Scientific Family
Amaranthaceae
Other common names
tufted ball clover
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
6 inches
Riparian
No
Has a deep woody root. First appears as a rosette with leafless flowering stems that are followed by stems bearing leaves and spreading out to 8 inches in diameter.
Prostrate deep rooted perennial plants; leaves basal until stems spread and new stems bear smaller opposite leaves; leaves are longer than wide and densely hairy; white flowers are in ovoid dense clusters, subtended by silvery-white bracts.
Habitat
Open woodlands, especially oak-juniper woodlands and hillsides.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Ovoid heads of white flowers supported by silvery-white bracts. Individual flowers 5 lobed. To 3/16 inch long. Inflorescences to 3/4 inch in diameter.
Flower color
White and yellow
Flower shape
Other
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Rosette leaves are narrow to 3 inches long, almost 1 inch wide and have dense grayish hairs. Leaves on spreading stems are smaller.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
A one-seeded ovoid fruit with a sharp pointed tip less than 1/16th inch.
Fruit type
Other
Less than 1/16 inch.