Chorizanthe brevicornu

Torrey in W. H. Emory

in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 177. 1859.

Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 469. Mentioned on page 435, 448, 476.

Plants spreading to erect, 0.5–3 (–5) × 0.5–3 dm, thinly pubescent, often with appressed hairs, infrequently somewhat strigose or glabrate. Leaves basal; petiole 0.5–2 cm; blade oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or spatulate, (1–) 1.5–3 (–4) × 0.1–1 cm, pubescent. Inflorescences green; bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf-blades only more reduced, 0.3–1 (–1.5) cm × 1–2.5 mm, becoming sessile and scalelike at distal nodes, linear, acicular, awns 0.2–0.5 mm. Involucres 1, green, 3–5 mm, not corrugate, thinly strigose; teeth divergent, 0.4–1.2 mm; awns uncinate, 0.2–0.5 mm. Flowers included; perianth greenish white to white or pale yellowish white, cylindric, 2–4 mm; tepals connate 3/4 their length, monomorphic, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, acute, entire apically; stamens slightly exserted; filaments distinct, 2–3.5 mm, glabrous; anthers white to pale-yellow, ovate, 0.3–0.4 mm. Achenes dark-brown, lenticular, 3–4 mm.

Distribution

V5 985-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Calif., Idaho, Nev., Oreg., nw Mexico

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Chorizanthe brevicornu has stems and branches that easily disarticulate at the nodes. Dried specimens often are reduced to a mere jumble without careful handling. The vegetative fragments will not regenerate new plants, but the involucres (each with a single flower bearing a single achene) easily disarticulate from the parent plant, and with the aid of the awns on the teeth of the involucre, may be readily distributed.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 0.1-0.3(-0.5) cm wide; involucres prominently ribbed at maturity; Mojave and Sonoran deserts Chorizanthe brevicornu var. brevicornu
1 Leaf blades broadly oblanceolate to broadly spatulate, 0.5-1 cm wide; involucres obscurely ribbed at maturity; Great Basin Desert and Snake River Plains Chorizanthe brevicornu var. spathulata

"/2" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."/2" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Chorizanthe brevicornu"
lenticular +
white +  and pale-yellow +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
James L. Reveal +
Torrey in W. H. Emory +
alternating +
uncinate +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
alternate +  and rosulate +
stipelike +
awn-tipped +  and simple +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
oblanceolate;narrowly elliptic or spatulate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
deciduous +
distinct +
glandular +, woolly-floccose +, tomentose +, strigose +, villous +, hirsute +  and pubescent +
scale-like +
disarticulating +, dichotomous +, branched +  and open +
erect +  and spreading +
just below the soil surface or and above the soil surface +  and spreading +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Nev. +, Oreg. +  and nw Mexico +
curved +  and straight +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
white +  and pink or rose maroon or purple or yellow +
decumbent to erect +  and prostrate +
unwinged +  and winged +
black +, red +, brown +  and yellowish +
exserted +  and included +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
spheroidal +, 4-gonous +, lenticular +, biconvex +, discoid +, 3-gonous +  and 2-gonous +
uniparous +, capitate +  and cymose +
cymelike +, paniclelike +, racemelike +  and spikelike +
connate +  and free +
6-toothed +, 3-angled +, ventricose +  and cylindric +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
nonmembranous +
oblanceolate +  and narrowly elliptic or spatulate +
in whorls +, opposite +, alternate +  and rosulate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
bractlike +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
lobed +, undulate +, crisped +, crenulate +  and entire +
scarious +  and membranous +
not swollen +
orthotropous +
accrescent +
curved +  and straight +
erect to deflexed +
white;greenish white;white or pale yellowish +
cylindric +
accrescent +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
fleshy +, indurate +  and membranous +
with extrafloral nectaries +  and not articulate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
homostylous +  and 3-carpellate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
acicular +  and scale-like +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. +
, +  and solid +
slender;stout +
Illustrated +
disarticulating +
decumbent to erect +  and prostrate +
prostrate +  and erect +
penicillate +, fimbriate +  and capitate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-lobed +  and cylindric +
coriaceous +  and membranous +
consisting of a series +  and tubular +
distinct +
erect;spreading +
spreading;erect +
chambered +, , +  and solid +
slender +  and stout +
Chorizanthe brevicornu +
Chorizanthe sect. Fragile +
species +
acute +, linear +  and narrowly oblanceolate +
coriaceous +
shallow +
erect +  and spreading +
unequal +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
persistent +
membranous +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
glabrate +, strigose +  and pubescent +
3 +, 2 +  and 1 +