Calandrinia ciliata Red Maids
ANNUAL. Whole plant fleshy and succulent. Basal rosette
of straplike leaves, with smaller leaves on flowerstalk. Flowers
are about 1 cm, with five round magenta, purple, or white petals.
Blooms in March-April; plants wither by the end of May. Flowers bloom
one or two at a time and last less than a day. Most of the time the
plant looks like the photo above. Sepals have thick, hairlike projections,
hence the specific name. A lower desert plant that is uncommon on
hot, dry, rocky hilltops in the Empires.
FAMILY: Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)