''Chorizanthe membranacea'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name pink spineflower. It is native to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it is widespread and in some areas quite common. It can be found in a wide variety of habitats. This herb grows erect to a maximum height near . It is woolly in texture and most of its parts may bear a pink tint. The leaves are mostly linear in shape and they may occur along the stem as well as at the base. The longest may reach 5 centimeters. The

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 o ...

is a dense cluster of flowers, each surrounded by a unit of six fused

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s which are generally white to pinkish in color. The bracts are tipped with hooked awns. The flower itself is just a few millimeters long, white to pink, and quite hairy. There are sometimes small inflorescences located in the cauline leaf axils along the stem. ''Chorizanthe membranacea'' is easily distinguished from other spineflowers by its relative abundance of leaves, its height and upright habit, and the fusion of the bracts of the involucre into a continuous body.Flora of North America
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References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Chorizanthe membranacea''''Chorizanthe membranacea'' - U.C. Photo gallery
membranacea Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Taxa named by George Bentham {{Polygonaceae-stub