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Douglas' spineflower, San Benito spineflower

Turkish rugging

Habit Plants erect, 1–4(–5) × 0.5–3 dm, villous. Plants erect to spreading or ascending, 0.5–6 × 0.5–3(–5) dm, thinly pubescent.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 1–3(–6) cm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–2(–4) × 0.1–0.4(–1) cm, villous.

essentially basal;

petiole 1–3(–4) cm;

blade oblong to oblong-ovate, 0.5–3(–8) × 0.3–1(–2.5) cm, thinly pubescent or glabrous adaxially, usually densely tomentose abaxially.

Inflorescences

cymose, dichotomously branched throughout, white to greenish or reddish;

bracts usually 2, similar to proximal leaf blades, typically with whorl of 3–5 ca. midstem, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 0.5–2(–3) cm × 1–5(–10) mm, awns absent.

mostly flat-topped and open to densely branched, green to gray or reddish;

bracts soon deciduous, 2, occasionally leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to proximal leaf blades only short-petiolate, more reduced and usually sessile, obovate, others linear and acicular, often acerose, (0.1–)0.2–0.5(–1) cm × 1–3(–6) mm, awns straight, 0.5–2 mm.

Involucres

congested in small leafy terminal clusters of 2–4 at nodes of dichotomies, greenish, cylindric, slightly ventricose basally, 3–5 mm, with conspicuous, purple, broad, membranous margins typically extending across sinuses, finely corrugated, hispid at least along ridges, otherwise sparsely pubescent;

teeth spreading, equal, (0.7–)1–1.5 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 mm.

usually congested terminally with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish to purplish, cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4(–5) mm, often irregularly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 0.7–1.3(–1.5) mm with longest of 3 longer ones more erect than others, these alternating with 3 shorter and less-prominent ones;

awns uncinate, 0.5–1 mm.

Flowers

exserted;

perianth white to rose, cylindric, 3.5–4(–4.5) mm, slightly pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, monomorphic, obovate, 2-lobed or denticulate apically, infrequently inner whorl entire;

stamens 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 3–4 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

mostly included;

perianth rose to red, cylindric, 3–4(–5) mm, pubescent;

tepals connate 1/2 their length, monomorphic to slightly dimorphic, oblong to obovate, rounded to obtuse or truncate apically, occasionally irregularly denticulate, those of outer whorl usually slightly broader and longer than those of inner whorl;

stamens 9, mostly included;

filaments distinct, 2.5–4(–4.5) mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

Achenes

light brown, globose-lenticular, 3.5–4 mm.

brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

2n

= 40.

= 38, (40, 42).

Chorizanthe douglasii

Chorizanthe staticoides

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, oak and pine woodlands Sandy to gravelly or rocky places, coastal scrub, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation (200-)300-1600 m ((700-)1000-5200 ft) 300-1700(-1900) m (1000-5600(-6200) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chorizanthe douglasii is restricted to the Santa Lucia Mountains and to the San Gabilan and La Panza ranges of west-central California. The species is infrequent but can be locally common. A single collection made in the Santa Cruz Mountains (Rowntree s.n., 16 Jun 1929, CAS) may have been made in Santa Cruz County, but the location is uncertain and no other collection is known from that region.

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

Chorizanthe staticoides is found in the foothills and mountains of the Coast Ranges from Monterey County southward into San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties. A more insular series of populations occurs on Santa Catalina Island and along the coast and immediately adjacent foothills in Orange and San Diego counties.

Turkish rugging is a highly variable taxon. G. J. Goodman (1934) attempted to parse some of the variants but J. L. Reveal and C. B. Hardham (1989b) merged all of his segregates under a single name. Some of the variation is noteworthy. The insular phase, C. discolor (including C. chrysacantha), is a relatively rare expression restricted to the immediate (C. chrysacantha) and near coastal (C. discolor) mesas and bluffs. Such plants tend to have somewhat longer awns than the inland expression (C. staticoides). Also, the C. chrysacantha phase can be extremely depauperate, resulting in a compact mass overhanging the Pacific Ocean (var. compacta). While the extremes can be noted, useful taxonomic distinctions cannot be made because of intergradation in all features.

E. W. Voegelin (1938) noted the use of an infusion of this plant to treat pimples.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 452. FNA vol. 5, p. 462.
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. clevelandii, C. corrugata, C. cuspidata, C. diffusa, 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. stellulata, C. uniaristata, C. valida, C. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
Synonyms C. nortonii C. chrysacantha, C. chrysacantha var. compacta, C. discolor, C. nudicaulis, C. staticoides var. brevispina, C. staticoides subsp. chrysacantha, C. staticoides var. elata, C. staticoides var. latiloba, C. staticoides var. nudicaulis
Name authority Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 418. (1836) Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 418. (1836)
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