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five-tooth spineflower, Watson's spineflower

Douglas' spineflower, San Benito spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to erect, 0.2–1(–1.5) × 0.2–1(–1.5) dm, densely canescent-strigose. Plants erect, 1–4(–5) × 0.5–3 dm, villous.
Leaves

basal or nearly so;

petiole (0.5–)1–2.5(–3) cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.3–)0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.4(–0.5) cm, thinly floccose to sparsely tomentose.

basal;

petiole 1–3(–6) cm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–2(–4) × 0.1–0.4(–1) cm, villous.

Inflorescences

with involucres in small clusters 0.5–1 cm diam., greenish to reddish;

bracts 2, with laminar ones oblanceolate, (0.5–)0.8–1.5(–2) cm × (1–)2–4 mm, those at distal nodes becoming sessile, reduced and scalelike, linear-lanceolate, acicular, awns slightly curved, 0.5–1 mm.

cymose, dichotomously branched throughout, white to greenish or reddish;

bracts usually 2, similar to proximal leaf blades, typically with whorl of 3–5 ca. midstem, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 0.5–2(–3) cm × 1–5(–10) mm, awns absent.

Involucres

1, green, cylindric, 5-ribbed, 3–4.5 mm, finely corrugate, pubescent;

teeth 5, erect, unequal, with leaflike, narrowly lanceolate, 2–6 mm anterior tooth, others linear, 1–2 mm;

awn uncinate, 0.4–0.8(–1) mm.

congested in small leafy terminal clusters of 2–4 at nodes of dichotomies, greenish, cylindric, slightly ventricose basally, 3–5 mm, with conspicuous, purple, broad, membranous margins typically extending across sinuses, finely corrugated, hispid at least along ridges, otherwise sparsely pubescent;

teeth spreading, equal, (0.7–)1–1.5 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 mm.

Flowers

1, included to slightly exserted;

perianth yellow, cylindric, 1.5–2.5 mm, thinly pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate ca. 2/3 their length, monomorphic, oblong, acute, entire apically, mostly erect;

stamens 3 or 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 0.8–1 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.

exserted;

perianth white to rose, cylindric, 3.5–4(–4.5) mm, slightly pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, monomorphic, obovate, 2-lobed or denticulate apically, infrequently inner whorl entire;

stamens 9, slightly exserted;

filaments distinct, 3–4 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.

Achenes

brown, lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

light brown, globose-lenticular, 3.5–4 mm.

2n

= 40.

Chorizanthe watsonii

Chorizanthe douglasii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland communities, oak and pine woodlands
Elevation 300-2400 m (1000-7900 ft) (200-)300-1600 m ((700-)1000-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA
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from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chorizanthe watsonii is widely distributed in the cold desert of the Great Basin and in the northern part of the warmer Mojave Desert. Plants in the northern part of the range (especially on the Palouse Prairie of south-eastern Washington) usually have three stamens.

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

Chorizanthe douglasii is restricted to the Santa Lucia Mountains and to the San Gabilan and La Panza ranges of west-central California. The species is infrequent but can be locally common. A single collection made in the Santa Cruz Mountains (Rowntree s.n., 16 Jun 1929, CAS) may have been made in Santa Cruz County, but the location is uncertain and no other collection is known from that region.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 468. FNA vol. 5, p. 452.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Acanthogonum Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Ptelosepala
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. rectispina, C. rigida, C. robusta, C. spinosa, C. staticoides, C. stellulata, C. uniaristata, C. valida, C. ventricosa, C. wheeleri, C. xanti
C. angustifolia, C. biloba, C. blakleyi, C. brevicornu, C. breweri, C. clevelandii, C. corrugata, C. cuspidata, C. diffusa, C. fimbriata, C. howellii, C. leptotheca, C. membranacea, C. obovata, C. orcuttiana, 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
Synonyms C. nortonii
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 199. (1870) Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 418. (1836)
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