''Langloisia setosissima'', the bristly langloisia, bristly-calico, Great Basin langloisia or lilac sunbonnets, 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 ...

, the sole species in the genus ''Langloisia'' in the family

Polemoniaceae The Polemoniaceae (Jacob's-ladder or phlox family) are a family of flowering plants consisting of about 25 genera with 270–400 species of annuals and perennials native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity ...

. It is native to the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and north western

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where it is found in

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

washes and on rocky slopes and plains from eastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, south via

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, 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. N ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

to eastern

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 ...

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 ...

. The genus name of ''Langloisia'' is in honour of Auguste Berthélemy Langlois (1832–1900), who was a French-born American clergyman and botanist. It is an

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

, growing to 4–20 cm tall. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are spirally arranged, linear, 2–3 cm long, densely bristly and with a toothed margin. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white to light blue or pale purple in color, 1.5–2 cm diameter, with a deeply five-lobed corolla. There are two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: *''Langloisia setosissima'' subsp. ''setosissima''. Flowers with a uniformly colored corolla, possibly showing faint patterns of dots and stripes. *''Langloisia setosissima'' subsp. ''punctata'' ( syn. ''Langloisia lanata, Langloisia punctata''). Flowers with a corolla spotted with darker purple and yellow. The genus Loeseliastrum was previously included in Langloisia, formed from two former ''Langloisia'' species: * ''Loeseliastrum matthewsii'', formerly ''Langloisia matthewsii'' * ''Loeseliastrum schottii'', formerly ''Langloisia schottii''

References

Other sources

Jepson Flora Project: ''Langloisia setosissima''

CalFlora: ''Langloisia setosissima''
(requires login) * Photos o

an

USDA Plants Profile
* ''Mojave Desert Wildflowers'', Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. 147 Polemoniaceae Monotypic Ericales genera North American desert flora Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Idaho Flora of Oregon Flora of Northeastern Mexico Polemoniaceae genera {{Polemoniaceae-stub