Plant of the Month Pages
| Common Name(s): | Common Fiddleneck |
| Scientific Name: | Amsinckia intermedia |
| Family: | Boraginaceae (Borage) |
| Plant Type: | Annual |
| Size: | up to 36 inches |
| Habitat: | grassy hillsides, burned areas |
| Blooms: | February to May |
| Fire Response: | Fire Follower |
Common Fiddleneck is a slender bristled annual with bright yellow flowers that coil into a fiddleneck shape.
Flowers are in bloom from February to May. Their coil ranges from 2-8 inches long. The flowers are yellow or yellow-orange; a closer look will reveal orange blotches (if there are no orange blotches, you may be looking at a closely related plant, Amsinckia menziesii). The plant has long slender leaves up to 6 inches long. Bristles cover the green parts of this plant, especially on the stems; in spite of this it is attractive to cattle for a food source.
The genus name Amsinckia comes from a 19th century botanic garden frequent visitor from Hamburg named Wilhelm Amsinck. The species name intermedia means it is halfway between a pair of related species.
Contributed by Liz Baumann
