Pussypaws, Sand Cress
Calyptridium monandrum
Color: Yellow
Color: Pink to reddish
Common name: Pussypaws, Sand Cress
Latin name: Calyptridium monandrum
Family: PORTULACACEAE
Height: .5-7 inches
Description: The flowers are narrowly white-margined with 3 petals, 1–3 mm; pink to reddish.
Leaf: The leaves are from a rosette at the base of the plant and also borne along an elongated, above ground stem. The leaves wither when the plant is in fruit.
Range: Desert, s Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountain Area, s San Joaquin Valley, Inner South Coast Ranges, Southwestern California, East of Sierra Nevada
Habitat: Sandy soils, open sites, burned areas, scrub
Elevation: < 2150 m.
Flowering time: Mar–Jun
Notes: Calyptridium monandrum, a dicot, is an annual herb that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. The seed is edible. Photographed April 11, 2004.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
Related DesertUSA Pages
- How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Survival Tool
- 26 Tips for Surviving in the Desert
- Death by GPS
- 7 Smartphone Apps to Improve Your Camping Experience
- Maps Parks and More
- Desert Survival Skills
- How to Keep Ice Cold in the Desert
- Desert Rocks, Minerals & Geology Index
- Preparing an Emergency Survival Kit
Share this page on Facebook:
The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms
