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prickly spineflower, straight-awn spineflower

Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to decumbent, 0.3–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–5) dm, appressed-pubescent. Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous.
Leaves

basal;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.6 cm, thinly pubescent.

basal;

petiole 1–2 cm;

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

Inflorescences

with involucres in small, open clusters 0.5–1.5 cm diam., greenish to grayish;

bracts 2, without whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, 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, 0.3–0.8 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1.5 mm.

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.

Involucres

3–10+, grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 2–2.5(–3) mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, densely pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 1–2 mm;

awns straight or uncinate, unequal, with longer anterior one straight, mostly 1.5–2.5 mm, others uncinate, 0.3–0.6 mm.

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.

Flowers

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube yellow and tepals yellow or white, cylindric, 3.5–4 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl white, obovate to nearly orbiculate, 3–4 times longer than those of inner whorl, , truncate to slightly 2-lobed apically, those of inner lobes erect, yellow, broadly obovate, truncate and erose apically;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow to golden, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

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.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm.

2n

= (36), 40, (44).

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

Chorizanthe rectispina

Chorizanthe orcuttiana

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities
Elevation 200-600 m (700-2000 ft) 60-200 m (200-700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Chorizanthe rectispina is infrequent and localized in the Coast Ranges of west-central California.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 460. FNA vol. 5, p. 467.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Acanthogonum
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. pungens, 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. 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
Name authority Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 72. (1934) Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884)
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