Cistanthe

Cistanthe
	Cistanthe umbellata at Mount Rainier National Park
	Cistanthe sp. at Yosemite National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Montiaceae
Genus:	Cistanthe; Spach (1836)
Species
	45-50 - See text
Synonyms
	Philippiamra Kuntze (1891); Rhodopsis Lilja (1840); Tegneria Lilja (1839); Silvaea Phil. (1860);

Cistanthe is a plant genus which includes most plants known as pussypaws. These are small, succulent flowering plants which often bear brightly colored flowers, though they vary quite a bit between species in appearance. Some species have flowers that are tightly packed into fluffy-looking inflorescences, the trait that gives them their common name.

The genus has a disjunct distribution, with species in California and northeastern Mexico, on the Mexican Pacific Islands, and western and southern South America from Peru to northern and central Chile to northwestern and southern Argentina.^[1]

Many are adapted to arid environments, with some able to withstand climates that almost completely lack rainfall. Cistanthe was a genus created to segregate several species previously classified in Calandrinia. Several species from other closely related genera have been moved into Cistanthe as well.

Species

As of April 2024^[update], Plants of the World Online accepts 46 species.^[1]

Cistanthe aegialitis (F.Phil. ex Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe amarantoides (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe arancioana Peralta
Cistanthe arenaria (Cham.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe cabrerae (Añon) Peralta
Cistanthe cachinalensis (Phil.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
Cistanthe calycina (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe celedoniana J.M.Watson & A.R.Flores
Cistanthe celosioides (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe cephalophora (I.M.Johnst.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe chamissoi (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe chrysantha (I.M.Johnst.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
Cistanthe coquimbensis (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe crassifolia (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe cymosa (Phil.) Hershk.
Cistanthe densiflora (Barnéoud) Hershk.
Cistanthe fenzlii (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe floresiorum J.M.Watson
Cistanthe frigida (Barnéoud) Peralta
Cistanthe grandiflora (Lindl.) Schltdl.
Cistanthe guadalupensis (M.G.Dudley) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe humilis (Phil.) Peralta
Cistanthe josetomasallendeana Hershk.
Cistanthe lamprosperma (I.M.Johnst.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
Cistanthe laxiflora (Phil.) Peralta & D.I.Ford
Cistanthe lingulata (Ruiz & Pav.) Hershk.
Cistanthe litoralis (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe longiscapa (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe maritima (Nutt.) Carolin ex Hershk. - seaside pussypaws
Cistanthe minuscula (Añon) Peralta
Cistanthe mucronulata (Meyen) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe neonominata J.M.Watson
Cistanthe oblongifolia (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe paniculata (DC.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe philhershkovitziana Hershk.
Cistanthe picta (Gillies ex Arn.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe salsoloides (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe sitiens (I.M.Johnst.) J.M.Watson & A.R.Flores
Cistanthe stricta (Phil.) Peralta
Cistanthe subspeciosa Hershk.
Cistanthe subverticillata (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe thyrsoidea (Reiche) Peralta & D.I.Ford
Cistanthe tovarii A.Galán
Cistanthe trigona (Colla) Hershk.
Cistanthe vicina (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
Cistanthe weberbaueri (Diels) Carolin ex Hershk.

Formerly placed here

Calyptridium parryi - Parry's pussypaws (as Cistanthe parryi)
Calyptridium pulchellum - Mariposa pussypaws (as Cistanthe pulchella)
Calyptridium pygmaeum - pygmy pussypaws (as Cistanthe pygmaea)
Calyptridium quadripetalum - fourpetal pussypaws (as Cistanthe quadripetala)
Thingia ambigua - desert pussypaws (as Cistanthe ambigua (S.Watson) Carolin ex Hershk.)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Cistanthe Spach. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 7 April 2024.

Species

Formerly placed here

References

Further reading