Linanthus pungens
Encyclopedia
Linanthus pungens is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common name
s granite prickly-phlox and granite gilia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to Baja California
and east to Montana
and New Mexico
.
This plant has been called a shrub
or a perennial herb with an especially woody base. It produces several stems which may grow erect or may be short and spreading, forming a mat. Mat-forming plants are more common at higher elevation
s. When erect it can reach 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) in height but it is usually shorter. The stems are densely covered in solid, narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. Flowers are solitary or grow in clusters at the ends of the stems. Each funnel-shaped flower is 1 to 2.5 cm (0.393700787401575 to 0.984251968503937 in) long and may be white, cream, yellowish, or pinkish in color. The flowers generally open in the evening. The flowers and herbage are aromatic. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule with three valves, each valve holding about 5 to 10 seeds.
This plant occurs in pine forests, pinyon-juniper woodland
s, sagebrush steppe
, and grassland
s, and their ecotone
s. It can be found in subalpine
and alpine climate
s. It can be found in mountain passes and high-elevation fell fields and in lower elevation desert washes. It can tolerate a wide range of conditions, from harsh winters on exposed mountain slopes to hot summers in desert valleys. It is more common in dry climates with low levels of precipitation
, and it is tolerant of drought
. The plant grows in poor, shallow, rocky, sandy, and salty soils, sometimes in thin layers of soil overlying bedrock
. It can grow and is common on volcanic soils, such as pumice
, lava
and andesite
. It is a dominant species in some areas, for example, the white pine-mountain hemlock forests and shrublands in El Dorado County, California
, and the sagebrush near the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station
in eastern Idaho
.
Polemoniaceae
Polemoniaceae are a family of about 25 genera with 270-400 species of annual and perennial plants, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity in western North America, especially in California.Only one genus is found in Europe, and two in Asia, where they...
known by the common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s granite prickly-phlox and granite gilia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and east to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
This plant has been called a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or a perennial herb with an especially woody base. It produces several stems which may grow erect or may be short and spreading, forming a mat. Mat-forming plants are more common at higher elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s. When erect it can reach 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) in height but it is usually shorter. The stems are densely covered in solid, narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. Flowers are solitary or grow in clusters at the ends of the stems. Each funnel-shaped flower is 1 to 2.5 cm (0.393700787401575 to 0.984251968503937 in) long and may be white, cream, yellowish, or pinkish in color. The flowers generally open in the evening. The flowers and herbage are aromatic. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule with three valves, each valve holding about 5 to 10 seeds.
This plant occurs in pine forests, pinyon-juniper woodland
Pinyon-juniper woodland
A Pinyon-juniper woodland is a forest type characteristic of many parts the Western United States, often in higher elevations of desert ecoregions.-Locations:...
s, sagebrush steppe
Sagebrush steppe
The sagebrush steppe is a type of shrub-steppe, which is a dry-xeric environment and plant community found in the Western United States and western Canada...
, and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, and their ecotone
Ecotone
An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes but different patches of the landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional...
s. It can be found in subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
and alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s. It can be found in mountain passes and high-elevation fell fields and in lower elevation desert washes. It can tolerate a wide range of conditions, from harsh winters on exposed mountain slopes to hot summers in desert valleys. It is more common in dry climates with low levels of precipitation
Precipitation
Precipitation may refer to:* Precipitation , rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky* Precipitation , the condensation of a solid from a solution during a chemical reaction...
, and it is tolerant of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. The plant grows in poor, shallow, rocky, sandy, and salty soils, sometimes in thin layers of soil overlying bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
. It can grow and is common on volcanic soils, such as pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
, lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
and andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
. It is a dominant species in some areas, for example, the white pine-mountain hemlock forests and shrublands in El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville....
, and the sagebrush near the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station
U.S. Sheep Experiment Station
The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station is an agricultural experiment station focusing on domestic sheep which is run by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service...
in eastern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.