About Phemeranthus calycinus (Engelm.) Kiger
Phemeranthus calycinus is an herbaceous perennial plant that typically grows in large colonies. Its leaves grow up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, are linear in shape, very narrow, and succulent, and are all located at the base of the plant. A leafless flower stalk grows from this cluster of basal leaves to reach a height of approximately 30 centimeters (12 inches). Pink-red to red-purple flowers grow in open clusters at the tip of the flower stalk. Each flower, which only opens for a couple of hours during the early afternoon, has 5 to 8 rounded petals, 2 sepals, 30 to 45 stamens, and a pistil with a thin style. Flowers measure about 3 centimeters (1 inch) across, and bloom intermittently for 1 to 3 months throughout the summer.
This species is native to the U.S. states of New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois, and occurs primarily across the Great Plains and the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains of the United States. It is listed as endangered in Illinois, and categorized as critically imperiled or imperiled in Nebraska. Its natural habitat includes glades, sandy areas, and bluffs with rock outcrops, and it most often grows on acidic substrates, though rare populations growing on calcareous substrates have been documented.
