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 Leaves Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial) Usage Rights: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) |  Plant | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual Similar Species: Boerhavia coulteri
General Desc:
Erect or ascending plant, sparsely branched, with leaves mostly in the basal half, with elongated clusters of tiny pinkish flowers.
Identification notes: Nearly identical to B. coulteri whose fruits have very broad ribs and narrow furrows between them, while the fruits of B. spicata have narrow ribs and wide furrows. The lower leaf surface of B. spicata is often dotted w/ brown glands.
Height:
8 to 28 inches
Habitat Description: Sandy or rocky soils in Freemont cottonwood, ash, rabbitbrush, sand sage, mixed grass, and pinyon-juniper communities.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 2000 - 6000 feet
Color:
White to pinkish
Shape:
Regular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Jun - Dec
Description:
Tiny 5-petaled flowers in elongated, branched clusters that mature from the bottom upwards. Bracts deciduous, much less than half as long as the fruits.
Leaf Color:
Green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Smooth
Leaf Attachment:
Opposite
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaves opposite and mostly in the basal half of the plant, unequal in pair, oblong to ovate. Lower leaf surface often dotted with brown glands. Stems have sticky bands between the leaf nodes and between the stem nodes. Upper leaves subsessile.
Fruit Color: Yellowish, grayish or reddish
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Fruits are crowded and often overlapping. Club-shaped, less than 1/4 inch long, with 5 narrow ribs/ridges and open, wrinkled grooves/furrows between the ridges.
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