That recovery plan is currently out for public review. Description and Taxonomy Chorizanthe pungens was first described by George Bentham in 1836 based on a specimen collected in Monterey. This taxon was recognized by George Goodman in 1934 as the type species in describing the Pungentes section of the genus. Chorizanthe pungens var. History Ben Lomond spineflower is a short-lived annual species.
Seeds germinate in late fall after the first substantial rains.
The life span of the plant ranges from 15 to 21 weeks, with most of the variability coming during the adult stage. In a controlled experiment with plants transplanted into grass, manzanita, and pine sites, biomass and seed set varied with site conditions. Seed set varied from none to about 60 seeds per plant, with an overall average of 8 seeds. In another controlled experiment, potted seedlings were subjected to various soil and shade treatments. Habitat Description Ben Lomond spineflower is found on sandy Zayante soils that are the basis for the Ben Lomond sandhills communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains.