Flora of North America species comparison

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Chorizanthe brevicornu var. spathulata

Chorizanthe sect. Fragile
Photo is of parent taxon

brittle spineflower, broad leaf brittle spineflower, Great Basin brittle spineflower
Habit Plants 0.5–2(–3) × 0.5–2 dm. Plants spreading to erect.
Stems

disarticulating at each node.
Leaf

blades broadly oblanceolate to broadly spatulate, 1–2 × 0.5–1 cm, apex round.

blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or spatulate.
Inflorescences

bracts awned;

involucres cylindric, slightly ventricose basally, 3-angled, 6-ribbed, 6-toothed, without membranous or scarious margins;

awns equal.
Involucres

obscurely ribbed at maturity.

Flowers

1;

perianth greenish white to white or pale yellowish white, glabrous;

stamens 3, adnate at top of perianth tube.
Achenes

dark brown, lenticular.
2n

= 38.

Chorizanthe brevicornu var. spathulata

Chorizanthe sect. Fragile
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly places, mixed grassland, saltbush, blackbrush, and sagebrush communities, pinyon and/or juniper woodlands
Elevation 700-2900(-3100) m (2300-9500(-10200) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
[BONAP county map]
w United States; nw Mexico
Discussion

Variety spathulata is known only from the cold deserts of the Intermountain West.

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

Species 2 (1 in the flora).

Chorizanthe brevicornu of western North America, and its counterpart in western South America, C. commissuralis J. Rémy, are the most widely distributed members of the genus on their respective continents. The flowering stems and branches easily break apart, often with involucres still firmly attached. Even in this disarticulated condition, young achenes will continue to live and mature. No doubt this is a significant factor in their successful distribution.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 470. FNA vol. 5, p. 469.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Fragile > Chorizanthe brevicornu Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes
Sibling taxa
C. brevicornu var. brevicornu
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms C. spathulata, C. brevicornu subsp. spathulata
Name authority (Small ex Rydberg) C. L. Hitchcock: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 2: 103. (1964) Reveal & Hardham: Phytologia 66: 188. (1989)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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