Chorizanthe watsonii

Watson's spineflower, Watson's Spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Watson's spineflower is a California native perennial found in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, northern Tehachapi Range, Great Basin, and western Mojave Desert in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 300 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces yellow flowers in small, open clusters with distinctive three-angled involucres. Growing with diffusely branched stems 2 to 10 centimeters tall, the plant rises from the base with ascending branches. Its leaves are primarily basal, with oblanceolate blades 5 to 15 millimeters long, densely covered in stiff, gray hairs. The tiny flowers feature nine stamens fused to the perianth tube, creating a delicate and intricate botanical structure.

Habitat: Common. Sand or gravel

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 300-2400 m

Bioregions: sw SnJV, n edge TR, GB, w DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Ventura, Kern, Inyo, Tulare, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Mono, Lassen, San Luis Obispo, San Diego

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