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Polanisia dodecandra
Also called Clammyweed, Red Whisker Clammyweed, Red Whiskered Clammyweed, Stinking Clammyweed, Common Clammyweed, Rough Seed Clammyweed
Polanisia dodecandra is a species of flowering plant in the Cleomaceae family, known by the common name redwhisker clammyweed or clammyweed, and there are three subspecies of Polanisia. Usually annual, occasionally perennial, Polanisia is native to North America, and is found throughout much of Canada and the United States. It favors full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and barren, sandy or gravelly soils, even highly disturbed areas where there is little other ground vegetation. It looks similar to a close relative, the spider flower (Cleome).
The scientific name of the genus derives from the fact that the plant has numerous, long stamens of unequal lengths (from Greek polys, "many", and anisos, "unequal"). The name of the species, dodecandra means "having 12 stamens". The common name clammyweed refers to the sticky, or clammy, residue left on hands after handling the plant.
The plant is related to the caper. There are culinary and ceremonial uses.
Large clammyweed · James' clammyweed · Slenderleaf clammyweed · Clammyweed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polanisia dodecandra by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
