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Title: Flowers of the Southwest Deserts

Author: Natt N. Dodge

Illustrator: Jeanne R. Janish

Release date: November 2, 2016 [eBook #53432]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLOWERS OF
THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS ***

FLOWERS OF THE
SOUTHWEST DESERTS
By Natt N. Dodge
Drawings by Jeanne R. Janish

SOUTHWESTERN MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION
POPULAR SERIES NO. 4

Globe, Arizona
1954

Copyright 1951, 1952, 1954
by the Southwestern Monuments Association

U. S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Southwestern National Monuments
Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona

This booklet is published by the Southwestern Monuments Association in
keeping with one of its objectives, to provide accurate and authentic
information about the Southwest.

Other numbers of the Popular Series now in print are: (2) “Arizona’s
National Monuments,” 1946; (3) “Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert,” in its
fourth printing, 1951; (5) “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas,” 1951; (6)
“Tumacacori’s Yesterdays,” 1951; (7) “Flowers of the Southwest
Mountains,” 1952; and (8) “Animals of the Southwest Deserts,” April,
1954.

A Technical Series will embody results of research accomplished by the
staff and friends of Southwestern National Monuments.

Notification of publications by the Association will be given upon date of
release to such persons or institutions as submit their names to the
Executive Secretary for this purpose.

Dale Stuart King, Executive Secretary
Harry B. Boatright, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John M. Davis, General Superintendent, Southwestern National
Monuments, National Park Service, Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona,
Chairman
Horace M. Albright, New York City.
Adrey E. Borell, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Dr. Harold S. Colton, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Dr. Emil W. Haury, Tucson, Arizona.
Rev. Victor R. Stoner, Victoria, Texas.
Alexander V. Wasson, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Executive Secretary and Treasurer, ex-officio

DALE STUART KING, Editor
Naturalist, Southwestern National Monuments

First Edition, 5,000 copies, published April 9, 1951
Second edition, revised, of 7,500 copies, January, 1952
Third edition, revised, of 10,000 copies, March, 1954

Printed in the United States of America by
Rydal Press, Santa Fe, N.M.

2

1. Big Bend National Park

2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
3. Casa Grande National Monument
4. Chiricahua “ “
5. Death Valley “ “
6. Joshua Tree “ “
7. Montezuma Castle “ “
8. Organ Pipe Cactus “ “
9. Saguaro “ “
10. Tonto “ “
11. Tumacacori “ “
12. White Sands “ “
13. Lake Mead Nat’l Recreation Area

Desert Areas of the West—this booklet deals with the common plants of
three of them: (1) the Chihuahua; (2) the Sonoran; and (3) the Mojave.

Plants of the higher plateau country of from 4,500 to 7,000-feet elevation
are shown and described in “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas,” companion
volume to this one, by Pauline M. Patraw and Jeanne R. Janish, 1951.

Mountain zone vegetation (from the Ponderosa Pine belt, or about 7,000
feet, on up) is the subject of “Flowers of the Southwest Mountains,” the
third of the triad, by Leslie P. Arnberger and Jeanne R. Janish.

3

FLOWERS OF THE
SOUTHWEST DESERTS
By Natt N. Dodge
Drawings by Jeanne R. Janish

HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET

In order that you may get full value from this booklet, it is important that
you understand how to make the greatest use of it. The purpose of the
booklet is double: (1) to introduce the common desert flowers to
newcomers to the Southwest; and (2), to give a little background of
information about the plants’ interesting habits and how they have been and
are used by animals, by the native peoples, and by the settlers. Every effort
has been made to present accurate, if not always complete, information.

Since there are more than 3,200 plants recorded from Arizona alone, and
this booklet attempts to introduce you to the common plants of desert areas
in Texas, New Mexico, and California in addition to Arizona, it is apparent
that you will find an enormous number of flowers which are not included.
Therefore, a painstaking effort has been made to select the commonest or
most spectacular; that is, those which you will naturally stop to look at and
say, “Who are you?”

For ease in identification, flowers are arranged in this booklet according to
color of the flower petals. When you meet a flower to whom you would like
an introduction, first note the color of its petals. Don’t jump too quickly to a
conclusion, for what at first glance may seem to be pink, careful
examination may prove to be lavender, violet, or purple. Once you feel
reasonably sure of the color, turn to the section of the booklet in which
flowers of that color are listed and examine the sketches. Find something
that looks similar?

Now check the size of the plant as indicated in the sketch and text. Does the
text list the flower as occurring in the particular desert area (see map on
next page) where you are? Is the blossoming season correct? Do other
details check? If so, the chances are that you have the right flower—or at
least a close relative. Close enough, anyway, so that you may be reasonably

safe in calling the flower by its common name. Of course if a botanist
happens along, he may point out that you have Penstemon parryi whereas
you thought you had struck up an acquaintance with Penstemon
pseudospectabilis. However, it’s a penstemon, even tho’ a sister of the one
you thought you were meeting. Perhaps you’ll run across a dozen other
brothers and sisters before you happen onto the member of the genus
common enough to be listed specifically in our Desert Who’s Who.

Certain of the desert flowers change color with age. Also, during off
seasons, some of the really common flowers don’t show up in large
numbers while a few of the rarer ones may take their turn at brightening up
the desert. Furthermore, in a few cases such as the Oleander, the species
comes in two colors, red flowers on one plant and white on another. The
Bird-of-Paradise flower has yellow petals, but the rest of the flower is red,
so it’s a toss-up which color you might call it. The Beavertail Cactus has
magenta flowers while those of its very close relative, Engelmann’s 4
Prickly Pear, have yellow blossoms, yet in this booklet it has been
necessary to put them both on the same page in the “yellow” section.

So, this booklet makes no claims to perfection, and these discrepancies add
certain hazards to the game. You may strike out several times before getting
to first base. As you become accustomed to using the booklet, home runs
will come more frequently, and you will soon begin to have a lot of fun. If
any particular species especially interests you, once you are certain of its
identity you can readily find out more about it by following up in one or
more of the publications listed in this booklet under the heading
“References.”

A few of the common desert flowers have been left out of this booklet—
purposely. The reason is that, although they are well represented among
desert flowers, they are even more common throughout non-desert parts of
the Southwest. You will find them all in a companion booklet: Polly
Patraw’s “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas.” They belong principally to the
following groups: Cottonwood, Rabbit-brush, Snakeweed, Saltbush,
Apacheplume, Clematis, Squawbush, Blanketflower, Sunflower, Groundsel,
Elder, Blazing Star and Morningglory.

PLANT NAMES
Be Serious About Plant Names—But Not Too Serious

It has often been said that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Although the statement is literally true, we are often disappointed, perhaps
offended, when we find some flower friend of long acquaintance called by
another, and, to our minds, inferior name. Also, we dislike the attachment of
a name which we have long associated with a certain plant to another, and
perhaps less attractive, flower.

