Copeland's owl's clover facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Copeland's owl's clover
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Genus:	Orthocarpus
Species:	O. cuspidatus
Binomial name
Orthocarpus cuspidatus Greene

Orthocarpus cuspidatus is a type of flowering plant. It is often called Copeland's owl's clover. Other names include Siskiyou Mountains orthocarpus and toothed owl's-clover. This plant belongs to the broomrape family. It grows naturally in the mountains and plateaus of Oregon, California, and Nevada.

What is Copeland's Owl's Clover?

Copeland's owl's clover is an annual herb. This means it completes its whole life cycle in one year. It grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies. This plant can grow up to about 40 centimeters tall. That's roughly the length of a standard ruler and a half!

How Does It Look?

The plant has a thin stem that is purple-green in color. It can feel a bit sticky because it is glandular. It also has small hairs.

• Leaves: The leaves are narrow and can be up to 5 centimeters long. The leaves higher up on the stem are split into three thin, finger-like parts.
• Flowers: The flowers grow in a tight, cylinder-shaped cluster. This cluster is called an inflorescence. It looks like a dense spike.
  • Bracts: The flowers appear from between wide, oval-shaped green leaves called bracts. These bracts have pink tips.
  • Flower Shape: Each flower is purple-pink and feels fuzzy. They are shaped a bit like a club. The bottom part of the flower is a wide, expanded pouch. The top part is a narrow, straight beak.