Kickxia spuria

Plants 10–80 cm. Leaves: petiole 1–4 mm; blade 4–40 × 3–30 mm, base rounded to cordate, villous with scattered glandular hairs. Pedicels 6–12 mm. Flowers: sepal lobes broadly lanceolate to ovate, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, accrescent, apex acute, villous; corolla tube 3–5 mm, palate yellow, inflated, hairy, spurs 6–8 mm, abaxial lobes yellow, adaxial violet, 3–4 mm; abaxial filaments 2–2.5 mm, adaxial 1.5–2 mm; style included, 1.2–1.5 mm; stigma straight. Capsules ovoid-globular, 3–5 mm. Seeds 1–1.5 mm, cristate-tuberculate. 2n = 18.

Phenology: Flowering May–Nov.
Habitat: Gravelly or sandy disturbed sites, gravel bars, stream banks, roadsides.
Elevation: 40–700 m.

Introduced; B.C., Ont., Ala., Calif., Fla., Ky., Mo., Mont., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., Tenn., Wis., Europe, Asia, n Africa, Atlantic Islands, introduced also in South America, Australia.

Discussion

The accrescent sepal lobes of Kickxia spuria is a unique characteristic in Kickxia. D. A. Sutton (1988) recognized two subspecies that he characterized as poorly defined [subsp. spuria and subsp. integrifolia (Brotero) R. Fernandes]; these were not differentiated by M. Ghebrehiwet (2001).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa