Apacheria chiricahuensis

Apacheria chiricahuensis

Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Crossosomatales
Family: Crossosomataceae
Genus: Apacheria
C.T.Mason
Species: A. chiricahuensis
Binomial name
Apacheria chiricahuensis
C.T.Mason[1]

Apacheria chiricahuensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Crossosomataceae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Apacheria.[2] It is known by the common names Chiricahua rock flower, cliff brittlebush, and Apache bush.[3] The genus is named in honor of the Apache people who inhabit the region; the specific epithet refers to the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County, Arizona.[4][5]

This plant is a shrub up to half a meter tall and one meter wide. The hard, spine-like twigs are lined with opposite clusters of leaves each a few millimeters long. The solitary flowers have four white to cream-colored, or occasionally pink, petals 5 to 6 millimeters long. The fruit is a follicle with 1 or 2 brown seeds.[3]

Apacheria is similar to Crossosoma species, which can be differentiated by their alternate leaves and five-parted flowers.[3]

This plant grows in many types of rocky desert habitat, such as cliffs, riparian woodlands, and chaparral.[3]

References

  1. Mason, C. T. (1975). Apacheria chiricahuensis: a new genus and species from Arizona. Madroño 23(3):105-108.
  2. NatureServe. 2014. Apacheria chiricahuensis. NatureServe Explorer.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Apacheria chiricahuensis. Plant Abstracts. Arizona Game and Fish Department.
  4. Mason, C. T. 1992. Crossomataceae, Crossosoma Family. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 26:7-9.
  5. Apacheria chiricahuensis. New Mexico Rare Plants Technical Council.
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