Chorizanthe angustifolia
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe angustifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common name narrowleaf spineflower. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the coastline of San Luis Obispo
and Santa Barbara Counties
, but is locally common. This small, hairy herb sends out prostrate inflorescence
s along the sandy soil of its habitat, each no longer than about 10 centimeters. The inflorescence
is a headlike cluster of several pink flowers, each surrounded by six bract
s tipped in hooked spines. The flower itself is only 2 or 3 millimeters wide and white to pink in color.
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
known by the common name narrowleaf spineflower. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known only from the coastline of San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
and Santa Barbara Counties
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
, but is locally common. This small, hairy herb sends out prostrate inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s along the sandy soil of its habitat, each no longer than about 10 centimeters. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a headlike cluster of several pink flowers, each surrounded by six bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s tipped in hooked spines. The flower itself is only 2 or 3 millimeters wide and white to pink in color.