FAIRY DUSTERS (Calliandra species) The fairy dusters (Calliandra species) are shrubs with conspicuous flowers. They are members of the legume family (Fabaceae) but of a subgroup that includes mimosas, acacias and mesquites. This subgroup is characterised by having minute, inconspicuous flower petals, and instead the stamens (which bear the anthers) are greatly elongated to form a pompom structure. The leaves are pinnate. Calliandra eriophylla is a pink-flowered shrub of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. It grows in sandy washes and on slopes, but also can be common along roadsides.
Calliandra californica is quite common in gravelly flats, hillsides and washes of the Baja California peninsula.
Calliandra californica, with bright red pompom flowers, pinnate leaves and a typical legume fruit pod. |
