Chorizanthe spinosa

Mojave spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Mojave spineflower is a rare California native (CNPS rank 4.2) perennial found in southern Santa Lucia Ranges (Caliente Range) and western Mojave Desert in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 600 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white flowers in small, dense clusters forming open, flat-topped arrays. Growing 3 to 8 centimeters tall with a spreading to ascending habit, it forms mound-like clusters up to 8 centimeters in diameter. Its basal leaves are oblong to spoon-shaped, tomentose underneath, measuring 5 to 15 millimeters long and wide with a distinctive woolly texture. The fruit is small, approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, with nine stamens fused to the base of the perianth tube.

Habitat: Sand or gravel

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 600-1300 m

Bioregions: s SCoRI (Caliente Range), w DMoj.

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Amador, Fresno, Monterey

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