Cistanthe pygmaea

pygmy pussypaws
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Portulacaceae
Genus: Cistanthe
Species: C. pygmaea
Binomial name
Cistanthe pygmaea
(Parish ex Rydb.) Hershk.
Synonyms

Calyptridium pygmaeum Parish ex Rydb.

Cistanthe pygmaea, common name pygmy pussypaws, is a plant species endemic to California. It has been reported from Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, Tulare and Fresno Counties, in pine and subalpine forests at elevations of 1900-3550 m.[1][2]


Cistanthe pygmaea is an annual herb. Stems are horizontal, spreading out in various directions from the rootstock, each up to 8 cm long. Leaves are up to 15 mm long. Flowers form dense clusters at the ends of each of the branches. Sepals are egg-shaped and fleshy. The 4 petals are white, each up to 3 mm long, remaining attached to the fruit. Capsule is egg-shaped, about 5 mm across. Seeds are black, round and shiny.[1][3][4]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/23/2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.