Plant DetailShow Menu

Amsinckia

Previously known as:

  • Benthamia
Phonetic Spelling
am-SINK-kee-uh
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Amsinckia, or Fiddleneck, is a genus of bristly, flowering annual plants in the Boraginaceae family. The common name is derived from the gray-green flowering stems laden with goldenrod yellow blooms that bend and curl like the end of a fiddle. The genus contains about a dozen different species that are often difficult to distinguish from one another because their ranges overlap and the species often hybridise naturally. 

Most species in the genus have an erect stem, whose height varies from 8 to 48 inches and most are found at relatively low altitude.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 

No known insect pests or diseases. However, contact with the plant's sharp hairs can cause contact dermatitis. The seeds and leaves of fiddlenecks have pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are poisonous to livestock including horses.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#summer annual#problem for horses#annual#prickles
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#summer annual#problem for horses#annual#prickles
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Amsinckia
    Species:
    Amsinckia
    Family:
    Boraginaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Stems, seeds and leaves were used as food source by Native Americans.
    Life Cycle:
    Annual
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Western North America, South America
    Distribution:
    Europe. Western North America.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Annual
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Coarse
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Fruit Type:
    Nut
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Tiiny basal gray nutlets
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Orange
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Spike
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Long Bloom Season
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Funnel
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Five petaled dark golden yellow to orange funnel-shaped flowers in scorpionoid spikes 2 to 15 inches long with leafy bracts at the base. Flowers bloom all spring into the summer.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Prickly
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblanceolate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Description:
    Basal alternate gray-green narrowly oblanceolate entire margins leaves covered in bristly hairs.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
  • Landscape:
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Moths
    Problems:
    Contact Dermatitis
    Problem for Horses
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Contact with the plant's sharp hairs can cause dermatitis. The seeds and leaves of fiddlenecks are poisonous to livestock and horses.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    pyrrolizidine alkaloids
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    Yes
    Poison Part:
    Leaves
    Seeds
    Stems