Common names are by no means standardized in their usage, and a well
known plant in one part of the country may be called by an entirely
different name somewhere else. Also, certain names are applied to a number
of plants which more or less resemble one another. For instance, the name
“Greasewood” is applied to almost any plant that has oily or highly
inflammable leaves; and with the avid reading by eastern people of Zane
Grey’s and other “westerns,” any shrubby plant with grayish foliage
covering large areas of western land immediately becomes “Sagebrush.”
This is particularly irritating to inhabitants of the desert areas treated in this
booklet because true Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) rarely grows below
elevations of 6,000 feet. The loose application of common names is a
confusing annoyance to wildflower enthusiasts.

In an effort to avoid this confusion and to establish a method of naming that
will be uniform throughout the world, botanists have developed a system
using descriptive Latin names and grouping plants into genera and families
based upon their relationships to one another as determined by their
physical structure. Unfortunately for the layman, this system is so technical
and the Latin names so unintelligible that he becomes completely
bewildered. Furthermore, advanced botanical studies result in continual
regroupings and changes in names so that the amateur botanist finds it
impossible to keep up. Botanists who specialize in plant nomenclature have

a tendency to become so involved with the technicalities of naming 5
that their writings bristle with minute descriptions of anatomical details
and the reader searches in vain for such basic information as a simple
statement of the color of the flowers.

The majority of common flowers have several to many common names.
This is particularly true in the Southwest where some plants have names in
English, Spanish, and one or more Indian languages. In addition, of course,
each species has its scientific name. An effort has been made in this booklet
to give as many of the names applied to each selected flower as are readily
available. This not only aids in identifying the plant, but adds to its interest.
The reader then finds himself in the enviable position of being able to scan
the field and choose whichever name appeals to him with the reasonable
assurance that he is right—at least in one locality.

Since this booklet was written by a layman for the use and enjoyment of
other laymen, it violates a number of botanical, or taxonomic, principles.
These violations have been committed with no spirit of disrespect, but in an
effort to avoid confusion, conserve space, and keep a complicated and
involved subject as simple as possible. The writer believes that the visitor to
the desert who has a normal pleasure in nature is interested in the flowers
because of their beauty and their relationships with other inhabitants of the
desert, including mankind.

THE DESERT—WHAT AND WHERE IS IT?

In this booklet we are dealing with DESERT flowers, so it seems logical to
take a moment to check upon the desert itself. What is a desert, and how
may we recognize one when we see it?

“A desert,” stated the late Dr. Forrest Shreve, “is a region of deficient and
uncertain rainfall.” Where moisture is deficient and uncertain, only such
plants survive as are able to endure long periods of extreme drought. Desert
vegetation is, therefore, made up of plants which, through various
specialized body structures, can survive conditions of severe drought. In
general, the deserts of the world are fairly close to the equator, so they
occur in climates that are hot as well as dry. Plants in the deserts of the
Southwest must endure long periods of heat as well as drought.

In North America, major desert areas are located in the general vicinity of
the international boundary between Mexico and the United States. Due to
various differences in elevation, climatic conditions, and other factors,
certain portions of this Great American Desert favor the growth of plants of
certain types. Based on these general vegetative types, botanists have
catalogued the Great American Desert into four divisions, as follows (see
map):

1. Chihuahuan Desert: Western Texas, southern New Mexico, and the
Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila.
2. Sonoran Desert (Arizona Desert): Baja (Lower) California, northern
Sonora, and southern Arizona.
3. Mohave-Colorado Desert (California Desert): Portions of southern
California, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona.
4. Great Basin Desert: The Great Basin area of Nevada, Utah, and
northeastern Arizona.

It is of especial interest to note that certain plants such as Creosotebush 6
(Larrea tridentata) seems to thrive in several of these desert areas
while others are found in great abundance in only one. Plants that grow in
profusion in only one desert are spoken of as “indicators” of that particular
desert. Any person interested in desert vegetation soon learns the major
indicators, not only of the different deserts, but of different sections or
elevations in the same desert. Here are some of the better-known indicator
plants:

1. Chihuahuan Desert: Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla);
2. Sonoran Desert: Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea);
3. Mohave-Colorado Desert: Joshua-tree (Yucca brevifolia);
4. Great Basin Desert: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).

This publication deals with the common plants and flowers of the
Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mohave-Colorado Deserts. Since these names
are strange to many visitors to the Southwest, the writer has taken the
liberty of applying descriptive names as synonyms. In this booklet the
Chihuahuan Desert is called the Texas Desert, the Sonoran Desert is
referred to as the Arizona Desert, and the Colorado-Mohave Desert is
considered as the California Desert.

Whenever possible, the desert in which a particular species of plant is most
common is indicated; however, this should not be interpreted too rigidly as
most of the plants in this book grow in more than one desert and some grow
in all.

Because the Great Basin Desert is a region of higher elevation and is
influenced by other factors which are not common to the three portions of
the Great American Desert covered in this booklet, its vegetation is more
like that of the plateaulands and foothills of the Southwest. Therefore, the
flowers of the Great Basin Desert are included in a companion booklet,
Polly Patraw’s “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas.”

NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS
AS WILDFLOWER SANCTUARIES

Someone has called National Parks and Monuments “The Crown Jewels of
America.” A part of their beauty and irreplaceable value is because the
approximately 180 units of the National Park System which extends from
Florida to Alaska and from Hawaii to Maine, are and have been wildflower
sanctuaries. Not only do native plants live under natural conditions, but they
are protected from picking, from grazing of domestic livestock, and from
the competition of exotic species, and from other activities of mankind that
would disrupt their normal habitat or disturb their native way of life.

Men in the uniform of the National Park Service feel complimented
whenever visitors show an interest in the natural features of the areas they
protect, and are happy to assist them in locating rare species or especially
beautiful or spectacular specimens. Range and grazing specialists are more
and more using the natural vegetation of National Parks and Monuments as
“check plots” to aid them in studying ways and means of preserving the
level of grazing value on the open ranges.

Within the desert areas of the Southwest there are a number of National
Parks and Monuments. Three Monuments (Joshua Tree in California, 7
Organ Pipe Cactus and Saguaro in Arizona) have been created
primarily to save from exploitation and destruction outstanding areas of
typical desert vegetation. Although the others have been established to
protect and preserve geologic, historic, or archeologic values of national
significance, they are all wildflower sanctuaries. In California, Death Valley
National Monument is outstanding in its variety of desert flowers. Lake
Mead National Recreation Area, of which Hoover Dam is the center, has
exceptional displays of various forms of desert plants. A great variety of
desert vegetation will be shown and, if desired, explained to the interested
visitor, by National Park Service rangers at Chiricahua, Tonto, Montezuma

Castle, Casa Grande, and Tumacacori National Monuments in Arizona. Of
course the really great displays of desert botany and ecology are featured at
Organ Pipe Cactus and Saguaro National Monuments.

