Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens): orange Minnesota wildflowers

Hoary Puccoon

Plant Info
Also known as:
Scientific name:	Lithospermum canescens
Family:	Borage (Boraginaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun to part shade; dry; prairies, rocky open woods, along roads and railroads
Bloom season:	spring
Plant height:	6 to 18 inches
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park

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Flower:: Flowers are in a (more or less) flat cluster at the top of the plant. Individual flowers are orange-yellow, ½ inch across, and tubular with 5 rounded petal-like lobes that flare out at the end. The stamen are hidden inside the tube. The bracts at the base of the tube are narrow, less than ¼ inch long, and covered in long hairs. Plants may be branched near the top, with a cluster at the end of each branch.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are up to 2½ inches long and to ½ inch wide, with a blunt point at the tip and no leaf stem. The underside is very hairy; the upperside feels more smooth. The main stem is covered in long, soft, gray hairs.
Notes:: Hoary Puccoon is very similar to Carolina Puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense). Carolina Puccoon has 1-inch flowers, the bracts are much longer, and the stem hairs are shorter, more sparse, and more bristly.

More orange wildflowers. Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN May 2008

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?