Fallugia paradoxa (apache plume)

Fallugia paradoxa (D. Don) Endl. ex Torr.

Apache plume

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Fallugia	For Italian botanist Abbot Virgilio Fallugi (Falugi) of Vallombrosa (1627-1707), originally named Filippo Fallugi
Species	paradoxa	Unusual, paradoxical

About plant names...

Apache plume is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The name is a reference to its unusal fruits, silky plumes that resemble Apache headdresses. It occupies desert woodlands, scrubs, and other arid habitats, between 4000-8000' (1.2-2.4 km).

Plants: Shrubs are up to 6½' (2 m) tall, multiply branched, with gray or whitish peeling bark. Depending upon conditions, they may be deciduous or more or less evergreen.

Leaves: Leaves are about ⅜" (1 cm) long, deeply lobed, with the edges rolled under. Dark green leaves are hairy on top, and silvery underneath.

Flowers: Delicate, five-petaled flowers are 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) around. Flower centers contain dozens of yellow stamens. They appear from April to August, depending upon location.

Fruits: Pink, feathery, silky, long-lasting plumes are distinctive. There is a small fruit at the base of each plume.

Online References:

Fallugia paradoxa on Wikipedia

Fallugia paradoxa at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Fallugia paradoxa on www.americansouthwest.net

Fallugia paradoxa on aces.nmsu.edu

Fallugia paradoxa on CalPhotos

Fallugia paradoxa on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

8/26/2014 · Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center, Grants, NM
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 5 × 4½" (13 × 12 cm)

Fallugia paradoxa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

8/26/2014 · Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center, Grants, NM
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 4½ × 4½" (12 × 11 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 5 × 7" (13 × 16 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM · By Susan M. Kent

8/26/2014 · Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center, Grants, NM
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

5/22/2009 · Wupatki National Monument, AZ
≈ 18 × 22" (45 × 55 cm)

8/26/2014 · Lava Falls, Malpais National Monument, El Malpais, NM
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

Range: Zones 6-10:

About this map...