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Calliandra eriophylla
Also called Fairy Duster, Mock Mesquite, Pink Fairy Duster
Calliandra eriophylla is a low spreading desert shrub, usually 20 to 50 cm high, native to the Southwest US and northern Mexico, valued for its pink puffball flowers from late winter to late spring. The key to growing it is full sun, sharp drainage and very sparing water.
Calliandra eriophylla, commonly known as fairy duster, is a low spreading shrub which is native to deserts and arid grasslands in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
The flowers, which appear between late winter and late spring, have dense clusters of pale to deep pink stamens and are about 5 cm (2 in) wide.
Calliandra eriophylla usually grows in dry areas. The fairy duster can survive with little water, and with varied amounts of exposure to the sun. However, the plant blooms more when it is exposed to the sun than when it has little exposure to the sun. The fairy duster depends on soil that is dry, contains gravel, and its naturally alkaline. It is usually found on open hillsides and desert washes and slopes that fall below 5,000 feet (1,500 m). These plants can grow to be up to 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) wide and 1 to 3 feet tall. During the spring and summer the plant begins to bloom pale to vibrant pink flowers.
Calliandra angustifolia · Tabardillo · Stickpea · Dwarf stickpea · Surinamese stickpea · Pink Powderpuff
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Calliandra eriophylla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
