Scientific Family
Polygalaceae
Synonyms
Monnina brachystachya, Monnina eriocarpa, Monnina macrostachya var. stenophylla, Pteromonnina wrightii
Other common names
blue pygmy-flower
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
Up to 20 inches
Riparian
Yes
Erect annual, mostly single stemmed or few-branched; leafy; minutely hairy, hairs incurved (toward stem); narrow leaves; spike-like cluster of very small blue flowers; capsules form to bottom of inflorescence and are single celled.
Slender erect stems, typically one, branching uncommon; leaves narrow, lance-like, pointed, alternate, smooth margined, up to 2 inches long; flowers in elongated clusters, blue, small, short-stemmed; fruit a capsule that splits open when mature, 1-celled.
Habitat
Igneous, limeÂstone, gravelly, sandy, or silty loam soils, in dry to moist, open to shaded grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, disturbed areas, on open slopes and meadows at middle to upper elevations, sometimes among Ceanothus (wildBlue Pygmy-Flow lilac)
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
Borne in terminal, spike-like clusters, 2 to 12 inches long; small, blue flowers, 1/8 inch long, short-stalked; sepals 5, outer 3 herbaceous (leaf-like), inner 2 petal-like, larger; stamens 6 to 8, united at base to form tube, split along lower side.
Flower color
Blue
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
September
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves alternate, borne on short stalks, 3/4 to 2 inches long; upper leaves narrow, lower leaves narrowly oval, tapering to a sharp point; margins smooth.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is a samara (dry, winged fruit that does not split open when mature, shape enables the wind to carry the seed farther away than regular seeds), 1/8 to 1/4 inch long and 1-celled.
Fruit type
Other