Narrowleaf spineflower facts for kids

The Chorizanthe angustifolia is a special kind of flowering plant. You might know it better by its common name: the narrowleaf spineflower. It belongs to the buckwheat family.

This plant is found only in California. It grows along the coastline of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. When a plant or animal lives only in one specific area, we say it is endemic to that place. Even though it's only in these two counties, you can often find many of them growing together in those spots.

What Does the Narrowleaf Spineflower Look Like?

The narrowleaf spineflower is a small plant. It's also quite hairy!

How Does it Grow?

This plant grows very low to the ground. It sends out stems that lie flat along the sandy soil. These stems are called prostrate because they spread out instead of growing tall. Each stem is usually no longer than about 10 centimeters (which is about 4 inches).

Its Unique Flowers

At the end of these stems, you'll find a cluster of flowers. This cluster is called an inflorescence. It looks like a small head of flowers. Each flower is tiny, only about 2 or 3 millimeters wide. They can be white or pink.

What makes them interesting are the six special leaves, called bracts, that surround each flower. These bracts have hooked spines on their tips. It's these spines that give the plant its "spineflower" name!