Kingdom Plantae Family Orobanchaceae Scientific name Orthocarpus luteus Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Orthocarpus Higher classification Orthocarpus | |
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Similar Orthocarpus, Scrophulariaceae, Castilleja exserta, Castilleja occidentalis, Potentilla hippiana | ||
Orthocarpus luteus is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name yellow owl's-clover. It is native to much of western and central North America, where it grows in many types of plateau, grassland, and mountain habitat.
Description
It is an annual herb producing a slender, hairy, glandular, bright yellowish green to deep purple stem up to about 40 centimeters tall. The narrow leaves are up to 5 centimeters long, the upper ones sometimes divided into three lobes. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical spike of green bracts, the flowers emerging from between them. The lightly hairy flowers are 1 to 1.5 centimeters long and bright yellow in color. They are club-shaped, the upper lip a tiny, curving beak and the lower lip a narrow pouch.