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Marcus, Joseph A.

Dyschoriste linearis

Dyschoriste linearis (Torr. & A. Gray) Kuntze

Snake Herb, Polkadots, Narrowleaf Dyschoriste

Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: DYLI

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Several erect stems, 6-12 inches tall, grow from the root of this plant, the branches and stems are covered with stiff, coarse hairs. The leaves are opposite, 3/4-2 3/4 inches long, attached directly to the 4-sided stem. The 2-lipped flowers are 1/2-1 inch long and up to 1 inch across, lavender to purple, with purple stripes in the throat. They grow in the leaf axils on very short stems and are somewhat tucked in between the leaves, scattered here and there on the main stem.

Pale lavender to purple, two-lipped bell-shaped flowers occur in leaf axils in late spring and repeats in late summer with sufficient moisture.

In 2009 Wildflower Center volunteer Valerie Bugh discovered Phydanis bicolor (Bicolor Flea Beetle) adults feed on this species. It was the first reported observation of the beetle species' food host. (Reslit: 3185).

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