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Cleveland's spineflower

Howell's spineflower, Mendocino spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to decumbent, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.5–5(–7) dm, appressed-pubescent. Plants spreading or decumbent to somewhat erect, 0.3–1 × 1–5 dm, villous.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 0.5–2 mm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.3–0.6(–0.8) cm, thinly pubescent.

basal or nearly so;

petiole 1–4 cm;

blade spatulate to broadly obovate, 1–3 × 0.5–1.5(–1.8) cm, villous.

Inflorescences

with involucres in small, open clusters 0.5–1.5 cm diam., greenish or grayish to reddish;

bracts 2, sessile, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–5 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.4–1 cm × 1–2(–3) mm, awns straight, 1–3 mm.

with secondary branches suppressed, greenish to grayish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–5 cm × 5–15 mm, awns absent.

Involucres

3–10, grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 3–3.5 mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, densely pubescent;

teeth widely spreading to divergent, unequal, 0.3–0.6 mm or 3–6 mm;

awns uncinate, unequal, with longer anterior one 1.5–2.5 mm, others spreading, 0.3–0.6 mm.

1, greenish to grayish, broadly cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4 mm, with conspicuous, white, scarious margins between teeth and extending up awn, not corrugate, pubescent;

teeth spreading, equal, 0.5–1 mm, awns straight with longer ones 1–2 mm and anterior one mostly 2 mm, these alternating with shorter (0.5–1 mm) ones.

Flowers

included or only slightly exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white and tepals white, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, dimorphic, linear-oblong, those of outer whorl spreading, 1.5 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded, entire or emarginate to slightly 2-lobed apically, those of inner whorl erect, acute, entire to erose, slightly fimbriate or 2-lobed apically;

stamens 3, included;

filaments distinct, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers white, ovate, 0.3–0.4 mm.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, (3–)3.5–4.5 mm, pubescent nearly throughout;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 3–4 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.6–0.8 mm.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

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

2n

= 42.

= (72, 74, 76, 78), 80, (82, 84, 86, 88, 90).

Chorizanthe clevelandii

Chorizanthe howellii

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands Sandy places in coastal dunes and grassland communities
Elevation 400-2000 m (1300-6600 ft) 0-20 m (0-100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chorizanthe clevelandii is locally infrequent to common in scattered locations in the Coast Ranges from Mendocino and Lake counties south to Santa Barbara County, and across the Transverse and Tehachapi ranges of Ventura and Kern counties to the southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare County. It is the most widely distributed of the spineflowers endemic to California. The involucres stick to fur, clothing, and fingers, aiding dispersal of the achenes.

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

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe howellii is an octoploid probably derived from an ancient hybrid event involving C. cuspidata var. villosa and perhaps C. valida. It is known only from a dune area north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, and is federally listed as endangered.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 460. 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. blakleyi, C. brevicornu, C. breweri, 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. 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
Name authority Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 62. (1884) Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 44, plate 3, fig. 1. (1934)
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