Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Calliandra californica, Baja Fairy Duster

Baja Fairy Duster has showy red tufted flowers in clusters; the flowers are a semi-circular powder-puff display of very showy stamens that attract pollinators; cultivated plants may bloom year-round; the fruit is a light green typical pea-like pod. Calliandra californica Baja Fairy Duster is native to North America but not in the United States. It is however a premier accent landscape plant in many parts of the southwest, preferring full sunlight. Calliandra californica Baja Fairy Duster has attractive red showy flowers, the flowers are known to attract to bees and butterflies; also, their flowers and plants may be visited or used by moths, flies, and other insects in search of nectar, food or shelter and protection.  Calliandra californica

Scientific Name: Calliandra californica
Common Name: Baja Fairy Duster

Also Called: Fairy Duster, Powder Puff, Red Fairy Duster (es: Tabardillo, Cabello de Ángel, Cosahui del Sur, Zapotillo, Chuparrosa)

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family

Synonyms: (Anneslia californica, Anneslia mixta, Anneslia mucronulata and Feuilleea californica)

Status: Native to the Cape Region of Baja California, Mexico.

Duration: Perennial

Size: 3 to 6 feet (.91 - 1.8 m) or more and 4 to 5 feet (1.2 - 1.5 m) wide; if cultivated plants are generally wider than tall.

Growth Form: Baja Fairy Duster is an evergreen shrub; plants woody.

Leaves: Baja Fairy Duster has green leaves, the leaves are bipinnately, compound and close at night.

Flower Color: Baja Fairy Duster has showy red tufted flowers in clusters, flowers are a semi-circular powder-puff display of very showy stamens that attract pollinators; cultivated plants may bloom year-round; the fruit is a light green typical pea-like pod.

Flowering Season: Late spring and early summer but may bloom year-round in some warmer geographic areas.

Elevation: 70 feet (21 m) or more.

Habitat Preferences: Low desert areas in Baja California and northern Mexico; near water when possible, washes and alkaline soils.

Recorded Range: Baja California and islands west including Isla Santa Margarita and northern Mexico.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Calliandra californica.

North America species range map for Baja Fairy Duster, Calliandra californica:

North America species range map for Baja Fairy Duster, Calliandra californica:
Click image for full size map.

U.S. Weed Information: Unknown
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: Unknown
Wetland Indicator: Unknown
Threatened/Endangered Information: Unknown

Genus Information: In North America, USDA Plants Database lists 11 native species for Calliandra. Worldwide, World Flora Online includes 245 accepted species for the genus.

The genus Calliandra was published in 1840 by George Bentham, (1800-1884)

In the Southwestern United States: Arizona has 2 species of Calliandra, California has 1 species, Nevada has 0 species, New Mexico has 2 species, Texas has 5 species, Utah has 0 species. Data approximate, subject to revision.

Comments: Baja Fairy Duster is native to North America but not in the United States. It is however a premier accent landscape plant in many parts of the southwest, preferring full sunlight. For lush late spring growth plants may be cut back about 12 inches (3.6 m) from the crown. As a bonus this species with its beautiful red showy flowers readily attracts hummingbirds

Also see in Southwest Desert Flora; Arizona native Fairyduster, Calliandra eriophylla.

Importance to Wildlife, Birds and Livestock
Baja Fairy Duster has attractive red showy flowers, the flowers, their seeds and plants may be visited by hummingbirds and may be visited by small mammals including rodents and granivorous birds in search of food, nectar and protection through cover.

Beneficial Value to Butterflies, Honey Bees and Insects
Baja Fairy Duster has attractive red showy flowers, the flowers are known to attract to bees and butterflies; also, their flowers and plants may be visited or used by moths, flies, and other insects in search of nectar, food or shelter and protection. The following species are known to utilize Calliandra californica:
  • Marine Blue Caterpillar, Leptotes marina
  • Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus

  • Find out more here from Butterflies and Moths of North America.

    Etymology:
    The genus “Calliandra” (Callian'dra:) is from the Greek word kallos meaning "beautiful" and andra meaning "stamen" a direct reference to the showy red stamens in the flower.

    The genus Calliandra was published in 1840 by George Bentham, (1800-1884).

    The taxon description Calliandra californica was published in 1844 by George Bentham, (1800-1884).

    The species epithet californica (califor'nica:) means of or from California, a reference to its native Baja California and not the state.

    Ethnobotany - Native American Ethnobotany; University of Michigan - Dearborn
    Unknown

    Date Profile Completed: 08/07/2015, updated 01/16/2022
    References and additional information:
    Plants.USDA.gov; Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service on-line database and USGS ITIS search; accessed 01/14/2022.
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=CACA82
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/basicSearchResults?resultId=f24096eb-90ce-4a8e-adba-7cabe6212aea
    World Flora Online; A Project of the World Flora Online Consortium; An Online Flora of All Known Plants - (accessed on-line 01/14/2022.)
    http://www.worldfloraonline.org/search?query=calliandra
    Chris A. Martin, Professor, Arizona State University accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/prosopisvelutina.html
    Wikipedia contributors. "Calliandra californica." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Nov. 2021. Web. 14 Jan. 2022.
    The University Campus Arboretum; Campus Arboretum; Calliandra californica; accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=980
    Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Fact Sheet for Calliandra californica; accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=949
    Seiler, John, Peterson, John, North American species range map courtesy of Virginia Tech, Dept. of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation
    http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/
    Bailowitz, Rich; Brockwith, Jim; Danforth, Doug, 1996; SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, (PDF); accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    SEINet synonyms, scientific names, geographic locations, general information.
    http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/
    Etymology: Michael L. Charters California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations; A Dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology - accessed on-line 01/14/2022.
    http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageCA-CH.html
    IPNI (2020). International Plant Names Index. Published on the Internet http://www.ipni.org, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. [Retrieved 14 January 2022].
    https://www.ipni.org/n/331445-2