Plant · GBIF taxon 5337491
Florida Pusley
Richardia scabraAlso known as Rough Mexican Clover, Mexican Clover, Rough Richardia
Florida pusley spreads in dense low-growing mats across sandy soils, open pastures, and suburban lawns. Its rough hairy stems bear pairs of oval leaves topped by tight clusters of tiny star-shaped white flowers. Highly adaptable to heat and drought, this hardy annual flowers continuously throughout warm months and attracts small native pollinators.
Mat-FormingWildflowerWhite Flowers
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Minerals
Predators
- Herbivorous Insects
- Grazing Livestock
- Caterpillars
ThreatsLawn maintenance, chemical herbicides
HabitatsLawns, sandy pastures, roadsides, disturbed ground
Life spanAnnual
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderGentianales
- FamilyRubiaceae
- GenusRichardia
- SpeciesRichardia scabra
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Look for rough hairy stems and small six-petaled white flowers gathered in dense terminal clusters.
- Habitat Spotting: Search sunny sandy patches including unmaintained lawns, roadsides, and agricultural field margins.
- Photography: Get low to the ground to capture the star-like flower clusters against the dark hairy foliage.
Look-alike (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Family Member (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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