The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Monterey spineflower

Turkish rugging

Habit Plants prostrate to ascending or erect, 0.5–2(–2.5) × 0.5–10 dm, grayish-villous. Plants erect to spreading or ascending, 0.5–6 × 0.5–3(–5) dm, thinly pubescent.
Leaves

basal;

petiole (0.5–)1–3(–4) cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–5(–7) × (0.3–)0.4–0.7(–1) cm, villous.

essentially basal;

petiole 1–3(–4) cm;

blade oblong to oblong-ovate, 0.5–3(–8) × 0.3–1(–2.5) cm, thinly pubescent or glabrous adaxially, usually densely tomentose abaxially.

Inflorescences

rather dense with secondary branches suppressed, grayish;

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

mostly flat-topped and open to densely branched, green to gray or reddish;

bracts soon deciduous, 2, occasionally leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to proximal leaf blades only short-petiolate, more reduced and usually sessile, obovate, others linear and acicular, often acerose, (0.1–)0.2–0.5(–1) cm × 1–3(–6) mm, awns straight, 0.5–2 mm.

Involucres

1, grayish, cylindric, often ventricose basally, 2–2.5(–3) mm, with distinct, white to pink or purple, scarious margins extending nearly full length of awn, corrugate, villous abaxially;

teeth spreading, equal, 0.5–1.5 mm;

awns uncinate with longer ones 2–3 mm and alternating with shorter (1–1.5 mm) ones.

usually congested terminally with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish to purplish, cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4(–5) mm, often irregularly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 0.7–1.3(–1.5) mm with longest of 3 longer ones more erect than others, these alternating with 3 shorter and less-prominent ones;

awns uncinate, 0.5–1 mm.

Flowers

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, 2–3.5 mm, pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate less than 1/4 their length, monomorphic, obovate to oblong, acute to truncate and erose apically;

stamens 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 2–3 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream to rose, ovate, 0.3–0.4 mm.

mostly included;

perianth rose to red, cylindric, 3–4(–5) mm, pubescent;

tepals connate 1/2 their length, monomorphic to slightly dimorphic, oblong to obovate, rounded to obtuse or truncate apically, occasionally irregularly denticulate, those of outer whorl usually slightly broader and longer than those of inner whorl;

stamens 9, mostly included;

filaments distinct, 2.5–4(–4.5) mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

Achenes

dark brown, globose-lenticular, 2–2.5 mm.

brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

2n

= 38, (40, 42).

Chorizanthe pungens

Chorizanthe staticoides

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly or rocky places, coastal scrub, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation 300-1700(-1900) m (1000-5600(-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 staticoides is found in the foothills and mountains of the Coast Ranges from Monterey County southward into San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties. A more insular series of populations occurs on Santa Catalina Island and along the coast and immediately adjacent foothills in Orange and San Diego counties.

Turkish rugging is a highly variable taxon. G. J. Goodman (1934) attempted to parse some of the variants but J. L. Reveal and C. B. Hardham (1989b) merged all of his segregates under a single name. Some of the variation is noteworthy. The insular phase, C. discolor (including C. chrysacantha), is a relatively rare expression restricted to the immediate (C. chrysacantha) and near coastal (C. discolor) mesas and bluffs. Such plants tend to have somewhat longer awns than the inland expression (C. staticoides). Also, the C. chrysacantha phase can be extremely depauperate, resulting in a compact mass overhanging the Pacific Ocean (var. compacta). While the extremes can be noted, useful taxonomic distinctions cannot be made because of intergradation in all features.

E. W. Voegelin (1938) noted the use of an infusion of this plant to treat pimples.

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

Key
1. Margins of involucres white (rarely pinkish), scarious; plants prostrate to slightly ascending; coastal areas and adjacent inland valleys
var. pungens
1. Margins of involucres dark pinkish to purple, scarious; plants slightly ascending to erect; coastal mountains
var. hartwegiana
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 453. FNA vol. 5, p. 462.
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. parryi, C. polygonoides, C. procumbens, 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. stellulata, C. uniaristata, C. valida, C. ventricosa, C. watsonii, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
Subordinate taxa
C. pungens var. hartwegiana, C. pungens var. pungens
Synonyms C. chrysacantha, C. chrysacantha var. compacta, C. discolor, C. nudicaulis, C. staticoides var. brevispina, C. staticoides subsp. chrysacantha, C. staticoides var. elata, C. staticoides var. latiloba, C. staticoides var. nudicaulis
Name authority Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 419, plate 19, fig. 2. (1836) Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 418. (1836)
Web links