Stickseed

Description

Hackelia (stickseeds) is a genus of plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. They are found in North America and southeast Asia. Of the approximately 40 species described, 10 are endemic to California. They are erect, perennial or biannual herbs, hairy or rarely glabrous. Leaves alternate, entire, basal in general long stalked, caulinariums shortly petiolate sessile. Inflorescences in clusters or panicles, the scorpioid branches, ebracted or with inconspicuous bracts. Bisexual flowers; sepals 5, free up to the base or almost to the base, sparsely accretive in fruiting; blue corolla, often with a yellow center, or rarely white to pale yellow, hypochlora- rimorphic, 5-lobate, with 5 well developed protuberances in the mouth; stamens 5, included in the corolla tube, elliptical to oblong anthers with short filaments; ovary 4-lobado, the gynobasic style, the capped stigma. Fruits in 4 nuts, the fixation to the pyramidal ginobase in the middle part, the conspicuous scar,