Chorizanthe rectispina |
Chorizanthe palmeri |
|
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prickly spineflower, straight-awn spineflower |
Palmer's spineflower |
|
Habit | Plants spreading to decumbent, 0.3–0.8(–1) × 0.5–4(–5) dm, appressed-pubescent. | Plants erect to spreading, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × 1–3 dm, appressed-pubescent. |
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 1–3 cm; blade oblanceolate, 1–3 × 0.4–0.8 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 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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Achenes | brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm. |
brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm. |
2n | = (36), 40, (44). |
= 38, 40, (48). |
Chorizanthe rectispina |
Chorizanthe palmeri |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands | Gravelly to rocky serpentine and serpentinized igneous outcrops, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands |
Elevation | 200-600 m (700-2000 ft) | 60-700 m (200-2300 ft) |
Distribution |
CA |
CA
|
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.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 460. | FNA vol. 5, p. 457. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 72. (1934) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 271. (1877) |
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