Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Low growing, herbaceous to shrubby perennials to 20 cm tall, stems slender, unarmed, herbaceous above the base, herbage densely pilose or pubescent to glabrate.

Leaves: Alternate, with 3-9 pairs of pinnae, each pinna with 10-18 pairs of small leaflets, leaflets linear to narrowly oblong to 5 mm long and 1-2 mm wide, seldom conspicuously veined, pinna with stipules.

Flowers: Pinkish to white, petals unassuming, with many pink or white exserted stamens in each head composing the bulk of the inflorescence, corollas to 5 mm long, stamens 10-15 mm long, the anthers small, style 15-20 mm long.

Fruits: Pods 4-7 cm long, pubescent to glabrate, with very thick margins, the valves recurved after dehiscence.

Ecology: Found in dry soils, in grasslands, among oaks and pines, from 4,000-9,000 ft (1219-2743 m); flowering June-August.

Distribution: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona; Mexico.

Notes: This unassuming plant can often be found in shrub and tree savannas, often growing below knee-height. Look for it's feathery leaflets among the grasses. When in flower, this plant looks similar to C. eriophylla, (Fairy-duster) however, since it has no spines, it is easy to differentiate.

Synonyms: Calliandra herbacea, Anneslia herbacea

Editor: LCrumbacher 2011

Etymology: Calliandra comes from the Greek kallos, "beautiful," and andra, "stamen", while humillis means low-growing, humble.