The large, solitary, coarse flower heads with their yellow petals make the Sunrays among the most impressive composites of the desert.
Flowers rise on stout stems above a luxuriant growth of leaves that make the plants appear almost egotistical in their elegant arrogance.
They are at their best in sandy washes and on dry slopes at elevations between 1,000 and 3,500 feet, often where other plants seem too hard pressed eking out an existence to produce the garish foliage and bloom achieved by the Sunray.
YELLOW
One of the showiest of the Sunflowers. Desert-sunflowers often form sweet-scented gardens of luxuriant bloom along roadsides and in sandy basins early in the spring.
Its seeds form a dependable source of food for small rodents, especially Pocket Mice, which store them in quantities. Wild bees and Hummingbird Moths are attracted to the fragrant flowers.
This species is common in areas of sandy soil below 1,500 feet in elevation from Utah and southeastern Colorado to southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. It is one of the showy roadside flowers of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
YELLOW
These low, branching shrubs with gray-green leaves are common on rocky slopes and benches where they lighten the winter landscape with their bright flower heads and create a spectacular mass of bloom during early spring. Flower stems rise several inches above the brittle leaf-covered branches, thus hiding the plant under a blanket of blossoms at the height of the blooming period.
Plants are abundant on rocky slopes below 3,000 feet from southern Nevada to Lower California and eastward through Arizona.
Stems exude a gum prized as incense by the early-day Catholic priests. Indians chewed this gum, and also heated it to smear on their bodies for the relief of pain.
YELLOW
This low-growing, woolly, annual herb with showy, yellow flowers on long, solitary stems is one of the commonest bloomers gracing the desert roadsides and making patches of bright color along otherwise drab and dry, sandy desert washes. It is particularly noticeable because of its luxurious crop of flowers and long period of bloom.
At first glance, Desert-marigold may be confused with Crownbeard, to which it is quite similar in color, size, and habit of growing in groups. However, the regular, circular shape of Marigold blooms and the considerable difference in leaf shape make the two readily distinguishable.
In California, Desert-marigold is cultivated for the flower trade.
Fatal poisoning of sheep on over-grazed ranges has been laid at the door of this plant, although horses crop the flower heads, apparently without harmful effect. Blossom petals become bleached and papery as the blossoms age, thus giving the plant in some localities the name Paperdaisy.
Desert-marigold, of which there are but few species, is common throughout desert areas of the Southwest from Utah and Nevada to Lower California, Sonora and Chihuahua.
YELLOW
The genus Aplopappus (sometimes spelled Haplopappus) is represented in the Southwest by a great many species, both annuals and perennials, which range from elevations of 2,000 feet up to 9,000 feet. Desert forms prefer open, dry canyon slopes and mesas.
A. linearifolius is conspicuous in the springtime, at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 feet because of its many, showy flower heads.
A. heterophyllus often takes over heavily grazed rangeland since it is generally unpalatable to livestock and replaces vegetation destroyed by overgrazing.
YELLOW
One man of the writer’s acquaintance, confused by the great number of yellow flowers on the desert, refers to them all as “yellow composites.” The Paperflower is one of these.
It is noticeable because of the conspicuous, bright yellow flowers which sometimes cover the plants almost completely, often during periods of the year when bloom is quite scarce on the desert.
The flowers are persistent, petals become papery, fade to a pale yellow, and remain on the plants intact for weeks.
Although the Paperflower does not form great masses of color, the blossom-covered clumps are conspicuous among the Cactus, Mesquite, and Creosotebush of the desert.
It is common at elevations below 5,000 feet from southern Utah to Lower California, with similar species ranging eastward through southern New Mexico and northern Chihuahua.
Some species are reported to be poisonous to sheep.
YELLOW
Members of this large genus are chiefly tropical, the majority having golden to bronze flowers and brown, woody seed pods. They are quite common along desert roadsides, and a few species are cultivated as ornamentals.
In some localities, following moist winters, Desert-senna bursts into a riot of color in April and May adding a golden glory to the spring floral display.
Representatives of the several desert species occur at elevations between 2,000 and 5,000 feet from Texas westward to southern California and south into Mexico.
