Systenotheca |
Systenotheca vortriedei |
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spineflower, Vortriede's spinyherb |
Vortriede's spineflower |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, polygamodioecious; taproot slender. | Plants 0.2–1.5 × 0.2–1 cm. |
Stems | arising directly from the root, spreading, solid, not fistulose or disarticulating into ringlike segments, sparsely glandular. |
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Leaves | usually quickly deciduous, basal, rosulate; petiole present; blade spatulate, margins entire. |
blades (1–)2–5 × (0.4–)0.5–1 cm. |
Inflorescences | terminal, cymose; branches dichotomous, not brittle or disarticulating into segments, round, sparsely glandular; bracts 3–4, perfoliate and connate, spreading to recurved, usually 4-lobed proximally, 3–lobed distally, oblong to triangular, mucronate, sparsely glandular. |
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Peduncles | absent. |
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Involucres | 1 per node, tubular, turbinate, 4-angled, ventricose and sharply angled; teeth 4, mucronate. |
2.5–4 mm. |
Pedicels | to 1 mm (bisexual) or less than 0.3 mm (pistillate). |
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Flowers | bisexual or unisexual, distal shorter one bisexual, proximal longer one pistillate, 2 per involucre; perianth bicolored, with floral tube yellow and lobes white to pink or rose, funnelform when open, tubular when closed, glabrous but densely papillate abaxially; tepals 6, connate 1/3 their length, monomorphic, 2-lobed apically; stamens 9; filaments free, glabrous; anthers maroon to red, oblong. |
perianth of distal flower rose to pink, 1–1.5 mm; perianth of proximal flower white, 2–2.5 mm; filaments 2–3 mm; anthers 0.2–0.3 mm. |
Achenes | exserted (bisexual) or included and aborted (pistillate), dark brown to black, not winged, 3-gonous, glabrous. |
2–2.5 mm. |
Seeds | embryo curved. |
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x | = 19. |
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2n | = 38, 40. |
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Systenotheca |
Systenotheca vortriedei |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | |
Habitat | Sandy flats and slopes, chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands | |
Elevation | 700-1500 m (2300-4900 ft) | |
Distribution |
CA |
CA |
Discussion | Species 1. Systenotheca is the only member of Chorizanthineae that is polygamodioecious, a feature otherwise found in some members of Eriogonum (Eriogonineae). Among the eriogonoid genera, Systenotheca may be readily distinguished also by the 4-angled, 4-bracted, boxlike involucres. No pistillate flower has been observed to produce a mature achene. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Systenotheca vortriedei is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 471. | FNA vol. 5, p. 472. |
Parent taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chorizanthe vortriedei, Centrostegia vortriedei | |
Name authority | Reveal & Hardham: Phytologia 66: 85. (1989) | (Brandegee) Reveal & Hardham: Phytologia 66: 85. (1989) |
Web links |