Calliandra is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains about 140 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

Description

The genus comprises herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, growing tall, with bipinnate leaves. The flowers are produced in cylindrical or globose inflorescences and have numerous long slender stamens which give rise to the common names powder-puff, powder puff plant, and fairy duster. These plants flower all year round, but the best blooming is in spring and summer. They can be easily pruned.

Calliandra are often fed on by caterpillars, such as the larvae of statira sulphur (Aphrissa statira). It is available in many vibrant colours such as pink, white, etc.

Species

The following is an alphabetical listing of the 153 species in the genus Genus that are accepted by Plants of the World Online

• Calliandra aeschynomenoides

• Calliandra angustifolia

• Calliandra antioquiae

• Calliandra asplenioides

• Calliandra bahiana

• Calliandra belizensis

• Calliandra bella

• Calliandra biflora

• Calliandra bifoliolata

• Calliandra bijuga

• Calliandra blanchetii

• Calliandra bombycina

• Calliandra brenesii

• Calliandra brevicaulis

• Calliandra bromelioides

• Calliandra caeciliae

• Calliandra californica

• Calliandra calothyrsus

• Calliandra calycina

• Calliandra carcerea

• Calliandra carrascana

• Calliandra chilensis

• Calliandra chulumania

• Calliandra coccinea

• Calliandra colimae

• Calliandra comosa

• Calliandra concinna

• Calliandra coriacea

• Calliandra crassipes

• Calliandra cruegeri

• Calliandra cualensis

• Calliandra × cumbucana

• Calliandra debilis

• Calliandra depauperata

• Calliandra dolichopoda

• Calliandra duckei

• Calliandra dysantha

• Calliandra elegans

• Calliandra enervis

• Calliandra emarginata

• Calliandra enervis

• Calliandra eriophylla

• Calliandra erubescens

• Calliandra erythrocephala

• Calliandra estebanensis

• Calliandra falcata

• Calliandra fasciculata

• Calliandra feioana

• Calliandra fernandesii

• Calliandra foliolosa

• Calliandra fuscipila

• Calliandra ganevii

• Calliandra gardneri

• Calliandra geraisensis

• Calliandra germana

• Calliandra gilbertii

• Calliandra glaziovii

• Calliandra glomerulata

• Calliandra glyphoxylon

• Calliandra grandiflora

• Calliandra grandifolia

• Calliandra guildingii

• Calliandra haematocephala

• Calliandra haematomma

• Calliandra harrisii

• Calliandra hintonii

• Calliandra hirsuta

• Calliandra hirsuticaulis

• Calliandra hirtiflora

• Calliandra hispidulocarpa

• Calliandra houstoniana

• Calliandra humilis

• Calliandra hygrophila

• Calliandra hymenaeoides

• Calliandra iligna

• Calliandra imbricata

• Calliandra imperialis

• Calliandra involuta

• Calliandra iselyi

• Calliandra jariensis

• Calliandra juzepczukii

• Calliandra laevis

• Calliandra lanata

• Calliandra laxa

• Calliandra leptopoda

• Calliandra lewisii

• Calliandra linearis

• Calliandra lintea

• Calliandra longipedicellata

• Calliandra longipes

• Calliandra longipinna

• Calliandra luetzelburgii

• Calliandra macqueenii

• Calliandra macrocalyx

• Calliandra magdalenae

• Calliandra mayana

• Calliandra medellinensis

• Calliandra molinae

• Calliandra mollissima

• Calliandra mucugeana

• Calliandra nebulosa

• Calliandra oroboensis

• Calliandra paganuccii

• Calliandra pakaraimensis

• Calliandra palmeri

• Calliandra paniculata

• Calliandra parviflora

• Calliandra parvifolia

• Calliandra paterna

• Calliandra pauciflora

• Calliandra pedicellata

• Calliandra peninsularis

• Calliandra physocalyx

• Calliandra pilgeriana

• Calliandra pilocarpa

• Calliandra pittieri

• Calliandra pityophila

• Calliandra prostrata

• Calliandra purdiei

• Calliandra purpurea

• Calliandra quetzal

• Calliandra redacta

• Calliandra renvoizeana

• Calliandra rhodocephala

• Calliandra ricoana

• Calliandra rigida

• Calliandra riparia

• Calliandra rubescens

• Calliandra samik

• Calliandra santosiana

• Calliandra seleri

• Calliandra selloi

• Calliandra semisepulta

• Calliandra sesquipedalis

• Calliandra sessilis

• Calliandra silvicola

• Calliandra sincorana

• Calliandra spinosa

• Calliandra squarrosa

• Calliandra staminea

• Calliandra stelligera

• Calliandra subspicata

• Calliandra surinamensis

• Calliandra taxifolia

• Calliandra tehuantepecensis

• Calliandra tergemina

• Calliandra tolimensis

• Calliandra trinervia

• Calliandra tsugoides

• Calliandra tumbeziana

• Calliandra tweediei

• Calliandra ulei

• Calliandra umbellifera

• Calliandra vaupesiana

• Calliandra virgata

• Calliandra viscidula

Formerly placed here

• Havardia pallens (Benth.) Britton & Rose (as C. pallens Benth.)

• Viguieranthus alternans (Benth.) Villiers (as C. alternans Benth. and as C. thouarsiana Baill.)

• Zapoteca caracasana (Jacq.) H.M.Hern. (as C. caracasana (Jacq.) Benth.)

• Zapoteca formosa subsp. formosa (as C. formosa (Kunth) Benth. and C. marginata Griseb. ex R.O.Williams)

• Zapoteca formosa subsp. schottii (Torr. & S.Watson) H.M.Hern. (as C. schottii Torr. & S.Watson)

• Zapoteca portoricensis (Jacq.) H.M.Hern. (as C. portoricensis (Jacq.) Benth.)

• Zapoteca tetragona (Willd.) H.M.Hern. (as C. tetragona (Willd.) Benth.)

Gallery

References