In New Mexico, Chihuahuan Desert vegetation is particularly abundant at
Carlsbad Caverns National Park. A number of desert forms, especially
interesting because of the effect upon them of the ever-moving gypsum
dunes, are found at White Sands National Monument, near Alamogordo.
Another outstanding Chihuahuan Desert wildflower sanctuary is Big Bend
National Park in southwestern Texas.

Photography is encouraged in all of the National Parks and Monuments. By
asking a ranger, you will be able to learn where the various flower displays
may be found, the best time of day to obtain good results, and other
suggestions helpful in obtaining photographs of desert wildflowers at their
very best.

Each year the following magazine and radio program present bulletins on
moisture and other pertinent conditions in the desert, spotlight areas in
which outstanding wildflower displays are developing, and advance
suggestions relative to areas in which spectacular displays may be expected.

Desert Magazine, Randall Henderson, Editor, Palm Desert, California.
Richfield Reporter, western radio stations.

DESERT PLANTS

Many people think of a desert as an area of shifting sand dunes without
vegetation except in areas where springs provide moisture. This is by no
means true of our Southwestern deserts which are characterized by a rich
and diversified plant cover. However, the majority of true desert plants are
equipped by Nature to meet conditions of high temperatures and deficient
and uncertain precipitation. The way in which desert plants, closely related
to common species found growing under normal temperature and moisture
conditions, have adapted themselves to meet the severe requirements of
desert life is truly remarkable and forms an absorbing and fascinating study.

Shreve groups desert plants into three categories based on the manner in
which they have contrived to conquer the hazards of desert life.

These are:

1. Drought-escaping plants;
2. Drought-evading plants;
3. Drought-resisting plants.

Drought-escaping plants are the “desert quickies,” or ephemerals. 8
Taking advantage of the two seasons of rainfall on the desert
(midsummer showers and midwinter soakers) they develop rapidly,
blossom, and mature their seeds which lie dormant in the soil during the
rest of the year, thus escaping the season of heat and drought. There are two
groups of these “quickies,” the summer ephemerals and the winter
ephemerals. The former are hot-weather plants; the latter are species that
thrive during the cool, moist weather of winter and early spring. These
“quickies” present their spectacular floral displays only following seasons
of above-average precipitation.

Drought-evading plants (in common with the deciduous plants of northern
and colder climes which remain dormant while below-freezing
temperatures prevail), meet the heat and drought by reducing the bodily
processes to maintain life only, dropping their leaves, and remaining in a
state of dormancy until temperature and moisture conditions, suitable to
renewed activity, again prevail.

The drought-resisting plants are the bold spirits which take the worst that
the desert has to offer without flinching, or resorting to evasive tactics.
Chief among these are the cacti which store moisture in their spongy stem
or root tissues during periods of rainfall, using it sparingly during drought.
To reduce moisture loss to a minimum, they have done away with their
leaves, the green skin of their stems taking over the function of foliage.
Other plants, such as the Mesquite, develop deep or widespread root
systems that extract every drop of moisture from a huge area of soil. The
majority of the drought-resisters either cut down their leaf surface to an
irreducible minimum, or coat the leaves with wax or varnish, thus
restricting the loss of moisture.

Methods, techniques, devices, or body modifications which desert plants
have developed or evolved to enable them to withstand the rigors of long-
continued drought and heat are legion. Many of them are known and
understood, but it is probable that there are many others which scientists
have not yet discovered.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For numerous helpful suggestions, lists of common flowers, herbarium and
fresh specimens for use in preparing illustrations, and for assistance in
many other ways, the author and illustrator proffer sincere thanks to the
following: Glen Bean, L. Floyd Keller, Walter B. McDougall, and William
R. Supernaugh of the National Park Service; Dr. Norman C. Cooper,
research associate, Allen Hancock Foundation; Mrs. Robert Gibbs, Isle
Royale National Park, Mich.; Leslie M. Goodding, St. David, Arizona;
Edmund C. Jaeger, Riverside Junior College, California; Thomas H.
Kearney, California Academy of Sciences; Robert H. Peebles (who kindly
reviewed the manuscript), director of the U. S. Field Service Station,
Department of Agriculture, Sacaton, Arizona; Paul Ricker, president,
Wildflower Preservation Society, Washington, D. C.; and Barton H.
Warnock, head of biology department, Sul Ross State College, Alpine,
Texas.

9

Carnegiea gigantea

Common Names: GIANT CACTUS, (SAGUARO)
Arizona desert. (Carnegiea gigantea). Waxy white. May-June.
Cactus family. Size: Up to 50 feet tall and 12 tons in weight.

Largest of the U. S. cacti, this species occurs only in southern and western
Arizona and adjoining northwestern Mexico and sparingly in extreme
southeast California. It is an indicator of the Sonoran Desert.

This giant is such a spectacular example of desert vegetation that it is used
as a trademark of the desert. It is the state flower of Arizona. Blossoms
unfold at night, remaining open until late the following afternoon, attracting
swarms of insects which in turn attract birds. Fruits mature in July,
resembling small, egg-shaped cucumbers. When ripe, they burst open
revealing a scarlet lining and deep red pulp filled with tiny black seeds.
Fruits are eagerly sought by birds and rodents.

Because of its enormous capacity for storing water in its spongy stem
tissue, the Saguaro (sah-WAR-oh) produces flowers and fruits even during
droughts of long duration. When other foods failed, the Pima and Papago
Indians could depend upon the Saguaro harvest.

Saguaros are believed to live to a maximum age of 200 years, usually
succumbing to a necrosis disease transmitted by the larvæ of a small moth.
Grazing cattle trample out the young plants and much of the desert
occupied by Saguaros is being placed under cultivation. Both Saguaro

National Monument and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument preserve
and protect spectacular stands of these desert behemoths.

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10

Peniocereus greggi

Common Names: NIGHTBLOOMING CEREUS, (Reina-de-la-noche)
Arizona and Texas deserts. (Peniocereus greggi). White. June-July.
Cactus family. Size: 2 to 5 feet tall.

One of the most delicately beautiful of the flowers for which the desert is
famous, “Queen of the Night” is waxy-white with thread-like stamens that

give it the appearance of wearing a halo. The night on which the Cereus
blooms is eagerly awaited by desert dwellers of long residence. All of the
buds on a single plant, from two to six or seven in number, may open on the
same night or may time their opening over a period of a week or more,
usually in late June or early July, depending upon the season and other
factors.

It is not unusual for nearly all of the plants in one locality to blossom on the
same night. Buds unfold in the early evening, the flowers wilting
permanently soon after sunrise the following morning. Fragrant, with a
heavy, cloying perfume, they attract large numbers of night-flying insects.

