| Navarretia squarrosa | |
|---|---|
| Navarretia squarrosa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Navarretia |
| Species: | N. squarrosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Navarretia squarrosa (Eschsch.) Hook. & Arn. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Gilia squarrosa (Eschsch.) Hook. & Arn. |
|
Navarretia squarrosa (skunkweed, California stinkweed ) is a spreading annual plant from North America which is noted for its skunk-like odour.[1] It grows to between 10 and 60 cm in height and has tubular lilac pink to deep blue flowers up to 12 mm in diameter in dense terminal heads, encircled by a spiny sepals and bracts.[2][3] The leaves are pinnately lobed and spiny.[3]
The species is native to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California, and is naturalised elsewhere, including Australia and New Zealand.[1][4].[5] It is commonly found at elevations of less than 800 metres on open, wet, gravelly flats and slopes.[2]
Specific plant associations where N. squarrosa occurs include the specialized Monterey Cypress forests near Carmel, California.[6]