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fringe spineflower

Sonoma spineflower

Habit Plants erect to spreading, 1–3(–3.5) × 1–2.5 dm, pubescent and minutely glandular. Plants erect to spreading, 1–3 × 1–6 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 or nearly so;

petiole 1–3 cm;

blade broadly oblanceolate, 1–2.5(–5) × 0.4–0.8(–1.2) cm, usually villous.

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 secondary branches suppressed, grayish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–3 cm × 6–10 mm, awns absent.

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, grayish, cylindric, not ventricose,3–4(–4.5) mm, with white, scarious margins between teeth, finely corrugate, thinly pubescent;

teeth erect, equal, 0.3–0.7(–1) mm;

awns straight, with longer ones 0.7–1.3 mm and anterior one mostly 1.3 mm, these alternating with shorter, 0.5–1(–1.2) mm ones.

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.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to lavender or rose, cylindric, (4–)5–6 mm, pubescent on proximal 1/2;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate, sometimes individual lobes entire, 2-lobed or even cuspidate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 2–4.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.6–0.8(–1) mm.

Achenes

brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

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

Chorizanthe fimbriata

Chorizanthe valida

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Sandy places, coastal grassland communities
Elevation 10-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe valida may be distinguished by the highly colored involucre. The teeth and bases of awns are bright red. The awns then quickly transform to a bright ivory and this color dominates nearly the length of each awn. In the more inland populations (now extirpated), the awns observed in the old collections appear to be a straw color. It is not known if this is an artifact of age or potentially significant. Sonoma spineflower is now known only from grassy fields south of Abbott’s Lagoon in the Point Reyes area of Marin County (L. Davis and R. J. Sherman 1990, 1992). The last collection from Sonoma County was made at Sebastopol in 1907. The type, collected in 1841, apparently was gathered near Fort Ross, also in Sonoma County. This species is federally listed as endangered.

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

Key
1. Tepals fimbriate apically, distal segments linear to lanceolate, broader than lateral segments; perianths 6-7(-8) mm
var. fimbriata
1. Tepals laciniate apically, distal segments linear, scarcely broader than lateral segments; perianths 8-9(-10) mm
var. laciniata
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 465. 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. clevelandii, C. corrugata, C. cuspidata, C. diffusa, C. douglasii, 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. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
Subordinate taxa
C. fimbriata var. fimbriata, C. fimbriata var. laciniata
Name authority Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 17. (1848) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877)
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