Scientific Family
Boraginaceae
Synonyms
Amsinckia washintonensis
Other common names
Devil's-Lettuce
fiddleneck
checker fiddleneck
western fiddleneck
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Amsinckia intermedia
Height
To 2 feet
Riparian
No
Stout, often profusely branched annual, 12 to 24 inches tall, coarsely hairy stems and leaves, hairs conspicuously enlarged at base; leaves narrow to lance-like, upper leaves smaller and rounded; sepal lobes narrow to lance-like, white.
Erect or spreading branched stems; leaves alternate; stems and leaves rough with stiff hairs that often have basal blisters; differs from A. intermedia by fewer sepal lobes (2 to 4), which are unequal in width, and the 20-nerved flower tube base.
Habitat
Found on grassy slopes, valley floors, rocky to gravelly soil, slopes, flats, and arroyo beds.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers tubular, in coiled spikes, elongate to 8 inches or more in fruit, flowering tips dense, tips rather lax; sepals 3 to 5, often 2 narrow and 1 broader, 2 to 3 toothed at tip, 1/2 inch long in flower, to 5 inches long in fruit, sparsely hairy.
Flower color
Yellow to pale orange
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves narrow, lance-like, oblong or narrowly rounded, lower ones gradually narrow to a short stalk, upper not stalked, to 4 inches long, conspicuous spreading hairs; hairs on stems and leaves, hairs have blister-like raised areas at base (pustules).
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Dark green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Nutlets broadly oval, erect or slightly incurved, back flattened or slightly rounded.
Fruit type
Nutlet