Prickly gilia

Description:

Linanthus watsonii (A.Gray) J. M. Porter & L. A. Johnson (syn. Leptodactylon watsonii (Gray) Rydb.). Also referred to as Watson's slenderlobe and Watson's prickly phlox. Moved from Leptodactylon to Linanthus in 2000 by Porter (although the two genera are close).July 25, 2009, Wasatch range, Little Cottonwood Canyon, 8500+ ft, Salt Lake Co., UtahTo some degree superficially resembles Phlox hoodii and like P. hoodii has marcescent leaves (shown above) and both have spine shaped leaves, however, L. watsonii has 6-merous (sometimes 5-merous) flowers (unfortunately not apparent in the picture above) compared to the 5-lobed flowers of P. hoodii and, among other things, has opposite palmately cleft leaves in 3-9 rigid segments that are spinulose and the central one is the longest and are up to 2 cm long whereas P. hoodii has shorter, more singular appearing opposite leaves usu. less than 1 cm long leaves that are not divided into palmate clefts; both can grow over a wide elevational range,L. watsonii normally grows in rock crevices whereas P. hoodii normally grows in dry/open places.