Chorizanthe howellii is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names Mendocino spineflower and Howell's spineflower.[1] It is endemic to coastal Mendocino County, California, where it is known only from the sand dunes and coastal scrub near Fort Bragg. It is estimated that 95% of the remaining individuals of this plant are part of a single population growing at MacKerricher State Park.[2] It is a federally listed endangered species.
| Chorizanthe howellii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Chorizanthe |
| Species: | C. howellii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chorizanthe howellii Goodman
| |
This is a decumbent or spreading species, growing hairy stems along the ground up to about 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers, each surrounded by a starlike array of six spreading white bracts tipped with straight brown awns. The flower itself is a few millimeters wide and white to pale pink in color.[3][4][5]
Threats to this species have historically included off-road vehicle use, trampling by people on foot and horseback, non-native plant species such as the iceplant Carpobrotus edulis and beachgrass Ammophila arenaria.[2] These impacts have been reduced in the state park with a ban on off-road vehicles, limiting foot and horse traffic, and removal of non-native plant species.[2]
References
edit- ^ Calflora taxon report, Chorizanthe howellii Goodman Howell's spineflower, Mendocino spineflower
- ^ a b c US Fish & Wildlife Service, Arcata. Howell's Spineflower: Five-year Review. September, 2007.
- ^ Goodman, George Jones. 1934. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 21(1): 44–45 descriptions in English and Latin, commentary in English
- ^ Goodman, George Jones. 1934. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 21(1): plate 3, figure 1 photo of herbarium specimen of Chorizanthe howellii
- ^ Flora of North America, Chorizanthe howellii
External links
edit- Jepson Manual Treatment: Chorizanthe howellii
- The Nature Conservancy
- Chorizanthe howellii Photo gallery
 | This Polygonaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |