Orthocarpus pachystachyus

Orthocarpus pachystachyus is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names Shasta owl's-clover and Shasta orthocarpus. It is endemic to central Siskiyou County, California, where it is so rarely seen it was thought to be extinct until 1996, when eight individuals were located.[1] The plant grows in an isolated wilderness but since it apparently only occurs on one single hillside it is considered very vulnerable to extinction.[1]

Orthocarpus pachystachyus

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Orobanchaceae
Genus:
Orthocarpus
Species:
O. pachystachyus
Binomial name
Orthocarpus pachystachyus

Description

This is a small annual herb producing a stout, hairy, glandular stem up to about 20 centimeters tall. The narrow leaves are up to 5 centimeters long, the upper ones sometimes divided into three to five lobes. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical spike of wide oval purple-green bracts, the flowers emerging from between them. The lightly hairy flowers are up to 3 centimeters long and pink in color. They are club-shaped, the upper lip a curving beak and the lower lip a wide pouch.

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References
  1. The Nature Conservancy. 1997 Species Report Card. Page 17.
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