Chorizanthe cuspidata
Chorizanthe cuspidata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name San Francisco spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the San Francisco [Bay Area] and to the immediate north and south. It grows in sandy coastal habitat.
Description
The Chorizanthe cuspidata plant grows flat along the ground, its stems extending up to about half a meter in length. The leaves are located about the base of the stem and are generally oval in shape and up to 5 centimeters long. The herbage is hairy to woolly in texture and green to reddish in color.The inflorescence is a dense cluster of cylindrical flowers, each bordered by white or pink bracts with hooked or straight spines at the tips. The flower itself is 2 or 3 millimeters long, white or pink, and hairy. The minute tepals are lobed, with the central lobe longest and coming to a point.
;Varieties
There are two varieties of this species:
- Chorizanthe cuspidata var. cuspidata is quite rare due to its Bay Area habitat having been mostly consumed for development.
- Chorizanthe cuspidata var. villosa can be found in the protected habitat of Point Reyes National Seashore.