Phemeranthus spinescens
{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Phemeranthus spinescens JHT iNat-216192567.1.jpg
| status = G4
| status_system = TNC
| status_ref = {{cite NatureServe |id=2.128515 |title=Phemeranthus spinescens |access-date=19 February 2025}}
| genus = Phemeranthus
| species = spinescens
| authority = (Torr.) Hershkovitz
}}
Phemeranthus spinescens is a North American perennial plant in the Montiaceae family, with the common name spiny fameflower.{{cite web |title=Phemeranthus spinescens (Spiny Fameflower) |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/338816-Phemeranthus-spinescens |website=iNaturalist |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=en-US}}
Description
Phemeranthus spinescens is a small ground-hugging plant with succulent sausage-shaped leaves up to 2.5 cm long, growing in tight clusters at the ends of multiple crown branches. The leaves are green and usually shiny, sometimes tinged with red, and often turn bright red in late summer or autumn. When the leaves wither the central leaf mid-rib often remains to form a short spine, from which the species name spinescens.
The magenta flowers with yellow anthers are 2 to 3 cm in width and form on a branched raceme. Each flower opens only briefly but multiple buds on a raceme may open over a period several days. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 376. University of Washington Press, Seattle.{{cite web|website=Burke Herbarium Image Collection|url=http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Phemeranthus%20spinescens|title=Phemeranthus spinescens|access-date=2024-10-06 }}
Range and habitat
Gallery
Image:Phemeranthus spinescens JHT iNat-3.jpg|Flower
Image:Phemeranthus spinescens JHT iNat-216192567.2.jpg|Habitat
Image:Phemeranthus spinescens JHT iNat-243899126.jpg|Spines and red leaves