Kallstroemia californica
Encyclopedia
Kallstroemia californica is a species of flowering plant in the caltrop family
known by the common name California caltrop. It is native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States
, California
, and northern Mexico.
It produces individual flowers with five rounded or oval petals and a ring of ten stamen
s. The fruit is a small body a few millimeters wide of ten conjoined nutlets which split apart.
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 California caltrop. It is native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, 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 northern Mexico.
Description
Kallstroemia californica is a mat-forming annual herb which grows in thick carpetlike masses on sandy substrates. The branching stem has compound leaves which are each made up of several widely-spaced pairs of small oval-shaped green leaflets.It produces individual flowers with five rounded or oval petals and a ring of ten stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The fruit is a small body a few millimeters wide of ten conjoined nutlets which split apart.