Purplemat (from RimJournal: art and adobe brick, Mexico, the American Southwest, poetry, fiction and food)

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[Low, almost leafless plant covered with reddish purple flowers: 24k]

Purplemat

(Nama demissum)

Common names: purple roll-leaf.
Annual, Waterleaf Family.
Blooms March-May in the California, Nevada and Arizona deserts.
Only about 1 inch (2-3 cm), with leaves forming a basal rosette and some at the ends of the stems. The blossoms dominate the plant.

Grows on flat clays and sandy soil, a very short-lived ephemeral. In a wet year, the flowers form mats of vivid color stretching over the deserts. In a drought, a plant may have only one flower.

Browse color tocs: white to cream | yellow to yellow-orange | pink to red-orange | blue to purple | green, etc.

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Photographs, artwork and text are copyright © Carolyn Leigh, 1996-2000. All rights reserved. Built with Apple OS using Frontier, Nisus Writer, Photoshop, and Atomz Search.
Last modified: Thursday, June 15, 2000
http://www.rimjournal.com/arizyson/wldflowr/bluepurps/purplemt.htm
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