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Fabaceae
Pink Fairy Duster
Calliandra eriophylla
Desert magic and delicate power.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Calliandra
- Native to
- southwestern United States, Mexico
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- deciduous shrub
- Height
- 60–120 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy, rocky
- Water
- very low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 8–11
- Lifespan
- perennial shrub
Did you know
- The showy pink puffs are actually clusters of long stamens, not petals — Calliandra means 'beautiful stamens' in Greek.
- Hummingbirds and native bees are the primary pollinators, drawn by the copious nectar hidden at the base.
- The tiny compound leaves fold up at night and during drought, reducing water loss from the leaf surface.
- It fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules with Rhizobium bacteria, enriching desert soils.
- The Tohono O'odham people of the Sonoran Desert traditionally used the roots to treat toothaches.
Color meanings
Pink
playful enchantment
Magenta
fierce tenderness