E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Linanthus pungens (Torr.) J.M. Porter & L.A. Johnson
prickly phlox
Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Gordon Neish  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #24680)


Distribution of Linanthus pungens
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Species Information

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Illustration SourceThe Illustrated Flora of BC

General:
Shrub from a taproot; stems decumbent to more or less erect, branched, leafy, often sweetly aromatic, minutely hairy or glandular-hairy to hairless, 10-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Alternate or lower leaves opposite, numerous, 5-12 mm long, with bundles of smaller leaves in their axils, deeply palmately cleft into 3 to 7 rigid, linear, spine-tipped segments, the middle segment the longest; dead leaves remain through 1 or more seasons.
Flowers:
Inflorescences terminal clusters of unstalked, sweet-scented flowers solitary in leaf axils; corollas dull white to yellowish with lavender shading on the outer surface, 12-25 mm long, the tube funnel-shaped, flaring to 5 egg-shaped lobes 6-11 mm long; calyces 7-10 mm long, the 5 lobes unequal, spine-tipped; flowers opening in the evening, during the day loosely crumpled-closed.
Fruits:
Capsules, 3-5 mm long, 3-chambered; seeds several (5 to 10) per chamber.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the:  "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Habitat / Range

Dry, open, rocky or sandy slopes and shrublands in the steppe zone; locally frequent in extreme SC BC; S to NE, MT, NM and MX.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of BC

Synonyms and Alternative Names

Gilia hallii Parish
Gilia pungens (Torr.) Benth.
Gilia pungens var. hookeri (Douglas ex Hook.) A. Gray
Leptodactylon hazeliae M. Peck
Leptodactylon lilacinum Greene ex Brank
Leptodactylon pungens (Torr.) Torr. ex Nutt.
Leptodactylon pungens (Torr.) Torr. ex Nutt.
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. brevifolium (Rydb.) Wherry
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. eupungens (Brand) Wherry
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. hallii (Parish) H. Mason
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. hazeliae (M. Peck) R.J. Meinke
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. hookeri (Douglas ex Hook.) Wherry
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. pulchriflorum (Brand) H. Mason
Leptodactylon pungens subsp. squarrosum (A. Gray) Tidestr.
Leptodactylon pungens var. hallii (Parish) Jeps.
Leptodactylon pungens var. hookeri (Douglas ex Hook.) Jeps.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

Related Databases

General References