Krameria bicolor
Desert hemiparasitic shrub in the Krameriaceae with stiff blue-green spinose stems, sparse leaves, purple flowers, oil-secreting petals, and spiny fruits, native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, partly parasitic on creosote, and historically used for dyes in Seri basketry.
Common Names
White Rhatany, White Ratany, Crimson-Beak, Chacate, Cosahui, Range Ratany, Guisapol Colorado, Mezquitillo, Mamelique
Summary
White Ratany is a perennial desert shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, typically 0.2–0.8 m tall with densely branched, stiff, angular stems and spinose tips; leaves are sparse or occasionally absent, and old stems are blue-green; flowers are solitary with purple to deep red-pink sepals and oil-secreting glandular petals, and the fruit is globose to broadly circular with spines bearing amber recurved barbs, flowering from Mar–Sept.
It grows in deserts below 1100 m and is adapted to dry desert conditions, with tolerance for higher soil moisture; it is hemiparasitic, obtaining water and nutrients from nearby hosts such as creosote bush, and practical uses include a dye source for Seri basketry and ethnobotanical applications as a wash for sores, eye medicine, and remedies for pain, coughs, fevers, sore throats, and swelling.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
8-24 inches
Spread
2 feet
Soil Type
Dry, rocky, sandy, and lime soils.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Soil pH
Alkaline soils (lime soils)
Bloom Color
Purple
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Grey-green to greenish, canescent
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Perennial
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- S.Watson
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 21: 417 (1886)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Zygophyllales
- Family
- Krameriaceae
- Genus
- Krameria