Calliandra californica aka Tabardillo

Calliandra californica is a shrub in the pea family, Fabaceae. It comes from Baja California in Mexico. Its native habitat is desert or dry shrubland. The plant has a loose shape rather than a tight outline. It reaches about 6 feet (1.8 metres) in height. Its spread is generally greater than its height. The evidence gives no firm figure for its width. Its fine leaves and slender twigs give it a light form. Red flower heads stand out against this fine growth.

The leaves grow in an alternate pattern along the stems. Each leaf is bipinnately compound, with two levels of division. This gives the foliage its feathery look. Leaves usually have four main divisions, though some have six. A whole leaf reaches about 1½ inches long. The small leaflets range from ⅛ to ¼ inch long. Their shape ranges from narrowly oval to lance-shaped. The plant can keep most of its leaves. It can also shed them late rather than remain fully evergreen. Slender twigs bend in a zigzag pattern. Fine, pale hairs cover their gray-brown surface. Weak spines grow in pairs at the nodes. The smooth bark starts brown and turns gray as it weathers.

The red flower heads have a round, fluffy look. Long stamens make up much of each head's show. The flowers themselves are small beneath these long parts. Individual stamens can reach about 2 inches in length. Flowering is heaviest in late spring. Yet the shrub may bear flowers through much of the year. Its bloom season can therefore extend beyond that spring peak. The flowers supply the strongest color described for this shrub. The fine foliage forms a contrast to the rounded heads.

The fruit is a flat, dry pod resembling a pea pod. Each brown pod grows to about 2 inches long. Fine hairs cover the pod's outer surface. At maturity, the pods spring open and throw out their seeds. The empty halves curl back after they split. These curled pods can stay attached to the twigs. Thus, fruit remains visible even after the seeds have left. The pod's shape also reflects the plant's place in the pea family.