Polem2.html

Idaho Mountain Wildflowers

The Phlox Family: Polemoniaceae (Page 2 of 2)

Home | Next | Previous | Index

The Scarlet Gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata (formerly Gilia aggregata) appears in late spring, peaks in early summer, and lingers on, sometimes into early fall. One cannot hike our trails without encountering its trumpet shaped, bright red flowers. The flowers and foliage have an acrid odor when crushed, so "skunk-flower" is another name for the plant, although the odor really is not skunk-like. The scarlet gilia is one of the few flowers (along with the paintbrushes) that add dots of bright red to a landscape dominated by greens and browns. The species name "aggregata" refers to the loose flower clusters. Lewis and Clark collected the scarlet gilia--a plant hitherto unknown to science--while on the Lolo trail in Northern Idaho during their return trip (June 26, 1806). Although the explorers waited until then to gather their specimen, they would surely have have seen it growing in Idaho's mountains during their outbound journey in the summer of 1805. Gilia honors Filipo Luigi Gilii (1756-1821), Director of Vatican observatory and naturalist. (Al Schneider, coloradowildflowers@yahoo.com uncovered the origin of the name "gilia" and notes that the word properly should be pronounced with a soft "G".)

The Ballhead Gilia, Ipomopsis congesta, is another gilia that has been reclassified into genus Ipomopsis--the term means, roughly, "looks like a morning glory." The species name, congesta, is Latin for "crowded," a good name for the plant has a densely packed flower head. There are several varieties, classified by the appearance of their leaves; ours seems to be var. viridis. It is a plant not often encountered for it grows high in the mountains on dry sandy slopes, blooming late in the summer. (The one shown here was photographed at the mouth of Hyndman Basin in the Pioneer range in Central Idaho. It grew in a fairly circumscribed patch close to an outcropping of sandstone at about 9000 feet.) If you look closely at the ball-shaped flower head you'll see that it is made up of many small, white, phlox-like flowers. The leaves are silvery-green, usually with three linear leaflets arising from a central branched woody stem.

The Narrow-leaf Collomia, Narrow leaf mountain trumpet, Collomia linearis, is a tiny plant--its flowers are less than a quarter of an inch in diameter--found throughout our area. The narrow alternate leaves are reflected in the species name linearis. The word “collomia” comes a Greek word meaning “glue”, for seeds that become mucilaginous when wet—a feature that helps to identify various plants in this family. It is not conspicuous, but there are many and it will be seen in the spring, if one is looking for wild flowers. Its five petals and the tube—longer than the flower’s diameter—are typical of the Polemoniaceae as a whole. Lewis and Clark (probably Meriwether Lewis) were the first to collect this little plant, on April 17th, 1806, while portaging around the narrowest part of the Columbia River at what is today The Dalles, OR, on their journey homeward.

The Microsteris, Phlox gracilis var. humilus (formerly Microsteris gracilis var humilior) is a variable plant, quite similar in appearance to the collomia shown above, but far smaller. It too appears in the spring, sometimes in large numbers. While the flowers may be pink, white or yellow, pink ones are by far the most common. The flowers are born in pairs, although they do not always bloom at the same time. Typically the petals have a shallow notch at the end. Elliptical opposed leaves become narrower and more pointed toward the top of the stem. The plant is only about two inches high, so it’s easily missed. Thevarietal name humilus means “low-growing” or “dwarf.” The microsteris has recently been reclassified as a Phlox (although Hitchcock, Cronquist et al., writing earlier, remarked that it is "sometimes forced into that genus as a discordant element.")

Brewer’s Navarretia, Navarretia breweri. This navarettia's flowers measure no more than 1/8”. Typically, several flowers grow at the end of the stems surrounded by needle shaped leaves. The long flower tube helps to place it in the phlox family. “Navarretia,” the generic name, honors Ferdinand Navarrete (d. 1689), a Spanish missionary, physician, and botanist. The species name honors botanist William Henry Brewer (1828 - 1910), professor of agriculture at Yale .The plant pictured here grew beside a spring freshet at about 6000’, although navarettias are also found on drier, recently moist ground.

Nuttall's linanthus, Linanthus (Linanthastrum) nuttallii, is a relatively common summer blooming plant found at higher altitudes as high as treeline, growing in discrete clump. Its linear, alternate leaves grow so close together that they appear to form separate rosettes on the plants' woody stems. White phlox-like flowers are five-petalled and each has five easy-to-see yellow anthers. At times there are so many flowers as to completely cover the plants. The flowers have a faint, sweet, aromatic odor. Thomas Nuttall found this species, then new to science, near Fort Hall in 1834.

