Chorizanthe spinosa
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe spinosa is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common name Mojave spineflower. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the scrub habitat at the western edges of the Mojave Desert
.
Chorizanthe spinosa is prostrate or upright, reaching up to 40 centimeters in length. It is grayish in color and hairy in texture. The inflorescence
is an open or dense cluster of flowers, with each flower surrounded by green, gray, or pink bract
s. There are generally five bracts per flower, with one bract much longer than the others. The bracts are tipped with straight awns. The flower at the center is only about 3 millimeters wide and usually 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 Mojave 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 scrub habitat at the western edges of the Mojave Desert
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...
.
Chorizanthe spinosa is prostrate or upright, reaching up to 40 centimeters in length. It is grayish in color and hairy in texture. 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 an open or dense cluster of flowers, with each flower surrounded by green, gray, or pink 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. There are generally five bracts per flower, with one bract much longer than the others. The bracts are tipped with straight awns. The flower at the center is only about 3 millimeters wide and usually white in color.