Navarretia cotulifolia
Encyclopedia
Navarretia cotulifolia is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common name cotulaleaf pincushionplant, or cotula navarretia.
It is endemic to northern California
, where it grows in the Sacramento Valley
and the Coast Ranges in and around the San Francisco Bay Area
. It grows in moist areas in chaparral
and grassland
habitat, such as vernal pools, in heavy soils such as adobe
clay
.
It is a hairy, glandular annual herb producing a branching red or green stem up to about 30 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into clusters of tiny needlelike lobes that point toward the tip of the leaf. The inflorescence
is a rounded head filled with leaflike green bract
s deeply divided into narrow, pointed lobes. The flowers are a centimeter long and tubular, with thread-thin throats and four cream or very pale yellow lobes.
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 cotulaleaf pincushionplant, or cotula navarretia.
It is endemic to northern 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...
, where it grows in the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
and the Coast Ranges in and around the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. It grows in moist areas in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
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...
habitat, such as vernal pools, in heavy soils such as adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
.
It is a hairy, glandular annual herb producing a branching red or green stem up to about 30 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into clusters of tiny needlelike lobes that point toward the tip of the leaf. 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 rounded head filled with leaflike green 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 deeply divided into narrow, pointed lobes. The flowers are a centimeter long and tubular, with thread-thin throats and four cream or very pale yellow lobes.