Common throughout all of the Southwest, the Mallows range in size from small herbs 5 or 6 inches high to coarse, straggling, woody-stemmed plants with stems 4 or 5 feet long. Their flowers range in color from white and pale yellow to lavender, apricot, and red. Some species, including Ambigua, grow in large clumps with as many as 100 stems from a single root. The smaller species often cover the desert floor in early spring with a dense growth of flowers giving an apricot tinge to the landscape. Several species flower in spring and again after the summer rains.
A local belief that hairs of the plant are irritating to the eyes has given the name “Sore-eye Poppies,” an appellation carried out in the Mexican name Mal-de-ojos. In Lower California, Mallows are called Plantas Muy Malas, meaning very bad plants. In contrast, the Pima Indian name is translated to mean “a cure for sore eyes.”
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Calliandra eriophylla
Common names: FAIRYDUSTER, FALSE-MESQUITE, (MESQUITILLA), HAIRY-LEAVED CALLIANDRA Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Calliandra eriophylla). Pink. February-May. Pea family. Size: From a few inches up to 3½ feet tall.
This straggling, perennial shrub with fine, Mimosa-type leaves is common over much of the desert, lining banks of arroyos or dotting open hillsides. It is particularly conspicuous when in flower because of the spectacular tassel-like blossoms which are white and scarlet, or generally pink in appearance. The small leaves are nutritious and are highly palatable to deer and to livestock. The petite Fairyduster adds much to the color and springtime atmosphere of the desert. It is particularly noticeable along the base of the Tanque Verde hills in Saguaro National Monument.
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Eriogonum deflexum
