Chorizanthe leptotheca

Peninsular spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Peninsular spineflower is a native perennial found in the eastern Peninsular Ranges in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 600 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces pale pink to purple flowers in delicate, flat-topped clusters with hooked awns. Growing 20 to 35 centimeters tall with a low-mounded to erect form, it spreads 20 to 50 centimeters wide and features diffusely branching stems that ascend or spread from the base. Its basal leaves are oblong to oblong-ovate, 5 to 20 millimeters long, with a distinctively tomentose undersurface. The fruit is a small 3 to 4 millimeter structure nestled within an intricate three-angled involucre.

Habitat: Sand or gravel

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: (300)600-1600 m

Bioregions: e PR

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Bernardino

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