Roundstem false foxglove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roundstem false foxglove |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Agalinis
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| Species: |
gattingeri
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The Agalinis gattingeri, also known as the roundstem false foxglove, is a type of plant that lives for only one year. It is a hemiparasitic forb, which means it's a plant that gets some of its food from other plants, but it's not a grass or a tree. This plant can grow to be about 10.5 to 60.5 centimeters tall.
What it Looks Like
The roundstem false foxglove is an annual plant with straight, thin, round stems that don't have any hairs. These stems can have many or just a few branches. Its leaves are long and thin, about 10 to 34 millimeters long and less than 1 millimeter wide. The leaves are shorter than the flower stalks (called pedicels).
This plant has pink, tube-shaped flowers that bloom in late summer and fall. They are 7 to 30 millimeters long and have many red spots and two yellow lines on their bottom petal. Sometimes, a single flower grows at the very end of a branch instead of directly on the main stem. Each flower has five parts, called lobes. The two top lobes are smaller and more joined together than the three larger bottom lobes. Its seed pods are round and hold many tiny yellow or tan seeds, each about 0.5 to 1.2 millimeters long.
Where it Lives
The roundstem false foxglove grows in dry areas like prairies (grassy lands) and alvars (rocky, open areas). In Minnesota, it likes sunny, dry hillside prairies with rocky and sandy soil, especially those facing south.
Protecting the Plant
The number of roundstem false foxglove plants is going down in many places, especially in the northern parts of its home. Because of this, it's considered 'threatened' or 'endangered' in many states and provinces where it lives.
Before 2007, people didn't know it grew in Manitoba, Canada. Now, only one group of these plants has been found there. In Ontario, Canada, it only grows in nine specific spots in the southern part of the province. The biggest dangers to this plant are losing its natural home and people building or expanding into its living areas.
