Red Maids (Calandrinia menziesii) Login         


        Description
  • EW Bloom Feb - Jun
  • This low-growing plant is easy to spot because of its five dark-pink petals surrounding a yellow center.
  • It's a relative to Miner's Lettuce and also has thick leaves that are edible and taste sour.
  • This annual is found in places with damp spring conditions.
  • CA native
  • Pussypaws Family (Montiaceae)



This flower has 5 dark pink petals, yellow-tipped stamens, and is less than 1" wide. Leaves are thick and edible.



Leaves are alternate, thick, fairly long, and wider towards the tip.



Red Maids needs wet conditions to germinate and start growing, but does well in full sun and gravelly soil after that.

   Photo Gallery (69 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

The vegetative parts (stem and leaves) of Red Maids vary a lot, depending on local conditions. Here, the stems are erect and fairly tall.

Here, there is almost no stem and the leaves are long and sprawling. Both these plants, however, have the distinctive Red Maids flower - five separ ...

Red Maids are [[annuals]]. They need wet conditions for seeds to germinate and start growing, but do well in full sun once they are established. If ...

Leaves are thick and edible. They have oxalic acid that makes them taste pleasantly sour, similar to the taste of Miner's Lettuce which is in the sam ...

Even though flowers will have 5 petals when they bloom, there are only two protective [[sepals]]. This is a characteristic of the Montiaceae Family t ...