Chorizanthe fimbriata |
Chorizanthe parryi |
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fringe spineflower |
Parry's spineflower, San Bernardino spineflower, San Fernando Valley spineflower |
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Habit | Plants erect to spreading, 1–3(–3.5) × 1–2.5 dm, pubescent and minutely glandular. | Plants prostrate to spreading, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–6) dm, strigose. | ||||||||
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 0.5–2(–3.5) cm; blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblong, 0.5–2.5(–4) × 0.2–0.6(–1.2) cm, thinly pubescent. |
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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. |
with involucres in small, open clusters 0.3–1 cm diam., greenish or grayish to reddish; bracts 2, sessile, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–7 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 0.4–1 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. |
3–5, greenish or grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 1.5–2 mm, corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, pubescent; teeth widely spreading to divergent or recurved, equal, 0.5–1.5 mm or 1–3 mm; awns uncinate or straight, unequal, alternating 0.5–1.5 mm and 0.2–0.5 mm. |
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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. |
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, slightly dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblong to oblong-ovate, 1.5 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded, erose or rarely some entire to denticulate apically, those of inner whorl linear-oblanceolate, acute, entire or denticulate apically; stamens 9, included; filaments distinct, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous; anthers white, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
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Achenes | brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm. |
brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm. |
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Chorizanthe fimbriata |
Chorizanthe parryi |
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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. 461. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | ||||||||||
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Name authority | Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 17. (1848) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877) | ||||||||
Web links |