Santa Barbara spineflower facts for kids

The Santa Barbara spineflower (scientific name: Chorizanthe wheeleri) is a very rare flowering plant. It is also known as Wheeler's spineflower. This special plant belongs to the buckwheat family.

It grows only in a few places. You can find it on Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island. These are two of the Channel Islands off the coast of California. Because it grows only in these specific islands, it is called an endemic species.

What is the Santa Barbara Spineflower?

The Santa Barbara spineflower is a unique plant. It is quite small, usually growing up to about 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) tall. This plant often has a reddish color. Its stems and leaves are covered in tiny hairs, which gives it a fuzzy or hairy feel.

How Does it Look?

The plant's flowers grow in a tight bunch. This cluster of flowers is called an inflorescence. Each tiny flower is surrounded by six hairy leaf-like parts called bracts. These bracts have little hooks at their tips. The flowers themselves are very small, only about 2 or 3 millimeters wide. They can be white or reddish in color.

Is it Similar to Other Plants?

The Santa Barbara spineflower looks a lot like another plant called Turkish rugging (Chorizanthe staticoides). Turkish rugging is much more common. Sometimes, people might mistake Turkish rugging for the Santa Barbara spineflower if they see it growing on the mainland. However, the true Santa Barbara spineflower only lives on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands.