''Ottleya strigosa'',
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
''Lotus strigosus'' and ''Acmispon strigosus'', is a
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 ...
in the pea family (
), native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
[ It is known as stiff-haired lotus or strigose bird's-foot trefoil.][Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed. 2013, p232]
Description
''Ottleya strigosa'' is a prostrate annual herb. It is sometimes roughly hairy as its name suggests, but it may be somewhat woolly, fuzzy, or nearly hairless as well. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of several small leaflets. The leaves are 1/2" to 1" long.[ They are ]pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...
ly divided, with 4-9 obovate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, alternate, leaflets, on a flattened rachis
In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft".
In zoology and microbiology
In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...
.[ 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 ...
bears one or two yellow to orange or red pealike flowers, each with a corolla one half to one centimeter across. The fruit is a legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
pod 1 to 3 centimeters long.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the southwestern United States (California and Nevada) and northern Mexico,[ where it is known from many types of habitat, including disturbed areas.
]
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
Loteae
Flora of California
Flora of Nevada
Flora of Northwestern Mexico
Flora of Northeastern Mexico
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Loteae-stub