Chorizanthe palmeri

Palmer's spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Palmer's spineflower is a rare (CNPS 4.2) California native perennial found in western Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties in serpentine habitats at elevations of 60 to 700 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to yellow flowers with light to dark purple perianth lobes in dense, rounded clusters. Growing with erect stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall that branch from the main stem in an ascending pattern, it has a distinctively hairy appearance. Its leaves are primarily basal, with oblanceolate blades 1 to 3 centimeters long and 0.4 to 0.8 centimeters wide. The plant features a unique involucre with six-ribbed, three-angled tubes and distinctive flower clusters with alternating longer and shorter lobes.

Habitat: Serpentine

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 60-700 m

Bioregions: SCoRO (w Monterey, w San Luis Obispo cos.).

California counties: Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Kern

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