''Plagiobothrys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 known commonly as popcorn flowers. These are small

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

s which bear tiny white or yellow flowers. Their fruits are

nutlet A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, a wide variety of dry seeds are called nuts, but in a botanical context "nut" implies that the shell ...

s. Although these plants are found predominantly in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, five

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are known from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Of the approximately 65 species described, more than 15 are

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 ...

Description

The inflorescence is coiled in bud, but generally elongates in fruit. The pedicels are generally 0–1 mm, and the flower is bisexual with the sepals fused below the middle.

Etymology

The genus name, ''Plagiobothrys'', is derived from Greek to mean "sideways pit" and describes the position of nutlet attachment scar.

Selected species

*''

Plagiobothrys acanthocarpus ''Plagiobothrys acanthocarpus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name adobe popcornflower. It is native to California and northwestern sections of Mexico, where it can be found in moist areas on clay soil, ...

'' - adobe popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys arizonicus ''Plagiobothrys arizonicus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Arizona popcornflower. Distribution The plant is native to the southwestern United States, California, and Sonora (Mexico). It is a commo ...

'' - Arizona popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys austiniae'' - Austin's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys bracteatus ''Plagiobothrys bracteatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name bracted popcornflower. Distribution It is native from Oregon throughout California into Baja California (Mexico). It can be found in a va ...

'' - bracted popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys canescens ''Plagiobothrys canescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name valley popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it is a common wildflower in valley, foothill, desert, coastline, and canyon habita ...

'' - valley popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys chorisianus ''Plagiobothrys chorisianus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name artist's popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in and around the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of the coast ...

'' - artist's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys collinus ''Plagiobothrys collinus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Cooper's popcornflower. Distribution The annual plant is native to California, Arizona, and northern Baja California (Mexico). It can be fo ...

'' - Cooper's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys diffusus ''Plagiobothrys'' is a genus of flowering plants known commonly as popcorn flowers. These are small herbaceous plants which bear tiny white or yellow flowers. Their fruits are nutlets. Although these plants are found predominantly in North Amer ...

'' - San Francisco popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys distantiflorus ''Plagiobothrys distantiflorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name California popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the northern and central Sierra Nevada foothills. ...

'' - California popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys figuratus ''Plagiobothrys figuratus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name fragrant popcornflower. It is native to western North America from southern British Columbia to south-western Oregon,

'' - fragrant popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys fulvus ''Plagiobothrys fulvus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names field popcornflower or fulvous popcornflower. It is native to California and Oregon in the United States, as well as Chile. It is a common wi ...

'' - fulvous popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys glyptocarpus ''Plagiobothrys glyptocarpus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name sculptured popcornflower. It is native to Oregon and northern California, where it grows in moist woodland and grassland habitat. It is a ...

'' - sculptured popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys greenei ''Plagiobothrys greenei'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Greene's popcornflower. It is native to Oregon and northern California, where it grows in moist woodland and grassland habitat. It is an annua ...

'' - Greene's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys hirtus ''Plagiobothrys hirtus'', the rough popcornflower, is a plant species with only about a dozen reportedly extant occurrences, all within the Umpqua River watershed in Douglas County, Oregon. It is federally listed endangered in the United States o ...

'' - rough popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys hispidus ''Plagiobothrys hispidus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names Cascade popcornflower or bristly popcornflower. It is native to the mountains and plateaus around the intersection of Oregon, northeastern C ...

'' - Cascade popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys humistratus ''Plagiobothrys humistratus'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names dwarf popcornflower or low popcornflower. It is endemic to the Central Valley of California, where it grows in grassland habitats, inclu ...

'' - dwarf popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys infectivus'' - dye popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys jonesii ''Plagiobothrys jonesii'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Mojave popcornflower. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in desert mountains and flats in sc ...

'' - Mojave popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys kingii'' - Great Basin popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys leptocladus'' - finebranched popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys mollis'' - soft popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys nothofulvus'' - rusty popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys parishii'' - Parish's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys plurisepaleus ''Plagiobothrys plurisepaleus'' (common name - White rochelia) is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. It is native to Australia, being found in all mainland states: New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western ...

'' *'' Plagiobothrys scouleri'' - Scouler's popcornflower *''

Plagiobothrys shastensis ''Plagiobothrys shastensis'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Shasta popcornflower. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in grassland, woodland, and other t ...

'' - Shasta popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys stipitatus'' - stalked popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys strictus'' - Calistoga popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys tenellus'' - Pacific popcornflower *'' Plagiobothrys uncinatus'' - Salinas Valley popcornflower

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
Flora of North America Boraginaceae genera {{Asterid-stub