Common names:
Fringed gromwell, fringed puccoon, showy stoneseed
Family:
Scientific name:
Lithospermum incisum
Main flower color:
Range:
Southeast California, southeast Nevada, Montana and states to the east
Height:
Up to 1.5 feet
Habitat:
Open plains, plateaus, grassland, foothills
Leaves:
Thin, linear to lanceolate, hairy, up to 2.5 inches in length
Season:
April to July
The trumpet-shaped flowers of lithospermum incisum consist of a narrow yellow tube up 3 inches long, topped by five thin lobes which have an irregularly toothed edge, like a fringe. They grow from the ends of the short leaf stalks, and the whole plant usually stays relatively small, close to the ground, though it sometimes reaches a height of 18 inches. The yellow corolla is supported by a green, deeply five-lobed calyx, about a half to a third as long. Calyces, leaves and stems have a covering of short, strigose hairs, pressed against the surface. The alternative common name of stoneseed refers to the hard, nut-like seeds, produced late in the season from specialized flowers, lower down the leaf stalks.
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