Acleisanthes crassifolia

Acleisanthes crassifolia naturally occurs in Southwestern Texas counties and in Mexico. They can be found in Maverick, Val Verde, and Kinney counties, and in Coahuila, Mexico.[1]

Acleisanthes crassifolia is a perennial plant that grows in well-drained, gravelly loams of areas with changing elevations/slopes, usually found in scattered vegetated regions of shrub lands. This plant is adapted to semiarid weather conditions. Its environmental precipitation range is from 330mm to 610mm/yr, and temperature range from 10 to 43 degree Celsius.[2][3][1]

Individuals of this species are subshrubs that have horizontal shoots low to the ground. These plants grow low to the ground with 15–50 cm long prostrate and procumbent stems. It has opposite leaves in pairs which are not equal in size. The blades are 1/3 to 2/3 bigger than the petioles. The plant’s petioles are thick and ovate shaped with rough surface, 5–45 mm long and 2–30 mm wide, sharp to dull but particularly sharp at the apex and triangular to round shaped at the base. Leaves are elliptical shaped, thick and dark green with white pinnate and undulate white veins. Flowers are axillary, separate from each other (not on the same stem), and attached directly to the base of stem.[1]

Flowers of Acleisanthes crassifolia are chasmogamous or cleistogamous. Petals of corolla in Cleistogamous flowers are green and 2–6 mm long. The petals of corolla of chasmogamous flowers are white, projected outward and shaped like a funnel, 5-lobed petals that are 8-25mm wide. The fruits are 5-angled, elongated and oval shaped, 6–9 mm long and 3–4 mm wide, minutely narrow at both ends, has light longitudinally concaved lines along with 5 wide low ribs without resinous glands, fruit body surface has small white hairs that are pressed towards the body.[1]