Cistanthe rosea
Encyclopedia
Cistanthe rosea is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family
known by the common name rosy pussypaws. It is native to the western United States from California
to Wyoming
, where it grows in forest and scrub. It is an annual herb, often reddish or pink in color, producing spreading stems just a few centimeters long. The leaves are located in a rosette at the base and along the stems, and are up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a tiny cluster of white-edged thin sepal
s and two white petals, each no more than a millimeter long.
Portulacaceae
Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 20 genera with about 500 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists, and is also known as the purslane family; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity...
known by the common name rosy pussypaws. It is native to the western United States from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it grows in forest and scrub. It is an annual herb, often reddish or pink in color, producing spreading stems just a few centimeters long. The leaves are located in a rosette at the base and along the stems, and are up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a tiny cluster of white-edged thin sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and two white petals, each no more than a millimeter long.