Polanisia dodecandra
Polanisia dodecandra is a species of flowering plant in the Cleomaceae family, known by the common name redwhisker clammyweed or clammyweed, and there are three subspecies of Polanisia. Usually annual, occasionally perennial, Polanisia is native to North America, and is found throughout much of Canada and the United States. It favors full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and barren, sandy or gravelly soils, even highly disturbed areas where there is little other ground vegetation. It looks similar to a close relative, the spider flower.
The scientific name of the genus derives from the fact that the plant has numerous, long stamens of unequal lengths. The name of the species, dodecandra means "having 12 stamens". The common name clammyweed refers to the sticky, or clammy, residue left on hands after handling the plant.
Polanisia grows from tall and the vegetation and sap have a noticeable odor described as smelling unpleasant, sulphur-like, "strong and rank". The leaves, about long, are made up of three palmate leaflets. The stems are covered in glandular hairs, and numerous flowers are borne in terminal racemes. Each flower has four white or cream petals about long, and reddish purple stamens extend well beyond the petals. The seedpods are long, slender capsules long. They contain multiple small reddish brown seeds approx. Polanisia seedpods project upward.
There are several subspecies of Polanisia dodecandra, including:Polanisia dodecandra subsp. dodecandra – redwhisker clammyweedP. dodecandra subsp. riograndensis – Rio Grande clammyweed P. dodecandra subsp. trachysperma – sandyseed clammyweed.