Calliandra houstoniana a fascinating flower

Laguna Grande is a lagoon found in the Río Sarstún area. On our first expedition day in October we sailed along the shore to document the species of flora and fauna that inhabit the place. Calliandra (Calliandra houstoniana) was one of the most photogenic flowers we found. This flower is color red and with the air you can see how its stamens fly, that is why it is normally angel hair, old man's beard, angel head, cinnamon stick, cinnamon, coquito or angel grass (names in Spanish).

Calliandra houstoniana is a shrub that grows on the edges of plots and banks of some bodies of water both in the tropics and in temperate parts, in areas with an average annual temperature between 22 and 28 ° C. It is a native plant of Mexico and Central America. This plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, however, its genus is still under discussion as it is also related to the genera Acacia, Anneslia and even Mimosa.

It is used for shade in coffee plantations and in agroforestry systems, as livestock feed, green manure and a source of firewood. The bark is considered medicinal

Entada-polystachya-bejuco-de-agua-rio-chocon-machacas

Calliandra (Calliandra houstoniana) at Laguna Grande, Rio Sarstun, Livingston. October, 2021. Photo by Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth, FLAAR Mesoamerica.

Botanical Description

Habit	Shrub
Size	Up to 6m high.
Stem	Few thin erect branches where it blooms.
Leaves	Alternate up to 25 cm long, composed of rachis with up to 5 to 15 pairs of secondary axes with narrow leaflets of up to 11mm.
Inflorescence	Set of 3 to 5 sessile flowers in the form of a terminal panicle.
Flowers	Showy red stamens, thicker red style, white miniature petals.
Fruits and seeds	Legumes up to 12cm reddish brown covered with trichomes with oblong, flattened seeds.