Horkelia hispidula
Encyclopedia
Horkelia hispidula is a species of flowering plant in the rose family
known by the common name White Mountains horkelia. It is endemic to the White Mountains
, a small mountain range that straddles the border between California
and Nevada
east of the Sierra Nevada. It is a resident of dry scrub and alpine
and subalpine
forest habitat. This is a perennial herb producing a low mat of hairy, glandular greenish gray foliage about a woody base. The leaves are cylindrical and sometimes taper to a point, growing erect in a patch around the caudex
. Each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long and is made up of crowded pairs of hairy leaflets. The inflorescence
is an array of up to 15 flowers atop an erect stalk, each flower made up of five hairy, pointed, reflexed sepal
s and five white petals.
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
known by the common name White Mountains horkelia. It is endemic to the White Mountains
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
, a small mountain range that straddles the border between 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...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
east of the Sierra Nevada. It is a resident of dry scrub and alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
and subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
forest habitat. This is a perennial herb producing a low mat of hairy, glandular greenish gray foliage about a woody base. The leaves are cylindrical and sometimes taper to a point, growing erect in a patch around the caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. Each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long and is made up of crowded pairs of hairy leaflets. 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 an array of up to 15 flowers atop an erect stalk, each flower made up of five hairy, pointed, reflexed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and five white petals.