A new plant species has been discovered and, so far, it’s only found in a San Luis Obispo nature reserve. Chorizanthe aphanantha or “Irish Hills spineflower” was recently discovered during a biological assessment of the 154 acre Waddell Ranch. The ranch was purchased as part of the city’s expansion of the Irish Hills Nature Reserve back in 2017. The tiny spine flower has been accepted by the peer-reviewied scientific journal of the California Botanical Society, Madrano. There are plans to recommend it for inclusion as one of California’s most rare plants.
