Hooked pincushionplant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hooked pincushionplant |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Navarretia
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| Species: |
hamata
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Navarretia hamata is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the phlox family. Most people know it by its common name, hooked pincushionplant. This plant is small and often has a strong, skunky smell.
Where the Hooked Pincushionplant Grows
This plant grows naturally in the coastal mountains and valleys. You can find it in California and Baja California, Mexico.
It lives from the Monterey Bay area down through Southern California. It also grows on three of the Channel Islands. You can find it south into Baja California. The hooked pincushionplant often grows in chaparral. Chaparral is a type of shrubland with tough, woody plants.
What the Hooked Pincushionplant Looks Like
Navarretia hamata is a small plant that lives for only one year. It is covered in tiny hairs and sticky glands. Its stem grows upright and can be about 30 centimeters (12 inches) tall. This plant usually has a very strong smell, like a skunk.
The leaves of the plant are divided into thin, pointy parts. The tips of these leaf parts are often hooked, like a tiny claw. The flowers grow in a tight cluster called an inflorescence. This cluster is surrounded by green, leaf-like parts called bracts. The flowers are pink or purple. They are shaped like tubes and have five small lobes at the end. Each flower can be up to 1.5 centimeters (about half an inch) long.
