Kickxia elatine (L.) Dumort.

                                                      =Antirrhinum elatine L.       

 

=Linaria elatine (L.) Miller                                                                                   Scrophulariaceae                  

                                                                                  

Figwort Family                           

                                                                                Europe

 

Sharp Leaved Fluellin 

                                          May Photo 

Plant Characteristics:  Much branched perennial herbs, glandular and soft-hairy, forming mats a meter of so across; lvs. ovate, hastate at base, 1-3 cm. long, 1-2.5 cm. wide, petioles 2-3 mm. long; pedicels 10-25 mm. long; calyx 5-parted; corolla 5mm. long, ventrally spurred at base, 2–lipped with prominent palate closing throat, 5 mm. long, the spur an additional 4 mm.; stamens 4, didynamous, the anthers +/- coherent, ciliate; caps. 3-4 mm. long, globose, circumscissile by 2 pores; seeds rounded, brown, alveolate with thin winglike irregular convolutions.

 

Habitat:  Occasionally naturalized in old fields, river bottoms, etc., Orange County, Santa Barbara Co., etc.  Blooms June-September.

 

Name:  After J.J. Kickx, Belgian professor in early 19th century.  (Munz, Flora So Calif. 804).  Greek, elatine, name of a kind of toad flax.  (Jaeger 90).

 

General:  Rare in the study area with only one colony known and this at the end of Constellation Dr. where it dead ends into the 23rd St. area.  This area has produced several new plants over the years as their seed have washed off the street end and grow in the soil on or adjacent to the path. (my comments).       About 30 species, mostly from the Mediterranean region.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 804). 

 

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. III 786; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 804; Hickman, Ed. 1034; Robbins et al. 397.

Photo Ref:  April-May 05 # 19,21.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

First Found:  May 2005.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 559.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit. 8/12/05.

 

                                 May Photo                                                                                          May Photo