Plant Name
Scientific Name: Tidestromia lanuginosa
Synonym: Cladothrix lanuginosa
Common Names: Woolly Tidestromia, Honeymat
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland. It grows in open, sunny areas.
Flower Color: Inconspicuous (yellowish green, light yellow)
Flowering Season: Summer, Fall
Height: 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) tall
Description: The flowers are in clusters at the leaf axils The individual flowers are tiny and have 5 yellowish sepals and no petals. The leaves are grayish green, opposite, oval to spoon-shaped, and densely covered in fuzzy, grayish white hair. The stems are reddish and flocked with fine, white hairs. These low-growing plants trail on the ground and form small mats or large, spreading mounds.
Special Characteristics
Allergenic – The pollen is a moderate allergen.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae – Amaranth family
Genus: Tidestromia Standl. – honeysweet
Species: Tidestromia lanuginosa (Nutt.) Standl. – woolly tidestromia
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