Cleome houtteana

Cleome houtteana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Cleomaceae
Genus: Cleome
Species:
C. houtteana
Binomial name
Cleome houtteana
Synonyms[1]
  • Cleome hassleriana Chodat
  • Cleome sesquiorygalis Naudin ex C.Huber
  • Tarenaya hassleriana (Chodat) Iltis
  • Tarenaya hassleriana var. parviflora Verloove & Lambinon

Cleome houtteana, commonly known as spider flower, spider plant,[2] pink queen,[3] or grandfather's whiskers,[4] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cleome of the family Cleomaceae, native to southern South America in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southeast Brazil.[3] It has also been introduced to South Asia, including the Haor area of Bangladesh and India. [5]

It is an annual growing to a height of 150 cm (60 in), with spirally arranged leaves. It has a height of 90 cm (35 in) to 180 cm (71 in). The leaves are palmately compound, with five or seven leaflets, the leaflets up to 12 cm (5 in) long and 4 cm (2 in) broad and the leaf petiole up to 15 cm (6 in) long. Its maximum crown width ranges from 30 cm (12 in) to 60 cm (24 in). The plant is sometimes mistakenly identified as cannabis due to its leaves and general growth shape. The flowers are purple, pink, or white, with four petals and six long stamens. The fruit is a capsule up to 15 cm long and 3 mm (0.1 in) broad, containing several seeds. Flowering lasts from late spring to early fall.[2]

The scented blooms are sometimes compared to citronella.[6]

Cleome houtteana is commonly cultivated in temperate regions as a half-hardy annual. Numerous cultivars have been selected for flower color and other attributes. The "Queen" series includes the cultivars 'Violet Queen', 'Rose Queen', and 'White Queen'. The cultivar 'Helen Campbell' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit[7] (confirmed 2017).[8] Plants in cultivation have at times been misidentified as Cleome arborea, C. pungens or C. spinosa.[3]

  • Pink inflorescence
    Pink inflorescence
  • White inflorescence
    White inflorescence
  1. ^ "Cleome houtteana Schltdl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 1: 652. Macmillan ISBN 1-56159-001-0.
  3. ^ a b c "Cleome houtteana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. ^ "Tarenaya houtteana (Schltdl.) Soares Neto & Roalson". NParks Singapore.
  5. ^ "ফুলের নাম পিউম (The name of the flower is peum)" (in Bengali). Prothomalo. 2018-04-19.
  6. ^ White, Jay. "Spider Flower (Cleome hasslerana)". masterofhort.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  7. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Cleome hassleriana". Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  8. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 22. Retrieved 24 January 2018.