Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Cistanthe monandra (formerly Calyptridium monandrum) is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family known by the common name Common Pussypaws. It is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent Baja California, where it grows in sandy areas such as deserts and coastal and mountain scrub habitats. This is a fleshy, flat annual herb producing short stems which extend along the ground or spread upright from a small taproot. Thick, spoon-shaped leaves occur in a basal rosette at the base of the stem, reaching up to about 5 centimeter in length. There are smaller leaves along the stems. Small flower clusters sprout from the stem bearing many flowers, each with fleshy, triangular sepals and three pink or red petals only a few millimeters long. The fruit is a translucent, oblong capsule up to six millimeters long containing several shiny, black seeds.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

7 in Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Pink, Red

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Full Sun

Soil drainage

Fast

Site type

Sandy places, open places, burned places,

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Foothill Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland, Yellow Pine Forest

Butterflies