Chorizanthe blakleyi

Blakley's spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Blakley's spineflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in the southern Santa Madre Mountains in Santa Barbara County, growing in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 600 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers with a green-white tube, delicately arranged in dense, flat clusters. Growing 5 to 15 centimeters tall with openly branched, ascending stems, it spreads 5 to 30 centimeters in diameter and has a thinly hairy appearance. Its leaves are primarily basal, with oblanceolate blades 5 to 25 millimeters long and 3 to 8 millimeters wide, giving the plant a distinctive, compact form. The plant's unique involucre is yellow-green, three-angled, and six-ribbed, with six lobes bearing straight or slightly curved awns.

Habitat: Sand or gravel

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 600-1600 m

Bioregions: s SCoRO (n slope, Sierra Madre Mtns, Santa Barbara Co.).

California counties: Santa Barbara

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