Chorizanthe angustifolia

Narrow-leaf spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Narrow-leaf spineflower is a California native perennial found in southern Central Coast regions including San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties in sandy habitats at elevations of 10 to 150 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate straw-colored flowers in dense, clustered arrangements with perianth 2 to 3 millimeters long. Growing as a mat-forming plant 3 to 10 centimeters tall with decumbent to prostrate branches, it spreads up to 10 centimeters in diameter with yellow-green hairy foliage. Its basal leaves are narrow and oblong-oblanceolate, measuring 1 to 4 centimeters long and 0.3 to 0.6 centimeters wide. The plant features distinctive involucres with six alternating lobes and hooked awns 1 to 1.5 millimeters long, giving it a delicate and intricate structure.

Habitat: Uncommon. Sand

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 10-150 m

Bioregions: s CCo (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara cos.).

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.