About Porterella carnosula (Hook. & Arn.) Torr.
Porterella is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the bellflower family. It contains only one species, Porterella carnosula (Hook. & Arn.) Torr., which is commonly called fleshy porterella, or simply porterella. This species is native to the western United States, ranging from California to Wyoming. It grows in moist habitats including ponds and wet grasslands, and sometimes occurs right at the edge of water or is partially submerged. Porterella carnosula is an annual herb that produces an erect stem that reaches a maximum height of around 30 centimeters. The leaves growing along the stem are oval or triangular in shape; leaves that grow beneath the water surface are more triangular. These leaves can grow up to 1.5 centimeters long and 0.5 centimeters wide. The inflorescence holds showy flowers that look very similar to the flowers of some species in the sister genus Downingia. Each flower has a narrow tubular throat that opens into a wide corolla, with two narrow pointed upper lobes and three wider, rounded lower lobes, each of which has a small tooth. The upper lobes are deep blue, and the lower lobes are a similar blue shade, with a patch of white and bright yellow near the flower throat. The stamens are fused into a single unit, tipped with tiny tooth-shaped anthers. The genus Porterella is named for Thomas Conrad Porter.
