Scientific Family
Boraginaceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
10 inches
Riparian
Yes
This is an annual herb with a slender, rough-haired stem, generally upright to erect in form.
Nutlets are linear or oblong; margins mostly smooth; the four nutlets are essentially alike and do not curve backward; teeth on the margin of the nutlet are evidently joined.
Habitat
Found in open sandy/gravelly soils, on rocky slopes, in washes, and along roadsides.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Interior Chaparral
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Riparian
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
The inflorescence is a series of flowers, each on a curved pedicel.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
May
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The small, pointed linear leaves are alternately arranged, widely spaced along the stem, and bristly. The stem is erect, slender, and covered with rough hairs.
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
The fruit is an array of four flattened nutlets, lined with thin teeth.
Fruit type
Nutlet
Fruit color
Green