The long, slender, fluted, lead-colored stems of the Nightblooming Cereus
are inconspicuous and unattractive. Usually growing upward from beneath
a Creosotebush or other desert shrub, they are partially supported and
almost entirely hidden by the larger plant.

The beet-like root, which serves as a moisture-storage organ, may weigh
from 5 to 85 pounds and is reportedly eaten by desert Indians. Fruits are
podlike, pointed at the ends, and the size of a large pickle. They turn dull
red when mature.

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11

Datura meteloides

Common Names: WESTERN-JIMSON, THORNAPPLE, GIANT-
JIMSON, SACRED DATURA
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts. (Datura meteloides). White. May-
October.

Potato family. Size: Up to 3 feet tall, and spreading over as much as 50
square feet of ground.

All portions of this coarse, vine-like herb are poisonous, and are used by
some Indians as a narcotic to induce visions.

Seeds are sometimes administered to prevent miscarriage.

The plants with their large, gray-green leaves and showy, white, sometimes
lavender-tinted flowers which open at night and close soon after contact by
rays of the morning sun, are a common and arresting sight along roadsides
and washes at elevations from 1,000 to 6,500 feet in Texas, New Mexico,
southern Utah, southern California, and Mexico.

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12

Argemone

Common Names: PRICKLYPOPPY, THISTLEPOPPY, (CHICALOTE)
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts. (Argemone platyceras). White.
Blooms all year.
Poppy family. Size: Up to 30 inches in height.

One of the commonest and most noticeable perennials of the Southwest, the
Pricklypoppy ranges from South Dakota and Wyoming to Texas, Arizona,
southern California, and northern Mexico. A coarse, prickly plant with large
flowers and yellowish sap, it is easily recognized.

It is sometimes facetiously called “cowboys’ fried egg.”

Flowers are normally white with large, tissue-paper petals and yellow
centers. In southern Arizona an occasional plant with pale yellow petals is
found; and in Big Bend National Park, Texas, a form with rose-colored
petals and a deep red center is occasionally encountered.

Plants are drought-resistant, unpalatable to livestock, and may be found in
blossom during any month in the year, although much more prolific during
the spring and summer. When abundant on cattle range, they are an
indication of over-grazing. Seeds are reported to contain a narcotic more
potent than opium.

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13

Hesperocallis undulata

Common Names: DESERTLILY, (AJO)

Arizona and California deserts. (Hesperocallis undulata). White. March-
April.
Lily family. Size: Narrow-leafed perennial, 6 inches to 2 feet.

One of the showiest and most famous of the desert wildflowers, although
limited in distribution to sandy areas below 2,000 feet elevation, the
Desertlily greatly resembles the Easterlily of greenhouse habitat.

In some seasons, the blossoms are abundant and their delicate fragrance
perfumes the surrounding atmosphere. During “off” seasons, visitors may
scour the desert to find only a very few of the fragile blossoms.

Named “Ajo” by Spanish explorers because of the large, edible bulb
resembling garlic, the Lily has passed on its name to a mountain range, a
broad valley, and a thriving town in southwestern Arizona where it grows in
profusion. Its range is limited to southwestern Arizona, southeastern
California, and probably northern Sonora.

Papago Indians eat the bulbs which have an onion-like flavor. Bulbs are
difficult to obtain because they grow at a depth of 18 inches to two feet
beneath the surface of the hard-packed desert soil. Flowers remain open
during the day, and propagation is principally by seeds.

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14

Rafinesquia neomexicana

Common Names: DESERT-DANDELION, GOATSBEARD
Arizona and Texas deserts. (Rafinesquia neomexicana). Bright white.
March-May.
California desert. (Rafinesquia californica). Dull white. April-May.
Sunflower family. Size: About a foot high.

In early springs that follow winters of more than average rainfall the
Desert-Dandelion is one of the conspicuous annuals helping to carpet the
deserts with a ground-cover of flowers.

Although much more delicate, longer stemmed, and less coarse and robust
than the common Dandelion, the flowers sufficiently resemble those of the
better-known yellow Dandelion to stimulate recognition.

Desert-Dandelion is found below 4,000 feet in desert situations from
western Texas to Lower California and northward to southern Utah.

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15

Nerium oleander

Common name: OLEANDER
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts. (Nerium oleander). White, yellow,
or red. Spring and summer.
Dogbane family. Size: Robust, spreading shrub up to 20 feet high.

Well known and widely grown because of its large clusters of red or white
blossoms and glossy, evergreen leaves, the Oleander is one of the
handsomest shrubs found under cultivation in towns and cities of the desert.
Requiring sub-tropical conditions, easily rooted from cuttings, and rapid in

growth, the Oleander thrives in Southwestern desert areas if supplied with
plenty of water. It is used individually and as hedgerows in ornamental
plantings.

Although blossoms may be present at almost any time of year, the principal
flowering season extends from early spring well through the summer. Both
the red-flowered and the white-flowered plants are popular and may be
grown separately or intermixed. Recently a yellow-flowered form has come
into use.

These handsome shrubs immediately attract the attention of northerners
visiting desert towns, and arouse their curiosity as to their identity.

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Nemacladus glanduliferus

Common name: THREADPLANT
Arizona desert. (Nemacladus glanduliferus). Purple-white. March-May.
California desert. (Nemacladus rigidus). Purple-white. March-May.
Bellflower family. Size: 2 to 12 inches tall.

The tiny, slender-stemmed, profusely-branched Threadplant is so small that
it is completely overlooked by the majority of visitors to the Southwest, yet
it is one of the most common and most attractive of desert flowers. Under a
magnifying glass, the shape and coloring of the minute, delicate flowers
make them appear as beautiful as orchids. The white flowers are touched
with tints of red, brown, yellow, or purple.

Plants are abundant below 1,800 feet elevation on dry, gravelly or rocky
soils, frequently along the shoulders of highways from Nevada throughout

western Arizona and southern California to Lower California. Be on the
lookout for this small but interesting and beautiful plant.

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17

Cuscuta indecora

Common name: DODDER
Arizona and Texas deserts. (Cuscuta indecora). White. July-August.
California desert. (Cuscuta denticulata). Pale yellow. July-August.
Convolvulus family. Size: Vine-like, covering host plant.

Rootless, leafless, and with pale yellow to brownish stems which twine in
vine-like embrace about the host, the parasitic Dodders are immediately
noticeable because of their strange appearance.

Frequently the automobile traveler’s attention is arrested by a pale
yellowish blotch in the green of the roadside vegetation. Examination
shows this to be caused by the matted yellowish stems and the white to pale
yellow, fleshy blossoms. These flowers are attractive and often abundant
enough to make a showy display.

Dodder is found widespread throughout the United States and is often a
serious parasitic pest on crops of economic importance. Desert species are
usually found infesting Mesquite, Goldenrod, Aster, Burrobush,
Seepwillow, and Arrowweed. Although certain Dodders show a preference
in choosing hosts (C. denticulata common on Creosotebush), most of them
grow readily upon various plants.

