BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor
bearded owl-clover
| Scientific Name: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | bearded owl-clover | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Subspecies | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | TRIPVER1 | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G4TNR (Sep 1997) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S1 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (Nov 2011) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Endangered (Jun 2003) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. faucibarbatus is the only other subspecies of Triphysaria versicolor (ITIS 2005), but its range is limited to California. | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor is a small erect annual that is 10-50 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, unstalked, pinnately divided into 5-9 linear segments and are 2-8 cm long. The inflorescence is a terminal spike, 5-20 cm long with 3-5 lobed bracts that gradually differ from the leaves. Corollas are whitish to pinkish, and the lower lip of the corolla is hairy inside. Corollas are club-shaped, and the floral parts are purple dotted. There is only one anther sac per stamen. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | In B.C., Triphysaria pusilla and Orthocarpus tenuis grow in similar habitat as Triphysaria veriscolor ssp. veriscolor. T. pusilla is smaller than T. veriscolor ssp. veriscolor and has more highly dissected leaves. O. tenuis has narrow corollas, whereas T. veriscolor ssp. veriscolor has club-shaped corollas. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | The floral shape of Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor has been correlated with bee pollination. Although pollinators in B.C. have not been identified, in California the taxon is pollinated by members of the short-tongued bee family, Andrenidae. Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor is self-incompatible. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor is a root parasite (hemiparasite), although it is not known which species in B.C. are parasitized. Californian plants appear to colonize a broad range of host species, including those with which it is not normally associated. T. versicolor ssp. versicolor is often found in communities with other root parasites in the subtribe Castillejiniae, including Castilleja, Orthocarpus, and other Triphysaria spp. These closely related species may form haustorial connections with each other. To minimize competitive stress, these taxa may have evolved means of partitioning resources, including contrasting breeding systems. It has been speculated that T. veriscolor ssp. veriscolor may have been introduced to British Columbia; however, an alternative hypothesis is that the taxon survived in glacial refugia during the last ice age. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - frequent use
Other Unique Habitats / Garry Oak Vernal Pool / Facultative - frequent use Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor is found in wet meadows and vernal pool margins within 30 m of the shoreline in the sub-Mediterranean climate caused by the rain shadow of the Olympic and Vancouver Island mountains. Habitat occurs on nearly level sites with a range of aspects (most sites have a southern aspect but a few have eastern or northeastern aspects). Meso-slope position is a depression. Sites are imperfectly to poorly drained and remain wet through the winter months but dry up by mid summer. Habitat occurs on shallow soils to bedrock. Trees are absent. Shrubs, including Cytisus scoparius or Ulex europaeus, are occasionally present at the edges of habitat. A mix of native and introduced plant species dominate the herbaceous layer (M. Fairbarns, pers. comm. 2005). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Germination of Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor begins in January, and some seedlings are found as late as mid-March. True leaves appear by February, and most plants are dead by late June. Flowering begins in April and continues until late May. Fruit begins to form in late April, and seed dispersal continues into July (Parks Canada Agency 2006c) | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: 1 / 10 | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | |||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | Mixed private/government | ||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | Further inventories should be conducted in vernal pool margins and wet meadows that are at elevations less than 10 m. Inventory should focus on areas that have not been previously surveyed, including First Nations lands and the Gulf Islands. | ||||||||||
| Inventory Comments: | This small annual is easily overlooked as evidenced by the documentation of two new populations since the COSEWIC status report (Penny and Douglas 1997) was written. | ||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Provincial Economic Comments: | Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor is related to root parasite pest species in the genera Striga and Orobanche, and has been used to study root parasitism. | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Maslovat, C. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Feb 28, 2005 | ||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 2000. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 5, Dicotyledons (Salicaceae through Zygophyllaceae) and Pteridophytes. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Minist. For., Victoria. 389pp. |
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Parks Canada Agency. 2006c. Recovery Strategy for Multi-species at Risk in Maritime Meadows Associated with Garry Oak Ecosystems in Canada. In: Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Ottawa: Parks Canada Agency. 93 pps. |
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Penny, J.L., and G.W. Douglas. 1997. Status Report on Bearded Owl-clover, Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor, in Canada. Unpubl. rep. submitted to the Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. 29pp. |
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Penny, J.L., G.W. Douglas, and G.A. Allen. 1998. Status of the Bearded Owl-clover, Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor (Scrophulariaceae), in Canada. Can. Field-Nat. 112(3):481-485. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Species Summary: Triphysaria versicolor ssp. versicolor. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 4, 2026).