Chorizanthe fimbriata |
Chorizanthe cuspidata |
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fringe spineflower |
San Francisco spineflower |
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Habit | Plants erect to spreading, 1–3(–3.5) × 1–2.5 dm, pubescent and minutely glandular. | Plants decumbent to prostrate or ascending, 0.5–2(–2.5) × 0.5–10 dm, villous. | ||||||||
Leaves | basal; petiole 0.5–3(–5) cm; blade elliptic to obovate or spatulate, 1–3(–3.5) × 0.2–1(–2.5) cm, thinly pubescent adaxially, sparsely tomentose abaxially. |
basal; petiole (0.5–)1–3 cm; blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–5 × (0.3–)0.4–0.7(–1) cm, villous. |
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Inflorescences | open, reddish; bracts 3 at proximal node, otherwise 2, sessile, scalelike, linear, acicular, often acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × 0.5–1 mm, awns straight, 1–2 mm. |
rather dense with secondary branches suppressed, greenish to reddish; bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 0.5–5 cm × 2–7 mm, awns 0.5–1.2 mm. |
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Involucres | 1(–5+), reddish or greenish, cylindric, not ventricose, 4–6(–7) mm, finely corrugate, with thin hyaline margins between teeth, sparsely to densely pubescent; teeth divergent, unequal, 3 longer ones 1–3 mm, alternating with 3 shorter ones 0.3–1 mm; awns straight, unequal, 3 longer ones 1–2.5(–3) mm, shorter one (0.3–)0.5–1.5 mm. |
1, greenish, cylindric, often ventricose basally, 1–3 mm, without scarious margins or if so then white to pink, thin, and restricted to basal portions of teeth, corrugate, villous abaxially; teeth spreading, equal, 0.5–2 mm; awns uncinate or straight with longer ones 2–3 mm and anterior one mostly 2.5–3 mm, these alternating with shorter 1–1.5(–1.7) mm ones. |
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Flowers | exserted; perianth bicolored, with floral tube yellow to yellowish white and tepals white to rose, becoming dark rose to red with age, cylindric, 6–9(–10) mm, glabrous abaxially except for few to several scattered hairs ca. midlength along midribs; tepals connate 1/2 their length, monomorphic, oblong, fimbriate to laciniate apically; stamens 9, included; filaments distinct, 3–8 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.7 mm. |
included to slightly exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, 2–3 mm, pubescent abaxially; tepals connate less than 1/4 their length, monomorphic, oblong, truncate to 3-lobed and distinctly cuspidate apically; stamens 9, slightly exserted; filaments distinct, 2–3 mm, glabrous; anthers cream to rose, narrowly oblong, 0.3–0.4 mm. |
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Achenes | brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm. |
light brown, globose-lenticular, 2–3 mm. |
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Chorizanthe fimbriata |
Chorizanthe cuspidata |
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Distribution |
CA; nw Mexico
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CA
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Chorizanthe fimbriata is our only representative of subsect. Flava, a taxon of six species otherwise confined to Baja California. These are the most elegant of the annual species in their remarkable flowers. The flower color, the fine divisions of the tips of the tepals, plus the handsome habit make them of potential horticultural interest for the “need-to-be-challenged” gardeners. In addition to C. fimbriata var. laciniata, C. pulchella Brandegee would be a worthy introduction. Chorizanthe flava Brandegee has bright yellow flowers that contrast dramatically with its reddish mature inflorescence branches. The large (7–9 mm) flowers of C. mutabilis Brandegee are a wonder to behold, the yellow floral tube contrasting with the white to red of the tepals themselves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 465. | FNA vol. 5, p. 454. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | ||||||||||
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Synonyms | C. pungens var. cuspidata | |||||||||
Name authority | Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 17. (1848) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 379. (1882) | ||||||||
Web links |