Scarlet Spiderling. Boerhavia coccinea, Four O'Clock Family ( Nyctaginaceae ) , Scarlet Spiderling. Also called: Red Spiderling, Indian Boerhaavia, Wine Flower, Hierba Del Cancer, Hierba De La Hormiga. We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Scarlet spiderling is a perennial, evergreen herb with prostrate to decumbent branching stems. In Arizona it spreads or climbs to about 3 feet in length. It has a long, ropelike, and woody taproot. The leaves are usually distributed evenly throughout the plant and into the inflorescence. It usually flowers after the monsoon season rains in Arizona. Quick Notes: Height: About 10 inches to 36 inches high. Spreading out to about 3 foot wide. Flowers: The flower appears to be a brilliant red to majenta color, Up to 0.125 inches wide on tight custers on its stems in leaf axils. Stalk: Several erect, sparsely leaved stems with red, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in a long, open, interrupted cluster. When the plant is not flowering, there are no stems. Flowering Time: May to November/December in Arizona, although it more commonly flowers from August to October, after monsoon rains. Fruit: Green - gray, spineless fruit, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, 3/4 to 1 inches in diameter dry when ripe. Seeds 3/10 inches in diameter, rounded, smooth, and cream colored. Seeds: Seedpods 1 - 1 1/2" long, 3/8 - 1/2" in diameter; a cylindrical pod; short-pointed at ends, reddish; maturing in summer, remaining attached, often opening late; many elliptical flattened shiny brown; seeds. Leaves: The leaves are simple, entire, estipulate, and opposite. They are also thick and hairy. Found: Native plant, found throughout higher elevations in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Texas. Hardiness: USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 �C (-10 �F) USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 �C (-5 �F) USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 �C (0 �F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 �C (5 �F) USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) Soil pH requirements: 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: 130 - 7,000 Feet. Habitat: On roadsides, sandy plains, rocky sides of stream beds, and mesas in arid grasslands, desert scrub, scrub oak, and pinyon-juniper woodlands in the south and southwestern USA. Also worldwide. Miscellaneous: There are 12 species of Boerhaavia in Arizona. Flowering Photos Taken September 30, 2006 amd 2008. Yarnell, Arizona. The flowers offer nectar for pollinators.

Click On Any Of The Following Links By Amazon.Com
For Books, & Videos About Wildflowers Of Arizona & The Southwest USA. No Obligation!