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Peninsular spineflower, Ramona spineflower

Habit Plants erect to spreading, 0.5–3(–3.5) × 0.5–3(–5) dm, thinly pubescent. Plants prostrate to spreading or somewhat erect.
Stems

not disarticulating at each node.

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.

blades lanceolate to ovate or spatulate.

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.

bracts with or without awns.

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.

cylindric, campanulate, or urceolate, occasionally ventricose basally, 3-angled, 6-ribbed, 6-toothed, with or without membranous or scarious margins continuous across sinuses;

awns unequal, typically with anterior one longest.

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.

1;

perianth white, yellow, rose, red, maroon, dark purple, or lavender, thinly pubescent;

stamens 3–9;

filaments adnate at base of floral tube.

Achenes

brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

light brown to dark brown, lenticular or globose-lenticular.

2n

= 38.

Chorizanthe leptotheca

Chorizanthe sect. Ptelosepala

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

Species 31 (25 in the flora).

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 463. FNA vol. 5, p. 451.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes
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
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms C. section Anisogonum, C. section Eriogonellopsis, C. section Herbaceae
Name authority Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 61. (1934) Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 17. (1848)
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