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General: During most of the year, Littleleaf Ratany
(Krameria
erecta) is a many-branched shrub that forms a low mound of short, thin
branches. During the growing season, the plant puts on short, narrow
leaves and pink flowers.
Littleleaf Ratany is a fairly common component of
vegetation associations in washes and on rocky bajadas in the Upper
Sonoran (Mojave
Desert Scrub) life zone. |

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Family: Ratany (Krameriaceae).
Other Names: krameria, rhatany, pima rhatany, purple
heather, range ratany,
Plant Form: Prostrate, somewhat spreading, many-branched
shrub.
Height: Usually shin-high, but sometimes grows to about
2 feet.
Bark:
Stems: Branches often ascending, tips blunt; covered in
tiny hairs.
Leaves: Small, narrow (simple, alternate, sessile;
linear, hairy, tip pointed).
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Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Flowers solitary. Petals
tiny; sepals larger, cupped, pink, 4-5 (appearing to be petals).
Seeds: Fruit is a heart-shaped bur with one seed inside
and many, fine red hairs on the outside.
Habitat: Dry, well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky
soils on upper
bajadas, moderate slopes, and rocky ridges in the lower mountains.
Elevation: Up to about 4,000 feet.
Distribution: Southwestern US. Southern California to
Texas, south into northern Mexico.
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