Squaw apple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PeraphyllumPeraphyllum ramosissimum |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Peraphyllum
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| Species: |
ramosissimum
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Peraphyllum is a special group of flowering plants. It belongs to the rose family. There is only one type of plant in this group. It is called Peraphyllum ramosissimum. People often call it the squaw apple or wild crab apple.
The name Peraphyllum comes from Greek words. It means "very leafy." The name ramosissimum means "many branches." This plant is related to other plants like Amelanchier, Malacomeles, Crataegus, and Mespilus.
Where It Grows
Peraphyllum ramosissimum grows in several parts of the western United States. You can find it in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. It usually grows in forests with pine and juniper trees.
In California, it lives in places like the High Cascades mountains. It also grows in the High Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin. You can even find it in "sky islands" in the Mojave Desert. Sky islands are tall mountains surrounded by deserts.
What It Looks Like
Peraphyllum ramosissimum is a shrub. A shrub is a woody plant that is smaller than a tree. It has many branches from the ground. This shrub can grow up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) tall.
It produces small fruits called pomes. A pome is a type of fruit like an apple. These pome fruits are about 1 centimeter (about 0.4 inches) wide. The leaves are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets. They can grow very close together on short branches. On longer branches, the leaves are more spread out.
Its Flowers
Like most plants in the rose family, Peraphyllum ramosissimum has flowers with five petals. It also has five sepals. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. The flowers have radial symmetry. This means they look the same if you turn them around.
Each flower has about 15 to 20 stamens. Stamens are the parts of the flower that make pollen. The petals of the flowers can be white or a light rose color.
See also
In Spanish: Peraphyllum para niños
