Orange Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii, Borage Family ( Boraginaceae ) , Orange Fiddleneck. Also Called: Small-flowered Fiddleneck, Rancher's Fireweed.
Fiddleneck is an annual plant. It germinates in the fall and blooms during the first warm days of January - March.
Height: From 3 Inches To About 18 Inches Tall.
Flowers: Yellow - Orange: Flowers are tubular (shaped like a tube) with five petals. Flower buds are held in tight coils (spirals) at the top of the plant. The flowers open from the bottom of the plant to the top causing the stem to uncoil.
Blooming Time: February - March.
Fruit: The seeds are produced in fours and have small hooked spines.
Leaves: Dull green pinnate leaves with 2 to 3 pairs of elliptical leaflets.
Found: Found in Texas, and the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mohave Deserts of Arizona, Sonora, California, and Baja California. Also native to South America and British Columbia.
Elevation: 0 - 4500 Feet.
Habitat: Cities along roadsides and sandy river bottoms, and washes in the deserts.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken March 20, 2003, Cave Creek, Arizona. Again On January 19, 2009, Glendale, Arizona.
It could be used for Xeriscape Gardens. The caterpillars of the Painted Lady Butterfly are often found within tent - like shelters made of leaves loosly sewn together with caterpillar silk.
