''Krameria bicolor'' is a perennial

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

of the family Krameriaceae, the rhatanies. It is commonly known as white rhatany, crimson-beak, and ''chacate'' in Spanish (''cosahui'' in the state of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

). It is found in drier environments of the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

from California to Texas, and in northern Mexico. It is a low lying, densely branched shrub, commonly up to , but exceptionally to beyond . The branches are spiny in form but not sharp nor firm at the tips. The leaves are grey-green to greenish, finely-haired, narrow and only one half to three quarters of an inch long. The color of the plant and branches is grayish-green to gray, or whitish-gray, to dull browns or tinged with red. The flowers are often sparse and sometimes inconspicuous, but plants in some locales can bloom prolifically in red flowers. The plant is used for dyes in the basketry of Seri people in Mexico. The shrub is adapted to dry, desert environments, but it can take advantage of high soil moisture. The plant is partially parasitic, for example on creosote bush, '' Larrea tridentata''.

References

Jepson Flora Project: ''Krameria grayi''USDA: NRCS: Plants Profile ''Krameria grayi''Photo-High Res--(Close-up)
- (Photo of Flowers, Spines, & Leaves)
Images from the CalPhotos archive''Krameria grayi'' at LBJ Wildflower Center
bicolor North American desert flora Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Flora of Sonora Flora of Texas Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants described in 1886 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{rosid-stub