Genus Polanisia Rank Species | ||
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Similar Polanisia, Cleomella, Wislizenia, Cleomaceae, Cleome serrulata | ||
Polanisia dodecandra is a species of flowering plant in the Cleome family, Cleomaceae, known by the common name redwhisker clammyweed, or western clammyweed, although there are other Polanisia species called clammyweed. It is an annual plant that is found in many types of habitat throughout much of Canada and the United States. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species.
The plant, which grows from 1ft to 3ft tall (30–90cm), is hairy and sticky, with a smell described as "strong and rank". The leaves, about 2in (5cm) long, are made up of three 1in (2.5cm) leaflets. The flowers are borne in a cluster of about 20 at the top of the stem. White with purple bases, the individual flowers are about 1in (2.5cm) long, with numerous longer, whiskery stamens, and are most apparent in late June and early July. The fruits, slender capsules 1–2in (2.5–5cm) long, are filled with many small dark seeds.
The scientific name of the genus derives from the fact that the plant has numerous stamens of unequal lengths (from Greek polys, "many", and anisos, "unequal"). The name of the species, dodecandra means "having 12 stamens".
There are several subspecies of 'Polanisia dodecandra, including:
