Chorizanthe xanti |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
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riverside spineflower, Xantus' spineflower |
Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower |
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Habit | Plants erect to infrequently spreading, (0.3–)0.5–2.5(–3) × 0.5–3(–5) dm, thinly pubescent. | Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. | ||||
Leaves | basal or nearly so; petiole 1–2(–3) cm; blade oblong or oblong-ovate to ovate, 0.3–1(–1.5) × 0.3–0.8(–1) cm, thinly pubescent adaxially, densely tomentose abaxially. |
basal; petiole 1–2 cm; blade narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–0.35(–0.5) cm, thinly pubescent. |
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Inflorescences | mostly flat-topped and openly branched, usually reddish; bracts persistent, 2, usually leaflike at proximal nodes and similar to proximal leaf blades only more reduced, short-petiolate, oblong-ovate to ovate, 0.3–0.8 cm × 2–6 mm, becoming sessile, reduced and scalelike at distal nodes, linear, acicular, often acerose, 0.1–0.4 cm × 0.5–1 mm, awns straight, 0.5–1 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. |
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Involucres | in open clusters with 1 at node of dichotomies, reddish, cylindric, not ventricose, 3–4.5 mm, not corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly to densely pubescent; teeth spreading, unequal, 0.7–1.5 mm, 3 longer ones more erect than 3 shorter and less-prominent ones; awns 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. |
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Flowers | long-exserted; perianth rose to red, infrequently with white lobes, cylindric, 4.5–6 mm, pubescent; tepals connate ca. 2/3 their length, monomorphic to slightly dimorphic, narrowly oblanceolate, rounded apically, those of outer whorl occasionally slightly broader and longer than those of inner whorl; stamens 9, mostly included; filaments distinct, 4–6 mm, glabrous; anthers pink to red, oblong, 0.5–0.6 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. |
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Achenes | brown, lenticular, 4–4.5 mm. |
dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm. |
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2n | = (76, 78), 80, (84). |
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Chorizanthe xanti |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | |||||
Habitat | Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities | |||||
Elevation | 60-200 m (200-700 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA
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CA |
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 463. | FNA vol. 5, p. 467. | ||||
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Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 272. (1877) | Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) | ||||
Web links |