Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia, Common Fiddleneck
Scientific Name: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia
Common Name: Common Fiddleneck
Also Called: Devil's Lettuce, Fiddleneck; (Spanish: Cedkam)
Family: Boraginaceae, Forget-Me-Not Family
Synonyms: (Amsinckia arizonica, Amsinckia demissa, Amsinckia echinata, Amsinckia intactilis, Amsinckia intermedia, Amsinckia intermedia var. echinata, Amsinckia microphylla, Amsinckia nana, Amsinckia rigida)
Status: Native
Duration: Annual
Size: Up to 2.5 feet or more (3.5’).
Growth Form: Forb/herb; stems mostly erect, single or multiple stems, bristly hairs with bulbiliferous bases (see leaf photo above).
Leaves: Green, basal and along stem, alternate, either sessile or with short petioles, linear to lanceolate.
Flower Color: Yellow or yellow-orange; 5 calyx lobes fused, often with red or reddish-orange spots on corolla throat, flowers along a coiled spike (Fiddleneck), terminal flowers developing first, fruit is a nutlet.
Flowering Season: March to May.
Elevation: Up to 5,500 feet.
Habitat Preferences: Dry open places, disturbed areas, sandy or gravelly soil.
Recorded Range: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia is wide ranging throughout the western half of North America with populations in ID and MO and through the eastern third of the United States; AK, AZ, CA, CT, HI, ID, IL, MA, ME, MO, MT, ND, NE, NH, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, WA, WY, Baja California and northern Mexico. Introduced in AK and HI.
North America & US County Distribution Map for Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia.
U.S. Weed Information: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia is listed in: Weeds of the United States and Canada, and Weeds of the West. Plants included here may become weedy or invasive.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No data available.
Wetland Indicator: No data available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: No data available.
Comments: Common Fiddleneck is highly variable across its wide geographic range.