Phacelia dalesiana
Encyclopedia
Howellanthus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the borage family
containing the single species Howellanthus dalesianus, commonly known as Scott Mountain phacelia. Until 2010 the plant was known as Phacelia dalesiana. It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains
of northern California
, including the Scott Mountains
for which it is named. It grows in mountain forests and meadows.
The inflorescence
is a small curving cluster of flowers each just under a centimeter wide. The flower is white with small purple streaks at the throat. There are five protruding stamen
s tipped with large purple anthers. It blooms between May and August, the timing dependent on snowmelt
.
persisting in areas of ultramafic rock substrate in a small section of the Siskiyou
-Trinity Mountains
.
and his friend, plant collector Ella Dales Miles Cantelow. The type location is the summit of Scott Mountain in Trinity County, California
, near California State Route 3 and the Pacific Crest Trail
, the type locality for many species of rare endemic plants.
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....
containing the single species Howellanthus dalesianus, commonly known as Scott Mountain phacelia. Until 2010 the plant was known as Phacelia dalesiana. It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
of 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...
, including the Scott Mountains
Scott Mountains (California)
The Scott Mountains are a mountain range in Siskiyou County, California....
for which it is named. It grows in mountain forests and meadows.
Description
Phacelia dalesiana is a perennial herb producing a few decumbent stems up to about 15 centimeters long, forming a patch on the ground. It is glandular and hairy in texture. The leaves are located in a rosette, with a few smaller ones along the stems. They are oval and smooth-edged.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 small curving cluster of flowers each just under a centimeter wide. The flower is white with small purple streaks at the throat. There are five protruding stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s tipped with large purple anthers. It blooms between May and August, the timing dependent on snowmelt
Snowmelt
In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many parts of the world, in some cases contributing high...
.
Ecology
The plant is a paleoendemic, its morphology unique among the phacelias, and probably a relictRelict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
persisting in areas of ultramafic rock substrate in a small section of the Siskiyou
Siskiyou Mountains
The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal mountain range in the northern Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California northeast along the north side of the Klamath River into...
-Trinity Mountains
Trinity Mountains
The Trinity Mountains are found in northern California, USA, between Trinity Lake and Lake Shasta. The range lies in a southwest-northeasterly direction about 17 miles northwest of Redding, and stretches over a distance of 30 to 35 miles. The Chapple-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area lies between the...
.
Taxonomy
The new name honors botanist John Thomas HowellJohn Thomas Howell
John Thomas Howell was an American botanist and Eriogonum expert. He was the assistant of Alice Eastwood.The genus Johanneshowellia of the Polygonaceae family is named in his honor.-References:...
and his friend, plant collector Ella Dales Miles Cantelow. The type location is the summit of Scott Mountain in Trinity County, California
Trinity County, California
Trinity County is a large, rugged and mountainous, heavily forested county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California, along the Trinity River and within the Salmon/Klamath Mountains. It covers an area of over two million acres , and as of the 2010 census its population...
, near California State Route 3 and the Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
, the type locality for many species of rare endemic plants.