Dicranostegia

Herbs, annual; hemiparasitic. Stems erect or ascending, rarely prostrate, not fleshy, pubescent, hirsute, or glabrous. Leaves cauline, alternate; petiole absent; blade not fleshy, not leathery, margins pinnately 8–11-lobed. Inflorescences terminal, spikes; bracts present. Pedicels absent; bracteoles absent. Flowers: sepals 2, calyx bilaterally symmetric, spathelike, lobes triangular; petals 5, corolla white to yellow, marked with purple, strongly bilabiate, club-shaped, often gibbous at base of lobes, abaxial lobes 3, adaxial lobes 2, adaxial lip galeate; stamens 2, filaments glabrous or proximally pubescent, pollen sacs separate, connective elongate; staminodes 2, filiform; ovary 2-locular, placentation axile; stigma not expanded. Capsules: dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds 5–20, brown, ovoid, wings absent. x = 8.

Distribution

Calif., nw Mexico.

Discussion

Species 1.

Dicranostegia is sometimes classified as Cordylanthus subg. Dicranostegia (A. Gray) T. I. Chuang & Heckard. D. C. Tank et al. (2009) have shown that Dicranostegia is closely related to Chloropyron and that both genera form a clade that is sister to Castilleja and Triphysaria.

Like Chloropyron and Cordylanthus, Dicranostegia has closed, club-shaped flowers with a spathelike calyx. Flowers are subtended by a single, elongate bracteole and pinnate bracts. Dicranostegia differs in having pinnately lobed leaves, deeply two-parted calyces that are about half as long as the corollas, and stamens with pollen sacs held apart on relatively short connectives.

Selected References

Chuang, T. I. and L. R. Heckard. 1975. Taxonomic status of Cordylanthus (subg. Dicranostegia) orcuttianus (Scrophulariaceae). Madroño 23: 88–95.

Lower Taxa

Dicranostegia orcuttiana