YELLOW
Widely grown as a decorative shrub by the people of Mexico, this spectacular import from South America is quite commonly used as an ornamental in yards and around houses in desert areas of the Southwest. Under suitable conditions, it may escape and grow wild. The very showy blossoms with yellow petals and long, thread-like, red filaments are certain to attract attention.
In contrast to the striking showiness of the blossoms, the plant itself is straggling and unsymmetrical, and gives off an unpleasant odor.
YELLOW
The flattened pods, or stem joints, of the Pricklypears growing, as they do, in huge clumps make them the best known of the Cacti throughout the West. There are many species found throughout the United States, but the plants reach their greatest size and luxuriant growth in the desert areas of the Southwest. The large, red to purple and mahogany, juicy, pear-shaped fruits are known as tunas, and are eaten by many animals as well as by the native peoples. Flowers are large and spectacular.
Although a number of species of Pricklypears are found in all of the desert areas, O. engelmanni with its bright yellow flowers is the commonest form in both the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, while the Beavertail cactus with its magenta flowers and lack of large spines is the common and spectacular form of the Mohave Desert.
Pricklypears are increasing in parts of the desert where conditions are favorable, especially where heavy grazing has given them an advantage over plants that are favorable to livestock.
YELLOW
Well known among the desert figures are the heavy-bodied Barrel Cacti which are sometimes pointed out as sources of water for travelers suffering from thirst. Under extreme conditions, it is possible to hack off the tops of these tough, spine-protected plants and obtain, by squeezing the macerated tissues, enough juice to sustain life.
Growing faster on the shaded side, the taller-growing plants tend to lean toward the south, hence the name “Compass” cactus. Flowers range in color from yellow to orange and rose-pink, depending on the species, and the pale yellow, egg-shaped fruits which ripen early in the winter, are a favorite food of deer and rodents. Flowers, and the resulting fruits, form a ring around the crown of the plant.
The flesh of the Barrel cactus, cooked in sugar, forms the base of cactus candy.
YELLOW
Many species of Agave are found in various parts of the desert, hence it is difficult to settle on those which should be given particular recognition. Their blossoms, in general, are various shades of yellow. The larger species are called Centuryplant or Mescal (mess-KAHL), while the small ones are spoken of as Lechuguillas (letch-you-GHEE-ahs). The Lechuguilla, covering hundreds of square miles in Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, is an indicator of the Chihuahuan Desert, holding the position in that desert which the Saguaro does in the Sonoran desert and the Joashua-tree in the Mohave Desert.
From its leaf fibers the Mexicans weave a coarse fabric. Its plumelike flower stalks, relished by deer and cattle, form one of the spectacular sights of the Chihuahuan Desert in springtime.
YELLOW
Agave plants require a number of years to store sufficient plant foods for the production of the huge flower stalk which grows with amazing rapidity to produce the many flowers and seeds, after which the plant dies. This long pre-blossom period of a dozen to 15 or more years is the basis for the name “Centuryplant.” If the young flower stalk is cut off, the sweet sap may be collected and fermented to form highly intoxicating beverages, some of which are distilled commercially. Among these are mescal, pulque (POOL-kay), and tequila (tay-KEEL-ah). Indians cut the young bud stalks, and roast them in rock-lined pits.
Under favorable weather conditions, this short-stemmed Mariposa presents a gorgeous display of spring color. Closely related to the white-flowered Twisted-stem Mariposa (C. flexuosus) and to the Sego-lily (state flower of Utah), the Desert-mariposa is found below 5,000 feet in Nevada, southern California, southern Arizona, and northern Sonora. When growing beneath taller shrubs, it forsakes its short-stemmed habit and forces its way up through the low branches, displaying its blossom above.
The Mariposas, of which there are several species, are among the most beautiful wildflowers of the Southwest.
ORANGE
Because of their abundance and dense growth, following winters of heavy precipitation, these annual poppies often cover portions of the desert with “a cloth of gold.” They are closely related to the well-known California Poppy, state flower of California, and a common border or bedding plant in home flower gardens. In the desert, Goldpoppies are sometimes mixed with Owlclover, Lupines, and other spring flowers forming a multi-colored carpet that attracts visitors from great distances. (See cover.)
