Scientific Family
Polygalaceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
To 1 foot
Riparian
No
The plants are broom-like.
Stems with fine short hairs. Capsule narrowly winged. Flowers white or whitish; keel petal with a conspicuous, fringed crest.
Habitat
This wildflower grows on rocky flats and slopes in desert grasslands and mountain foothills.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
The small flowers are in narrow, spike-like clusters. The individual flowers have 2 solid white or green- to purple-striped wings (petal-like lateral sepals), a dorsally-cleft floral tube composed of 3 fused petals, and a keel with a fringed crest.
Flower color
Greenish-white, purplish
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The many leaves are small, 1-1/4 to 4 inches long and less than 1/3 inch wide, linear to needle-like in shape with a pointed tip. The numerous slender green stems are 2 to 8 inches tall and covered with fine 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
Fruit type
Capsule
The flowers are followed by oblong, 2-celled, 2-seeded, thin-walled seed capsules with a single narrow wing on the top side.