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18

Yucca brevifolia

Common Names: JOSHUA-TREE, TREE YUCCA, GIANT JOSHUA
California desert. (Yucca brevifolia). Green-white. February-April.
Lily family. Size: 15 to 35 feet high; spread of 20 feet.

Because the presence of the grotesque Joshua-tree marks, more effectively
than any other plant, the limits and extent of the Mohave Desert, this
species is worthy of special recognition. This tree Yucca holds, in the
Mohave Desert, similar status to the Saguaro in the Sonoran Desert.
Strangely enough, in west-central Arizona, the Saguaro and Joshua-tree are
found growing together and there the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts overlap.

And, just as in southern Arizona an area has been set aside as Saguaro
National Monument to preserve and protect that species, so in southern
California we find the Joshua Tree National Monument.

The Joshua-tree is outstanding among the many species of Yucca because of
its short leaves growing in dense bunches or clusters, and because the plant
has a definite trunk with numerous branches forming a crown. Great forests
of these sturdy trees are found in parts of southern California, southern
Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona where rainfall
averages 8 to 10 inches per year.

Flowers of this Yucca develop as tight clusters of greenish-white buds at the
ends of the branches, but do not open wide as do the flowers of other
Yuccas. Joshua-trees do not bloom every year, the interval apparently being
determined by rainfall and temperature. Birds, a small lizard, wood rats, and
several species of insects are closely associated with the Joshua-tree,
making use of it for food, shelter, or nest-building materials. Indians use the
smallest roots, which are red, for patterns in their baskets.

The name “Joshua-tree” was given by the Mormons because the tree
seemed to be lifting its arms in supplication as did the Biblical Joshua.

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19

Yucca torreyi
Yucca schidigera
Yucca arizonica

Common Names: BROAD-LEAF YUCCAS, SPANISH BAYONET,
(AMOLE), (DATIL), SOAPWEED
Arizona desert. (Yucca arizonica). Creamy. April-May.
California desert. (Yucca schidigera). White-purple. March-April.
Texas desert. (Yucca torreyi). Creamy. March-April.
Lily family. Size: Reaches height of 10 to 15 feet.

Although, in general, the Broad-leafed Yuccas do not reach tree size, 20
the Giant Dagger (Yucca carnerosana) of Big Bend National Park
reaches a height of 20 feet. In dense stands or “forests” these Yuccas, with
their huge clusters of creamy, wax-like, lightly scented, bell-shaped flowers
produce a never-to-be-forgotten display in blooming season.

The Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico.

Yuccas are often confused by newcomers to the desert with three other
groups of plants: the Agaves (Century Plant), Dasylirion (Sotol) and
Nolinas (Beargrass).

The plate on the opposite page has been devoted to a comparison of the four
groups, and by studying it carefully, the characteristics by which each may
be identified can be determined.

Yucca leaf fibers have long been used by Indians for fabricating rope,
matting, sandals, basketry, and coarse cloth. Indians also ate the buds,
flowers, and emerging flower stalks. The large, pulpy fruits were eaten raw
or roasted, and the seeds ground into meal.

Roots of the Yuccas have saponifying properties and are still gathered by
some tribes and used as soap, especially for washing the hair. Flowers are
browsed by livestock. (See Narrow-leaf Yuccas and Joshua-tree). Yucca
baccata, a broad-leaf species found in the Southwest outside of the desert
areas, is discussed in “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas.”

CREAM

Common Names: BEARGRASS, BASKETGRASS, (SACAHUISTE)

Arizona desert: (Nolina microcarpa). Tan-cream. May-June.
California desert: (Nolina parryi). White-cream. May-June.
Texas desert: (Nolina erumpens). White-cream. May-June.
Lily family. Size: Ragged clumps 4 to 8 feet in diameter and flower stalks
up to 8 feet high.

The Nolinas are sometimes confused with Sotol and the Yuccas and
occasionally with the Agaves. However, the Nolinas resemble huge clumps
of long-bladed grass, whereas Sotol leaves are ribbon-like and Yucca leaves
taper to a sharp point. Flower stalks of the Nolinas are usually drooping and
plume-like, and the numerous flowers are tiny. The many papery, dry-
winged fruits often remain on the stalk until late autumn.

Beargrass does not grow on the flat mesas or sandy flats as do the Yuccas,
but is confined to exposed locations on rocky slopes above the 3,000-foot
elevation. The Parry Nolina of the California Desert is a larger and more
spectacular plant than the species found in the Arizona and Texas-New
Mexico Deserts. Indians are reported to use the very young flower stalks for
food. Leaves are browsed by livestock in times of drought, sometimes with
harmful results in the case of sheep or goats.

Nolina parryi

CREAM

21

Dasylirion wheeleri
Agave palmeri
Yucca elata
Nolina microcarpa

Common Names: SOTOL, SPOONPLANT

Arizona desert: (Dasylirion wheeleri). Creamy. May-August.
Texas desert: (Dasylirion leiophyllum). Creamy. May-August.
Lily family. Size: Leaves 3 feet; flower stem 5 to 15 feet.

At first glance, this plant may readily be mistaken for a Yucca, but its
ribbon-like leaves (which are usually split at the tips instead of sharp-
pointed) and tiny flowers instead of the bell-like blossoms of the Yucca, are
distinguishing characteristics. The round heads of these plants grow close to
the ground with the thick, woody stem beneath the soil. Leaves, when 22
stripped from the head, come away with a broad, curving blade.

When trimmed and polished, they are sold as curios called “desert spoons.”
In some portions of the desert near large cities, exploitation of the plants for
this purpose has endangered the species and aroused the ire of
conservationists.

The cabbage-like base, after the leaves are removed, is split and fed to
livestock as an emergency ration during periods of drought.

The rounded heads of these plants are high in sugar which is dissolved in
the sap of the bud stalk. This sap, when gathered and fermented, produces a
potent beverage called “sotol,” which is the “bootleg” of northern Mexico.

CREAM

Common Names: NARROW-LEAF YUCCA, (PALMILLA), OUR-
LORD’S-CANDLE, SPANISH-DAGGER, SOAPWEED, SPANISH-
BAYONET
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Yucca elata). Creamy. May-July.
California desert: (Yucca whipplei). Creamy-white. May-June.
Lily family. Clumps 8-12 feet; Y. elata sometimes to 20 feet.

CREAM

The Narrow-leaf Yuccas are frequently confused with the Agaves (Century
plant), Dasylirion (Sotol), and Nolinas (Beargrass) but may readily be
recognized by the fibers protruding from the margins of the leaves. To
permit comparison and bring out the differences so that the four groups may
be recognized and confusion avoided, sketches of all four appear on the
same plate (p. 21).

