Duration: Annual. Nativity: Native. Lifeform: Forb/Herb. General: Annual from slender to thick taproot, to 30 cm tall, spreading, prostrate to ascending. Leaves: Alternate, linear to oblanceolate, to 10 cm long, glabrous or ciliate. Flowers: Usually 2-15 on elongated raceme, leaf-like bracts, pedicels 4-13 mm long, sepals 2.5-8 mm long; petals 4-11 mm long, red to purple. Fruits: Capsule with 3 valves, 5-20 seeds. Ecology: Found on sandy to loamy soil, sand and gravel washes, rocky slopes from 1,500-5,000 ft (457-1524 m); flowers February-June. Notes: There remains some uncertainty if this species is still in Portulacace or not. According to APG III this is the appropriate new family. Ethnobotany: Seeds were eaten for food, as were the greens. Etymology: Calandrinia is named for J.L. Calandrini (1703-1758) a Swiss botanist, while ciliata is the name given to describe slight fringing of petals like an eyelash.

Santa Catalina Mountains
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Location: Bluff Trail.
3/9/19

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