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Howell's spineflower, Mendocino spineflower

Habit Plants spreading or decumbent to somewhat erect, 0.3–1 × 1–5 dm, villous.
Leaves

basal or nearly so;

petiole 1–4 cm;

blade spatulate to broadly obovate, 1–3 × 0.5–1.5(–1.8) cm, villous.

Inflorescences

with secondary branches suppressed, greenish to grayish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–5 cm × 5–15 mm, awns absent.

Involucres

1, greenish to grayish, broadly cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4 mm, with conspicuous, white, scarious margins between teeth and extending up awn, not corrugate, pubescent;

teeth spreading, equal, 0.5–1 mm, awns straight with longer ones 1–2 mm and anterior one mostly 2 mm, these alternating with shorter (0.5–1 mm) ones.

Flowers

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, (3–)3.5–4.5 mm, pubescent nearly throughout;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 3–4 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.6–0.8 mm.

Achenes

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

2n

= (72, 74, 76, 78), 80, (82, 84, 86, 88, 90).

Chorizanthe howellii

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy places in coastal dunes and grassland communities
Elevation 0-20 m (0-100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe howellii is an octoploid probably derived from an ancient hybrid event involving C. cuspidata var. villosa and perhaps C. valida. It is known only from a dune area north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, and is federally listed as endangered.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 456.
Parent taxa 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. fimbriata, 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
Name authority Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 44, plate 3, fig. 1. (1934)
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