Scientific Family
Hydrophyllaceae
Synonyms
Nama foliosum, Nama hispidummentzelii, Nama hispidum var. revolutum, Nama hispidum var. spathulatum, Nama tenue
Other common names
rough nama
purple mat
sandbells
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2 to 12 inches
Riparian
No
Ground-hugging, forms mats of trumpet-like blooms. With good rainfall the flowers carpet large areas of desert with color. Often called sandbells due to its preference for sandy soils and its flowers which look like upright bells.
A small annual. Stems, leaves covered with long stiff hairs. Leaves are narrow, widest near their tip, tapering to their bases. Wide, bell-shaped purplish flowers a little less than 1/2 inch long, with petals that are quite a bit longer than the sepals.
Habitat
Dry plains, mesas; gravelly, rocky and sandy soils in diverse habitats.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Showy, funnel-shaped, 1/2 inch wide flowers have 5 rounded petal-like lobes, white and yellow throats and yellow stamens. Flowers are solitary in leaf axils or in small crowded clusters at branch tips.
Flower color
Purplish
Flower shape
Bell-shaped
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems curved, often with abundant basal leaves; stem leaves 1/2 to 2 inches long, narrow, spoon-shaped, sticky, coarse hairs and a pungent odor; leaf tips are rounded; leaf edges partially rolled under toward the leaf underside (revolute).
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Dry, oblong, narrow capsule 1/4 inch long; opens at maturity to release numerous tiny seeds.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Yellowish-brown
Egg-shaped, yellowish or orangish seeds are less than 1/16 inch long and half as wide with a net-vein pattern on the outside surface (reticulate).