Mat rock spiraea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mat rock spiraea |
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| subspecies caespitosum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Petrophytum
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| Species: |
caespitosum
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Petrophytum caespitosum is a cool flowering plant that belongs to the rose family. People often call it the mat rock spiraea.
This plant naturally grows in the Western United States. You can find it in mountains, from the Sierra Nevada to the Rocky Mountains. It loves to grow on limestone rocks in forests and woodlands.
What is Mat Rock Spiraea?
The mat rock spiraea is a very low-growing shrub. It spreads out like a carpet, sometimes up to 80 centimeters (about 31 inches) wide. It often creeps right over rocks!
This plant is super tough. It can even grow on the sides of cliffs. Its roots are amazing at clinging to tiny cracks in the rock, letting the plant hang down. Its stems are thick but very short. They are covered with lots of oval-shaped leaves that grow in pretty rosette patterns.
Flowers and Seeds
The mat rock spiraea produces many inflorescences, which are like spikes of flowers. These flower spikes grow on straight stalks called peduncles, which can be up to 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) tall.
Each flower spike is packed with tiny flowers. Every flower has five small white petals. They also have many whiskery stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. Usually, each flower has about five fuzzy pistils, which are the parts that will become seeds.
After the flowers bloom, their parts dry up and might fall off. What's left behind are small developing fruits called follicles. These follicles hold the seeds for new plants.
