Heartleaf keckiella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heartleaf keckiella |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Keckiella
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| Species: |
cordifolia
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Keckiella cordifolia, also known as the heartleaf keckiella, is a beautiful flowering shrub. It used to be called Penstemon cordifolius. This plant is native to the sunny coasts and mountains of southern California and northern Baja California. You can often find it growing in special plant communities like chaparral and coastal woodlands.
What is Heartleaf Keckiella?
The heartleaf keckiella is a type of plant that belongs to the plantain family. This family includes many different kinds of flowering plants. The plant gets its common name, "heartleaf," from the shape of its leaves.
Where Does It Grow?
This shrub loves warm, dry places. It grows naturally along the coast and in the coastal mountains of southern California. You can also find it in the northern parts of Baja California, which is just south of California.
It lives in two main types of plant communities:
- Chaparral: This is a type of shrubland common in California. It has tough, woody shrubs that are good at surviving dry summers and occasional wildfires.
- Coastal Woodlands: These are areas with trees and shrubs found near the ocean.
What Does It Look Like?
The heartleaf keckiella is a spreading shrub. This means it tends to grow wide rather than just tall. It can reach a height of more than two meters, which is taller than most people!
Leaves
Its leaves are shiny and green. They are shaped like an oval or a heart, which is why it's called "heartleaf." Each leaf has a pointed tip and small teeth along its edges. They are usually between 2 and 6 centimeters long. The leaves grow in pairs, directly opposite each other on the branches.
Flowers
This shrub produces many colorful flowers that grow in clusters. These clusters are called inflorescences. The flowers themselves are somewhat tubular, like a small trumpet, with a wide opening at the end.
The outside of the flower is a bit fuzzy. Their colors can range from a pale orange to a deep scarlet red. Each flower can be up to 3 centimeters long. The wide opening, or "mouth," of the flower can be about 4 centimeters wide.
Inside the flower's mouth, there are five parts that look like petals:
- Three flat lower parts, called lobes.
- Two upper parts that are joined together.
Deep inside the flower, you'll find long, thin parts called stamens. These are important for the plant's reproduction. There is also a flat, fuzzy, yellow part called a staminode. This staminode doesn't help with reproduction but might help guide insects into the flower.
