Calliandra
Encyclopedia
Calliandra is a genus of flowering plant
s in the pea
family, Fabaceae
, subfamily Mimosoideae
. It contains about 200 species that are native to tropical
and subtropical
regions of southern Asia
, Africa
, Australia
and the Americas
.
perennial plant
s, shrub
s and rarely small tree
s growing 0.5–6 m tall, with bipinnate leaves. The flower
s have numerous long slender stamen
s, and are produced in cylindrical or globose inflorescence
s; the stamens give rise to the common name of Powder-puff/ Powder puff Plant and Fairy Duster. These plants flower all year round, but the best blooming is in spring and summer. They can be easily pruned.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
family, Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
, subfamily Mimosoideae
Mimosoideae
Mimosoideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae characterized by flowers with small petals and numerous prominent stamens...
. It contains about 200 species that are native to tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
and subtropical
Subtropics
The subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S...
regions of southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
Biological description
The genus comprises herbaceousHerbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s, shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and rarely small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing 0.5–6 m tall, with bipinnate leaves. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s have numerous long slender stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, and are produced in cylindrical or globose 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...
s; the stamens give rise to the common name of Powder-puff/ Powder puff Plant and Fairy Duster. These plants flower all year round, but the best blooming is in spring and summer. They can be easily pruned.
Species
Selected species
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Calliandra houstoniana Calliandra houstoniana is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... (Mill.) Standl. Calliandra humilis Calliandra humilis is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Benth. Calliandra inaequilatera Calliandra inaequilatera is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Rusby Calliandra juzepczukii Calliandra juzepczukii is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Standl. Calliandra laxa Calliandra laxa is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... (Willd.) Benth. Calliandra macrocalyx Calliandra macrocalyx is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Harms Calliandra macrocephala Calliandra macrocephala is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Benth. Calliandra parviflora Calliandra parviflora is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Benth. Calliandra parvifolia Calliandra parvifolia is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... (Hook. & Arn.) Speg. Calliandra peninsularis Calliandra peninsularis is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Rose Calliandra physocalyx Calliandra physocalyx is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... H. M. Hern. & M. Sousa Calliandra purpurea Calliandra purpurea is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... (L.) Benth. Calliandra riparia Calliandra riparia is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Pittier Calliandra surinamensis Calliandra surinamensis is a low branching evergreen tropical shrub that is named after Suriname, a country in Northern South America. The plant usually has complexly branched multiple trunks and grows to a height of about 5 metres, although many sources suggest that it only attains a height of 3... Benth. Calliandra tergemina Calliandra tergemina is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... (L.) Benth. Calliandra tweediei Calliandra tweediei is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.-References:*... Benth. |