Cistanthe

Cistanthe
Cistanthe umbellata at Mount Rainier National Park
Cistanthe sp. at Yosemite National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core 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.

Selected species:

• Cistanthe amaranthoides
• Cistanthe ambigua - desert pussypaws
• Cistanthe arancioana
• Cistanthe calycina
• Cistanthe celosioides
• Cistanthe cephalophora
• Cistanthe cymosa
• Cistanthe grandiflora
• Cistanthe guadalupensis
• Cistanthe maritima - seaside pussypaws
• Cistanthe monandra - common pussypaws, sandcress
• Cistanthe monosperma - one-seeded pussypaws
• Cistanthe parryi - Parry's pussypaws
• Cistanthe pulchella - Mariposa pussypaws
• Cistanthe pygmaea - pygmy pussypaws
• Cistanthe quadripetala - fourpetal pussypaws
• Cistanthe rosea - rosy pussypaws
• Cistanthe salsoloides
• Cistanthe umbellata - Mount Hood pussypaws

External links

• USDA Plants Profile

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