Cleome hassleriana Chod.

Spider flower, spider plant, pink queen

Somewhat similar species

	Polanisia dodecandra ssp. trachysperma	You are here Cleome hassleriana	Cleome serrulata
Common Name	large-flowered redwhisker clammyweed	spider flower	rocky mountain beeplant
Plant	1–2′ (30–60 cm) tall. The stem is usually unbranched, and green to reddish purple. Both the stem and leaves are covered with sticky hairs. The plant has a strong odor.	Erect annuals, up to 5′ (1.5 m) in height, with round, slightly ridged stems.	A single erect stem is 4–59″ (10–150 cm) in height.
Leaves	Near the base of the plant, leaves are in groups of three. Further up the stem, they are single, alternate, elliptic, and nearly sessile. The upper leaves remain roughly constant in size along the stem, at up to 1½″ (3.8 cm) × ½″ (1.3 cm). Leaf tips may be blunt or pointed.	Arranged in a spiral pattern around the stem. Leaves are palmate—shaped like fingers on a hand—with 5 or 7 leaflets. Each leaflet is narrowly oval, toothed, finely hairy, up to 4½″ (12 cm) × 1½″ (4 cm), on petioles (leaf stems) up to 6″ (15 cm) long.	Arranged spirally. Each leaf has three leaflets (trifoliate), often with tiny teeth. Each leaflet is ⅜–2½″ (1–7 cm) long.
Flowers	Clusters of flowers are about 3″ (7.6 cm) around and up to 8″ (20 cm) high. Each flower has four white notched petals up to ⅜″ (9.5 mm) long, with prominent red stamens that are more than twice the length of the petals. Flowers appear from July to September.	In compact racemes at stem tips. Purple, pink, or white, strongly scented, with four petals and six long, graceful stamens. Flowers appear from June to frost.	Flowerheads are a spray of lavendar or pink flowers, each with four petals and four darker sepals. Green-tipped purplish stamens poke out from each flower. Almost looks like an exploding firework! Flowers appear from May to September.
Fruit	Yellowish green pods, on reddish stems emerging almost horizontally from the main stem, are angled upward. They remind me of a cross between a pea pod and a milkweed pod, though they are not related to either of these. Like the rest of the plant, the fruits are covered with sticky hairs.	Capsules up to 6″ (15 cm) × ⅛″ (3 mm).	Capsules similar to beanpods are 1–3″ (2.5–7.6 cm) long. Each contains several seeds.
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 2-11
Habitats	They prefer full sun and moderately moist to dry, gravelly or sandy soil. They are found on river banks, streamsides, roadsides, and other disturbed sites.	Gardens and occasional garden escapes.	Along roadsides, in disturbed soils, in meadows, or in rangelands. They prefer dryer cli­mates at elevations of 3000–9500′ (914–2895 m).

Cleome hassleriana description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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