SLENDER VENUS' LOOKING-GLASS
File Size: 59 KB
 
Triodanis leptocarpa   (Nutt. ) Nieuw.
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Annual
Height: 4 - 28 inches
Family: Campanulaceae - Bellflower family
Flowering Period:   May, June
Also Called: Slimpod venus' looking-glass.
Stems: Erect, slender, simple or branched from the base, 4 to 28 inches tall, with stiff hairs that are pointed downward.
Leaves: Alternate, linear to lanceolate, up to 1 inch long and less than .2 inch wide, sessile, pointed to rounded tip, entire to scalloped margins, glabrous above and hispid or scabrous below on the veins.
Inflorescences: 1 to 3 flowers in the leaf axils; bracts lanceolate, .4 to 1 inch long, margins entire, tips pointed.
Flowers: Calyx lobes narrowly lanceolate, often curve back and downward; flowers of 2 forms; upper flowers open at pollination, circular in outline, less than 3/4 inch wide; corollas purple to blue, sometimes with white streaks; petals 5, united at bases, tips pointed; lower flowers small, closed, self-pollinating; corollas purple to blue.
Fruits: Capsules, 2 forms; capsules of open flowers straight, erect, linear, .6 to 1 inch long; capsules of closed flowers awl- and sickle-shaped, 1/3 to nearly 1 inch long; seeds numerous, oval, light brown, glossy.
Habitat: Dry, sandy prairies, pastures, and disturbed areas.
Distribution: Throughout Kansas.
 Related to Venus' looking glass or clasping Venus' looking-glass

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