#krameriaceae

[syngoniums]

Krameria lanceolata. The phone struggles with photographing this one because it's both small and eye-searingly pink.

[cedar-glade]

Trailing Lance Leaved Rhatany , False Grass Pink, or False Sandbur Grass

Krameria lanceolata

I was going to make a post about this species much earlier, like in May when it blooms, but, I wanted to find information to make a decent post about a plant that's so cool. 

First let's get the common names out of way. I feel like it’s easy to see why someone could look at this plant from a far and think that it looked similar to the Oklahoma Grass Pink Orchid,  Calopogon oklahomensis, by shape and habitat location. The other name describing deception refers to its lance like leaves, sheathing morphological character, and swollen spike ball of a seed pod that looks similar to Sandburs. For it’s more common common name *coughs* it is more based upon it’s growth habit and morphology. 

The real interesting part is floral morphology at its ecological behavior in a prairie and how it’s related to other dicots. 

Krameria species in all respects are hemiparasitic organisms, meaning they get their nutrients from both parasitism and photosynthesis. Kameria parasitism is specialized form of hemiparasitism though. Where most hemiparasites and parasites focus on sugars this parasite has a widened root haustorium thats main focus is on water intake. Why would a parasite want water more than sugar in some cases?  In the part of Oklahoma where I found this species It gets extremely hot and some plants have adopted ways to retain water or have enlarged tap routes or specialized organs to store water so they can photosynthesize when water is not present, other plants can shut off photosynthesis and boost anthocyanin production or close leaves. Krameria lanceolata has no such adaptation but can still healthily photosynthesize and be more productive than it’s neighbors because of its ability to use its haustorium to siphon water from other plants near by. These haustorium become practically available upon germination and the way they actively search for a host is still being researched.

For more check out:  http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US19780288905

The other thing that is so fascinating to me is their morphology as a product of coevolution with a specific prairie sand bee that collects oil, in the genus Centris. Krameria lanceolata focuses on different glandular utilitie sites instead of the common nectaries found within’ most dicots. These glandular sites are found on the central junction where the pseudo-lobelia and a type of stigmatic surface above the ovaries meet. The pseudo-column has a tuft of anthers at the top as well and as the female fly collects oil for its larva feed it will no doubt cause pollination in such a tight quarter. 

also check out: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4393807?casa_token=4xNjSD2V6MkAAAAA:i9vP87ACUVqptU1XArBMOoR4atMJzzdwZ4_Dw8ULd1GsG_vYJS2CJ3lU7_MlMDFzPRVMlgTKHfYyGpn34ZpT_gXxBQRkV1luwK_bFnisKbB-1hOSlv24&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

and https://www.jstor.org/stable/2441040?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

As for the placement, Phylogenetics is still giving limited answers to where this plant should be place, analysis of pollen has also come out short. So honestly, I can’t wait till more is figured out about this family that used to be assumed as a tribe under Fabaceae or Polygalaceae 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2442860?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Profile : http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Krameria+lanceolata

Any way sorry for not posting this earlier, I just wanted to make sure I could explain this plant a little bit. 

[brittanyeburgard]

Fruits of Krameria bicolor (white o range ratany en inglés, y cósahui, guisapol colorado, mezquitillo, chacaté, o mamelique en español) distinguishable from K. erecta by the absence of lateral compression and the presence of a whorl of recurved barbs at the apex. Barbs of K. erecta are scattered near but not at the spine tips. When not flowering, both species tend to look like a messy heap of grey-green sticks, but they produce an abundance of lovely little magenta flowers. I think they could make intriguing accent shrubs in xeriscaping (landscaping requiring little to no irrigation), as they're interesting natives of the desert Southwest. Because they’re more prolific flower producers with plenty of water, placing them near structures or low spots would allow them access to runoff. Both species can be used medicinally and as dye. #Krameriaceae #KrameriaBicolor #ratany #landscaping #horticulture #xeriscaping #xeriscape #waterconservation #arizona #SonoranDesert #nativeplants #botanize #botany #plants #nature #naturephotography #plantstagram #fuzzy #ethnobotany #naturaldye #medicinalplants (at Cave Creek, Arizona)

[sempervirens]

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the California Deserts [22/?]

Rhatany (Krameria spp.)

Krameria is the only genus in the Krameriaceae family.

Alternate leaves, purple flowers, thorns. Seeds have hooked barbs.

Medicinal: High in tannins, making it a good astringent. Ingest as a tincture to stop diarrhea or add into a wound salve to heal bleeding topical wounds.

[syngoniums]

We came across an unfamiliar cemetery while driving around today and decided to have a look around. Older cemeteries frequently harbor interesting species. A few pipevine swallowtails fluttering around gave me hope I'd finally encounter my #1 wishlist wildflower, Aristolochia erecta, but no such luck. I did find this peculiar and beautiful little trailing plant with a lip like an orchid and spiky seedpods. A guidebook identified it as trailing ratany, Krameria lanceolata.