Fairy-duster

Calliandra eriophylla

Densely branched deciduous shrub up to 4 ft. tall with attractive pink, red or whitish fluffy ball-shaped flowers with long prominent stamens, blooming February to April and again September to October after ample rain. Native nitrogen-fixing legume prefers dry gravelly slopes, mesas and washes of desert grasslands; up to 7,000 ft. elevation. Used for restoration, erosion control and xeriscaping in the southwest. Provides valuable year-long forage to livestock and deer. Tolerant of grazing due to its rhizomatous growth. Seeds are sought after by upland game birds. Visited by numerous pollinators including, bees, flies, butterflies and hummingbirds.