| California Spineflower |
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| Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 1/8", type: 6 petals |
California Spineflower has six white tepals, similar petals and sepals, about 1/8" diameter. Each oval tepal has a fine red longitudinal stripe. Projecting from the flower's mouth are six long white stamens with tan anthers.
The flower stem grows four to six inches above the base and may branch occasionally, about four inches tall and spreading. I've seen a plant with flower stems spreading to two feet in diameter. The branches have leaf nodes separated by one inch. Each leaf has three lobes and each lobe has a spiny tip, quite sharp. Blooms appear at the leaf nodes after leaves and stems become 'sunburned' bright red [May/June].
Habit:
California Spineflower is considered a rare annual. The plant forms a basal rosette of leaves, about two inches wide [the golf tee = 2.75"]. Open sunny, sandy areas of woodlands, Maritime chaparral, or coastal scrub. These areas may be slightly disturbed.
A similar species, diffuse spineflower, grows in BMER. It, too, has a red branching flower stem, but the blooms have three petals with spiny ends, and they appear in clusters at the terminus of the stems.