Chorizanthe clevelandii

Cleveland's spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Cleveland's spineflower is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, central western California, and northern western Transverse Ranges in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 400 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white and green-white flowers with delicate, intricately structured perianths that are sparsely hairy. Growing as a low, mat-forming plant spreading 0.5 to 5 meters in diameter with decumbent branches, it reaches heights of 2 to 8 centimeters tall. Its basal leaves are distinctive, measuring 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters long and oblanceolate or spoon-shaped, contributing to its low-growing, compact appearance. The plant features complex involucres with six lobes, including one greatly elongated abaxial lobe tipped with a hooked awn, creating an intricate and unique botanical structure.

Habitat: Common. Sand or gravel

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: 400-2000 m

Bioregions: NW, s SN, Teh, CW, n WTR.

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