Chorizanthe howellii |
Chorizanthe wheeleri |
|
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Howell's spineflower, Mendocino spineflower |
Santa Barbara spineflower, Wheeler's spineflower |
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Habit | Plants spreading or decumbent to somewhat erect, 0.3–1 × 1–5 dm, villous. | Plants erect to spreading, 0.5–2(–2.5) × 1–2 dm, thinly pubescent. |
Leaves | basal or nearly so; petiole 1–4 cm; blade spatulate to broadly obovate, 1–3 × 0.5–1.5(–1.8) cm, villous. |
basal; petiole 0.5–3 cm; blade elliptic to oblong, 0.5–2 × 0.2–0.6 cm, thinly pubescent adaxially, tomentose abaxially. |
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. |
mostly flat-topped, openly branched, greenish to reddish; bracts persistent, 2, usually leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to leaf blades, short-petiolate, oblong, 0.5–1.2 cm × 2–4 mm, sessile, reduced and scalelike at distal nodes, linear, acicular, often acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × 0.5–1 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 mm. |
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. |
in dense terminal clusters with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish, cylindric, not ventricose, 2–2.5 mm, corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent with stoutish, recurved hairs; teeth spreading, unequal, 0.3–0.8(–1) mm, with 3 longer ones more erect than 3 shorter and less-prominent ones; awns uncinate, 0.3–0.5 mm. |
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. |
exserted; perianth white or rose or red with white lobes, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, glabrous except for few scattered hairs ca. midlength along midrib abaxially; tepals connate 1/2 their length, monomorphic to slightly dimorphic, oblong, rounded apically, those of outer whorl usually slightly broader and longer than those of inner whorl; stamens 6, included; filaments distinct, 1.5–2 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.3–0.4 mm. |
Achenes | light brown, globose-lenticular, 3–4.5 mm. |
brown, lenticular, 2.5–3 mm. |
2n | = (72, 74, 76, 78), 80, (82, 84, 86, 88, 90). |
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Chorizanthe howellii |
Chorizanthe wheeleri |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Sandy places in coastal dunes and grassland communities | Gravelly to rocky slopes, coastal scrub communities |
Elevation | 0-20 m (0-100 ft) | 0-400(-600) m (0-1300(-2000) ft) |
Distribution |
CA |
CA
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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.) |
Chorizanthe wheeleri is a rare insular endemic known only from Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 456. | FNA vol. 5, p. 464. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. insularis | |
Name authority | Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 44, plate 3, fig. 1. (1934) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 272. (1877) |
Web links |