Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, 1-3, slender, wiry-branched in inflorescence, waxy, usually glabrous to inflorescence, somewhat brittle.
- Leaves
- Alternate, simple, sessile, lanceolate, 1 to 3 inches long, 1/4 to 3/4 inch wide, glabrous; margins entire, whitish; tips pointed; lower leaves often absent at flowering; upper leaves reduced, linear-lanceolate.
- Inflorescence
- Spikes, elongate, terminal, glandular-hairy.
- Flower
- About 1/2 inch across, sessile; sepals 4, oblong-lanceolate, whitish, sparsely pubescent, bent abruptly backward; petals 4, less than 1/4 inch long, white, clawed, at end of threadlike floral tube; stamens 8, unequal; style as long or longer than stamens, stigma 4-lobed.
- Fruit
- Capsules, nutlike, egg-shaped, conspicuously ribbed, pubescent, 1-seeded; seeds small, whitish yellow.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Dry, rocky, prairie hillsides, roadsides, stream valleys, and waste places, most abundant on limestone soils.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
Stenosiphon drops its leaves during periods of drought and conducts photosynthesis in the stem. A rosette of leaves develops in the fall of the first year, and the stem arises in the second year.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Onagraceae - Evening Primrose Family
- Life Span
- Biennial
- Height
- 2-9 feet
- Last Updated
- 2021-02-20
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: July, August, September