Calliandra calothyrsus - Spiked Powder Puff

Spiked Powder Puff is an unusual Powderpuff with flowers borne in 10-30 cm long spike-like clusters. Flower sepals and petals are green, calyx 2 mm long, corolla 5-6 mm long. The numerous red stamina! filaments are 4-6 cm long. It is a small tree, 2-12 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm, with white to red brown bark and a dense canopy. Leaves are double-compound and alternate, the rachis is 10-19 cm long, without glands; pinnae are 6-20 jugate; rachilla are 2-11 cm long; there are 19-60 pairs of leaflets; leaflets are linear, oblong and acute, 5-8 x 1 mm. Fruits are broadly linear, flattened, 8-11 cm x 1 cm linear oblong with thickened and raised margins, finely pubescent or glabrous, brown dehiscent, 8(12) seeded. Seeds are ellipsoid, flattened, 5-7 mm long and mottled dark brown. The plant is native to the humid and subhumid regions of Central America and Mexico and is cultivated in India among other places.