Chorizanthe is a genus of plants in the buckwheat family known generally as spineflowers. These are small, squat, herbaceous plants with spiny-looking inflorescences of flowers. The flowers may be in shades of red or yellow to white. The bracts are pointed and sometimes tipped with a hooked awn, and the inflorescence often dries into a rounded, spiny husk. Spineflowers are found in western North America and South America.
The word Chorizanthe comes from the Greek roots chorizo and anthos meaning "to divide," and "flower," thus meaning "divided flowers," but actually used in reference to the divided calyx.
Species 61 species are accepted. Chorizanthe angustifolia – narrowleaf spineflower Chorizanthe aphanantha Chorizanthe biloba – twolobe spineflower Chorizanthe blakleyi – Blakley's spineflower Chorizanthe brevicornu – brittle spineflower Chorizanthe breweri – San Luis Obispo spineflower Chorizanthe clevelandii Chorizanthe commissuralis Chorizanthe corrugata – wrinkled spineflower Chorizanthe cuspidata – San Francisco spineflower Chorizanthe dasyantha Chorizanthe diffusa – diffuse spineflower Chorizanthe douglasii – San Benito spineflower Chorizanthe eastwoodiae Chorizanthe fimbriata – fringed spineflower Chorizanthe flava Chorizanthe flavescens Chorizanthe frankenioides Chorizanthe gajardoi Chorizanthe glabrescens Chorizanthe howellii – Mendocino spineflower Chorizanthe inequalis Chorizanthe interposita Chorizanthe kingii Chorizanthe leptotheca – Ramona spineflower Chorizanthe macraei Chorizanthe membranacea – pink spineflower Chorizanthe mieresii Chorizanthe minutiflora Chorizanthe mutabilis Chorizanthe navasiae Chorizanthe novoana Chorizanthe obovata – spoonsepal spineflower Chorizanthe orcuttiana – San Diego spineflower Chorizanthe palmeri – Palmer's spineflower Chorizanthe paniculata Chorizanthe parryi – San Bernardino spineflower Chorizanthe peduncularis Chorizanthe polygonoides – knotweed spineflower Chorizanthe procumbens – prostrate spineflower Chorizanthe pulchella Chorizanthe pungens – Monterey spineflower Chorizanthe rectispina – prickly spineflower Chorizanthe rigida – devil's spineflower, rigid spineflower Chorizanthe robusta – robust spineflower Chorizanthe rosasii Chorizanthe rosulenta Chorizanthe spinosa – Mojave spineflower Chorizanthe staticoides – Turkish rugging Chorizanthe stellulata – starlet spineflower Chorizanthe turbinata Chorizanthe uniaristata – one-awned spineflower Chorizanthe vaginata Chorizanthe valida – Sonoma spineflower Chorizanthe ventricosa – Priest Valley spineflower Chorizanthe virgata Chorizanthe viridis Chorizanthe watsonii – fivetooth spineflower Chorizanthe wheeleri – Santa Barbara spineflower Chorizanthe xanti – Riverside spineflower
References
External links Jepson Manual Treatment Key to the genus