Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
Chorizanthe breweri |
|
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Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower |
Brewer's spineflower, San Luis obispo spineflower |
|
Habit | Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. | Plants ascending to decumbent, (0.3–)0.5–1.5(–2) × 1–5(–7) dm, thinly pubescent. |
Leaves | basal; petiole 1–2 cm; blade narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–0.35(–0.5) cm, thinly pubescent. |
basal; petiole 1–3 cm; blade spatulate to ovate, 0.5–2 × 0.3–1.2(–1.5) cm, thinly pubescent to densely tomentose at least abaxially. |
Inflorescences | with involucres in small clusters 0.5–1 cm diam., greenish; bracts 2, sessile, unequal, 1 laminar and oblanceolate, 0.3–1 cm × 1–3 mm, awnless, this opposite linear, acicular, greatly reduced, 0.1–0.2 cm × 0.3–0.6 mm bract terminated by short, straight awn 0.6–1 mm. |
mostly flat-topped, open to rather densely branched, greenish to reddish; bracts persistent, 2, usually leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to leaf blades, short-petiolate, oblong to ovate, 0.3–0.8 cm × 2–6 mm, becoming 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, campanulate, 3-ribbed, 0.8–2 mm, faintly corrugate, pubescent; teeth 3, equal, 1.8–2 mm; awns uncinate, 0.6–1 mm. |
in open clusters with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish, cylindric, not ventricose, 2.5–3 mm, corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent with slender curly hairs; teeth spreading, unequal, 0.4–1.2 mm with 3 longer ones more erect than 3 shorter and less-prominent ones; awns uncinate, 0.3–0.6 mm. |
Flowers | 1, included to slightly exserted; perianth yellow, cylindric, 1.5–1.8 mm, densely pubescent abaxially; tepals connate ca. 1/2 their length, monomorphic, narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse to truncate, entire apically, slightly spreading; stamens 9, slightly exserted; filaments distinct, 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous; anthers reddish, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
exserted; perianth white to rose or red, usually with white lobes, cylindric, 3–3.5 mm, pubescent; tepals connate ca. 1/2 their length, monomorphic to slightly dimorphic, narrowly oblong to obovate, rounded apically, those of outer whorl usually slightly broader and longer than those of inner whorl; stamens 9, mostly included; filaments distinct, 2.5–3 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.4–0.5 mm. |
Achenes | dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm. |
brown, lenticular, 2.5–3 mm. |
2n | = (76, 78), 80, (84). |
= 38. |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
Chorizanthe breweri |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering Mar–Jul. |
Habitat | Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities | Gravelly or rocky places, serpentine outcrops, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands |
Elevation | 60-200 m (200-700 ft) | 60-800 m (200-2600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA |
CA
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Discussion | Of conservation concern. Chorizanthe orcuttiana is known from a few populations on coastal mesas and hills near San Diego, San Diego County. It is federally listed as endangered. The species is an octoploid that may well have resulted from an ancient hybridization and doubling of chromosomes involving C. procumbens and C. polygonoides var. longispina. The Orcutt spineflower grows in soft, white sand; C. procumbens and C. polygonoides var. longispina are restricted to gravelly sites. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Chorizanthe breweri is found infrequently in the Coast Ranges of southwestern California. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 467. | FNA vol. 5, p. 464. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 270. (1877) |
Web links |