''Chorizanthe'' is a genus of plants in the

buckwheat family The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...

known generally as spineflowers. These are small, squat, herbaceous plants with spiny-looking

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

s 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 AWN may stand for: * Awn Access to Justice Network in Gaza Strip, Legal Aid Network operate in Gaza Strip, Palestine * Animation World Network, an online organization for animators * Avant Window Navigator, a dock-like bar that tracks open wind ...

, and the inflorescence often dries into a rounded, spiny husk. Spineflowers are found in western North America and South America. Name derivation: 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. Selected species: * ''

Chorizanthe angustifolia ''Chorizanthe angustifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the Polygonaceae, buckwheat family known by the common name narrowleaf spineflower. It is Endemism, endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastline of San Luis Obis ...

'' - narrowleaf spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe biloba ''Chorizanthe biloba'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name twolobe spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Central Coast Ranges. There are two varieties, both of whic ...

'' - twolobe spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe blakleyi ''Chorizanthe blakleyi'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Blakley's spineflower. It is endemic to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Santa Barbara County, California, where it is known from only ei ...

'' - Blakley's spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe brevicornu ''Chorizanthe brevicornu'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family which is known by the common name brittle spineflower. It is native to the southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the America ...

'' - brittle spineflower * '' Chorizanthe breweri'' - San Luis Obispo spineflower * '' Chorizanthe corrugata'' - wrinkled spineflower * '' Chorizanthe cuspidata'' - San Francisco spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe diffusa ''Chorizanthe diffusa'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name diffuse spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it grows on the coastline and mountains of the Central Coast, in sandy scrub, woodla ...

'' - diffuse spineflower * '' Chorizanthe douglasii'' - San Benito spineflower * '' Chorizanthe fimbriata'' - fringed spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe howellii ''Chorizanthe howellii'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names Mendocino spineflower and Howell's spineflower. It is endemic to coastal Mendocino County, California, where it is known only from the sand ...

'' - Mendocino spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe leptotheca ''Chorizanthe leptotheca'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names Ramona spineflower and Peninsular spineflower. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it ...

'' - Ramona spineflower * '' Chorizanthe membranacea'' - pink spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe obovata ''Chorizanthe obovata'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name spoonsepal spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the mountains of the Central Coast Range from Monterey to Santa Barb ...

'' - spoonsepal spineflower * '' Chorizanthe orcuttiana'' - San Diego spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe palmeri ''Chorizanthe palmeri'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Palmer's spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Central Coast Ranges of western Monterey and San Luis O ...

'' - Palmer's spineflower * '' Chorizanthe parryi'' - San Bernardino spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe polygonoides ''Chorizanthe polygonoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name knotweed spineflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows widely scattered in many types of habitat. It is a ...

'' - knotweed spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe procumbens ''Chorizanthe procumbens'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name prostrate spineflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in scrub and chaparral habitat. It is variable in ap ...

'' - prostrate spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe pungens ''Chorizanthe pungens'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Monterey spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the San Francisco Bay Area south along the Central Coast. Descrip ...

'' - Monterey spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe rectispina ''Chorizanthe rectispina'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names prickly spineflower and straight-awned spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known from about twenty occurrences from Mon ...

'' - prickly spineflower * '' Chorizanthe rigida'' - devil's spineflower, rigid spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe robusta ''Chorizanthe robusta'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. It is endemic to California, where it is a rare, federally listed endangered species. Description ''Chorizanthe robusta'' is variable in form, growing decumbent or ...

'' - robust spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe spinosa ''Chorizanthe spinosa'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Mojave spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the scrub habitat at the western edges of the Mojave D ...

'' - Mojave spineflower * '' Chorizanthe staticoides'' - Turkish rugging * ''

Chorizanthe stellulata ''Chorizanthe stellulata'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name starlet spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the dry woodlands of the low mountains and foothills along the central ...

'' - starlet spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe uniaristata ''Chorizanthe uniaristata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae known by the common name one-awn spineflower. It is endemic to central California, where it is known from several of the local mountain ranges, as well as the ...

'' - one-awned spineflower * '' Chorizanthe valida'' - Sonoma spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe ventricosa ''Chorizanthe ventricosa'', common name Priest Valley spineflower, is a plant species endemic to a small region in the Coastal Ranges of west-central California. It is found only on serpentine Serpentine may refer to: Shapes * Serpentine s ...

'' - Priest Valley spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe watsonii ''Chorizanthe watsonii'' (kor-i-ZAN-the WAT-son-ee-eye) is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Fivetooth Spineflower or Watson's Spineflower. They are an annual herb native to the western United States in ...

'' - fivetooth spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe wheeleri ''Chorizanthe wheeleri'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common names Santa Barbara spineflower and Wheeler's spineflower. It is endemic to Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, two of the Channel Island ...

'' - Santa Barbara spineflower * ''

Chorizanthe xanti ''Chorizanthe xanti'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Riverside spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it grows in several of the mountain ranges from the Sierra Nevada to the Southern Cal ...

'' - Riverside spineflower

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment

Polygonaceae genera Taxa named by George Bentham {{Polygonaceae-stub