Hollyleaf pincushionplant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hollyleaf pincushionplant |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Navarretia
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| Species: |
atractyloides
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The Hollyleaf Pincushionplant (Navarretia atractyloides) is a cool flowering plant. It belongs to the phlox family. This plant gets its common name because its leaves look a bit like holly. It also has flowers that grow in a tight cluster, like a pincushion!
Contents
Discovering the Hollyleaf Pincushionplant
Where This Plant Lives
This plant is native to western North America. You can find it in the coastal mountains. It grows from Oregon down through California and into Baja California in Mexico. It likes to grow in open areas. These areas include different natural places like chaparral and woodlands.
What It Looks Like
The Hollyleaf Pincushionplant is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season. It can grow up to about 30 centimeters tall. That's about the length of a standard ruler! The plant has tiny hairs and glands on its stems and leaves.
Its leaves are shaped like straps. They have sharp, narrow teeth along their edges. These teeth are what make the plant look a bit like holly.
Flowers and Bracts
The flowers grow in a tight group called an inflorescence. This group looks like a head. Around the flowers are special leaf-like parts called bracts. These bracts have spiny teeth.
The flowers themselves are small. They are usually light purple. Sometimes, they can be white. Each flower has reddish lines inside its tube-shaped throat. The flower is less than a centimeter long. It has five petals that spread out, forming a shape called a corolla.
How It's Different
The Hollyleaf Pincushionplant is similar to another plant called Navarretia hamata. However, the Hollyleaf Pincushionplant does not have a strong, skunky smell. This helps scientists tell the two species apart.
