Okanogan stickseed (Okanogan hackelia)
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a taproot; stems several, straight, appressed-hairy, downswept below, upswept above, and often with coarse, spreading hairs as well, 30-90 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves well-developed, oblanceolate, stalked, 5-15 cm long, 3-12 mm wide; stem leaves almost linear, mostly unstalked, to 10 cm long and 6 mm wide; closely appressed straight-hairy to often densely and softly short-hairy, and frequently with some coarse bristles, alternate, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several short clusters with leafy bracts at the base; corollas light blue (fading pink); petals fused at base into a short, narrow tube that spreads flat (5-12 mm wide) abruptly at top to 5 lobes, with 5 pimply bulges at the throat.
Fruits:
Nutlets 4, clustered together, the margins with prominent, barb-tipped prickles, the prickles united at base for 1/3-1/2 their length to form a shallow cup; intramarginal prickles several, smaller than marginal ones.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
673 | 673 | 673 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
8 | 8 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ICH(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry grassy slopes in the steppe zone; rare in SC BC, known only from Rock Creek and Kettle Valley; S to WA.Status Information
| Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | S3S4 | Yellow | NAR (Nov 2007) |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Taxonomic Keys
Key to Hackelia:
1. Flowers 1-3 mm wide; annuals or biennials........................H. deflexa 1. Flowers 4-20 mm wide, biennials or perennials. 2. Flowers white...............................................H. diffusa 2. Flowers blue. 3. Nutlets with marginal prickles only.......................................H. floribunda 3. Nutlets with central (facial) prickles in addtion to marginal ones. 4. Marginal prickles united for at least 1/3 their length, forming a cup..........................H. ciliata 4. Marginal prickles mostly distinct to base, not forming a cup................................H. micrantha Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia (Douglas et al.) |