Kingdom Plantae Family Portulacaceae Scientific name Cistanthe monandra Rank Species | Order Caryophyllales Genus Cistanthe Higher classification Cistanthe | |
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Similar Cistanthe, Cistanthe monosperma, Cistanthe ambigua, Portulacaceae, Cistanthe umbellata | ||
Cistanthe monandra (formerly Calyptridium monandrum) is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family known by the common name common pussypaws.
The plant is native to the Southwestern United States, Southern California, and adjacent Baja California, where it grows in sandy areas such as deserts and coastal and mountain scrub habitats.
Description
Cistanthe monandra is a fleshy, flat annual herb producing short stems which extend along the ground or spread upright from a small taproot. Thick, spoon-shaped leaves occur in a basal rosette at the base of the stem, reaching up to about 5 cm in length. There are smaller leaves along the stems.
Small inflorescences sprout from the stem bearing many flowers, each with fleshy, triangular sepals and three pink or red petals only a few millimeters long. The fruit is a translucent, oblong capsule up to six millimeters long containing several shiny, black seeds.