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five-tooth spineflower, Watson's spineflower

pink spineflower

Habit Plants spreading to erect, 0.2–1(–1.5) × 0.2–1(–1.5) dm, densely canescent-strigose. Plants 1–6(–10) × 0.5–3(–5) dm, woolly-floccose.
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 and cauline;

petiole 0.1–0.5(–0.8) cm;

blade linear to narrowly oblanceolate, (1–)1.5–5 × 0.1–0.3 cm, thinly to densely floccose adaxially, densely tomentose abaxially.

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.

strict, white to greenish, open;

bracts usually 2, opposite, rarely in whorls of 3–5, short-petiolate, acerose, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, 0.3–3 cm × 1–3 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 mm.

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.

usually congested in small terminal clusters of 1–3 at node of dichotomies, urceolate, ventricose basally, 3-angled, 6-ribbed, 3–4 mm, not corrugate, with conspicuous, white margins extending across sinuses, tomentose to floccose or glabrate with age, greenish to brownish;

teeth 6;

awns uncinate, 0.7–1.5 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.

1(–2), slightly exserted;

perianth white to rose, subcylindric, (1.5–)2.5–3 mm, densely pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, slightly dimorphic, entire and rounded apically, those of outer whorl obovate, those of inner whorl spatulate;

stamens slightly exserted;

filaments 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oval, 0.2–0.3 mm.

Achenes

brown, lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

2.5–3 mm.

2n

= 38, 40, (42), 80, 82, 84.

Chorizanthe watsonii

Chorizanthe membranacea

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 or rocky flats and slopes, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, oak-pine woodlands
Elevation 300-2400 m (1000-7900 ft) 40-1400(-1600) m (100-4600(-5200) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 membranacea has long been considered an isolated element among the spineflowers. The strict, upright habit, numerous basal and cauline leaves, and broad, continuous, membranous margins of the involucre all reflect that isolation. Pink spineflower is widespread and often locally common in the Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California and on the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada southward to the Transverse Ranges and the Tehachapi Mountains of Ventura and Kern counties, California.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 468. FNA vol. 5, p. 450.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Amphietes > sect. Acanthogonum Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Chorizanthe > subg. Eriogonella
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. douglasii, C. fimbriata, C. howellii, C. leptotheca, 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 Eriogonella membranacea
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 199. (1870) Bentham: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 17: 419, plate 17, fig. 11. (1836)
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