[The Borage Family East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Fiddlenecks East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Amsinckia

Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides

Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides

Malheur Valley Fiddleneck, Malheur Fiddleneck: Amsinckia carinata (formerly Amsinckia vernicosa var. vernicosa) -

Bugloss Fiddleneck, Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides (Synonyms: Amsinckia barbata, Benthamia lycopsoides) - 5 sepals present, generally equal in width. Corolla throat closed, with hairs on the fornices which block the opening.

Common Fiddleneck, Fireweed, Fireweed Fiddleneck, Ranchers Fiddleneck, Rancher's Fireweed: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia (Synonyms: Amsinckia arizonica, Amsinckia demissa, Amsinckia echinata, Amsinckia intactilis, Amsinckia intermedia, Amsinckia intermedia var. echinata, Amsinckia intermedia var. intermedia, Amsinckia microphylla, Amsinckia nana, Amsinckia rigida) - 5 sepals present, generally equal in width. Corolla throat open. The corolla is yellow, and generally up to 7 mm long and 4 mm wide. The tube is barely exserted from the calyx. Stems with spreading, rough, stiff hairs and lacking the shorter, softer hairs.

Harvest Fireweed, Menzie's Fiddleneck, Rigid Fireweed, Small-flowered Fiddleneck: Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii (Synonyms: Amsinckia hispida, Amsinckia idahoensis, Amsinckia micrantha, Amsinckia parviflora, Amsinckia retrorsa, Amsinckia rugosa, Echium menziesii) - 5 sepals present, generally equal in width. Corolla throat open. The corolla is yellow, and generally less than 7 mm long and less than 3 mm wide. The tube is barely exserted from the calyx. Stems with spreading, rough, stiff hairs and lacking the shorter, softer hairs.

Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa (now lumped with Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii) - 5 sepals present, generally equal in width. Corolla throat open. Stems with spreading, rough, stiff hairs and shorter, softer, hairs which point downwards.

Bristly Fiddleneck, Devil's Lettuce, Rough Fiddleneck, Tesselate Fiddleneck: Amsinckia tessellata var. tesellata (Synonyms: Amsinckia densirugosa, Amsinckia hendersonii, Amsinckia washingtonensis) - Sepals of many flowers unequal in width and reduced in number ot 4 or even two or 3 lobes, the wider lobes often notched.


Paul Slichter