#chorizanthe

[birdsy-purplefishes]

#ChorizantheFimbriata/#FringedSpineflower is carpeting hillsides in the #chaparral once again! But look closer: each flower on this plant is beautifully detailed. #californianativeplants #sandiegowildflowers #chorizanthe #spineflower #canativeplants (at Jamul, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBhPeBSj1kl/?igshid=2wnk6koci8d0

[corymorpha]

Life is neither a bed of roses...

... nor a carpet of thorns, it's just what you make of it.

Today’s picture isn’t of a rose, nor is it in the rose family (ROSACEAE), and it also doesn’t have thorns (though technically, the things we call thorns on a rose are actually prickles, not thorns or spines).  It does however have spines, though they are rather tiny (as is the entire plant).  Spines are derived from leaves, and thorns are derived from shoots.

This Fringed Spineflower (Chorizanthe fimbriata, POLYGONACEAE) was living on dry rocky soil on a ridge top in Poway, CA near San Diego.  You can see the small reddish spines that give it is name, as well as the fringed petals on the flower.  It is a common plant in Southern California and Northern Baja California growing on dry rocky slopes at elevations less than 5000 ft.  It can be nearly 1 ft tall, but is often growing recumbent across the ground.  It typically flowers from March to July. 

References

Lightner, J. (2011). San Diego County Native Plants, third edition. San Diego Flora, San Diego, CA.

Chorizanthe fimbriata - Flora of North America