NUTTALL'S EVOLVULUS
File Size: 79 KB
 
Evolvulus nuttallianus  J.A. Schultes
Barber County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 4-6 inches
Family: Convolvulaceae - Morning-glory Family
Flowering Period:   May, June, July
Also Called: Silky evolvulus, hairy evolvulus.
Stems: Erect or ascending, branched below, very leafy, densely covered with silky gray or rusty-brown hairs; slightly woody at base.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, short stalked or sessile, linear-oblong or narrowly lanceolate, 1/4 to 3/4 inch long, less than 1/4 inch wide, densely pubescent like stems; margins entire; tips rounded or pointed.
Inflorescences: Solitary flowers in leaf axils.
Flowers: Sepals 5, lanceolate, silky hairy, tips pointed; corollas wheel or funnel-shaped, about 1/2 inch wide, pale lavender, blue or purple; centers white; stamens 5, anthers oblong.
Fruits: Capsules, small, glabrous, egg-shaped; seeds 1-2, smooth, brown.
Habitat: Dry, open sandy or rocky prairies and plains.
Distribution: Throughout, more frequent in west half of Kansas.
Uses: The Navajo sometimes used this plant as a snuff to induce sneezing.
Comments: This plant is very small and is easily overlooked. It honors botanist Thomas Nutall, 1786-1859.

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