In many grassland areas of western Texas and southern New Mexico, Y.
elata dominates the landscape for miles. This species has been used as
emergency rations for range stock during periods of drought, the chopped
stems being mixed with concentrates such as cottonseed meal. A substitute
for jute has been made from the leaf fibers. Indians eat the young flower
stalks, which grow rapidly and are relatively tender.

In its relationship with a moth of the genus Pronuba, the Yucca illustrates
one of Nature’s interesting partnerships. The moth, which visits the Yucca
flowers at night, lays her eggs in the ovary of a flower where the larvae will
feed upon the developing seeds. But to be sure that the seeds do develop,
the moth must place pollen on the stigma of the flower. Dependent upon the
moth for this vital act of pollenization, the Yucca repays its winged
benefactor by sacrificing some of its developing seeds as food for the

moth’s larvæ. Fruits of the Narrow-leaf are dry capsules in contrast to the
fleshy fruits of the Broad-leaf Yuccas.

Yucca whipplei is a much smaller plant than Y. elata, but produces a stouter
flower stalk with a great spreading plume of small, delicate flowers. These
graceful plumes appear at night as if aglow with an inner light, hence the
name “Our Lord’s Candle.” (See Broad-leaf Yucca [p. 19] and Joshua-tree
[p. 18].)

23

Clematis ligusticifolia
Clematis drummondi

Common Names: CLEMATIS, LEATHERFLOWER
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Clematis drummondi). Cream. March-
September.
California desert: (Clematis ligusticifolia). Cream. May-September.

Crowfoot family. Size: Climbing, vine-like perennial with stems 6 to 8 feet
long.

By no means limited to the desert, Clematis is found throughout the
Southwest. Several species are grown as ornamentals, foliage, flower
clusters and the cotton-like masses of hairy fruits all being effective. Petals
are absent or rudimentary, the sepals which furnish color to the blossoms
being either creamy or purplish-brown. The name “Leatherflower” has been
applied to the latter group.

CREAM

24

Phragmites communis

Common Names: COMMON REED, (CARRIZO), RIVERCANE,
GIANTREED
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Phragmites communis). Creamy.
July-October.
Grass family. Size: 8 to 12 feet tall.

Among the largest of the grasses, the Common Reed and its close relative
Giantreed (Arundo donax) with their jointed stems resembling Bamboo, are

coarse perennials with broad, flat, grass-like leaves found in marshes and
stock tanks, along irrigation canals, and on river banks throughout the
desert country of the Southwest. Common Reed is found throughout the
world where conditions are suitable. The flower stalks are long, tassel-like,
and at the ends of the stems.

In Arizona and New Mexico, Common Reed is called Carrizo. The hollow
stems were used by the Indians for making arrow shafts, prayer sticks, pipe
stems, and loom rods. Mats, screens, nets, and cordage, as well as thatching,
are made from the leaves. The plants are useful as windbreaks and in
controlling soil erosion along streams.

CREAM

25

Baccharis glutinosa

Common Names: SEEPWILLOW, WATERMOTIE, WATERWALLY,
WATERWILLOW, BROOM BACCHARIS, ROSINBUSH,
(HIERBA-DEL-PASMO)
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Baccharis glutinosa). Creamy. March-
December.
California desert: (Baccharis sarathroides). Yellow-white. September-
February.
Sunflower family. Size: Up to 7 feet tall.

Genus Baccharis is composed, in the desert, of coarse shrubs with a number
of common species. The flowers themselves are not beautiful, but the
female plants with their flower heads that develop glaring-white pappus
hairs, are spectacular and quite attractive.

B. glutinosa is a common shrub along watercourses, often forming dense
thickets. The straight stems are used in native houses as matting across
ceiling timbers to support the mud roof. B. sarathroides and several other
species are often referred to as the Desert Brooms. They are common along
desert washes and roadsides in sandy soil, their pale yellow, bristly flower
heads, during the fall and winter months, appearing in sharp contrast to the
vivid green branchlets and dark stems of the bushes. Among some Indians,
the stems are chewed as a toothache remedy.

CREAM

26

Plantago purshi

Common Names: PLANTAIN, WOOLLY-PLANTAIN
Arizona desert: (Plantago purshi). Buff. February-July.
California desert: (Plantago insularis). Straw. January-May.
Texas-New Mexico desert: (Plantago argyraea). Straw. June-August.
Plantain family. Size: A few inches to 2 feet tall.

Plantains are not noted for the beauty of their blossoms but the larger,
coarser species are sufficiently noticeable to attract attention, both in their
blossoming and fruiting stages. The smaller winter annuals known as
Indianwheat carpet the desert floor, in January and February, in some
places, producing a straw-colored “pile” of tiny blossom spikes.

CREAM

27

Opuntia leptocaulis
Opuntia ramosissima
Opuntia bigelovi

Common Names: (TASAJILLO), CHRISTMAS CHOLLA, DIAMOND
CACTUS, (TESAJO), DARNING-NEEDLE CACTUS, PENCIL-
JOINT CHOLLA, HOLYCROSS.
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Opuntia leptocaulis). Green-yellow. May-June.
California desert: (Opuntia ramosissima). Green-yellow. May-September.
Cactus family. Size: Much branched, shrubby, 2 to 4 feet tall.

Flowers of these small, slender-stemmed, shrubby chollas (CHOH-yahs) are
small, sparse, and so inconspicuous as to be rarely noticed. However, the
fruits, particularly those of O. Leptocaulis, are scarlet, egg-shaped, about 1
inch in length, and occur in such profusion that they immediately attract
attention to the plants during the late fall and winter months, giving these
plants the appropriate name of Christmas Cholla.

A large Cholla, O. bigelovi, also has greenish to pale yellow flowers but
inconspicuous fruits and short, heavy joints so densely covered with silvery
spines as to give it the name Teddybear Cholla. Found in south central and
southwestern Arizona and westward into southern California, southern
Nevada, and south into Sonora and Lower California, the Silver Cholla is
noticeable at any season. Propagation is chiefly by joints which drop from
the plant and take root, the new plants forming dense thickets on desert
hillsides. Because the joints are so easily detached, they actually seem to
jump at a passerby, this characteristic giving the plant the name Jumping
Cactus.

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28

Phoradendron californicum

Common Names: MISTLETOE, DESERT MISTLETOE
Arizona and California deserts: (Phoradendron californicum). Yellow-
green. March.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Phoradendron cockerelli). Yellow-green.
Spring.
Mistletoe family. Size: Pendant, vine-like strands several feet long.

Because they form conspicuous, dense, shapeless masses in Mesquite,
Ironwood, Acacia, Cottonwood, or other trees (depending upon the species

of Mistletoe), these parasitic plants attract the attention and arouse the
curiosity of persons unfamiliar with the desert. P. macrophyllum, which
parasitizes Cottonwood trees, is widespread throughout the Southwest, and,
because of its large gray-green leaves and glistening white berries is much
in demand as a Christmas green. The Mistletoe is the state flower of
Oklahoma.

