Rocky Mountain Beeplant

cleomella serrulata

The Rocky Mountain Beeplant is a striking, fast-growing annual wildflower native to western North America. Renowned for its tall, upright stalks topped with clusters of showy, pink-to-purple flowers, it is an ecological beacon for native pollinators, especially bumblebees and butterflies. Historically, this resilient plant held immense cultural and practical value for Indigenous peoples, including the Navajo and Ancestral Puebloans, who used it as a rich source of food, medicine, and deep-black pottery dye. Today, it stands as a vital ecological cornerstone of the shortgrass prairie and arid foothills, helping to stabilize sandy soils and kickstart plant succession in disturbed areas. Its unique, spidery blooms and long, drooping seed pods make it an unmistakable and beloved sight of the American West.

生息地: Found in sandy plains, roadsides, disturbed areas, and open grasslands of western North America.

外見

This plant typically grows 30 to 150 cm tall, featuring an erect, branched stem covered in trifoliate leaves with lance-shaped leaflets. The most distinctive feature is its terminal, rounded flower cluster displaying vibrant pink, lavender, or occasionally white petals. Each flower has long, dramatic stamens that protrude far beyond the petals, giving the bloom a delicate, spidery appearance. As the flowers fade, they are replaced by narrow, elongated, dangling green seed pods measuring up to 8 cm in length, suspended on thin stalks.

界Plantae門Tracheophyta綱Magnoliopsida目Brassicales科Cleomaceae属Cleomella

Rocky Mountain Beeplant

カテゴリ

植物

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

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おもしろい事実

Despite its common name, it is not closely related to true beeplants in the mint family, but belongs to the cleome family, allied with mustard plants.

Historically used by the Ancestral Puebloans to make a thick, dark concentrate used as paint for their iconic black-on-white pottery.

Its seeds can remain dormant in dry soil for years, waiting for the perfect rainfall conditions to sprout in massive numbers.

The young shoots and leaves can be boiled and eaten as greens, a practice traditional to Navajo and Pueblo cultures.

特殊能力

Produces exceptionally sweet, abundant nectar that draws a highly diverse array of native bees, wasps, and butterflies.

Employs a deep taproot system and efficient cellular water-use strategies to thrive in arid, sandy soils with minimal rainfall.

Synthesizes glucosinolates and aromatic compounds in its tissues to ward off generalist herbivores and insect pests.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 30-150 cm
寿命: 1 年

食性と食事

Produces its own energy from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis, supplemented by minerals absorbed through soil roots.

主な食物

Sunlight
Carbon dioxide
Water
Soil minerals

生態系とのつながり

mutualism

Hunt's Bumblebee

Bombus huntii

Provides essential nectar and pollen, receiving crucial pollination services in return.

host plant

Checkered White Butterfly

Pontia protodice

Serves as a larval host plant, where caterpillars feed on the foliage.

mutualism

Western Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Frequently visited by honey bees seeking to collect nectar for honey production.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Rocky Mountain Beeplantを見分けるには？

Rocky Mountain Beeplantを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Rocky Mountain Beeplantの長さは何ですか？

30-150 cm

Rocky Mountain Beeplantの寿命は何ですか？

1 年

Rocky Mountain Beeplantは何を食べますか？

Produces its own energy from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis, supplemented by minerals absorbed through soil roots.

Rocky Mountain Beeplantは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in sandy plains, roadsides, disturbed areas, and open grasslands of western North America.