Collinsia parviflora

From Puget Prairie Plants
  • Scientific Name: Collinsia parviflora
  • Family: Plantaginaceae
  • Common Names: small-flowered blue-eyed Mary, collinsia
  • Synonyms/Misapplications: Collinsia grandiflora
  • Codon: COLPAR

Photo by Craig Althen, 2010. Featured on Main Page

Taxonomy

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Viridiplantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Spermatophytina
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Asteranae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Collinsia Nutt.
Species: Collinsia parviflora Lindl.
Synonyms
  • Antirrhinum tenellum Pursh
  • Collinsia tenella (Pursh) Piper
  • Collinsia parviflora var. parviflora Lindl.
  • Collinsia grandiflora var. pusilla A. Gray

[1]

Description

Annual, erect herb with small axillary blue to pinkish flowers, up to 40 cm tall.[2] Stem simple to branched, sparsely pubescent.[2] Leaves opposite; lower leaves long-petiolate, orbicular to rotund; upper leaves oblong to linear-lanceolate, to 4 cm long.[3] Flowers zygomorphic, pedicelate 4-7 mm long;[2] calyx 5-lobed, subequal; corolla bilabiate, tube not bent at right angle to calyx, 2 upper lobes, 3 lower lobes; stamens 4, didynamous; stigma capitate,[4] ovary 2-carpellate, superior,[5] becoming an elliptical capsule.[2]

Bloom Period

March - July[2]

Distribution

Occurs in BC extending south to California and east to Manitoba, Michigan, Colorado and Arizona (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994; Ganders and Krause, 1986; Elle, 2002).

Habitat

Rocky outcrops in coastal Douglas-fir zone. Areas that dry out rapidly in summer. Low to middle elevations but occasionally higher. Absent from the wet outer coast.[2]

Collinsia parviflora seeds
Photo Credit Lisa HIntz

Uses

Ute use as an external treatment for soreness.[6]

Propagation

Native Plant Network Propagation Protocol

Seed

Abbreviation: COPA

Seed sample from: 2011

Average measurement: 0.7 x 1.5 x 1

Measurement range: L: 0.5 - 0.9, W: 1.3 x 1.7, D: 0.9 x 1.3

Features

Color Seeds bright red with elliptical, white, large depression that is the hilium on a longer seed side.

Surface Seeds red, matte, and very slightly bumpy. Possibly smoother than COGR. Some seeds have seed coat ridges at the edge of the seed, giving it a somewhat winged look.

Seed slightly larger than Collinsia grandiflora.

Could be confused with: Collinsia grandiflora.

Latitudinal cross section: elliptical COPA.png

Longitudinal cross section: irregular

Basic Explanations and Assumptions:

The dimensions for the seeds are length x width x depth. The location of the hilum is used as the base of the seed, and the length is measured from hilum to the opposite apex. Where a style is present, the length is measured from the hilum to the bottom of the style. Width is measured at a right angle to the length at the widest part. Depth is measured at a right angle to the intersection of height and width lines.

Measurements included are the mean average for each measurement of ten separate seeds.

All measurements in millimeters unless otherwise noted.

Photo Gallery

References

  1. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=33534
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 WTU Herbarium, Burke Museum, & University of Washington. Retrieved from http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Collinsia%20parviflora
  3. Bowcutt, F., & Hamman, S. (2016). Vascular Plants of the South Sound Prairies. p. 109.
  4. Hitchcock, C. L., Cronquist, A., Giblin, D., & Legler, B. et al. (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an illustrated manual. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 455.
  5. Hitchcock, C. L., Cronquist, A., Giblin, D., & Legler, B. et al. (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an illustrated manual. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 452.
  6. Native American Ethnobotany Database. Retrieved from http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Collinsia+parviflora