Plant of the Month ~~ November 2013
updated on or about the 1st of each month
Red Maids
- Common Name(s): Red Maids
- Scientific Name: Calandrinia ciliata
- Family: Purslane, Portulacacae family
- Plant Type: annual
- Size: low-growing up to 15 inches high
- Common Habitat: grassy areas and woodland edges
Red Maids are low-growing annuals with spreading and branching stems. Blooming time is from February to June.
The pink-magenta flowers are 3/4 inch in diameter with 5 petals and many white-yellow stamens. They appear at the tops of the stems in a leafy raceme. The hairless alternating lance shaped leaves are light-green, 1 to 3 inches long and spaced sparsely up the stems.
The genus Calandrinia is named after Jean Louis Calandrini, a Swiss professor in the 18th century. The species name ciliata refers to the fringing on the petals.
Contributed by Liz Baumann
Curious what was featured in past Plants of the Month? Search the Archives.
References:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuleyFlowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale
Roadside Plants of Southern California, by Thomas J. Belzer
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien
California Herbal Remedies, by LoLo Westrich