Hackelia cusickii
Encyclopedia
Hackelia cusickii is a species of flowering plant in the borage family
known by the common name Cusick's stickseed. It is native to the Modoc Plateau
in the northeastern corner of California
and adjacent sections of Nevada
and Oregon
, where it grows in coniferous forest, woodlands, and talus
. It is a perennial herb up to about 50 centimeters tall and coated thinly in stiff hairs. Most of the leaves are located around the base of the plant, reaching up to 18 centimeters long; there are a few smaller leaves on lower part of the stem as well. The hairy inflorescence
is an open array of branches, each a coiling panicle of flowers. Each flower is just over a centimeter wide with blue lobes with white appendages at the bases. The fruit is a cluster of prickly nutlets.
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
known by the common name Cusick's stickseed. It is native to the Modoc Plateau
Modoc Plateau
The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. It is a mile-high expanse of lava flows with cinder cones, juniper flats, pine forests, and seasonal lakes. The plateau is thought to have been formed approximately 25 million years ago...
in the northeastern corner of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and adjacent sections of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it grows in coniferous forest, woodlands, and talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
. It is a perennial herb up to about 50 centimeters tall and coated thinly in stiff hairs. Most of the leaves are located around the base of the plant, reaching up to 18 centimeters long; there are a few smaller leaves on lower part of the stem as well. The hairy inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an open array of branches, each a coiling panicle of flowers. Each flower is just over a centimeter wide with blue lobes with white appendages at the bases. The fruit is a cluster of prickly nutlets.