Scientific Family
Scrophulariaceae
Other common names
purple owlclover
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4 to 16 inches
Riparian
No
Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, bi-colored, a mix of purple and white; corolla tube is pinkish-purple; the uppermost of the 2 lips is darker purple; lower lip is mostly white and wider.
Annual, semi-parasitic, 4 to 16 inches tall; stems erect, simple to usually branched above, stems often purplish; herbage glandular-hairy; leaves typically 3-cleft into narrow lobes; flowers in leaf axils, tubular, purple and white in spike-like clusters.
Habitat
Sagebrush habitats, pinyon-juniper woodlands, coniferous forests.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
5500
High elevation
9000
Flower Characteristics
Elongated clusters (spikes); bracts 1/2 to 3/4 inch; margins 3-lobed to near base; stalk 1/16 inch; sepals 1/4 to 1/2 inch; flower 1/2 to 3/4 inch; longer than bracts; upper lip 1/4 inch; 1/16 inch longer than lower lip; soft hairs; tip hooked.
Flower color
Pinkish-purple, purple, white
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
1 slender stem; may branch above the middle; stems and leaves covered by short glandular hairs; leaf blades 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long; alternate, without stalks; divided into 3 linear lobes, up to 2 inches long, lobes narrow and 3-cleft.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Greenish-purple
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
1/4 to 1/2 inch; tip tapering to sharp point.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Dark brown
18 to 26 seeds; oval to kidney-shaped; 1/16 to 1/8 inch; deeply marked like a net; ridged lengthwise.