Mountain owl's-clover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain owl's-clover |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Order: | |
| Family: |
Orobanchaceae
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| Genus: |
Orthocarpus
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| Species: |
O. imbricatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Orthocarpus imbricatus Torr. ex. S.Watson
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The mountain owl's-clover (scientific name: Orthocarpus imbricatus) is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the broomrape family. You can find this plant growing in western North America. Its home stretches from British Columbia in Canada all the way down to northern California in the United States. It loves to grow in open meadows and other mountain areas.
What Does Mountain Owl's-Clover Look Like?
This plant is an annual herb, which means it grows, flowers, and dies within one year. It has a thin, slightly fuzzy green stem. This stem can grow up to about 35 centimeters tall, which is roughly the length of a school ruler.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the mountain owl's-clover are shaped like a spearhead. They can be up to 5 centimeters long. The flowers grow in a tight, cylinder-shaped cluster called an inflorescence. This cluster looks like a dense spike.
The flowers are mostly hidden by wide, net-like structures called bracts. These bracts often have pink tips, making the plant look very pretty. The actual flowers are small, about one centimeter long. Each flower has two main parts:
- An upper lip that is narrow, hooked, and looks a bit like a bird's beak. This part is usually pink.
- A lower lip that is wider and pouch-shaped. This part is typically yellowish.
