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Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower

San Francisco spineflower

Habit Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. Plants decumbent to prostrate or ascending, 0.5–2(–2.5) × 0.5–10 dm, villous.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 1–2 cm;

blade narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–0.35(–0.5) cm, thinly pubescent.

basal;

petiole (0.5–)1–3 cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–5 × (0.3–)0.4–0.7(–1) cm, villous.

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.

rather dense with secondary branches suppressed, greenish to reddish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 0.5–5 cm × 2–7 mm, awns 0.5–1.2 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.

1, greenish, cylindric, often ventricose basally, 1–3 mm, without scarious margins or if so then white to pink, thin, and restricted to basal portions of teeth, corrugate, villous abaxially;

teeth spreading, equal, 0.5–2 mm;

awns uncinate or straight with longer ones 2–3 mm and anterior one mostly 2.5–3 mm, these alternating with shorter 1–1.5(–1.7) mm ones.

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.

included to slightly exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, 2–3 mm, pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate less than 1/4 their length, monomorphic, oblong, truncate to 3-lobed and distinctly cuspidate apically;

stamens 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 2–3 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream to rose, narrowly oblong, 0.3–0.4 mm.

Achenes

dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm.

light brown, globose-lenticular, 2–3 mm.

2n

= (76, 78), 80, (84).

Chorizanthe orcuttiana

Chorizanthe cuspidata

Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities
Elevation 60-200 m (200-700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Involucral awns uncinate apically; San Francisco area
var. cuspidata
1. Involucral awns straight, rarely curved or with 1 awn uncinate; Marin and Sonoma counties
var. villosa
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 467. FNA vol. 5, p. 454.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Acanthogonum 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. leptotheca, C. membranacea, C. obovata, 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. 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. 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
C. cuspidata var. cuspidata, C. cuspidata var. villosa
Synonyms C. pungens var. cuspidata
Name authority Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 379. (1882)
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