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Habit Plants to 4 dm; roots fleshily woody. Plants to 2 dm; roots elongate, fleshily woody.
Stems

ascending or erect, simple or branching.

± erect, simple or branching, sometimes suffrutescent.

Leaves

sessile;

blade subterete, to 7 cm.

sessile;

blade terete, sometimes slightly broadened at base, to 5 cm.

Inflorescences

cymose, much overtopping leaves;

peduncle scapelike, to 25 cm.

cymose, much overtopping leaves;

peduncle scapelike, to 15 cm.

Flowers

sepals persistent, ovate to suborbiculate, 4–6 mm;

petals pink- to red-purple, obovate, 10–15 mm;

stamens 25–45;

stigma 1, subcapitate, 3-lobed.

usually pedicellate, sometimes sessile or subsessile;

sepals deciduous or sometimes persistent, ovate, to 4.5 mm, apex sometimes purplish, acuminate-cornate, thickened;

petals light pink to purplish, elliptic to obovate, to 7 mm;

stamens (4–)5(–6);

stigma 1, subcapitate, sometimes stigmas 3-lobed, or 3, triangular.

Capsules

broadly ovoid, 6–7 mm.

ellipsoid or sometimes ovoid, sometimes obtusely trigonous, 3–5 mm.

Seeds

without arcuate ridges, 1 mm.

without arcuate ridges, 0.8–1 mm.

2n

= 24, 48.

= 24, 48.

Phemeranthus calycinus

Phemeranthus parviflorus

Phenology Flowering May–Oct. Flowering Apr–Sep.
Habitat Rocky or sandy soil, on or near outcrops Dry woodland, grassland, chaparral, scrub, canyon washes, mountain slopes and ledges, sandy, usually rocky soil, outcrops
Elevation 100-1200 m (300-3900 ft) 0-2700 m (0-8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CO; IL; KS; LA; MO; NE; NM; OK; TX
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from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CO; IA; IL; KS; LA; MN; MO; ND; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WY; n Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Some populations of Phemeranthus calycinus are diploid while others are tetraploid, the latter probably the result of autopolyploidy (W. H. Murdy and M. E. B. Carter 2001).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Over its extensive range, Phemeranthus parviflorus varies considerably in several characters, including overall size. Although this variation is more or less continuous, correlating very generally with habitat type and geographic location, some populations that are found toward the limits of the species’ range and that exhibit combinations of tendencies to extremes in the variable characters have been recognized separately. The Alabama populations, few and confined to a very small area on gneiss in the central part of the state, disjunct from the main trans-Mississippi distribution of P. parviflorus, with elongate stems, small flowers, and stigmas often three-lobed, or three instead of one, have been described as Talinum appalachianum. Plants from Arizona with stems slender and tending to elongate, sepals acuminate-cornate and usually purplish, and capsules ovoid have been described as T. gooddingii. Plants from the mountains of New Mexico with elongate stems, subsessile flowers, markedly congested cymes, and acuminate, often persistent sepals have been described as T. confertiflorum (P. confertiflorus).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 492. FNA vol. 4, p. 493.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Phemeranthus Portulacaceae > Phemeranthus
Sibling taxa
P. aurantiacus, P. brevicaulis, P. brevifolius, P. calcaricus, P. humilis, P. longipes, P. marginatus, P. mengesii, P. parviflorus, P. rugospermus, P. sediformis, P. spinescens, P. teretifolius, P. thompsonii, P. validulus
P. aurantiacus, P. brevicaulis, P. brevifolius, P. calcaricus, P. calycinus, P. humilis, P. longipes, P. marginatus, P. mengesii, P. rugospermus, P. sediformis, P. spinescens, P. teretifolius, P. thompsonii, P. validulus
Synonyms Talinum calycinum, Claytonia calycina Talinum parviflorum, P. confertiflorus, Talinum appalachianum, Talinum confertiflorum, Talinum fallax, Talinum gooddingii
Name authority (Engelmann) Kiger: Novon 11: 320. (2001) (Nuttall) Kiger: Novon 11: 320. (2001)
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