General: Thurber's Sandpaper Plant (Petalonyx thurberi) is an upright shrub growing to about 5-feet tall with stiff stems and small, triangular leaves. The stems and leaves are covered with short, stiff hairs giving the plant a rough feel (somewhat like sandpaper). The flowers are white; petals are fused at the base; stamens very long and originate outside the petals.

Thurber's Sandpaper Plant is a common component of vegetation communities in sandy soils in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone.

Family: Loasa (Loasaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Upright shrub.

Height: To about 5 feet.

Bark: White.

Stems: Upright, spreading, stiff.

Leaves: Triangular; surface rough with stiff hairs (feels like sandpaper or velcro).

Flowers: Inflorescence: terminal raceme. Flowers: cream; petals about 1/2 inch long, fused at the base; stamens extent well beyond petals.

Seeds:

Habitat: Sandy and gravelly soils in washes, bajadas, and canyons.

Elevation: To about 4,000 feet.

Distribution: California, Nevada, and Arizona.

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