Calliandra eriophylla

Wiggins 1964

Common Name: fairyduster Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Subshrub General: Spreading shrub growing to 1 m high, with unarmed light gray to whitish stems. Young stems and twigs densely to moderately pubescent with short white hairs. Leaves: Widely spaced leaves twice-pinnate with 2-4 pairs of pinnae, each with 7-9 (occasionally 10) pairs of leaflets 2-3 mm long, generally cold deciduous. Flowers: Showy, dense spherical heads 4-5 cm in diameter. Corollas 5-6 mm long and inconspicuous; stamens showy, pink, rose, or reddish purple up to 1.5 cm long. Fruits: Linear velvety pods 5-7 mm wide and 3-7 cm long with thickened margins. Ecology: Grows along washes, on slopes and mesas, from 2,000-5,000 ft (762-1676 m); flowers February-April, occasionally September-October. Distribution: s CA, AZ, sw NM, s TX; south to s MEX. Notes: A low-growing shrub distinguished by its low, spreading or creeping habit; twice pinnate leaves; lack of spines; long, bright white-pink-red stamens; and flattened pods with thickened margins. Ethnobotany: Decoction taken as a gynecological aid after childbirth by Yavapai. Etymology: Calliandra is from Greek kallos -beautiful- and andra -stamen-, while eriophylla is from Greek erion -wool- and phyllon -leaf- referring to matted white hairs that cover the plant when young.  Synonyms: Calliandra eriophylla var. chamaedrys, Calliandra eriophylla var. eriophylla Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015