ORANGE
The showy flowers, which are large enough to attract attention, are relatively few. Even more spectacular are the large, black, woody pods ending in two curved, prong-like appendages that hook about the fetlocks of burros or the fleece of sheep, thereby carrying the pod away from the mother plant and scattering the seeds. Young pods are sometimes eaten by desert Indians as a vegetable, and the mature fruits are gathered by the Pima and Papago Indians, who strip off the black outer covering and use it in weaving designs into basketry.
Blossoms of the small-flowered species are reddish purple to white streaked with orange and yellow, while the large-flowered species have coppery yellow blossoms, the throat spotted with purple and the edge of the cup streaked with orange.
COPPERY
Burrobush is another of the common desert shrubs whose fruits are much more conspicuous than the blossoms. The shrub itself is bright green in color, and somewhat resembles the common Russian-thistle. It is widespread, and abundant in sandy washes, where it tends to form thickets.
In some localities it is called “Cheeseweed” because of the cheesy odor of the crushed foliage.
It occurs throughout the Southwest at elevations below 4,000 feet, from western Texas to southern California and northern Mexico.
RED
One of the few flower families restricted to the desert, the unique Ocotillo (oh-koh-TEE-oh) with its long, unbranching stems is found on rocky hillsides below 5,000 feet from western Texas to southern California and south into Mexico. It is one of the commonest, queerest, and most spectacular of desert plants, especially when the tips of its long, slender stems seem afire with dense clusters of bright red blossoms. Following rains, leaves clothe the thorny stems with green, but after the soil becomes dry, the leaves turn brown and fall. The heavily thorned stems are covered with green bark which takes over the functions of leaves during periods of drought. The plant thus becomes semi-dormant during hot dry periods and, in sections of the desert visited by showers, may go through this cycle several times during a year.
Because of its sharp thorns, strangers to the desert may think that the Ocotillo is one of the Cacti, but it is more closely related to both the Violet and the Tamarix than to the Cacti.
Stems of the Ocotillo are used by natives in building huts. They are sometimes cut and, when planted close together in rows, take root and form living fences and corrals.
RED
Slender, trailing stems up to 30 inches in length with clusters of three rose-purple to pink blossoms serve to identify the Trailing-four-o’clock which is a conspicuous plant of the open plains and mesas. The plants prefer dry, sandy benches where they are quite conspicuous with their prostrate, somewhat sticky stems weighted with clinging grains of sand. Blossoms are usually showy and colorful, rarely pale rose to white.
Fruits of A. incarnata are conspicuously toothed.
PINK
Common throughout all of the Southwest, the Mallows range in size from small herbs 5 or 6 inches high to coarse, straggling, woody-stemmed plants with stems 4 or 5 feet long. Their flowers range in color from white and pale yellow to lavender, apricot, and red. Some species, including Ambigua, grow in large clumps with as many as 100 stems from a single root. The smaller species often cover the desert floor in early spring with a dense growth of flowers giving an apricot tinge to the landscape. Several species flower in spring and again after the summer rains.
A local belief that hairs of the plant are irritating to the eyes has given the name “Sore-eye Poppies,” an appellation carried out in the Mexican name Mal-de-ojos. In Lower California, Mallows are called Plantas Muy Malas, meaning very bad plants. In contrast, the Pima Indian name is translated to mean “a cure for sore eyes.”
PINK
This straggling, perennial shrub with fine, Mimosa-type leaves is common over much of the desert, lining banks of arroyos or dotting open hillsides. It is particularly conspicuous when in flower because of the spectacular tassel-like blossoms which are white and scarlet, or generally pink in appearance. The small leaves are nutritious and are highly palatable to deer and to livestock. The petite Fairyduster adds much to the color and springtime atmosphere of the desert. It is particularly noticeable along the base of the Tanque Verde hills in Saguaro National Monument.
