Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia
Color: Golden yellow to orange
Common name: Fiddleneck, common fiddleneck
Latin name: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia
Family: BORAGINACEAE
Height: 20-60 cm.
Description: Inflorescence spike-like with coiled tip. Stiff hairs on stems and leaves. Flowers 5 petals sometimes with red/orange marks.
Leaf: Generally linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblong.
Range: California
Habitat: Open, generally disturbed places.
Elevation: < 1700 m.
Flowering time: Mar–Jun
Notes: Photographed March 30, 2019, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park An abundant, common annual whose seeds and herbage are TOXIC to livestock (especially cattle) from alkaloids and high nitrate concentrations. Sharp plant hairs irritate human skin. Distribution outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho, Arizona, Baja California.
Photos tips Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
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