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

Plectritis macrocera Torr. & A. Gray
long-spurred plectritis (longhorn plectritis)
Caprifoliaceae (Valerian family)
(Previously in Valerianaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #16376)

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Distribution of Plectritis macrocera
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, solitary, simple, finely glandular, especially when flowering, otherwise smooth or nearly so, 10-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves soon deciduous; stem leaves opposite, lowermost leaves egg-shaped with short-stalks, others more oblong or elliptic and stalkless, smooth or nearly so, 1-4.5 cm long, 3-18 mm wide.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of terminal, more or less cylindric clusters; corollas white or pale pink, 2-3.5 mm long, 2-lobed, with a thick spur, the tip not enlarged; calyces lacking.
Fruits:
Achenes, dry, 2-4 mm long, convex side of body not keeled, grooved lengthwise, winged, the wing margins thickened, smooth or evenly hairy.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Vernally moist sites in the lowland, steppe and lower montane zones; infrequent in SW and SC BC, rare in SE BC; S to MT, UT, NV and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Plectritis macrocera

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

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 92 316 650
Slope Gradient (%) 18 51 84
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
23 38 290
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 2 4
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
9
Modal BEC Zone Class
CDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: CDF(5), ICH(1), IDF(1), PP(2)

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.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Plectritis macrocera subsp. grayi (Suksd.) Morey

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References