Downy monkeyflower Mimetanthe pilosa Phrymaceae

Regarding the Phrymaceae or lopseed family, the word 'lop' can have a number of meanings and the one we are probably most familiar with is to cut off (or lop) branches or twigs from a tree or other plant. It can also mean to sway or move in a drooping or heavy, awkward way, or to move in short, quick leaps as in a rabbit lopping through the garden. Beyond this it can mean to hang or droop, and lop or lopped can mean hanging down limply or drooping. A lop-eared rabbit is one that has its ears hanging down rather than being erect. And this is the meaning for lopseed. As the flowers mature and start to form their seeds, they ‘lop’ down against the stem. Evidently this is the case for some genera and species in the family, but not all. In California only the monkeyflowers belong to this family and I don't think this characteristic applies to them. The genus Phryma which gave rise to the family name is limited in North America to the single species leptostachya which lives east of the Rockies, and it does exhibit this feature.

Mustang mint Monardella breweri ssp. lanceolata Lamiaceae [Named for William Henry Brewer, 1828-1910]

		San Bernardino ragwort Packera bernardina Asteraceae [Named for John George Packer, 1929-2019]		Star-flowered false solomon's seal Maianthemum stellatum Ruscaceae Silver lotus Acmispon argophyllus var. argophyllus Fabaceae
Squirreltail Elymus elymoides Poaceae
Spanish clover Acmispon americanus var. americanus Fabaceae

Pinedrops Pterospora andromeda Ericaceae

		Snow plant Sarcodes sanguinea Ericaceae
White-flowered bog orchid Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys Orchidaceae				Hartweg's iris Iris hartwegii ssp. australis Iridaceae [Named for Karl Theodor Hartweg, 1812-1871]

		Mountain snowberry Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii Caprifoliaceae

Slender cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis var. fastigiata Rosaceae

Stream orchid Epipactis gigantea Orchidaceae		Ashy-gray paintbrush Castilleja cinerea Orobanchaceae		Toad lily Montia chamissoi Montiaceae		Spotted coralroot Corallorhiza maculata Orchidaceae

Smallflower bluecurls Trichostema micranthum Lamiaceae

	PHOTO GALLERIES INDEX
CALIFORNIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS
VIRGINIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS

Copyright @ 2022 by Michael L. Charters
The photographs contained on these pages may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
Comments and/or questions may be addressed to mmlcharters[at]gmail.com.