Desert garden plant I.D. help, please
May 20, 2013 7:24 PM Subscribe
This very pretty flowering plant lives in a cultivated desert garden in south-western Arizona; I don't think it is a native plant (although I could be wrong!) but it was purchased in a garden center for planting in the area. Unfortunately, the tag on the plant was lost - can anyone tell me what plant it is? Thanks for any help!
The leaves make me think acacia, and a Google image search for acacia flowers shows some similar looking flowers.
posted by Bruce H. at 7:31 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by Bruce H. at 7:31 PM on May 20, 2013
Some type of Albizia, most likely.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:32 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by oneirodynia at 7:32 PM on May 20, 2013
... possibly Albizia rubra, though you would need to key it out to know for sure.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:42 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by oneirodynia at 7:42 PM on May 20, 2013
It also looks like a Callistemon "Little John". It's a dwarf version of a bottlebrush tree.
posted by cecic at 7:42 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by cecic at 7:42 PM on May 20, 2013
Nope, not Callistemon; the leaves are wrong. I agree, it's a mimosa. It will get large and showy with the flowers all on the outside and top. However, it is messy underneath.
posted by eleslie at 7:45 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by eleslie at 7:45 PM on May 20, 2013
Best answer: That, I believe, is the Fairy Duster.
posted by kbar1 at 7:47 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by kbar1 at 7:47 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not Callistemon- the leaves on Callistemon are simple, while those of the plant in the photo are pinnate.
It's also not a true Mimosa because it has more than ten stamens.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:48 PM on May 20, 2013
It's also not a true Mimosa because it has more than ten stamens.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:48 PM on May 20, 2013
Best answer: That, I believe, is the Fairy Duster.
That's probably more likely than Albizia- it's more often seen in these parts as a shrub (though both Albiza and Calliandra can be trees or shrubs), generally, and your image looks shrubby. The big difference between Albizia and Calliandra according to the key I have is that Calliandra fruits are dehiscent, meaning the pods split right open on the plant, and in Albizia they are not.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:12 PM on May 20, 2013
That's probably more likely than Albizia- it's more often seen in these parts as a shrub (though both Albiza and Calliandra can be trees or shrubs), generally, and your image looks shrubby. The big difference between Albizia and Calliandra according to the key I have is that Calliandra fruits are dehiscent, meaning the pods split right open on the plant, and in Albizia they are not.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:12 PM on May 20, 2013
Oddly enough I was looking up this plant earlier, or something incredibly similar. Where I am, it's called a mimosa tree or silk tree. The scientific name is Albizia julibrissin.
posted by Gneisskate at 8:21 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by Gneisskate at 8:21 PM on May 20, 2013
Response by poster: Wow, it *is* a native plant! Thank you so very much - as close as I can tell from the photos, it looks like a Calliandra eriophylla - lovely looking thing, and my Dad will be very happy to be able to give it a name. Thanks again!
posted by faineant at 8:49 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by faineant at 8:49 PM on May 20, 2013
Looks like the mimosa I planted in my back yard. Grows fast. This one gets its leaves later than other stuff...ours just got its leaves last week. Flowers are really pretty. Hummers love them.
We planted the tree about five years ago, about 18" tall, and now it's about 15 feet tall and quite bushy. Imported from China a couple of centuries ago, but I believe other types of mimosa are native to North America, including those shy grasses, that fold up when you touch them.
posted by mule98J at 10:55 PM on May 20, 2013
We planted the tree about five years ago, about 18" tall, and now it's about 15 feet tall and quite bushy. Imported from China a couple of centuries ago, but I believe other types of mimosa are native to North America, including those shy grasses, that fold up when you touch them.
posted by mule98J at 10:55 PM on May 20, 2013
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posted by kellyblah at 7:26 PM on May 20, 2013