The American Southwest
Home | Parks | Trails | Plants | Canyons
Maps | Landscapes | Site Map | Whats New? |
More...
Follow americansouthwest.net on Facebook
×
General Pages
Home
Parks
Trails
Plants
Slot Canyons
Maps
Landscapes
Itineraries
Site Map
What's New?
More pages...

States
Arizona
California
Colorado
Idaho
Nevada
New Mexico
Oregon
Texas
Utah
Wyoming



ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
IDAHO
NEVADA
NEW MEXICO
OREGON
TEXAS
UTAH
WYOMING
Plants
AGAVE AND YUCCA | CACTI | WILDFLOWERS

Orthocarpus Purpureoalbus, Purple Owl-Clover


Plants > Wildflowers > Orobanchaceae > Orthocarpus Purpureoalbus
Purple Owl-Clover
Orthocarpus purpureoalbus, Overlook Trail, Sycamore Canyon, Arizona
Common name:
Purple owl-clover
Family:
Broomrape (Orobanchaceae)
Scientific name:
Orthocarpus purpureoalbus
Main flower color:
Pink
Range:
The Four Corners states, and a small part of east Mevada
Height:
Up to 2 feet
Habitat:
Meadows, moist grassland, coniferous forests, between 6,000 and 9,000 feet
Leaves:
Alternate, sessile, mostly divided into three linear lobes, up to 2 inches long
Season:
July to September
Pintrest
As the species name suggests, flowers of orthocarpus purpureoalbus are bicolored, a mix of purple and white; the corolla tube is pinkish purple, while the uppermost of the two lips is darker purple; the lip is narrow and straight, projecting outwards, and terminating in a small spike. The much wider lower lip is mostly white, and expanded to form a pouch. All corolla parts become purple as they mature and then wither. Flowers form in relatively small numbers towards the top of the stem, blooming gradually higher up the stem as the season progresses. Flowers are subtended by narrow, lobed bracts, similar to the leaves but shorter.

Stems are dark greenish purple, and covered by short glandular hairs, as are the leaves, which are divided into narrow, linear lobes. Plants produce one, slender stem, which may branch a few times above the middle.




photograph
Narrow leaves
photograph
Elongated inflorescence
photograph
Leaves and stem
photograph
Flowers and bracts
photograph
White and pink flowers
photograph
Linear, purplish leaves
photograph
Purple-white flowers
Back to Top
Arizona | California | Colorado | Idaho | Nevada | New Mexico | Oregon | Texas | Utah | Wyoming | Slot Canyons | Travelogue | SOUTHWEST

All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Site Map