Chorizanthe corrugata
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe corrugata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common name wrinkled spineflower. It is native to the Mojave
and Sonoran Desert
s of the southwestern United States
and northwest Mexico
.
The inflorescence
is made up of a cluster of flowers, each opening from a cylindrical, tubular involucre
in shades of green or tan. The plant can be identified by the transversely corrugated surface of this involucral tube. Along the top edge of the tube are three narrow bract
s tipped in hooked awns. The flower itself is only about 2 millimeters long, hairy, and white 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 wrinkled spineflower. It is native to the Mojave
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
s of the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Durango, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur...
.
Description
Chorizanthe corrugata is an erect, branching herb growing to a maximum height near half a meter. Most of the rounded or oval leaves are located about the base of the plant, each up to 2 centimeters long.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 made up of a cluster of flowers, each opening from a cylindrical, tubular involucre
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...
in shades of green or tan. The plant can be identified by the transversely corrugated surface of this involucral tube. Along the top edge of the tube are three narrow 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 awns. The flower itself is only about 2 millimeters long, hairy, and white in color.