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Taxon  Report  
Cistanthe ambigua  (S. Watson) Carolin ex Hershk.
Desert cistanthe ,   Desert Pussypaws
Cistanthe ambigua is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Cistanthe
Family: Montiaceae  
(Portulacaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Equally likely to occur in wetlands and non wetlands

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JEF + PLANTSCalandrinia ambigua
Information about  Cistanthe ambigua from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CIAM3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Monospecific Genus: Thingia is a monospecific genus of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae comprised only by the species Thingia ambigua, known as desert pussypaws. It is native to northwestern Mexico, California, and Arizona, and is found commonly on sandy or silty soil. The sole species of the genus has been housed under several genera before it was split into Thingia: Claytonia in 1882, Calandrinia in 1893, and Cistanthe in 1990. DNA evidence demonstrated that the relationship of Thingia ambigua, then Cistanthe ambigua, to the next closest relative in Cistanthe, C. tweedyi, was actually disjointed. It was found that the two species were most closely related to completely separate South American taxa. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/21/2024).