J. Smith *''

Orthocarpus imbricatus ''Orthocarpus imbricatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name mountain owl's-clover. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in meadows and ...

'' Torr. ex S.Watson *''

Orthocarpus luteus ''Orthocarpus luteus'' is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name yellow owl's-clover.Orthocarpus pachystachyus ''Orthocarpus pachystachyus'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names Shasta owl's-clover and Shasta orthocarpus. It is endemic to central Siskiyou County, California, where it is so rarely seen it ...

'' A.Gray *''

Orthocarpus purpureoalbus ''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 ...

'' A.Gray ex S.Watson *''

Orthocarpus tenuifolius ''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 ...

'' (Pursh) Benth. *''

Orthocarpus tolmiei ''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 ...

'' Hook. & Arn.

References

* Orobanchaceae genera Orobanchaceae {{Orobanchaceae-stub