Chorizanthe howellii
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe howellii is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common names Mendocino spineflower and Howell's spineflower. It is endemic to coastal Mendocino County, California
, where it is known only from the sand dunes and coastal scrub near Fort Bragg
. It is estimated that 95% of the remaining individuals of this plant are part of a single population growing at MacKerricher State Park
. It is a federally listed endangered species
.
This is a decumbent or spreading species, growing hairy stems along the ground up to about 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a cluster of flowers, each surrounded by a starlike array of six spreading white bract
s tipped with straight brown awns. The flower itself is a few millimeters wide and white to pale pink in color.
Threats to this species have historically included off-road vehicle
use, trampling by people on foot and horseback, non-native plant species
such as the iceplant Carpobrotus edulis and beachgrass Ammophila arenaria
. These impacts have been reduced in the state park with a ban on off-road vehicles, limiting foot and horse traffic, and removal of non-native plant species.
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 names Mendocino spineflower and Howell's spineflower. It is endemic to coastal Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, where it is known only from the sand dunes and coastal scrub near Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, California
Fort Bragg is a city located in coastal Mendocino County, California along State Route 1, the major north-south highway along the Pacific Coast. Fort Bragg is located west of Willits, at an elevation of 85 feet...
. It is estimated that 95% of the remaining individuals of this plant are part of a single population growing at MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park in Northern California offers a variety of habitats: beach, bluff, headland, dune, forest, and wetland. Tide pools are along the shore. Seals live on the rocks off the park’s Mendocino coast. More than 90 species of birds visit or live near Cleone Lake, a former tidal lagoon...
. It is a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
This is a decumbent or spreading species, growing hairy stems along the ground up to about 10 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 a cluster of flowers, each surrounded by a starlike array of six spreading white 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 with straight brown awns. The flower itself is a few millimeters wide and white to pale pink in color.
Threats to this species have historically included off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
use, trampling by people on foot and horseback, non-native plant species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
such as the iceplant Carpobrotus edulis and beachgrass Ammophila arenaria
Ammophila arenaria
Ammophila arenaria is a species of grass known by the common names European Marram Grass and European Beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila . It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming...
. These impacts have been reduced in the state park with a ban on off-road vehicles, limiting foot and horse traffic, and removal of non-native plant species.