[The Genus Plagiobothrys East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Matted Popcorn Flower, Sleeping Popcornflower

Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus

Synonyms: Allocarya cognata, Allocarya cusickii, Allocarya hispidula, Allocarya scopulorum, Plagiobothrys cognatus, Plagiobothrys cusickii, Plagiobothrys hispidulus, Plagiobothrys nelsonii, Plagiobothrys scopulorum, Plagiobothrys scouleri, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. cusickii, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus, Plagiobothrys scouleri ssp. penicillatus, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. penicillatus

Matted Popcorn Flower, Sleeping Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus (Synonyms: Allocarya cognata, Allocarya cusickii, Allocarya hispidula, Allocarya scopulorum, Plagiobothrys cognatus, Plagiobothrys cusickii, Plagiobothrys hispidulus, Plagiobothrys nelsonii, Plagiobothrys scopulorum, Plagiobothrys scouleri, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. cusickii, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus, Plagiobothrys scouleri ssp. penicillatus, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. penicillatus)

Matted popcornflower as seen in meadows along Bear Creek just to the west of Forest Service Road #1640, Malheur National Forest..........................July 2, 2006.

Matted Popcorn Flower, Sleeping Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus (Synonyms: Allocarya cognata, Allocarya cusickii, Allocarya hispidula, Allocarya scopulorum, Plagiobothrys cognatus, Plagiobothrys cusickii, Plagiobothrys hispidulus, Plagiobothrys nelsonii, Plagiobothrys scopulorum, Plagiobothrys scouleri, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. cusickii, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus, Plagiobothrys scouleri ssp. penicillatus, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. penicillatus) The photo at right shows the stem and stem leaves of Scouler's popcorn flower as seen in the drying mud of a pond dug into the grasslands along the crest of the Columbia Hills to the north of The Dalles, OR..........June 1, 1997.
Characteristics:

Matted popcorn flower is an annual wildflower with several to many prostrate to ascending stems as much as 20 cm long arising from a taproot or fibrous root system. The stems generally are prostrate to ascending. The herbage of the leaves and stems consists mostly of appressed, stiff and straight hairs. The leaves are linear in shape and up to 6.5 cm long and 5 mm wide and found mostly on the stems. The lowermost 1-4 pairs of leaves are opposite while the uppermost are alternate.

The flowers are scattered along the stems. The calyx is 2-4 mm long in fruit with lanceolate lobes. The small flowers are about 1-2 mm wide.


Habitat:

Scouler's popcorn flowre may be found in moist, poorlly drained soils that dry out by mid-summer. They may be found from the lowlands to elevations as high as 3000 meters in the mountains.


Range:

Scouler's popcorn flower may be found from British Columbia south to California and east to Saskatchewan and Manitoba and south to New Mexico.


Matted Popcorn Flower, Sleeping Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus (Synonyms: Allocarya cognata, Allocarya cusickii, Allocarya hispidula, Allocarya scopulorum, Plagiobothrys cognatus, Plagiobothrys cusickii, Plagiobothrys hispidulus, Plagiobothrys nelsonii, Plagiobothrys scopulorum, Plagiobothrys scouleri, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. cusickii, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. hispidulus, Plagiobothrys scouleri ssp. penicillatus, Plagiobothrys scouleri var. penicillatus)

Matted popcorn flower as seen in a vernally moist swale along Forest Service Road 16 at the wildlife viewing area in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest....................June 23, 2011.

Paul Slichter