Plant Name
Scientific Name: Comandra umbellata
Synonym: Comandra pallida
Common Name: Bastard Toadflax
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb, Hemiparasite
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: White
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer
Height: To 16 inches (41 cm) tall
Description: The small, star-shaped flowers are in clusters at the stem tips. The individual flowers have 5, ovate to oblong, point-tipped lobes and a greenish center. The leaves are green, fleshy, alternate, lanceolate, and generally sessile. The plants form mats on the ground near other plants. Bastard Toadflax is a hemiparasite of nearby plants.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae – Sandalwood family
Genus: Comandra Nutt. – bastard toadflax
Species: Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt. – bastard toadflax
More About This Plant