Boerhavia triquetra, commonly known as creeping sticky stem, five-wing spiderling, slender spiderling, or spiderling, is an annual species of spiderling plant in the four o'clock family (Nyctaginaceae).
| Boerhavia triquetra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| B. triquetra var. intermedia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Nyctaginaceae |
| Genus: | Boerhavia |
| Species: | B. triquetra |
| Binomial name | |
| Boerhavia triquetra S.Watson | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
editThis species of plant is an annual herb that is somewhat variable in appearance, but in general it is loosely clumping, raising erect stems up to half a metre in height. It has lance-shaped, wavy-margined leaves and bears a branching inflorescence of clustered or singular flowers, each pale pink flower only one or two millimetres across. The clustered fruits that appear afterwards are tiny club-shaped, ridged achenes less than 3 mm long. This is a hardy plant, growing in arid, rocky, or disturbed areas, and often showing up as a roadside weed.
Distribution and habitat
editThis species is a fairly widespread in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is native to California and Arizona, in habitats of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert.
References
edit- ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
External links
edit- Calflora Database: Boerhavia triquetra (Creeping sticky stem, Slender spiderling)
- Calflora Database: Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia (Fivewing spiderling) — formerly Boerhavia intermedia.
- Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia — formerly Boerhavia intermedia.
- UC CalPhotos gallery of Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia