Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Decumbent or trailing, numerous, 8 to 40 inches long, silky-hairy.
- Leaves
- Alternate, simple, linear to elliptic, 1/5 to 4/5 inch long; surfaces silky-hairy, margins entire; tips pointed or usually with a short, brownish spine.
- Inflorescence
- Solitary flowers in leaf axils; stalks 1/5 to 1.2 inch long, pubescent.
- Flower
- Sepals 4 or 5, distinct, conspicuous, ovate-lanceolate, 1/3 to 2/5 inch long, unequal, wine-red to reddish-brown, pubescent; petals 5 unequal; upper 3 long-clawed, red or purplish; lower 2 small, thick, sessile, greenish; stamens 4.
- Fruit
- Spherical, 1/4 to 1/3 inch in diameter, woolly, 1-seeded, covered with sharp prickles.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Dry, rocky prairie hillsides, ravines, and roadsides; rocky, gravelly or sandy soils.
- Distribution
- South 1/4 of Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
There is only one genus in this New World family. Ratany is partially parasitic. It forms small suckers that penetrate the roots of nearby plants.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Krameriaceae - Ratany Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- Decumbent or prostrate
- Last Updated
- 2008-02-10
Color Groups
Pink, Red & Orange Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July