Boerhavia triquetra

Boerhavia triquetra
B. triquetra var. intermedia
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nyctaginaceae
Genus:	Boerhavia
Species:	B. triquetra
Binomial name
Boerhavia triquetra S.Watson
Synonyms
Boerhavia erecta var. intermedia (M. E. Jones) Kearney & Peebles Boerhavia intermedia M. E. Jones Boerhavia universitatis Standl.

Boerhavia triquetra, commonly known as creeping sticky stem, five-wing spiderling, slender spiderling, or spiderling, is an annual species of spiderling plant in the four o'clock family (Nyctaginaceae).

Description

This species of plant is an annual herb that is somewhat variable in appearance, but in general it is loosely clumping, raising erect stems up to half a metre in height. It has lance-shaped, wavy-margined leaves and bears a branching inflorescence of clustered or singular flowers, each pale pink flower only one or two millimetres across. The clustered fruits that appear afterwards are tiny club-shaped, ridged achenes less than 3 mm long. This is a hardy plant, growing in arid, rocky, or disturbed areas, and often showing up as a roadside weed.

Distribution and habitat

This species is a fairly widespread in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is native to California and Arizona, in habitats of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert.

External links

• Calflora Database: Boerhavia triquetra (Creeping sticky stem, Slender spiderling)
• Calflora Database: Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia (Fivewing spiderling) — formerly Boerhavia intermedia.
• Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia — formerly Boerhavia intermedia.
• UC CalPhotos gallery of Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia