Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Perennial subshrub with herbaceous or slightly woody stems 10-30 cm long, from a stout woody rootstock with sparsely pilose or glabrate herbage.

Leaves: Stipules ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, on petioles 1-3 cm long, 3-9 pinnae, 1-3 cm long with 10-18 pairs of leaflets, oblong, 1.5-5 mm long, 3-veined and somewhat reticulate-veined beneath.

Flowers: On peduncles 1-3 cm long, heads about 1 cm in diameter, exclusive of filaments; calyx about 2 mm long, puberulent mostly near tips of lobes, corolla 4-6 mm long, sparsely lanate near tips; stamens 12-15 mm long and showy.

Fruits: Pod 5-6 mm wide, 4-7 cm long, puberulent in youth, later glabrate.

Ecology: Found in dry soils from 4,000-9,000 ft (1219-2743 m); flowers April-July.

Distribution: AZ, s NM, sw TX; south to c MEX.

Notes: A low-growing herb with woody bases distinguished by its spreading habit to only 30 cm long; lack of spines; relatively large pinnately-compound leaves for its size with many leaflets; showy white stamens and its flattened pods with thickened margins. Distinctive among Calliandra by the copious, pilose herbage and its lower stature. Var. reticulata is a common variety and was formerly known as C. reticulata. It is distinguished by the glabrous, oval to elliptic or oblong leaflets that are each 7-14 mm long by 3-6 mm wide. Compare this to the 5 mm long by 1-2 mm wide found in C. humilis.

Ethnobotany: Used as a life medicine, and the powdered root was used for rashes.

Etymology: Calliandra is from Greek kallos -beautiful- and andra -stamen-, while humilis means low growing.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015