PINK
Eriogonum is a very large genus, many species of which are common, and contains both annuals and biennials. Although the flowers are small, they are usually numerous and conspicuous. E. densum is often very abundant in semi-desert areas, particularly along roadsides, where it is especially noticeable because it monopolizes the pavement edges for miles. It is extremely resistant to drought and flourishes when many other herbaceous plants have dried out completely. Although it bears flowers at almost any time throughout the year, during the autumn months the branches are loaded with myriads of pendant, pearly flowers the size of rice kernels. In winter, the stalks turn maroon in color and are quite conspicuous.
E. polycladon is often so common along roadsides and desert washes as to color the landscape with its greyish stems and pink flowers.
E. inflatum always attracts attention because of its swollen stems which resemble tall, slender bottles.
PINK
Purists could object to inclusion of the Saltcedar in this booklet because it is not native. However, due to a number of importations (eight species being introduced by the Department of Agriculture between 1899 and 1915) and to its ability to spread rapidly under suitable conditions, Saltcedar is now widespread throughout the Southwest.
It grows as a graceful shrub or small tree with drooping branches covered with small, scale-like leaves and is abundant in moist locations below 5,000 feet. It prefers a hot climate, low humidity, and saline soils. In river bottoms, it often forms dense thickets which require immense quantities of water, hence rob the few desert streams of a high percentage of their moisture.
Honeybees obtain nectar from the blossoms, which are particularly noticeable in the spring and early summer, as they completely cover the branches which appear as light pink, drooping plumes. The thickets are valuable as wind breaks and in erosion control, and once established, are very difficult to control and because of the deep shade cast by their dense growth and the heavy feeding of the shallow roots, they prevent cropping.
The name Tamarisk is often confused with the name of the Larch or Tamarack tree. There is little similarity except in the name.
The larger Tamarix aphylla is similar in appearance but much larger and suitable for cultivation as a shade and decorative tree. It is subject to winterkill, but does not have the bad habit of spreading, characteristic of T. pentandra.
PINK
Representatives of the Phlox genus are found from the hot desert lowlands to the mountain tops well above the timberline. Certain species are limited in their range to the desert areas of the Southwest, and it is in these that we are interested here. The plants sometimes present a mass of heavy bloom twice yearly: heaviest in the spring, and again following the summer rains. Several of the native species have been brought under cultivation, particularly P. tenuifolia, in desert gardens, as it grows naturally in a brushy habitat similar to that formed by the shrubs planted around a house. Other forms grow as low, creeping mats forming fragrant, colorful floral carpets.
LAVENDER
Although a close relative of the Catalpa, the willow-like foliage of this small tree has given it the name Desertwillow. A small and inconspicuous part of the desert vegetation when not in flower, unnoticed among the heavier growth of trees and shrubs that crowd the banks of desert washes, the tree’s beautiful orchid-like flowers of white to lavender mottled with dots and splotches of brown and purple bring exclamations of delight from persons viewing them for the first time. Because of the beauty of the tree when in bloom, it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.
Leaves are rarely browsed by livestock, and the durable, black-barked wood is used for fenceposts. In Mexico, a tea made by steeping the dried flowers is considered to be of medicinal value. By early autumn, the violet-scented flowers which appear after summer rains are replaced by the long, slender seed pods which remain dangling from the branches and serve to identify the tree long after the flowers are gone.
Although Desertwillows are never found in pure stands, growing singly and rather infrequently among other trees and shrubs lining desert washes, the species is quite common below 4,000 feet across the entire desert from western Texas to southern Nevada, southern California and southward into Mexico.
LAVENDER
Two somewhat similar, columnar cacti occur in the United States only in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and in its immediate vicinity. Both are fairly common in northwestern Mexico.
These two spectacular desert giants with their clumps of erect branches are sufficiently similar to be readily confused at first glance. However, the stems of the Organpipe (L. thurberi) are longer and contain more but much smaller ridges than do the stems of the Sinita or “Whisker cactus.” The name “Sinita” (meaning old age) refers to the long, gray, hair-like spines covering the upper ends of the Sinita stems.
Both species are night-blooming, the flowers, which appear along the sides and at the tips of the stems, closing soon after sunrise the following morning. Fruits of the Organpipe are harvested by the Papago Indians.
