Taxon Report

Chorizanthe blakleyi Hardham

Blakley's spineflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Chorizanthe blakleyi, commonly known as Blakley's spineflower, is a annual herb in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 600 to 1600 meters. Chorizanthe blakleyi is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Chorizanthe blakleyi Hardham
Common Name:	Blakley's spineflower
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN04030
USDA Plants Symbol:	CHBL
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	600-1600 (1970-5250)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	12
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	8

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bates Canyon (3411988), Caliente Mtn. (3511917), Hurricane Deck (3411977), New Cuyama (3411986), Peak Mountain (3411987), Reyes Peak (3411963), Salisbury Potrero (3411976), Taylor Canyon (3511918)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	25 %
Foot traffic/trampling	2	16%
Non-native plant impacts	1	8%
ORV activity	1	8%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	8%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	8%

Notes



Possibly threatened by vehicles, recreation, road maintenance, grazing, trampling, and non-native plants. Closely related to C. palmeri. See Leaflets of Western Botany 10:95 (1964) for original description, and Phytologia 66(2):141-142 (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 1 November 2025].