Tidestromia lanuginosa – Woolly Tidestromia

Tidestromia lanuginosa - Woolly Tidestromia, Honeymat

Tidestromia lanuginosa - Woolly Tidestromia, Honeymat

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

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map