Plant Name
Scientific Name: Tetraclea coulteri
Common Name: Coulter's Wrinklefruit
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland (lower elevation)
Flower Color: White to cream, Tan (with age)
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall (early). This wildflower mainly blooms after the summer monsoon rains.
Height: To 16 inches (41 cm) tall
Description: The flowers are in clusters of 1 to 3 in the leaf axils. The individual flowers are tubular and have 5 lobes, 4 stamens, and a pinkish floral tube. The flowers are nocturnal and are mostly closed during the day. The flowers are followed by distinctive, wrinkly, green fruits with 4 rounded lobes. The leaves are green, opposite, variably toothed, and ovate to lanceolate in shape.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae – Verbena family
Genus: Tetraclea A. Gray – tetraclea
Species: Tetraclea coulteri A. Gray – Coulter's wrinklefruit
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