Fallugia paradoxa

Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa) is very common around out little homestead. There are thickets of it all along the banks of the Ol’ Guajolote. It tends to spread by rhizomes to create those thickets and they certainly bind the soil along that creek. When this native shrub is in “bloom and plume” it’s gorgeous. If you were to plant one or two in your habitat, be aware that they do get large, as in 6’ X 6’, and don’t forget “the rhizome thing”. Maybe one is enough.

A quick note about the suffix…not the noun…anus. In Botanical Latin or Zoological Latin it means belonging to or pertaining to. And if you want to know more about Botanical Latin or you can’t sleep at night this book might help: Botanical Latin, History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary by William T. Stearn.  Now that’s not to say you can’t fall to floor giggling when pronouncing the suffix anus with the correct long “a”.   Life is short and giggling like a third grader is a very good thing.

The photos are mine.  I love the ants in the flower. Do you suspect they’re gathering nectar? Me too. And don’t you love the close up of the persistent styles? Oh yeah.