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prickly spineflower, straight-awn spineflower

knotweed 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 0.5–1 cm;

blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.3–1 × 0.2–0.3 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 across even at dichotomies, greenish or reddish;

bracts 2, petiolate or sessile, similar to proximal leaf blades, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 0.3–1 cm × 1–3 mm, awns absent.

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 or reddish, campanulate, 5–6-ribbed, 1.5–2.5 mm, corrugate, thinly pubescent;

teeth 5–6, unequal, 3 longer ones 1.5–3 mm, these alternating with 2 or 3 shorter ones 1–2 mm, anterior tooth not leaflike;

awns of prominent teeth uncinate and 1.5–3 mm, those of shorter teeth straight and 1–2 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 white to rose, cylindric, 1.5–1.8(–2) mm, densely pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, monomorphic, oblong, obtuse to truncate or minutely emarginate apically;

stamens (6) 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 0.8–1 mm, glabrous;

anthers reddish, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.

Achenes

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

dark brown to black, 3-gonous, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= (36), 40, (44).

Chorizanthe rectispina

Chorizanthe polygonoides

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation 200-600 m (700-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Involucres 2-2.5 mm; awns of prominent involucral teeth 1.5-2 mm
var. polygonoides
1. Involucres 1.5-2 mm; awns of prominent involucral teeth 2-3 mm
var. longispina
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 460. FNA vol. 5, p. 466.
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. orcuttiana, C. palmeri, C. parryi, 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
Subordinate taxa
C. polygonoides var. longispina, C. polygonoides var. polygonoides
Name authority Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 72. (1934) Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 197. (1870)
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