Boerhavia coccinea – Scarlet Spiderling

Boerhavia coccinea - Scarlet Spiderling, Red Spiderling

Boerhavia coccinea - Scarlet Spiderling, Red Spiderling

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Boerhavia coccinea

Common Names: Scarlet Spiderling, Red Spiderling

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland. This plant can be a weed in agricultural areas.

Flower Color: Magenta to dark wine red

Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall

Height: Trailing to 3 feet (91 cm) long

Description: The tiny, 5-lobed flowers are clustered in up to 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide flower heads. The leaves are green, oval to lance-shaped, and opposite with leaf pairs of unequal sizes. The stems are fuzzy and trailing, and the plants form large, spreading mats on the ground. The foliage is sticky.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nyctaginaceae – Four o'clock family
Genus: Boerhavia L. – spiderling
Species: Boerhavia coccinea Mill. – scarlet spiderling

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map