The species of Mistletoe that parasitize such trees as Ironwood, Mesquite,
and Catclaw have small, scale-like tawny-brown leaves and stems. The tiny
yellow-green flowers which appear in spring are fragrant and secrete nectar
which attracts Honeybees and other insects. The handsome coral-pink
berries are a major food, during the winter months, for Phainopeplas 29
and other birds. The Arizona Verdin often builds its nest in the
protected center of a clump of Mistletoe. Birds are believed to be
instrumental in spreading this parasite from tree to tree.

Mistletoe saps the energy of the host tree and, where abundant, may cause
considerable damage, killing branches and sometimes the entire tree.
Papago Indians dry the berries in the sun and store them for winter food.

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Nicotiana trigonophylla
Nicotiana glauca

Common Names: DESERT-TOBACCO, TREE-TOBACCO
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Nicotiana glauca). Pale yellow. All year.
California desert: (Nicotiana trigonophylla). Green-yellow. All year.
Potato family. Size: Tree-tobacco (N. glauca) up to 12 feet. Desert-tobacco,
1 to 3 feet high.

Several species of wild tobacco are found in the desert. Of these, Tree-
tobacco is conspicuous because of its rank growth, its large leaves, and the
spectacular clusters of tubular, yellow flowers. In addition to nicotine, Tree-
tobacco contains an alkaloid, anabasine. This conspicuous plant occurs in
moist locations below 3,000 feet elevation and bears flowers throughout the
entire year. Although now thoroughly naturalized in the Southwest, it is a
native of South America.

Desert-tobacco, sometimes perennial in southwestern Arizona, is a dark-
green herb common and widespread throughout the desert areas of the

Southwest. It is not nearly as noticeable as its larger relative although it,
too, blossoms the year around. Flowers are a pale yellow, almost greenish-
white. It provides dense ground cover in rocky canyons and along desert
washes.

Leaves, which are somewhat bad smelling, were smoked (and still are
during ceremonials) by the Yuma and Havasupai Indians who are reported
to have cleared land, burned the brush, and scattered the seeds of Desert-
tobacco in an effort to promote the growth of strong plants with many large
leaves.

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30

Calycoseris wrighti
Calycoseris parryi

Common Names: TACKSTEM
Arizona desert: (Calycoseris wrighti). White. March-May.
California desert: (Calycoseris parryi). Yellow. March-April.
Sunflower family. Size: 4 inches to a foot tall.

One of the handsomest of desert spring annuals, Calycoseris is common on
plains, mesas, and rocky slopes at elevations between 1,200 and 4,000 feet
from western Texas to southern Utah, southern California, and south into
Mexico.

The name Tackstem comes from the presence of numerous tack-shaped
glands which protrude from the stems.

Taking advantage of the cool, moist weather of winter, the Tackstems
produce their beautiful rose, white, or yellow blossoms in early spring, and
mature their seeds before the advent of hot, dry weather.

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31

Brickellia coulteri
Brickellia californica

Common Names: BRICKELLBUSH, DESERT BRICKELLIA,
(PACHABA)
Arizona desert: (Brickellia coulteri). Yellow-white. September.
California desert: (Brickellia desertorum). Pale yellow. Midsummer.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Brickellia californica). Yellow-white. July-
October.

Sunflower family. Size: Small, much-branched perennial shrub, up to 3 feet
in height.

Intricately branched and brittle-stemmed, this shrub with blossom heads
holding from 8 to 18 yellowish flowers is common throughout the
Southwest from western Texas and Colorado to Nevada, Sonora and Lower
California.

It grows among rocks and in rocky locations throughout much of the desert
country from 3,000 up to 7,000 feet.

YELLOW

32

Zinnia pumila

Common Names: WILD-ZINNIA
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Zinnia pumila). Pale yellow. April-October.
Sunflower family. Size: Low, dense-growing perennials in rounded clumps,
4 to 8 inches high.

Closely related to the garden Zinnia, which is a native of Mexico, desert
Zinnias are attractive herbs suitable for trial as ornamental border plantings.

Z. pumila prefers caliche soils and is found on dry mesas and slopes from
Texas westward to southern Arizona and northern Mexico. It is often found
blossoming in association with the Paperflower (Psilostrophe cooperi)
which it superficially resembles. The pale yellow flowers of the Wild-zinnia
turn white with age.

Z. pumila may be easily recognized by the single heavy rib running the
length of each narrow leaf.

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33

Acacia greggi

Common Names: CATCLAW, CAT’S-CLAW, TEARBLANKET,
DEVILSCLAW
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Acacia greggi). Pale yellow. April-
October.
Pea family. Size: Up to 20 feet tall.

The numerous thorns, short and curved like a cat’s claw, serve readily to
identify this common, often abundant, shrub or small tree.

There are several species, some with large, bright-yellow flowers, but A.
greggi is the most common and occurs throughout all of the deserts of the
Southwest, at elevations below 4,000 feet, often forming thickets along
streams and washes.

Flowers, like pale yellow, fuzzy caterpillars, are one of the important
sources of nectar for honeybees, the trees being alive with insects during the
period of heaviest blooming in April and May.

In mid-August, the light green fruit pods begin to turn reddish and, if
abundant, make a colorful display.

Seeds of the Catclaw were at one time widely used as food by the Indians of
Arizona and Mexican tribes. They were ground into meal and eaten as mush
or cakes.

Catclaw is one of the most heartily disliked plants in the Southwest,
especially by riders and hikers, because of the strong thorns which tear
clothing and lacerate the flesh.

YELLOW

34

Ephedra trifurca
E. antisyphilitica

Common Names: MORMON-TEA, BRIGHAM-TEA, JOINTER,
(POPOTILLA), (TEPOSOTE), (CANATILLA)
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Ephedra trifurca). Pale yellow. Spring.
California desert: (Ephedra californica). Pale yellow. Spring.
Jointfir family. Size: Harsh, stringy perennials, from 2 to 10 feet tall and
sometimes 5 or 6 feet in diameter.

Apparently leafless, these common Southwestern shrubs do have leaves,
although they are reduced to tiny scales. The harsh, stringy stems are green
to yellow-green and, when dried, were used with the flowers in making a
palatable brew, particularly by the Utah pioneers; hence the names
Mormon-tea and Brigham-tea. The beverage was also popular with Indians
and settlers in treating syphilis and other afflictions, as it contains tannin
and certain alkaloids. Flowers are small, pale yellow, and appear in 35
the spring at which time the plants are quite noticeable, and attract
large numbers of insects.

