Purple Owl's Clover

Castilleja exserta ssp. venusta

Castilleja exserta ssp. venusta

Color: Magenta, purple

Common name: Purple owl's clover (Note sometimes confused with owl's clover, note differences between ssp. exserta and ssp. venusta)

Latin name: Castilleja exserta ssp. venusta

Family: OROBANCHACEAE

Height: 4-18 inches tall.

The flower is tube-shaped and somewhat hidden in the colourful bracts which give the appearance of being a flower.

Description: Corolla pouch orange-tipped which distinguishes this sub-species from ssp. exerta. (see picture below) Like others in the genus, this is a hemi-parasitic plant. The flower is tube-shaped and somewhat hidden in the colourful bracts which give the appearance of being a flower.

Leaf: 10–50 mm; lobes 5–9, ± thread-like.

Range: w Mojave Desert

Habitat: Dry sand, washes, Joshua Tree woodland Creosote Bush scrub.

Elevation: 600–900 m.

Flowering time: Mar-May

Notes: Photographed May 2, 2005, Black Canyon north of Barstow, San Bernardino County, Calif. A dicot, is an annual herb that is native to California and is endemic (limited) to California alone. Like others in the Castilleja species, it is hemiparasitic — partially parasitic — but makes some of its own food, Also photographed at Red Rock Canyon State Park, Kern County, Calif.

Corolla pouch orange-tipped which distinguishes this sub-species from ssp. exerta.


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Photo 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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