Ourisia breviflora

Ourisia breviflora Benth.

Ourisia breviflora is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to the Andes of southern Chile and Argentina. It was described by George Bentham in 1864 and is characterized by rosette growth, crenate hairy leaves, and short racemose inflorescences with 1 to 5 flowers. The bilabiate corollas are pink to lilac, and the calyx lobes are equally divided to the base. Two subspecies are recognized, differing in leaf hairs, corolla striations, and bract size.

Description

This species is found in mountainous regions of southern Chile and Argentina. The plant forms rosettes with non-glandular, hairy leaves. Its inflorescences are short racemes, typically bearing one flower per node. The flowers have a bilabiate corolla, ranging in color from pink to lilac, and a calyx with equally divided lobes. The two subspecies are distinguished by variations in leaf hair structure, corolla striations, and the size of floral bracts. The species was first described by George Bentham in 1864.