Biology:Cistanthe

Short description: Genus of flowering plants

Cistanthe
Cistanthe umbellata at Mount Rainier National Park
Cistanthe sp. at Yosemite National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Montiaceae
Genus:	Cistanthe Spach
Species
45-50 - See text.

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. 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 March 2021), Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:

• Cistanthe aegialitis (F.Phil. ex Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe amarantoides (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe ambigua (S.Watson) Carolin ex Hershk. - desert pussypaws
• Cistanthe arancioana Peralta
• Cistanthe arenaria (Cham.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe cabrerae (Añon) Peralta
• Cistanthe cachinalensis (Phil.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
• Cistanthe calycina (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe celosioides (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe cephalophora (I.M.Johnst.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe chamissoi (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe chrysantha (I.M.Johnst.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
• Cistanthe coquimbensis (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe crassifolia (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe cymosa (Phil.) Hershk.
• Cistanthe densiflora (Barnéoud) Hershk.
• Cistanthe fenzlii (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe floresiorum J.M.Watson
• Cistanthe frigida (Barnéoud) Peralta
• Cistanthe grandiflora (Lindl.) Schltdl.
• Cistanthe guadalupensis (M.G.Dudley) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe humilis (Phil.) Peralta
• Cistanthe lamprosperma (I.M.Johnst.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
• Cistanthe laxiflora (Phil.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
• Cistanthe lingulata (Ruiz & Pav.) Hershk.
• Cistanthe longiscapa (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe maritima (Nutt.) Carolin ex Hershk. - seaside pussypaws
• Cistanthe minuscula (Añon) Peralta
• Cistanthe mucronulata (Meyen) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe oblongifolia (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe paniculata (DC.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe philhershkovitziana Hershk.
• Cistanthe picta (Gillies ex Arn.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe salsoloides (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe stricta (Phil.) Peralta
• Cistanthe thyrsoidea (Reiche) Peralta & D.I.Ford
• Cistanthe tovarii A.Galán
• Cistanthe trigona (Colla) Hershk.
• Cistanthe vicina (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
• Cistanthe weberbaueri (Diels) Carolin ex Hershk.

Species now placed in Calyptridium:

• Cistanthe parryi - Parry's pussypaws, synonym of Calyptridium parryi
• Cistanthe pulchella - Mariposa pussypaws, synonym of Calyptridium pulchellum
• Cistanthe pygmaea - pygmy pussypaws, synonym of Calyptridium pygmaeum
• Cistanthe quadripetala - fourpetal pussypaws, synonym of Calyptridium quadripetalum

Further reading

• Hershkovitz, M. A. (1991). Phylogenetic assessment and revised circumscription of Cistanthe Spach (Portulacaceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 78(4) 1009-21

Wikidata ☰ Q8346468 entry