Chorizanthe sect. Fragile
Chorizanthe subg. Amphietes
disarticulating at each node.
sometimes disarticulating at each node.
blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or spatulate.
blades linear to lanceolate, obovate, round, or spatulate.
bracts awned;
involucres cylindric, slightly ventricose basally, 3-angled, 6-ribbed, 6-toothed, without membranous or scarious margins;
awns equal.
bracts mostly 2, opposite, scalelike or if leaflike then similar to basal leaves only reduced, occasionally deciduous in early anthesis, with or without awns.
cylindric to narrowly turbinate, campanulate, or urceolate, occasionally ventricose basally, 3-,5-, or 6-toothed, with or without membranous or scarious margins;
teeth erect to spreading or divergent, connate at least 1/2 their length, typically shallow, mostly unequal, with alternating long and short awns, often with anterior one longest.
1;
perianth greenish white to white or pale yellowish white, glabrous;
stamens 3, adnate at top of perianth tube.
1(–2), white to pink or rose, maroon or purple, or yellow, thinly pubescent at least along midribs abaxially;
stamens 3–9;
filaments adnate at base of floral tube or faucially;
filaments sometimes connate into short tube.
dark brown, lenticular.
brown, lenticular or globose-lenticular, or 3-gonous.
embryo straight or rarely curved.
Chorizanthe sect. Fragile
Chorizanthe subg. Amphietes
Species 2 (1 in the flora).
Chorizanthe brevicornu of western North America, and its counterpart in western South America, C. commissuralis J. Rémy, are the most widely distributed members of the genus on their respective continents. The flowering stems and branches easily break apart, often with involucres still firmly attached. Even in this disarticulated condition, young achenes will continue to live and mature. No doubt this is a significant factor in their successful distribution.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 39 (31 in the flora).
Most species of subg. Amphietes are found in California. Of the others, one is known only from southernmost Peru to central Chile (Chorizanthe commissuralis J. Rémy), while the rest are known only from Baja California, Mexico. Those include C. inequalis S. Stokes, C. turbinata Wiggins, C. mutabilis Brandegee, C. rosulenta Reveal, C. pulchella Brandegee, C. flava Brandegee, and C. interposita Goodman. The latter is the only member of sect. Clastoscapa, the only section of subg. Amphietes not found in our flora.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
