Threadstem pincushionplant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Threadstem pincushionplant |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Navarretia
|
| Species: |
filicaulis
|
Navarretia filicaulis, also known as the threadstem pincushionplant, is a small, interesting flowering plant. It belongs to the phlox family. This plant is special because it grows only in certain parts of California.
Discovering the Threadstem Pincushionplant
Where This Plant Calls Home
The threadstem pincushionplant is an endemic species. This means it is found naturally only in one specific area. For this plant, that area is the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains and the very southern part of the Cascade Range in California.
It likes to grow in different types of natural areas. You can find it in chaparral (a type of shrubland), in woodlands, and other local habitats. These places provide the right conditions for it to thrive.
What the Threadstem Pincushionplant Looks Like
This plant is an annual herb. This means it completes its entire life cycle (from seed to flower to seed) within one year and then dies. It has a hairy and glandular (meaning it has tiny glands that might produce sticky substances) stem.
The stem is often crooked and slender, branching out. It can grow up to about 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) tall. Its leaves are small, usually up to 3 centimeters long. They are divided into thin, thread-like parts.
The flowers grow in a special cluster called an inflorescence. This cluster looks like a head and is filled with green, hand-shaped bracts. Bracts are like small, modified leaves that are often found near flowers. These bracts are speckled with tiny resin glands. The actual flowers are purple and shaped like tubes, each less than a centimeter long.
