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Fabaceae
Powder Puff
Calliandra haematocephala
Tenderness, soft beauty, gentle strength.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Calliandra
- Native to
- Bolivia
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter, Spring
- Type
- Evergreen tropical shrub or small tree
- Height
- 2–5 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived
Did you know
- The fluffy red 'flowers' aren't really flowers at all — they're tight balls made of dozens of long crimson stamens, with the actual petals being tiny and almost invisible.
- Each puffball flower lasts only a single day, but the plant produces dozens of new puffs every morning for months.
- The genus name Calliandra comes from the Greek words for 'beautiful stamens' — perfectly describing these stamen-flower oddities.
- Powder puff is a member of the legume family and has feathery compound leaves that fold up at night, like a sensitive plant.
- It's a hummingbird magnet in the tropical Americas and is often planted alongside coral and orange varieties to attract them.
Color meanings
Red
Soft passion