Tehachapi woollystar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tehachapi woollystar |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eriastrum
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| Species: |
pluriflorum
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Eriastrum pluriflorum is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the phlox family. People often call it the Tehachapi woollystar or the many-flowered eriastrum.
Where It Grows
This special wildflower only grows in California. It is not very common there. You can find it in different kinds of places. These include chaparral areas and woodlands. It grows in central California. This includes the California Coast Ranges and Transverse Ranges. It also lives in the San Joaquin Valley. You can find it near the Sierra Nevada mountains. It also grows in the Tehachapi Mountains. It even grows in the western Mojave Desert.
What It Looks Like
This plant is small and grows every year. It is called Eriastrum pluriflorum. It can be anywhere from 2 to 25 centimeters tall. It might grow as a straight bunch. Or it can form a small patch on the ground. Its stem has a few thin, thread-like leaves. These leaves are a few centimeters long. They are covered in soft, woolly hairs.
The plant's flowers grow in a group called an inflorescence. This group has many thin bracts. These bracts are covered in thick, cobweb-like wool. Many unique trumpet-shaped flowers grow from this woolly mass. Each flower has a very narrow tube at its base. This tube is one to two centimeters long. It opens into a flat, round part called a corolla.
The corolla is about one centimeter wide. It has five rounded or diamond-shaped parts. These parts are bright lavender to blue. The inside tube of the flower might be the same color. Or it could be yellowish to reddish. The light-colored stamens stick out from the corolla.
Different Types of Eriastrum pluriflorum
Sometimes, plants of the same species can have small differences. These are called Subspecies. For Eriastrum pluriflorum, there are two main types:
- Eriastrum pluriflorum ssp. pluriflorum
- Eriastrum pluriflorum ssp. sherman-hoytiae — This type is also called Many flowered eriastrum. It only grows in the Mojave Desert.
