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Blakley's spineflower

Sonoma spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to ascending, 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–3 dm, thinly pubescent. Plants erect to spreading, 1–3 × 1–6 dm, villous.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.8 cm, thinly pubescent.

basal or nearly so;

petiole 1–3 cm;

blade broadly oblanceolate, 1–2.5(–5) × 0.4–0.8(–1.2) cm, usually villous.

Inflorescences

with involucres in dense clusters 1–2 cm diam., yellowish green;

bracts 2, without whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, usually leaflike, oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–3 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.3–0.8 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 1–2.5 mm.

with secondary branches suppressed, grayish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–3 cm × 6–10 mm, awns absent.

Involucres

3–10+, yellowish green, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 3–4.5 mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 1–3 mm;

awns straight or uncinate with longer anterior one straight or slightly curved, mostly 2 mm, others uncinate, 0.5–1.5 mm.

1, grayish, cylindric, not ventricose,3–4(–4.5) mm, with white, scarious margins between teeth, finely corrugate, thinly pubescent;

teeth erect, equal, 0.3–0.7(–1) mm;

awns straight, with longer ones 0.7–1.3 mm and anterior one mostly 1.3 mm, these alternating with shorter, 0.5–1(–1.2) mm ones.

Flowers

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white to white and the lobes white to pinkish, cylindric, 5–6 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl erect, slightly longer than those of inner whorl, 2-lobed apically, those of inner whorl erect, 2-lobed, erose apically;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 5–5.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow to golden, oblong, 1–1.2 mm.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to lavender or rose, cylindric, (4–)5–6 mm, pubescent on proximal 1/2;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate, sometimes individual lobes entire, 2-lobed or even cuspidate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 2–4.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.6–0.8(–1) mm.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

light brown, lenticular-globose, 3–4.5 mm.

2n

= ca. 38.

Chorizanthe blakleyi

Chorizanthe valida

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Sandy or gravelly flats and slopes, chaparral communities, oak woodlands Sandy places, coastal grassland communities
Elevation 600-1600 m (2000-5200 ft) 10-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe blakleyi is known only from north-facing slopes and foothills of the Sierra Madre. The species is rare and localized. The yellowish green stem, branches, and involucres readily distinguish it. The white flowers align it with C. obovata.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe valida may be distinguished by the highly colored involucre. The teeth and bases of awns are bright red. The awns then quickly transform to a bright ivory and this color dominates nearly the length of each awn. In the more inland populations (now extirpated), the awns observed in the old collections appear to be a straw color. It is not known if this is an artifact of age or potentially significant. Sonoma spineflower is now known only from grassy fields south of Abbott’s Lagoon in the Point Reyes area of Marin County (L. Davis and R. J. Sherman 1990, 1992). The last collection from Sonoma County was made at Sebastopol in 1907. The type, collected in 1841, apparently was gathered near Fort Ross, also in Sonoma County. This species is federally listed as endangered.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 459. FNA vol. 5, p. 456.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala
Sibling taxa
C. angustifolia, C. biloba, C. brevicornu, C. breweri, C. clevelandii, C. corrugata, C. cuspidata, C. diffusa, C. douglasii, C. fimbriata, C. howellii, C. leptotheca, C. membranacea, C. obovata, C. orcuttiana, C. palmeri, C. parryi, C. polygonoides, C. procumbens, C. pungens, C. rectispina, C. rigida, C. robusta, C. spinosa, C. staticoides, C. stellulata, C. uniaristata, C. valida, C. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
C. angustifolia, C. biloba, C. blakleyi, C. brevicornu, C. breweri, C. clevelandii, C. corrugata, C. cuspidata, C. diffusa, C. douglasii, C. fimbriata, C. howellii, C. leptotheca, C. membranacea, C. obovata, C. orcuttiana, C. palmeri, C. parryi, C. polygonoides, C. procumbens, C. pungens, C. rectispina, C. rigida, C. robusta, C. spinosa, C. staticoides, C. stellulata, C. uniaristata, C. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
Name authority Hardham: Leafl. W. Bot. 10: 95. (1964) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877)
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