Triphysaria eriantha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Triphysaria
Species:
T. eriantha
Binomial name
Triphysaria eriantha
(Benth.) T.I.Chuang & Heckard

Triphysaria eriantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae, known by the common names johnny-tuck[1] and butter-and-eggs.

It is native to California and southwestern Oregon, where it grows in many types of habitats including chaparral, becoming quite common in some areas.

Description

Triphysaria eriantha is an annual herb producing a hairy purple stem up to about 35 centimeters in maximum height. Like many species in its family, it is a facultative root parasite on other plants, attaching to their roots via haustoria to tap nutrients. Its green or purplish leaves are up to 5 centimeters long and are divided into a few narrow, pointed lobes.

The inflorescence is a spike of flowers. Each flower has a very thin, narrow upper lip which is purple in color, and a wide lower lip, which is divided into three pouches. The color of the pouches depends on the subspecies: the common ssp. eriantha has white and bright yellow pouches, and the less common coastal subsp. rosea has white pouches tinged with pink.

References

  1. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Triphysaria eriantha". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 December 2015.


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