Scrophulariaceae
Figwort Family
Castilleja sessiliflora Pursh
- Stem: perennial; 1’ to 1 1/2’ tall; little branching; sometimes several stems from one root crown; densely hairy.
- Leaves: mostly alternate, crowded; linear, 1” by 1/8”; usually with three diverging lobes at the tips; sessile; hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: raceme; with a three-lobed bract below each flower, nearly equaling the flower in length; flowers crowded; inflorescence up to 8” long.
- Flowers: calyx pale yellow, tubular, hairy, 1” long, two-lipped, upper lip 1/4” longer than the lower; corolla two-lipped, protruding 5/8” beyond the calyx; flowering from mid-May to mid-June.
- Fruits: capsules two-lipped, 1/2” to 5/8” long by 1/4” in diameter; developing within the calyx.
- Habitat: common on dry to mesic prairies, especially on the Loess Hills prairies of western Iowa; very infrequent in eastern Iowa.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
