Chorizanthe palmeri
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common name Palmer's spineflower. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the Central Coast Ranges of western Monterey
and San Luis Obispo Counties.
It grows on mountain slopes of serpentine soil
s. This herb is variable in appearance, with isolated populations often appearing quite different from one another, but not different enough to be considered separate taxa
. In general, it is an erect plant growing up to 40 centimeters tall. The stem, leaves, bract
s, and flowers can all be reddish to decidedly purple-red in color, and when a good-sized population is in bloom it can be spotted even from aircraft as a mark of red against an otherwise brownish hillside landscape. The inflorescence
is a cluster of flowers surrounded by six red or purple bracts with hooked awns. The flower is a few millimeters across and is red or purple with a white or yellow throat.
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 Palmer's 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 Central Coast Ranges of western Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
and San Luis Obispo Counties.
It grows on mountain slopes of serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. This herb is variable in appearance, with isolated populations often appearing quite different from one another, but not different enough to be considered separate taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
. In general, it is an erect plant growing up to 40 centimeters tall. The stem, leaves, 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, and flowers can all be reddish to decidedly purple-red in color, and when a good-sized population is in bloom it can be spotted even from aircraft as a mark of red against an otherwise brownish hillside landscape. 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 surrounded by six red or purple bracts with hooked awns. The flower is a few millimeters across and is red or purple with a white or yellow throat.