Home | Next | Previous | Index

The Scarlet Gilia, *Ipomopsis aggregata* (formerly *Gilia aggregata) appears in late spring, peaks in early summer, and lingers on, sometimes into early fall. One cannot hike our trails without encountering its trumpet shaped, bright red flowers. The flowers and foliage have an acrid odor when crushed, so "skunk-flower" is another name for the plant, although the odor really is not skunk-like. The scarlet gilia is one of the few flowers (along with the paintbrushes) that add dots of bright red to a landscape dominated by greens and browns. The species name "aggregata" refers to the loose flower clusters. Lewis and Clark collected the scarlet gilia--a plant hitherto unknown to science--while on the Lolo trail in Northern Idaho during their return trip (June 26, 1806). Although the explorers waited until then to gather their specimen, they would surely have have seen it growing in Idaho's mountains during their outbound journey in the summer of 1805. Gilia* honors Filipo Luigi Gilii (1756-1821), Director of Vatican observatory and naturalist. (Al Schneider, coloradowildflowers@yahoo.com uncovered the origin of the name "gilia" and notes that the word properly should be pronounced with a soft "G".)
The Ballhead Gilia, Ipomopsis congesta, is another gilia that has been reclassified into genus Ipomopsis--the term means, roughly, "looks like a morning glory." The species name, congesta, is Latin for "crowded," a good name for the plant has a densely packed flower head. There are several varieties, classified by the appearance of their leaves; ours seems to be var. viridis. It is a plant not often encountered for it grows high in the mountains on dry sandy slopes, blooming late in the summer. (The one shown here was photographed at the mouth of Hyndman Basin in the Pioneer range in Central Idaho. It grew in a fairly circumscribed patch close to an outcropping of sandstone at about 9000 feet.) If you look closely at the ball-shaped flower head you'll see that it is made up of many small, white, phlox-like flowers. The leaves are silvery-green, usually with three linear leaflets arising from a central branched woody stem.
The Narrow-leaf Collomia, Narrow leaf mountain trumpet, Collomia linearis, is a tiny plant--its flowers are less than a quarter of an inch in diameter--found throughout our area. The narrow alternate leaves are reflected in the species name linearis. The word “collomia” comes a Greek word meaning “glue”, for seeds that become mucilaginous when wet—a feature that helps to identify various plants in this family. It is not conspicuous, but there are many and it will be seen in the spring, if one is looking for wild flowers. Its five petals and the tube—longer than the flower’s diameter—are typical of the Polemoniaceae as a whole. Lewis and Clark (probably Meriwether Lewis) were the first to collect this little plant, on April 17th, 1806, while portaging around the narrowest part of the Columbia River at what is today The Dalles, OR, on their journey homeward.
The Microsteris, **Phlox gracilis var. humilus** (formerly Microsteris gracilis var humilior) is a variable plant, quite similar in appearance to the collomia shown above, but far smaller. It too appears in the spring, sometimes in large numbers. While the flowers may be pink, white or yellow, pink ones are by far the most common. The flowers are born in pairs, although they do not always bloom at the same time. Typically the petals have a shallow notch at the end. Elliptical opposed leaves become narrower and more pointed toward the top of the stem. The plant is only about two inches high, so it’s easily missed. Thevarietal name humilus means “low-growing” or “dwarf.” The microsteris has recently been reclassified as a Phlox (although Hitchcock, Cronquist et al., writing earlier, remarked that it is "sometimes forced into that genus as a discordant element.")
Brewer’s Navarretia, Navarretia breweri. This navarettia's flowers measure no more than 1/8”. Typically, several flowers grow at the end of the stems surrounded by needle shaped leaves. The long flower tube helps to place it in the phlox family. “Navarretia,” the generic name, honors Ferdinand Navarrete (d. 1689), a Spanish missionary, physician, and botanist. The species name honors botanist William Henry Brewer (1828 - 1910), professor of agriculture at Yale .The plant pictured here grew beside a spring freshet at about 6000’, although navarettias are also found on drier, recently moist ground.
Nuttall's linanthus, *Linanthus (Linanthastrum) nuttallii*, is a relatively common summer blooming plant found at higher altitudes as high as treeline, growing in discrete clump. Its linear, alternate leaves grow so close together that they appear to form separate rosettes on the plants' woody stems. White phlox-like flowers are five-petalled and each has five easy-to-see yellow anthers. At times there are so many flowers as to completely cover the plants. The flowers have a faint, sweet, aromatic odor. Thomas Nuttall found this species, then new to science, near Fort Hall in 1834.