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Cleveland's spineflower

five-tooth spineflower, Watson's spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to decumbent, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.5–5(–7) dm, appressed-pubescent. Plants spreading to erect, 0.2–1(–1.5) × 0.2–1(–1.5) dm, densely canescent-strigose.
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 (0.5–)1–2.5(–3) cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.3–)0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.4(–0.5) cm, thinly floccose to sparsely tomentose.

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 involucres in small clusters 0.5–1 cm diam., greenish to reddish;

bracts 2, with laminar ones oblanceolate, (0.5–)0.8–1.5(–2) cm × (1–)2–4 mm, those at distal nodes becoming sessile, reduced and scalelike, linear-lanceolate, acicular, awns slightly curved, 0.5–1 mm.

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, green, cylindric, 5-ribbed, 3–4.5 mm, finely corrugate, pubescent;

teeth 5, erect, unequal, with leaflike, narrowly lanceolate, 2–6 mm anterior tooth, others linear, 1–2 mm;

awn uncinate, 0.4–0.8(–1) mm.

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.

1, included to slightly exserted;

perianth yellow, cylindric, 1.5–2.5 mm, thinly pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate ca. 2/3 their length, monomorphic, oblong, acute, entire apically, mostly erect;

stamens 3 or 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 0.8–1 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

brown, lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

2n

= 42.

Chorizanthe clevelandii

Chorizanthe watsonii

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation 400-2000 m (1300-6600 ft) 300-2400 m (1000-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Chorizanthe watsonii is widely distributed in the cold desert of the Great Basin and in the northern part of the warmer Mojave Desert. Plants in the northern part of the range (especially on the Palouse Prairie of south-eastern Washington) usually have three stamens.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 460. FNA vol. 5, p. 468.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Acanthogonum
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. 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. wheeleri, C. xanti
Name authority Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 62. (1884) Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 199. (1870)
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