Fagonia pachyacantha
Encyclopedia
Fagonia pachyacantha is a species of flowering plant in the caltrop family
known by the common name sticky fagonbush. It is native to the Sonoran Desert
of Northwest Mexico
in Sonora
and the Lower Colorado River Valley
area at the California
and Arizona
border.
Flowers, each about 1.5 centimeters wide, appear in the axils of the sparse leaves. The flower has five purplish pink petals with bases narrowed to thin claws. The fruit is a rounded capsule about half a centimeter long.
Zygophyllaceae
The Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains the bean-caper and caltrop. It includes around 285 species in 22 genera.In the APG III system of classification, the families Zygophyllaceae and Krameriaceae compose the order Zygophyllales...
known by the common name sticky fagonbush. It is native to the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
of Northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Durango, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur...
in Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and the Lower Colorado River Valley
Lower Colorado River Valley
The Lower Colorado River Valley is the river region of the lower Colorado River of the southwestern United States in North America that rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet at the Colorado River Delta in the northern Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, between the states of Baja...
area at the 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...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
border.
Description
Fagonia pachyacantha is a spreading perennial herb not more than 1 metres (3.3 ft) in height with very glandular stems and foliage. Each leaf is divided into three flat, green leaflets and there are straight, pointed, spine-like stipules at the base of each set.Flowers, each about 1.5 centimeters wide, appear in the axils of the sparse leaves. The flower has five purplish pink petals with bases narrowed to thin claws. The fruit is a rounded capsule about half a centimeter long.