Bouchea prismatica

Grenzenbach 1926, Kearney and Peebles 1969, McDougall 1973, USDA NRCS 2012

Duration: Annual Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Herbaceous annuals, stems to 60 cm tall, erect, 4-angled, often furrowed, sparingly branched, leafy, more or less pubescent. Leaves: Opposite, oval to ovate or suborbicular, 2-8.5 cm long, 0.5-4.5 cm wide, acute to obtuse at the tips, margins crenate to serrate, surfaces pubescent, blades long-petioled. Flowers: Small, light purple to deep violet, corollas funnelform, obscurely 2-lipped with 5 lobes, the posterior lobes smaller than the anterior lobes, calyx 7-9 mm long, persistent, tubular, ribbed, with teeth to 2 mm long, stamens 4, included, style filiform, flowers subsessile, with lanceolate bracts 2-3 mm long, borne in terminal, slender and elongate spikes, these herbaceous and green like the rest of the herbage, 8-25 cm long. Fruits: Nutlets 2, distinct, equaling or slightly exceeding the calyx in length, surfaces rough and ridged, with a pronounced beak to 1.5 mm long, this straight and emarginate. Ecology: Found infrequently in rich shaded ground along streams, from 3,500-6,000 ft (1067-1829 m); flowering August-October. Distribution: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama; Mexico and Central America. Notes: The angled calyx helps to identify this species, along with the elongated, terminal spikes of the inflorescence. There is very little information readily available for this species, which may be a good candidate for future study. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Bouchea might be an honorific for Boucher- or Bouch_, while prismatica means like a prism. Synonyms: Many, see Tropicos Editor: LCrumbacher 2012