Plant Image
Flower spike


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Cleome serrulata - Rocky Mountain beeplant

Synonyms: Peritoma serrulata, Cleome serrulata var. angusta
Other Common Names: bee spiderflower
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Capparaceae


   
 
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Plant
Frankie Coburn @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Leaves
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual
General Desc: Smooth stems branch from upper nodes, growing into a tall, loosely formed slightly stinky-smelling plant. Flowers are round showy clusters which have a fuzzy appearance.
Identification notes: Large, upright annual, topped with clusters of showy, pink-purple, 4-petaled flowers and long, slender, dangling seed pods. Alternate leaves have 3 leaflets. Unbranched to branched above. Herbage has an odd, somewhat unpleasant smell.
Height: 2 to 4 feet


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found in open fields, roadsides, and other moist disturbed habitats, especially abundant at higher elevations during the late summer monsoons.
Plant Communities: Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 4500 - 9000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Pinkish, purplish or white     Shape: Irregular in round clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: Jun - Sep
Description: Flowers in terminal elongated, somewhat rounded clusters 2 to 10 inches long; flowers slightly asymmetric; petals pushed to 1 side of flower; 4 sepals with minutely toothed margins; 4 petals; 6 stamens with purple filaments.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Compound     Leaf Shape: Palmate     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Alternate     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: No     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Lower leaves have long stems; upper leaves short or nearly no stem; blades compound with 3 distinct, lance-shaped or inversely lance-shaped leaflets, 3/4 to 3 inches long and 1/5 to 2/3 inch wide; margins not toothed.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Gray to black   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Capsules linear to oblong, 3/4 to 2-3/4 inches long, slightly constricted between the seeds and loosely hanging on long small stalks.
Seed Notes: Many black or gray mottled, ovoid seeds, about 1-1/2 inches long.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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