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Fabaceae
Pink Powder Puff
Calliandra haematocephala
Softness within strength and warm hospitality.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Calliandra
- Native to
- Bolivia
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter, Spring
- Type
- evergreen shrub or small tree
- Height
- 200–500 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, fertile
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- perennial; 20+ years
Did you know
- The fluffy powder puff is made entirely of long stamens — each flower head contains over 100 individual tiny flowers.
- Calliandra haematocephala means 'beautiful stamens with a blood-red head' in Greek and Latin.
- The compound leaves fold up at night like many other legume family members, reopening at dawn.
- It is a nitrogen-fixer, hosting symbiotic bacteria in root nodules that enrich surrounding soil.
- Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees all compete for the abundant nectar at the base of the stamen clusters.
Color meanings
Pink
exuberant warmth
Red
passionate welcome