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Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower

prostrate spineflower

Habit Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. Plants prostrate to decumbent, 0.2–0.8 × 0.5–4(–5) 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 0.5–2(–3) cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × 0.1–0.7(–1.2) cm, thinly pubescent.

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.

with involucres in small, open clusters 0.3–1 cm diam., greenish yellow to green or reddish green;

bracts 2, sessile, leaflike and similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, linear-oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.3–1(–1.5) cm × 1.5–5(–8) mm, rapidly reduced and scalelike at distal nodes, linear, acicular, often acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × (0.3–)0.5–3 mm, awns straight, 0.2–1 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.

3–10, rarely more, greenish yellow to reddish green, cylindric or narrowly to broadly campanulate, not ventricose,1.5–3 mm, faintly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent with spreading hairs, longest hairs on ribs and at base;

teeth spreading, equal, 1–2.5 mm, or divergent, thickened basally, unequal, 1–2 mm or 2.5–5 mm with hyaline margins between teeth;

awns uncinate, 0.2–0.5 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 yellow or sometimes white, cylindric, (1.7–)2–3 mm, pubescent;

tepals connate ca. 2/3 their length, essentially monomorphic, narrowly oblong to narrowly obovate, occasionally with outer lobes slightly broader and longer than inner ones, entire apically;

stamens 9, exserted;

filaments connate basally into 0.2–1 mm tube, (0.3–)0.5–2.5 mm, pilose-ciliate;

anthers cream to pale yellow, oblong, (0.2–)0.5–0.7 mm.

Achenes

dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm.

brown, lenticular, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

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

= (38), 40, (42, 44, 46).

Chorizanthe orcuttiana

Chorizanthe procumbens

Phenology Flowering Mar–May. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, coastal grassland, coastal sage, chaparral, and desert scrub communities
Elevation 60-200 m (200-700 ft) (0-)10-1300 m ((0-)0-4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[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.)

Chorizanthe procumbens is a variable complex of widely scattered, locally infrequent to common populations that occur from the Santa Monica, San Gabriel, and San Bernardino mountains southward through western Riverside and Orange counties to San Diego County. In a strict sense, prostrate plants from San Diego southward belong to C. procumbens (including C. jonesiana) while decumbent plants to the north are C. uncinata (C. procumbens sensu G. J. Goodman 1934), if such a distinction is considered taxonomically useful. Plants with a grayish hue south of our range in Baja California have been described as C. chaetophora. All of our plants have a greenish yellow cast.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 467. FNA vol. 5, p. 462.
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. cuspidata, C. diffusa, C. douglasii, C. fimbriata, C. howellii, C. leptotheca, C. membranacea, C. obovata, C. orcuttiana, C. palmeri, C. parryi, C. polygonoides, 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
Synonyms C. chaetophora, C. jonesiana, C. procumbens var. albiflora, C. procumbens var. mexicana, C. uncinata
Name authority Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 17. (1848)
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