DESERT WILDFLOWERS Owl clover: Castilleja (formerly Orthocarpus) purpurascens
Owl clover is a member of the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). It produces spectacular flowering spikes, about 10-20 cm high, composed of many small flowers. The neame "owl clover" derives partly from the clover-like purple colour of the flowers and partly from the "faces" of the flowers (yellow in this case) which are siad to resemble an owl's face. The species C. purpurascens is found in desert grasslands below about 1000 metres in Arizona and California. Other species occur elsewhere in the USA. This plant is a hemiparasite: like several members of the figwort family, it gains its sugars from photosynthesis but has a poorly developed root system, so it "taps" into the roots of other plants by producing nutrient-absorbing haustoria, to obtain most of its water and mineral nutrients. Back
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