Chorizanthe parryi |
Chorizanthe palmeri |
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Parry's spineflower, San Bernardino spineflower, San Fernando Valley spineflower |
Palmer's spineflower |
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Habit | Plants prostrate to spreading, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–6) dm, strigose. | Plants erect to spreading, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × 1–3 dm, appressed-pubescent. | ||||
Leaves | basal; petiole 0.5–2(–3.5) cm; blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblong, 0.5–2.5(–4) × 0.2–0.6(–1.2) cm, thinly pubescent. |
basal; petiole 1–3 cm; blade oblanceolate, 1–3 × 0.4–0.8 cm, thinly pubescent. |
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Inflorescences | with involucres in small, open clusters 0.3–1 cm diam., greenish or grayish to reddish; bracts 2, sessile, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–7 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 0.4–1 mm. |
with involucres in dense clusters 2–4 cm diam., greenish or reddish to purple; bracts 2–3 at proximal node, usually leaflike, often with whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 2–6 mm, becoming gradually lanceolate to elliptic, 0.2–1 cm × 1.5–5 mm, at distal nodes scalelike, linear and aciculate, acerose, awns straight, 1–3 mm. |
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Involucres | 3–5, greenish or grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 1.5–2 mm, corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, pubescent; teeth widely spreading to divergent or recurved, equal, 0.5–1.5 mm or 1–3 mm; awns uncinate or straight, unequal, alternating 0.5–1.5 mm and 0.2–0.5 mm. |
3–10 or more, reddish to purplish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 3.5–4 mm, without scarious or membranous margins, slightly corrugate, thinly pubescent with slender, curly hairs; teeth erect to spreading, unequal, 1–2 mm; awns uncinate, 0.5–1 mm with longer anterior one mostly 1 mm. |
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Flowers | slightly exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white and tepals white, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, sparsely pubescent; tepals connate 2/3 their length, slightly dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblong to oblong-ovate, 1.5 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded, erose or rarely some entire to denticulate apically, those of inner whorl linear-oblanceolate, acute, entire or denticulate apically; stamens 9, included; filaments distinct, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous; anthers white, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube white to yellow and tepals red, maroon, or dark purple, cylindric, 4–5 mm, glabrous or with few scattered hairs along midrib ca. midlength; tepals erect, connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl slightly longer than inner whorl, entire, rounded apically, those of inner whorl fimbriate and truncate or somewhat 2-lobed; stamens 9, exserted; filaments distinct, 4–5 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.9–1 mm. |
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Achenes | brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm. |
brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm. |
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2n | = 38, 40, (48). |
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Chorizanthe parryi |
Chorizanthe palmeri |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | |||||
Habitat | Gravelly to rocky serpentine and serpentinized igneous outcrops, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands | |||||
Elevation | 60-700 m (200-2300 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA
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CA
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Chorizanthe palmeri is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains, the San Luis Range, and the Huasna area. Populations differ slightly both morphologically and ecologically, but recognition of variants is not suggested. At full anthesis, the reddish stems, involucres, and tepals, plus the localized concentrations of individuals provide for splashes of purplish red on the otherwise grass-brown slopes. Set against the often blackish green of serpentine barrens, the plants can be spotted even from a high-flying aircraft! This species would make an excellent addition to the garden border. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 461. | FNA vol. 5, p. 457. | ||||
Parent taxa | ||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877) | ||||
Web links |