Fairy duster

Still another native wildflower I found at the botanical garden in Tucson named Tohono Chul on October 1, 2014, was Calliandra eriophylla, known fancifully as fairy duster. If you see some resemblance to the flowers of the sensitive briar and fragrant mimosa and feather dalea that have appeared in these pages, that’s because all are in the Fabaceae, or bean family. (And if you’ve ever heard of or eaten fava beans, you’ll understand why botanists chose the name Fabaceae for the bean family.)

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman