Iron Ipomopsis

Description

Duration: Annual-Nativity: Native-Lifeform: Forb/Herb-General: Annual, or possibly sometimes biennial herbs, 10-40 cm tall; stems erect, branching, glabrous, sometimes glandular-puberulent above.-Leaves: Alternate along the stems; lower leaves pinnately dissected into filiform or narrowly linear lobes; upper leaves entire or few-lobed.-Flowers: White to blue, showy, in loose, somewhat flat-topped panicles, on slender peduncles 1 cm or more long; calyx consisting of 5 spine-tipped sepals, 5-6 mm long, connected to each other by papery membranes; corolla salverform and 5-lobed, white or tinged with blue, the tube 15-25 mm long and the lobes 3-5 mm long; anthers included within the corolla.-Fruits: Capsules 7-10 mm long, with 4-6 seeds per locule.-Ecology: Found on hills, plains, and mesas, from 4,000-7,000 ft (1219-2134 m); flowers April-September.-Distribution: e NM, e CO, KS, TX-Notes: This annual Ipomopsis is most similar to I. longiflora, but more delicate with smaller parts. It tends to be under 40 cm tall (I. longiflora can grow to up to 1 meter tall); most notably, the flowers are smaller, with corolla tubes 1.5 to 2.5 cm long (I. longifolia has corolla tubes 2-5 cm long). Look for this species on the eastern plains of New Mexico and Colorado, and into west Texas.-Ethnobotany: Unknown-Etymology: Ipomopsis means like Ipomoea, the morning glory genus; laxiflora means loose-flowered, probably referring to the panicle architecture.