Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Other common names
false mesquite
hairy-leaved calliandra
mesquitilla
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Height
3 feet
Width
3 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Open hillsides, washes and arid grasslands. Grows best in rocky, gravelly soil.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Leaves
Leaf color
Dark green
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
Top and bottom of leaves
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Deciduous
Twice bipinnately compound to 1-1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Fern-like leaflets to 2/10 inch long usually have more than 7 pairs. Similar to the leaves on an acacia.
Flowers
Flower color
Pink
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
October
Last bloom month
May
There are several flowers in each 2 inch wide powder puff. Has long stamens. White at the base and pink at the tip.
Flower clusters
Rounded
Fruit
Fruit color
Brown
Fruit type
Pod
Seed pod is 2 inches long with short velvety hairs. When ripening, the pod splits with the halves positioned wide apart for a long period of time.