Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: short-lived perennial or annual herbs.

Stems:

Roots: Taprooted.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves basal. Blades narrowly oblanceolate to elliptic–oblanceolate or obovate, 3–15 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide; blades undifferentiated from petioles. Base gradually or abruptly attenuate. Surfaces appressed pilose; blades thin. Margins remotely coarsely dentate to dentate. 3-veined. Petioles 0.5–2 cm long, winged. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in scapes (5–)12–20 cm long; spikes (2–)4–10 cm long, moderately appressed pilose, flowers not closely spaced, becoming widely spaced toward base. bracts ovate–elliptic, 1–1.5 mm long, pubescent toward base, bracteoles absent. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx of 4 sepals, subequal, distinct, elliptic, scarious except for the green midrib, 1.5–2(–3) mm long, ± pubescent on midrib. Corolla 4-lobed, lobes reflexed, 0.8–1 mm long, salverform, scarious, persistent in fruit, the tube covering the upper part of the capsule. Stamens 4, alternate with the corolla tubes; filaments adnate to corolla tube; anthers long–exserted, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with as many cells; ovules 5 placentation axile; style 1, terminal, slender; stigmas protruding from buds.

Fruit: Capsules ellipsoid; 2.4–3 mm long; dehiscent at or slightly below middle; circumscissile at or below the middle; enclosed in the persistent calyx. Seeds 1–5; yellow to dark brown; ca. 1 mm long; with a thin mucilaginous membrane; with well–developed; firm; translucent endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 12

Habitat: Open; urban sites.

Elevation Range: