Slender Spiderling (Boerhavia triquetra) v. intermedia

   
 

Slender Spiderling (Boerhavia triquetra v. intermedius), near Paradise, Chiricahua Mountains, AZ. Photograph by Wynn Anderson.

 

Upper surface of leaf, near Columbus, Luna Co., NM, and underside of leaf, near Paradise, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise Co., AZ. Photographs by Wynn Anderson.

Flowers and fruit, near Paradise, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise Co., AZ. Photograph by Wynn Anderson.

• Common English Names: Slender Spiderling
• Common Spanish Names: Mochis
• Scientific Name: Boerhavia triquetra v. intermedia (beer-HAH-vee-uh tri-KEH-tra variety in-ter-MEAD-ee-uh)
• Family: Nyctaginaceae (Four-o'clock Family)
• Geographic Range: Sandy or gravelly soils in desertic scrub and arid grassland, disturbed areas, from California, Baja California, Arizona, and Sonora in the Sonoran Desert (mostly variety triquetra), and east into southern New Mexico, western Texas, Chihuahua, southwestern Coahuila, northeastern Durango (variety intermedia).
• Description: Herbaceous annual, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent, stems often reddish, pubescent, slender, and moderately to much branched, each middle to upper internode with a rather prominent sticky brown band; leaves mostly basal, broadly ovate or oval to lanceolate, upper surface usually glabrous, lower glabrous or glabrate, sometime punctate with areas of small brown cells; small campanulate flowers, whitish to pale pink or purplish, in terminal umbels or sub-umbels, but sometimes single flowers, on diffusely forked, strongly ascending branches.
• Notes: The purpose of the viscid, sticky internodal rings or bands on the middle to upper stems of the inflorescences of many Boerhavia species as well as other members of the Four O'clock family is unknown. Some suggest they serve a barrier to protect flowers from ants and crawling insect herbivores. Others suggest they may serve a semi-carnivorous purpose, supplying extra nutriments absorbed from trapped insects and windblown organic matter at the time of flowering.

Last Update: 7 Oct 2013