Although these two species of cactus are restricted to a very limited area, they are sufficiently spectacular and interesting to be considered worthy of inclusion in this booklet. It was to protect these species, threatened with extinction in the United States, and other rare and interesting forms of desert plants and animals, that Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was established.
LAVENDER
Unlike blossoms of many of the Cacti, flowers of the little Mammallarias often last for several days. Blossoms are pink or lavender, occasionally yellow, while the fruits are finger- or club-shaped and red. Being small and forming low clumps, or with single pincushion-like stems, they often escape attention except when glorified with bright, comparatively large flowers, which often form a crown around the top of the plant. The long spines are curved at the tips giving the plant the appearance of being covered with unbarbed fishhooks.
The Pincushion cacti, of which there are a number of species throughout the Southwest, occur in dry, sandy hills from southern Utah to western Texas and in southern California and northern Mexico. The red fruits are bare, without scales, spines, or hairs.
LAVENDER
Although the Gilias are not generally well known, they are common, quite widely distributed throughout the Southwest, and their beauty deserves wider recognition. There are a great many species (of which early flowering G. inconspicua is perhaps the commonest) at higher elevations as well as throughout the desert. Many of these are worthy of cultivation as ornamentals. Desert species, in general, are pale blue, white, or lavender while those of the higher elevations are pink, coral, or yellow to scarlet; although this is by no means a hard-and-fast rule.
Following winters of above-normal precipitation, desert species sometimes produce such heavy stands that the flowers cover large areas with a delicate pale blue or lavender carpet. Some species are attractive to Hummingbirds.
LAVENDER
Although strongly scented, it is not accurate to refer to these annuals as fragrant, for they are sometimes unpleasant in odor, and occasionally actually foul-smelling. Some are described as having an onion-like odor.
P. crenulata with its rich, violet-purple flowers is conspicuous across southern New Mexico, Arizona and California to Lower California. This species is often called Wild-heliotrope.
The name Scorpionweed comes from the curling habit of the blossoming flower heads which somewhat resemble the flexed tail of a scorpion in striking position.
Noticeable in winter because of their off-season greenery and early flowers which cover the bushes and attract many insects, and attractive in late spring and summer due to the numerous tomato-colored berries hanging from their stiff, thorny stems, the Squaw-thorns are widely distributed throughout the desert.
These plants have contributed much to the subsistence of the Indians, their insipid, slightly bitter, juicy berries being eaten raw or prepared as a sauce. These berries are eagerly sought by birds, which also use the stiff shrubs for cover and for protective roosts at night.
Early spring is the normal blooming season, but some flower again following summer or early fall rains.
VIOLET
In southern Texas, thick patches of this shrub are sometimes found, although they commonly occur singly or a few together, usually on limestone soils. Since the leaves are a light gray-green, plants appear to be ashy in color, giving rise to the name “Ceniza,” meaning “ashy.” Spectacular in Big Bend National Park.
So sensitive is this plant to moisture, that it may burst into blossom within a few hours after a soaking rain, this phenomenon giving rise to the local belief that the plant actually blossoms before the rain, thereby forecasting precipitation; hence the name “Barometerbush.” During recent years, Ceniza has become one of the popular native shrubs used in landscaping.
Under normal conditions, plants blossom in September.
VIOLET
Believed to have been introduced from the Mediterranean countries at an early date by the Spaniards, Alfileria is now widespread and extensively naturalized throughout the Southwest. In the desert, it is one of the common winter annuals and furnishes excellent spring forage especially following moist winters. The plants remain green for only a few weeks, but are good forage even after the stems have dried.
Although the blossoms are not large nor sufficiently numerous to make a colorful display, they are attractive and welcome, as they are among the first spring flowers to put in an appearance. “Tails” of the fruits are long and slender, somewhat resembling a Heron’s bill, and upon maturity twist into a tight spiral when dry. Upon becoming moist, they uncoil, driving the sharp-tipped seeds into the soil. Seeds are gathered and stored by Ants which discard the husks and coiled “tails” outside their nests, thus building up a circular band of chaff around the Ant-hill.
VIOLET