''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
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to northern
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 grows in meadows and other mountain habitat.
Description
It is an annual herb producing a slender, hairy green stem up to about 35 centimeters tall. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 5 centimeters long. 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 dense cylindrical spike of wide netted
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 with pinkish tips. The flowers just barely emerge from between the bracts. Each flower is about a centimeter long, its narrow, hooked, beaklike upper lip pink and its expanded, pouched lower lip yellowish.
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
Orobanchaceae
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of California
Flora of British Columbia
Flora of Northern America
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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