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Calliandra haematocephala Hassk.

Red powder puff

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderFabalesLegumes (pea and bean families)
FamilyFabaceaeLegume family (peas and beans)
GenusCalliandraFrom the Greek kallos, “beautiful,” and andra, “stamen”
Specieshaematocephala

About plant names...

Red powderpuffs have arresting flowers shaped like soft round brushes. They are not native to North America, but they are popular cultivated plants. They are Bolivian natives. Red powderpuffs actually come in pink and white as well as red.

Calliandra haematocephala (red powder puff)

From Hamakuapoko, Maui, HI, by Forest Starr & Kim Starr

Calliandra haematocephala (red powder puff)

From the Enchanting Floral Gardens of Kula, Maui, HI, by Forest Starr & Kim Starr

Identification: These shrubs are 10-15' (3-4.6 m) high. Leaves are bipinnate. The “puffs” are not the flowers. The flowers are small and white, fused together in the center of the puff, while the puff is composed of stamens. The shape and color of these arrays are unmistakable.

Online References:

Calliandra haematocephala on Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site

Calliandra haematocephala on Wikimedia Commons

Calliandra haematocephala at the University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities

Calliandra haematocephala at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Calliandra haematocephala on Desert-tropicals.com

Calliandra haematocephala at Gymnosperms.org

Calliandra haematocephala on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Calliandra haematocephala on eFloras

 

Calliandra haematocephala description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Calliandra haematocephala (red powder puff)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

Calliandra haematocephala (red powder puff)

2/17/2007 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

Calliandra haematocephala (red powder puff)

3/2/2001 · Kula Botanical Garden, Maui, Hawaii

Range: Zones 9a-11:

About this map...