Chorizanthe parryi

Parry's spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Parry's spineflower is a California native perennial found in rocky or sandy habitats, forming low tufted mats up to 10 centimeters tall and spreading 50 to 60 centimeters wide. Flowering from late spring to summer, this delicate plant produces small white to green-white flowers with two-toned perianth lobes, creating intricate clusters with branching inflorescence axes. Growing with prostrate to ascending branches emerging from a short erect stem, it develops hairy stems and spreads in a mat-like formation. Its leaves are predominantly basal, with oblanceolate to narrowly oblong blades measuring 5 to 25 millimeters long and 2 to 6 millimeters wide, creating a fine textured ground cover. The fruit is small, approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, with distinctive six-ribbed involucres that add to the plant's intricate architectural structure.

California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, 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.