Cynoglossum grande
Encyclopedia
Cynoglossum grande is a species of flowering plant
in the borage family
known by the common name Pacific hound's tongue. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to California
, where it grows in shady areas in woodland and chaparral
. On the forest floor of California oak woodland
s typical plant associates
are Calochortus luteus
, Delphinium variegatum
and Calochortus amabilis
.It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall from a taproot
. The leaves are mostly located around the base of the plant, each with an oval blade up to 15 centimeters long held on a petiole
. The inflorescence
is a panicle
of flowers on individual pedicels
. Each five-lobed flower is bright to deep blue with white appendages at the center. It is 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is an array of four slightly bristly nutlets.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the borage family
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
known by the common name Pacific hound's tongue. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in shady areas in woodland and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
. On the forest floor of California oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
s typical plant associates
Phytocoenosis
Plant community is a collection of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighbouring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant community are influenced by soil type, topography, climate and human...
are Calochortus luteus
Calochortus luteus
Calochortus luteus, or Yellow mariposa lily, is a mariposa lily endemic to California.-Description:The primarily a bright deep yellow flower is 3-5cm across and perianth Bulb-shaped, lined red-brown inside, often also with central red-brown blotch and sparse hair inside.-Distribution:This species...
, Delphinium variegatum
Delphinium variegatum
Delphinium variegatum is a species of larkspur known by the common name Royal larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valley and coast in woodlands and grasslands...
and Calochortus amabilis
Calochortus amabilis
Calochortus amabilis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name Diogenes' lantern. It is endemic to northern California, where it grows in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay Area. In oak woodlands common understory plant associates are Calochortus...
.It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall from a taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The leaves are mostly located around the base of the plant, each with an oval blade up to 15 centimeters long held on a petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
of flowers on individual pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. Each five-lobed flower is bright to deep blue with white appendages at the center. It is 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is an array of four slightly bristly nutlets.