Calliandra houstoniana

Native from Mexico to Nicaragua, this perennial shrub or small tree commonly grows about 5 to 20 feet tall and can occasionally reach 26 feet. Its finely divided leaves bear many pairs of narrow leaflets. Flower heads gather into elongated clusters at the ends of branches, with long red stamens extending beyond the small petals. The flowers produce nectar. Flattened seed pods stand upright and split open when ripe. It occurs in seasonally dry tropical vegetation and can colonize disturbed places, including roadside cuttings in Guatemala. It has been used for forage and wood and introduced to Kenya and Zimbabwe. Photographed in Ecuador.