Cistanthe
Cistanthe umbellata at Mount Rainier National Park
Cistanthe sp. at Yosemite National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Cistanthe
Spach (1836)
Species

45-50 - See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Philippiamra Kuntze (1891)
  • Rhodopsis Lilja (1840)
  • Tegneria Lilja (1839)
  • Silvaea Phil. (1860)

Cistanthe is a plant genus which includes most plants known as pussypaws. These are small, succulent flowering plants which often bear brightly colored flowers, though they vary quite a bit between species in appearance. Some species have flowers that are tightly packed into fluffy-looking inflorescences, the trait that gives them their common name.

The genus has a disjunct distribution, with species in California and northeastern Mexico, on the Mexican Pacific Islands, and western and southern South America from Peru to northern and central Chile to northwestern and southern Argentina.[1]

Many are adapted to arid environments, with some able to withstand climates that almost completely lack rainfall. Cistanthe was a genus created to segregate several species previously classified in Calandrinia. Several species from other closely related genera have been moved into Cistanthe as well.

Species

As of April 2024, Plants of the World Online accepts 46 species.[1]

Formerly placed here

References

  1. ^ a b c Cistanthe Spach. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 7 April 2024.

Further reading

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