Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

HAIRY PINWEED

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Lechea mucronata Raf.

[=Lechea villosa Elliott]

Perennial, sometimes biennial

Height: 12-32 inches

Family: Cistaceae - Rockrose Family

Flowering Period: June, July, August, September,October

Stems:

Stems of 2 forms; basal stems produced late in growing season, prostrate, procumbent, or ascending, overwintering; flowering stems produced in spring, ascending to erect, not overwintering, densely villous.

Leaves:

Leaves of basal stems ovate-elliptic; leaves of flowering stems opposite or whorled, petiolate; blade elliptic to ovate, .5 to 1.2 inch long, .12 to .16 inch wide, tip acute to obtuse, lower surface villous on margins and midvein, upper surface glabrous.

Inflorescences:

Panicles, mostly terminal.

Flowers:

Pedicels short; outer sepals linear to oblong-elliptic, slightly shorter than to slightly longer than inner sepals, .07 to .08 inch, inner sepals ovate to nearly round, .06 to .08 inch; petals 3, dark red, oblong to oblanceolate, .03 to .05 inch, shorter than sepals; stamens mostly 5-15; stigmas 3, plumose.

Fruits:

Capsules subglobose to obovoid, .05 to .06, as long as persistent calyx; seeds 3, brown or yellowish brown, ca. .04 inch.

Habitat:

Dry, sandy tallgrass and sand prairies, oak-hickory woodlands.

Distribution:

Harvey, McPherson, Reno, and Rice Counties in central Kansas and Cherokee County in southeast Kansas.

Origin:

Native

Comments:

Named for Johan Leche, Swedish botanist.

Hairy pinweed