Taxon Report

Chorizanthe ventricosa Goodm.

potbellied spineflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Chorizanthe ventricosa, commonly known as potbellied spineflower, is a annual herb in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 65 to 1235 meters. Chorizanthe ventricosa is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Chorizanthe ventricosa Goodm.
Common Name:	potbellied spineflower
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN040W0
USDA Plants Symbol:	CHVE3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: May-Sep	May-Sep
Elevation:	65-1235 (215-4050)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Monterey (MNT), San Benito (SBT), San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cholame Valley (3512073), Curry Mountain (3612014), Hepsedam Peak (3612037), La Panza Ranch (3512042), Lonoak (3612038), Monarch Peak (3612027), Nattrass Valley (3612028), Parkfield (3512084), Priest Valley (3612026), San Luis Obispo (3512036), Smith Mountain (3612015), Tent Hills (3512072), The Dark Hole (3512083)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Closely related to C. palmeri. See Leaflets of Western Botany 2(2):193 (1939) for original description, and Phytologia 66(2):139-140 (1989) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 13 March 2025].