Chorizanthe polygonoides

Knotweed spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Knotweed spineflower is a California native perennial found in open grasslands and dry meadows at low elevations. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces white to rose-colored flowers that are tiny, less than 2 millimeters long, with rounded perianth lobes. Growing as a compact tufted plant, it spreads 10 to 20 centimeters in diameter with ascending to prostrate branches emerging from its base. Its basal leaves are small and narrow, measuring 3 to 10 millimeters long and 2 to 3 millimeters wide, with an oblanceolate to elliptic shape. The plant forms intricate clusters with involucres that have distinctive 3-angled shapes and 5 to 6 lobes, some with hooked awns giving it a delicate, intricate appearance.

California counties: Marin, Butte, Riverside, Sonoma, Tehama, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Shasta, Santa Clara, El Dorado, Lake, Nevada, Monterey

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