Taxon Details

Chorizanthe wheeleri

Wheeler's spineflower

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Taxon Summary:

Chorizanthe wheeleri, commonly known as Wheeler's spineflower, is a annual herb in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 5 to 600 meters. Chorizanthe wheeleri is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Chorizanthe wheeleri Wats.
Common Name: Wheeler's spineflower
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN040Y0
USDA Plants Symbol:	CHWH2
Synonyms/Other Names:
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G3G4
State Rank:	S3S4
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	1974-01-01
Date Edited:	2025-10-29

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: annual herb

Blooming Period: Apr-Jul

Elevation:
5 - 600 meters
15 - 1970 feet

General Habitats:

Chaparral
Coastal scrub
Valley and foothill grassland

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Gravelly (sometimes)
Rocky (sometimes)

Notes

Notes: Mainland occurrences are C. staticoides; a closely-related widespread taxon. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 12:272 (1877) for original description, and Phytologia 66(2):164-166 (1989) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	0
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	0	0 %

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					0
A	B	C	D	X	U
0	0	0	0	0	0

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	0
Recent <=20 Years	0

Presence:
Presumed Extant	0
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
California (CA)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Santa Cruz Island A (3311987), Santa Cruz Island B (3311986), Santa Cruz Island C (3311985), Santa Cruz Island D (3311984), Santa Rosa Island East (3311988), Santa Rosa Island North (3312081)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

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CNPS Rare Plant Inventory