''Leptosiphon aureus'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name golden linanthus.Calflora: ''Leptosiphon aureus''
/ref> It has been reclassified by the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

and the Jepson Manual (TJM2) from a

binomial nomenclature In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, b ...

to two subspecies: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' var. ''aureus'' for the majority of populations,Jepson eFlora: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' ssp. ''aureus''
/ref> and ''Leptosiphon aureus'' subsp. ''decorus'' for a smaller range of populations.GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.4.2: Taxonomy of ''Leptosiphon aureus'' var. ''decorus''
/ref>Jepson: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' subsp. ''decorus''
/ref>

Description

''Leptosiphon aureus'' is an annual herb producing a thin, threadlike stem with occasional leaves divided into narrow needlelike lobes. The oppositely arranged leaves are each divided into very narrow bristlelike lobes up to a centimeter long. The tip of the stem has an

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

of usually a single flower with corolla lobes under a centimeter long. With the two subspecies: ssp. ''aureus'' generally has bright to golden yellow flowers; while ssp. ''decorus'' has white or cream blooms. The bloom period is March to June.

Subspecies

Two subspecies, currently replacing the binomial species name in taxonomy, overlap in geography but do not occur together. *''Leptosiphon aureus'' ssp. ''aureus'' — pinyon-juniper woodlands,

madrean pine-oak woodlands The Madrean Region (named after the Sierra Madre Occidental) is a floristic region within the Holarctic Kingdom in North America, as delineated by Armen Takhtajan and Robert F. Thorne. It occupies arid or semiarid areas in the southwestern Unite ...

Madrean Sky Islands The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are s ...

, and desert flats. *''Leptosiphon aureus'' subsp. ''decorus'' — endemic to

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily i ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

; and to northwestern Mexico in

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

state.GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.4.2: Taxonomy of ''Leptosiphon aureus'' var. ''aureus''
/ref> It grows in desert flats and desert chaparral of the

and

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizon ...

; in chaparral and woodlands of the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, whic ...

and

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within San ...

; and in pinyon-juniper woodlands and

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' (Golden linanthus)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Leptosiphon aureus''UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' ssp. ''aureus''

UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Leptosiphon aureus'' ssp. ''decorus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6528341

aureus The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden', used as a noun) was a gold coin of ancient Rome originally valued at 25 pure silver '' denarii'' (sin. denarius). The ''aureus'' was regularly issued from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th c ...

Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of New Mexico Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status