Chorizanthe ventricosa |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
|
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potbellied spineflower, Priest Valley spineflower |
Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower |
|
Habit | Plants spreading and diffuse, (0.5–)1–5 × 1–5(–7) dm, pubescent. | Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. |
Leaves | basal; petiole 0.3–1(–1.5) cm; blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × (0.2–)0.4–1(–1.2) 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 open clusters 2–6 cm diam., greenish or reddish; bracts 2–3 at proximal node, usually leaflike, often with whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1–4 mm, gradually becoming reduced, linear-lanceolate, 0.4–1.2(–1.5) cm × 1.5–5 mm, at distal nodes scalelike, linear and aciculate, acerose, awns straight, 1–3 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+, greenish or reddish, urceolate, strongly ventricose basally, 4–4.5 mm, without scarious or membranous margins, corrugate, thinly pubescent; teeth spreading, unequal, 1–3 mm; awns straight or uncinate with longer anterior one straight, mostly 2 mm, others uncinate, 0.5–1 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 white to greenish yellow and tepals red to maroon, cylindric, 4–4.5 mm, sparsely pubescent; tepals connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, oblong, those of outer whorl spreading and recurved, slightly longer than those of inner whorl, broadly obcordate, slightly erose or at least wavy and rounded apically, those of inner whorl erect, narrower, fimbriate and truncate or somewhat 2-lobed apically, erect; stamens 9, exserted; filaments distinct, 3.5–4 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 1–1.3 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 | = 40, 42, 44. |
= (76, 78), 80, (84). |
Chorizanthe ventricosa |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Sep. | Flowering Mar–May. |
Habitat | Serpentine outcrops, mixed grassland communities, oak-pine woodlands | Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities |
Elevation | 500-1000 m (1600-3300 ft) | 60-200 m (200-700 ft) |
Distribution |
CA |
CA |
Discussion | Chorizanthe ventricosa is restricted to isolated outcrops of serpentine in the coastal mountain ranges of southeastern Monterey County and southern San Benito County south in western Fresno County to the Parkfield Grade area and in Cottonwood Pass of San Luis Obispo County. (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. 458. | FNA vol. 5, p. 467. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. palmeri var. ventricosa | |
Name authority | Goodman: Leafl. W. Bot. 2: 193, figs. 1, 2. (1939) | Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) |
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