Mitracarpus hirtus

JANAS 1995, Kearney and Peebles 1969

Duration: Annual Nativity: Non-Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Herbaceous annuals, 5-40 cm tall, stems erect, simple or branching from the base. Leaves: Opposite, 2.5 cm long, lanceolate to oblanceolate, apices obtuse to acute, surfaces glabrous or margins and veins slightly scabrous, petiole base often pubescent on lower surface, stipules with about 5-7 prominent hair-like bristles (setose). Flowers: Very small, white, many in conic heads, corollas 1.5-2 mm long, white, glabrous, calyx with 2 large and 2 small lobes; the large lobes lanceolate-subulate, equaling or surpassing the corolla, the small lobes dentate and hyaline, flowers in few, very dense, terminal and axillary clusters. Fruits: Capsule roughly 1.5 mm in diameter, 2-loculed, thin-walled, circumsessile about the middle. Ecology: Found on rocky slopes, washes, and grasslands with oaks, pines or junipers, from 4,000-7,500 ft (1219-2286 m); flowering August-October. Distribution: Arizona, Texas; Mexico. Notes: Although the plant has white flowers, the flower heads appear dark green in color due to the long sepals, also, the leaves feel somewhat thick and leathery. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Mitricarpus likely comes from the Greek words for cap and seed, while breviflorus likely means short flowered. Synonyms: Mitracarpus breviflorus Editor: LCrumbacher 2012