Range Ratany
Krameria erecta
(K. parvifolia)
Drawn from life specimen. Enlarged flower, fruit, and fruit spine at lower right.
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FLOWERS: Deep pink to purplish flowers have an unusual and complex morphology. Oil
glands are attended by bees.
SHRUB: A small shrub less than one meter tall, often sprawling. Twigs
and stems usually dark.
FRUIT: Spherical to heart-shaped capsules are maroon-green while developing and have
barbed, but soft, spines. The barbs are scattered along the spine as shown in the enlargement.
RANGE: Fairly common on dry rocky slopes in the Sonoran Desert. The
roots of Krameria tap into the roots of other shrubs to parasitize their
mineral/water gathering abilities.
LEAVES: Small elliptic leaves are pointed at tip and are tomentose.
Another common name is Little-leaf Ratany.
ARMED. The branch tip are weakly spined.
Observed at Bumblebee, Yavapai Co., Arizona. 24 May 2015