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Peninsular spineflower, Ramona spineflower

prickly spineflower, straight-awn spineflower

Habit Plants erect to spreading, 0.5–3(–3.5) × 0.5–3(–5) dm, thinly pubescent. Plants spreading to decumbent, 0.3–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–5) dm, appressed-pubescent.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 1–3(–4) cm;

blade oblong to oblong-ovate, 0.5–2(–3) × 0.3–0.5(–0.7) cm, thinly pubescent adaxially, usually densely tomentose adaxially.

basal;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.6 cm, thinly pubescent.

Inflorescences

mostly flat-topped and openly branched, usually reddish;

bracts soon deciduous, 2, occasionally leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to proximal leaf blades only more reduced, short-petiolate, ovate, 0.3–0.4 cm × 2–3 mm, otherwise sessile, linear and acicular, often acerose, 0.1–0.3 cm × 0.7–1 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 mm.

with involucres in small, open clusters 0.5–1.5 cm diam., greenish to grayish;

bracts 2, without whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–5 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.3–0.8 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1.5 mm.

Involucres

in congested clusters with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish, cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4 mm, not corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 0.7–1.5 mm with longer of 3 longest ones more erect than 3 other shorter and less-prominent ones, awns uncinate, 0.5–1 mm.

3–10+, grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 2–2.5(–3) mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, densely pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 1–2 mm;

awns straight or uncinate, unequal, with longer anterior one straight, mostly 1.5–2.5 mm, others uncinate, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Flowers

long-exserted;

perianth rose to red, infrequently with white lobes, cylindric, 4.5–6 mm, pubescent;

tepals connate ca. 1/2 their length, dimorphic or sometimes monomorphic, narrowly oblanceolate, apex rounded, those of outer whorl slightly broader and occasionally longer than those of inner whorl;

stamens 9, mostly included;

filaments distinct, 4–6 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, ovate to oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube yellow and tepals yellow or white, cylindric, 3.5–4 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl white, obovate to nearly orbiculate, 3–4 times longer than those of inner whorl, , truncate to slightly 2-lobed apically, those of inner lobes erect, yellow, broadly obovate, truncate and erose apically;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow to golden, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

Achenes

brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

2n

= 38.

= (36), 40, (44).

Chorizanthe leptotheca

Chorizanthe rectispina

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation (300-)600-1600(-1900) m ((1000-)2000-5200(-6200) ft) 200-600 m (700-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chorizanthe leptotheca is found in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County southward along the eastern edge of the Santa Ana Mountains, and through the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains of Riverside County into the mountains of central San Diego County. The species is also found in north-central Baja California.

Ramona spineflower is clearly related to Chorizanthe staticoides, but that species occurs to the west of the range of C. leptotheca and the two are not known to be sympatric.

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

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe rectispina is infrequent and localized in the Coast Ranges of west-central California.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 463. FNA vol. 5, p. 460.
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. fimbriata, C. howellii, 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. 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: 61. (1934) Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 72. (1934)
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