Cistanthe ambigua (S.Watson) Carolin ex Hershk.

Desert pussypaws (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Montiaceae > Cistanthe

Characteristics

Plants annual, roots fleshy. Stems spreading to erect, 3-18 cm. Leaves cauline, not forming basal rosette; blade linear to spatulate, ± terete, 1.5-6 cm, not glaucous. Inflorescences paniculate with umbel-like clusters, dense, usually not exceeding leaves. Flowers pedicellate; sepals ovate, slightly unequal, 2-5 mm, herbaceous, margins white-scarious; petals disarticulate in fruit, 3-5, white, 2-5 mm; stamens 5-10, anther yellow; style present; stigmas 3; pedicel 1-3 mm. Capsules ovoid, 1-4 mm; valves 3. Seeds 6-15, black, ovoid, 1-2 mm, smooth, shiny, reticulate at 30×, not white-hairy.
More
A herb that grows each year from seed. It has fleshy roots. The stems are spreading and 3-18 cm long. The leaves are on the stems. They are narrow to spoon shaped and 1.5-6 cm long. The fruit is an oval capsule 1-4 mm long with 3 valves. There are 6-15 black seeds.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality -
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.03 - 0.2
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in hot sandy desert areas.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses food
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Cistanthe ambigua unspecified picture

Distribution

Cistanthe ambigua world distribution map, present in United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:274686-2
WFO ID wfo-0000607127
COL ID VL8H
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Calandrinia ambigua Calandrinia sesuvioides Cistanthe ambigua Claytonia ambigua