| Common Name |
Fairy Duster, Pink Fairy Duster, Mock Mesquite |
| Latin Name |
Calliandra eriophylla |
| Family |
Fabaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
10-24 / 7b-11 |
| Type / Form |
Shrub / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Western U. S. between 3,000 and 8,000 feet |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam low in organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
Once per month |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 6 feet X 12 feet, usual 4 feet X 4 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Silver-green evergreen, stress deciduous |
| Flowers |
Very showy, occurring in
rounded red, pink, or white fluffy stamen heads. Individual flowers are
small with long (1 to 2 inch) stamens, appearing primarily in spring and
may flowering again in the fall. Fruit flattened, dry, brown, pubescent,
pea-like pods, 2 to 4 inches long, popping open and ejecting seeds at
maturity, curled open pods persisting on the twig. |
| Bark / Roots |
Smooth
brown, weathering to gray.
Twigs slender,
zigzag, gray-brown with fine pale pubescence, weak paired spines at the
nodes |
| Maintenance |
Low |
| Propagation |
Easier from seeds, cuttings are also possible |
| Pests and diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, rock garden, low maintenance, foliage
accent, parkways, specimen |
| Garden Suitability |
Hummingbird, Thornless, Fragrant, Moonlight, Butterfly |
| Ornamental Value |
Silver-green leaves, fragrant, pink to red duster blooms most of year,
showy April through July, cold marginal |
| Nature Value |
Browse for goats and sheep, butterflies and hummingbirds
use flowers |
| Native American Uses |
Medicinal |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/Syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=616 |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=caer |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliandra_eriophylla |
| Images and data |
http://www.desertmuseumdigitallibrary.org/public/detail.php?id=ASDM08000&sp=Calliandra%20eriophylla |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64267/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.delange.org/FairyDuster/FairyDuster.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1254 |
| Images and data |
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Calliandra_eriophylla.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Calliandra_eriophylla.html |
| Images and data |
http://cals.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Calliandra_eriophylla.html |
| Images and
data |
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/pinks/pink06.html |
| Distribution |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAER |
| Nursery, images, and
data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/858.htm |
