Navarretia atractyloides
Encyclopedia
Navarretia atractyloides is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family
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 hollyleaf pincushionplant.

It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of western North America from 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...

 through 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...

 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...

, where it grows in open areas in local habitat types. It is similar to Navarretia hamata
Navarretia hamata
Navarretia hamata is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name hooked pincushionplant. It is native to the coastal mountains and valleys of California as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Baja California...

, but lacks the skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...

y scent of that species.

It is a hairy, glandular annual herb approaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are strap-shaped with abrupt divisions into small, narrow teeth at intervals. The 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 a head filled with spine-toothed, leaflike bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...

s. The flowers tucked amidst the bracts are light purple or occasionally white, with reddish veining in their tubular throats. The flower is just under a centimeter long and has a five-lobed corolla.

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