Porterella
Encyclopedia
Porterella is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the bellflower family
containing the single species Porterella carnosula, which is known by the common name fleshy porterella, or simply porterella. It is native to the western United States from California
to Wyoming
, where it grows in moist spots, such as ponds or wet grasslands, sometimes just at the edge of the water or partially submerged. It is an annual herb producing an erect stem to a maximum height around 30 centimeters. The leaves along the stem are oval or triangular, those growing beneath the surface of the water more triangular in shape. They measure up to 1.5 centimeters long by half a centimeter wide. The inflorescence
bears showy flowers which are quite similar in appearance to those of some species in sister genus Downingia
. Each has a narrow tubular throat opening into a wide corolla with two narrow pointed upper lobes and three wider, rounded lower lobes each with a small tooth. The upper lobes are deep blue, and the lower lobes are a similar shade with an area of white and bright yellow near the throat. The stamen
s are fused into a single unit tipped with tiny toothlike anthers.
Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...
containing the single species Porterella carnosula, which is known by the common name fleshy porterella, or simply porterella. It is native to the western United States from 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 Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it grows in moist spots, such as ponds or wet grasslands, sometimes just at the edge of the water or partially submerged. It is an annual herb producing an erect stem to a maximum height around 30 centimeters. The leaves along the stem are oval or triangular, those growing beneath the surface of the water more triangular in shape. They measure up to 1.5 centimeters long by half a centimeter wide. 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...
bears showy flowers which are quite similar in appearance to those of some species in sister genus Downingia
Downingia
Downingia is a genus of 13 annual plants native to western North America and Chile. Commonly known as "calicoflowers", they are notable for forming mass displays of small but colorful blooms around vernal pools...
. Each has a narrow tubular throat opening into a wide corolla with two narrow pointed upper lobes and three wider, rounded lower lobes each with a small tooth. The upper lobes are deep blue, and the lower lobes are a similar shade with an area of white and bright yellow near the throat. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are fused into a single unit tipped with tiny toothlike anthers.