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Parry's spineflower, San Bernardino spineflower, San Fernando Valley spineflower

one-awn spineflower

Habit Plants prostrate to spreading, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–6) dm, strigose. Plants spreading or ascending, 0.2–0.6(–0.8) × 0.5–4(–5) 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 0.5–2 cm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.8 cm, thinly pubescent.

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 small open clusters 0.5–1.5 cm diam., greenish to grayish or reddish;

bracts 2, sessile, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–5 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.4–1.2 cm × 1–2(–3) mm, awns straight, 1.5–4 mm.

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, grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 2–3 mm, without scarious or membranous margins, slightly corrugate, densely grayish-pubescent;

teeth widely spreading to divergent, unequal, 0.3–0.5 or 3–6 mm;

awns straight or uncinate, unequal, with longer anterior one straight, 2.5–5.5 mm, others spreading, uncinate, 0.3–0.5 mm.

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.

included or only slightly exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white and tepals white, cylindric, 2–3 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, dimorphic, linear-oblong, those of outer whorl spreading, narrowly oblong, 1.5 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded but with minute cusp or 3 teeth apically, those of inner whorl erect to slightly spreading, acute, entire apically;

stamens 3, included;

filaments distinct, 1–2 mm, glabrous;

anthers white, ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

brown, globose-lenticular, 2–3 mm.

2n

= (78), 80, (82).

Chorizanthe parryi

Chorizanthe uniaristata

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly talus or clay flats and slopes, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation 800-1900 m (2600-6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Chorizanthe uniaristata is scattered in the Inner Coast Ranges and across the Transverse and Tehachapi ranges to the southern Sierra Nevada.

One-awn spineflower is a polyploid, but whether an autopolyploid or an autoallopolyploid has not been determined. It has the smallest meiotic chromosomes observed by C. B. Hardham (1989).

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

Key
1. Involucral awns uncinate
var. parryi
1. Involucral awns straight
var. fernandina
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 461. FNA vol. 5, p. 460.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala 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. orcuttiana, C. palmeri, 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. procumbens, C. pungens, C. rectispina, C. rigida, C. robusta, C. spinosa, C. staticoides, C. stellulata, C. valida, C. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
Subordinate taxa
C. parryi var. fernandina, C. parryi var. parryi
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877) Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 195. (1870)
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