Dodecahema leptoceras

Slender-horned spineflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Slender-horned spineflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in central and southern California coastal areas, including the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of 200 to 700 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces white to pink flowers tiny and delicate, with distinct six-angled involucres bearing six basal awns. Growing 3 to 8 centimeters tall with an erect, sparsely glandular habit, it forms slender upright stems with minimal branching. Its basal leaves are glabrous, measuring 1.5 to 4 centimeters long and quite narrow, ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 centimeters wide. The fruit is dark brown to black, obconic, and approximately 1.7 to 2 millimeters long with a distinctively curved embryo.

Habitat: Sand or gravel

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 200-700 m

Bioregions: c&ampe SCo, adjacent foothills of TR, PR.

California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, 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.