Plants of Southern California: Nama pusilla and Tiquilia nuttallii
These two species are so alike in overall morphology that we had much difficulty in trying to determine the first plant of these two species that we came across in Death Valley in 2016. Even though these two species are in different genera that are sometimes placed in different families (Boraginaceae s.s. and Hydrophyllaceae), and are very distinct in their fruit, they are difficult to tell apart in photographs. This page presents pictures of the two species side by side showing some differences.
Nama pusilla | Tiquilia nuttallii |
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| Fig. 1. Left: Nama pusilla. Right: Tiquilia nuttallii
Upper row: pictures of entire plants showing similar habits. Middle row: pictures of leaves. Bottom row: pictures of calyces. All pictures taken by in Death Valley on 20 February 2016. Click on the pictures for larger unlabeled versions. | |
Calphotos photographs show similar differences:
- Leaf veins not sunken, hairs erect on upper surface, for Nama pusilla: Cloud-Hughes and Matson
- Leaf veins sunken, hairs not erect on upper surface, for Tiquilia nuttallii: Christie and Walden
- Narrowly oblanceolate calyx lobes of Nama pusilla: Matson.
- Narrowly-lanceolate calyx lobes of Tiquilia nuttallii: Matson and Doyen.
In addition, it appears that Nama pusilla often has more leaves at the tips of the ultimate stem branches than does Tiquilia nuttallii, but that does not appear to always be the case.