PLANT: Suffrutescent perennial to 3 dm tall, branching at the base; stems erect, glabrous to short pubescent. LEAVES: lobes (4-)5-9, linear to oblong, spinulose, 10-20 mm long, short pubescent. INFLORESCENCE: compact, the flowers 2-5 in terminal, bracteate clusters. FLOWERS: subsessile; calyx glabrous to pubescent, narrowly campanulate, 7-10 mm long, the lobes longer than the tube, the membranes mostly herbaceous, the hyaline part narrow, often obscure; corolla diurnal, salverform, 8-15 mm long, the tube and lobes white, the throat yellow; stamens inserted on the throat; style slightly exserted. 2n=18. NOTES: 3 subspp.; w N. Amer. Reports of Linanthus nuttallii subsp. floribundus (Gray) Munz [Linanthus floribundus (A. Gray) Milliken] from AZ are incorrect. REFERENCES: Dieter H. Wilken and J. Mark Porter, 2005, Vascular Plants of Arizona: Polemoniaceae. CANOTIA 1: 1-37.
Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Perennial, aromatic, up to 30 cm tall; stems numerous, slender, erect to decumbent, simple to branched, puberulent above, woody towards the base; taprooted. Leaves: Cauline, numerous, crowded, opposite, seldom alternate above, simple to palmately lobed, up to 2 cm long, lobes 5-9, linear to filiform, glabrous to puberulent, apices acute to weakly spine-tipped, each blade commonly with an axillary fascicle of smaller leaves. Flowers: Inflorescence raceme- to panicle-like, narrow, one-sided, the flowers nearly sessile to short-pedicellate; calyx 4- 6 mm long, glandular-puberulent, the tips acute to acuminate; corolla white to lavender, the tube 25-35 mm long, the lobes lanceolate to ovate, inconspicuously flecked with pink or lavender; anthers and stigma slightly exserted; flowers July-September. Fruits: Capsule, ovoid to oblong, 4-5.5 mm long. Ecology: Meadows, coniferous forests, oak woodlands, sandy to rocky soils; 1650-2600 m (5400-8500 ft); Apache, southwestern U.S., northwestern Mexico. Notes: The leaves of Leptosiphon nuttallii are distinctly softer than those of Linanthus pungens. Synonyms: Linanthus nuttallii, Leptodactylon nuttallii Editor: Springer et al. 2008