''Plagiobothrys canescens'' is a species 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 ...

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 order ...

known by the common name valley popcornflower. 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 a common wildflower in valley, foothill, desert, coastline, and canyon habitat in the central and southern regions of the state. ''Plagiobothrys canescens'' is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem 10 to 60 centimeters in length. The leaves are located in a basal rosette about the base of the stem, with smaller ones located along the stem's length. The plant is coated in long, rough hairs and sometimes bristles. It is purple-edged and -veined and leaks purple juice when crushed. 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 tiny flowers and hairy

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 ...

s. Each five-lobed white corolla measures 2 to 3 millimeters wide. The fruit is a rounded, arched nutlet no more than 2 millimeters long textured with cross-ribs.

References

External links

Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Plagiobothrys canescens''''Plagiobothrys canescens'' Photo gallery
canescens Endemic flora of California Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges {{Asterid-stub