''Pholistoma auritum'' is a species of flowering plant in the

borage family Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the orde ...

which is known by the common name blue fiestaflower.

Distribution

It is native to

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 ...

, southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, where it can be found in many types of habitat, from mountain talus to coastal bluffs to desert scrub.

Description

''Pholistoma auritum'' is an annual herb with a brittle, fleshy, bristly stem branching profusely, sometimes forming a tangle. The leaves are deeply lobed and toothed and borne on winged petioles. The foliage is coated in hairs and bristles. 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 made up of one or more widely bell-shaped flowers up to 1.5 centimeters long and 3 wide. The hair-lined flowers are blue to purple with darker markings in the centers. The purple Arizona fiestaflower, ''Pholistoma auritum'' var. ''arizonicum'', is considered a subspecies.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - Pholistoma auritumPholistoma auritum - Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7187098 Hydrophylloideae Flora of California Flora of Arizona Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status