YELLOW

Heterotheca subaxillaris

Common Names: TELEGRAPH PLANT, CAMPHOR-WEED
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Heterotheca subaxillaris). Pale yellow. March-
November.
Sunflower family. Size: Grows 2 to 6 feet tall.

The flowers are not particularly attractive, but become conspicuous as the
seed-heads develop, because of the white, densely-haired tufts. Stems are
tall and straight “like telegraph poles,” and the crushed leaves give off a
slight camphor-like odor.

Although the plant occurs from the east coast across the southern portion of
the United States, it is found in the desert at elevations between 1,000 and
5,000 feet.

Camphor-weed is a tall, coarse, robust, straight-stemmed plant which is
abundant and conspicuous along roads and ditchbanks, and in the open
desert following winters of heavy precipitation.

YELLOW

36

Cercidium floridum
Cercidium microphyllum

Common Names: PALOVERDE, YELLOW PALOVERDE, BLUE
PALOVERDE
Arizona deserts: (Cercidium microphyllum). Pale yellow. April-May.
Arizona desert. (Cercidium floridum). Bright yellow. April-May.
Pea family. Size: Green-barked tree up to 25 feet high.

Arizona Paloverdes (meaning green stick) are large shrubs or small trees
abundant along washes in the hotter, drier portions of the Sonoran Desert.
When in blossom in the springtime, they appear as masses of pale yellow or
golden bloom, and are a glorious sight, both as individual trees and massed
as borders along the courses of washes which they mark with a line of color
winding across the desert floor. During the dry season, they are without
leaves, but are readily recognized by the bark, yellowish green in the case
of C. microphyllum; blue green in C. floridum.

After the petals form, seeds form in bean-like pods which are not relished
by livestock, but are eaten during periods of drought and when other forage
is scarce. Indians ground the seeds into meal.

When the trees are in blossom, they attract myriads of insects, some of
which, including Honeybees, seek the nectar. Wood is soft and the branches
are brittle and easily broken. It is unsuited for fuel as it burns rapidly, leaves
no coals, and gives off an unpleasant odor.

YELLOW

37

Polanisia trachysperma

Common name: CLAMMYWEED
Arizona desert: (Polanisia trachysperma). Pale yellow. June-September.
Texas desert: (Polanisia uniglandulosa). Pale yellow. June-September.
Caper family. Size: 1 to 3 feet tall.

Clammyweed is not limited in its range to desert areas, but is found as far
north as Saskatchewan and British Columbia. However, it is also a common
annual in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona at elevations between 1,200 and

6,000 feet, and is usually found in abundance in the sandy channels of dry
stream beds.

It somewhat resembles both Yellow Beeweed (Cleome lutea) and Jackass-
clover (Wislizenia refracta.)

YELLOW

38

Tribulus terrestris

Common names: PUNCTUREVINE, BURNUT, BULLHEAD,
(TORRITO)

Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Tribulus terrestris). Pale yellow.
Summer.
Caltrop family. Size: Prostrate, stems 2 to 6 feet long.

A troublesome annual vine-like weed naturalized from southern Europe, the
Puncturevine has established itself throughout the Southwest below 7,000
feet. Although fairly readily controlled by cultivation, the plant spreads
rapidly in sandy, dry wastelands, often taking over vacant lots in towns, and
areas in the desert where it finds sufficient moisture.

The fruits, which are produced in quantities, are armed with strong spurs
which become embedded in the feet and fur of animals and in automobile
tires. Fruits are also carried by irrigation or flood waters. Although the spurs
are too short to puncture automobile tires, they make bicycles almost
useless in some localities, and are an aggravation to children who go
barefoot—and to dogs.

Flowers and fruits in various stages of maturity may be found on this fast-
growing plant at almost any time during the summer months. Botanically,
Puncturevine is closely related to the Creosotebush and also to the Arizona-
poppy.

YELLOW

39

Kallstroemia grandiflora

Common names: ARIZONA-POPPY, CALTROP
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Kallstroemia grandiflora). Bright yellow.
February-September.
Caltrop family. Size: 1 to 2 feet tall.

Although superficially resembling in size, shape, and color the blossoms of
the Goldpoppy, the blossoms of the large-flowered Caltrop have five petals
instead of four, and the plant is a close relative of the Puncturevine and the
Creosotebush. One of the most attractive of the desert’s summer annuals,
Arizona-poppy is found at elevations below 5,000 feet in the drylands of
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

Large-flowered Caltrop may be distinguished from Goldpoppy by (1)
sprawling open habit of growth, (2) compound leaves, (3) season of
blossoming, and (4) the fact that the plants grow singly rather than in
masses.

YELLOW

40

Larrea tridentata

Common names: GREASEWOOD, CREOSOTEBUSH,
(HEDIONDILLA)
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Larrea tridentata). Yellow. Spring.
Caltrop family. Size: Shrub, 2 to 8 feet high.

No one could justifiably question the statement that Creosotebush is the
most successful, widespread, and readily recognized desert plant of the hot,
arid regions of North America. It often occurs over wide areas in such pure
stands as to constitute true Larrea plains. Its common companion is the
grayish Burrobush or Bur-sage.

Following winter rains, the Creosotebush may put out a few yellow
blossoms in January, but usually bursts into full flower in April or May, to
be followed in a short time with the equally spectacular fuzzy white seed
balls making the bushes appear to be covered with a light frosting of snow.
After a rain, the plants give off a musty, resinous odor which is the basis of
the Mexican name Hediondilla (freely translated, “Little Stinker”). Lac
occurs as a resinous incrustation on the branches, and was used by the
Indians for mending pottery, making mosaics, and for fixing arrow points.

Leaves of the Creosotebush are covered with a “varnish” which often 41
glistens in the sunlight, and helps reduce evaporative moisture loss,
thereby enabling the plant to resist the desiccating effect of hot, dry winds.

YELLOW

Wislizenia refracta

Common name: JACKASS-CLOVER
Arizona desert: (Wislizenia refracta). Yellow. May-September.
Caper family. Size: Up to 4 feet in height.

Conspicuous in late summer along roadsides and dry streambeds, the large
number of yellow flowers and the widespread presence of these much
branched, annual plants justify the inclusion of Jackass-clover in this
booklet as one of the common flowers of the desert.

The plant ranges across the Southwest from western Texas to southern
California at elevations between 1,000 and 6,500 feet. The flowers
themselves are small, although the flower heads are quite conspicuous.

Since the leaves somewhat resemble the tri-foliate leaves of Clover, the
plant is commonly called Jackass-clover. It is usually found in sandy
locations.

YELLOW

42

Oenothera primiveris
O. brevipes
O. deltoides
O. cardiophylla

Common names: EVENING-PRIMROSE, SUNDROP
Arizona and California deserts: (Oenothera brevipes). Yellow. March-May.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Oenothera primiveris). Yellow. March-May.
Evening-primrose family. Size: Usually low, but some up to 5 feet.

Among the commonest but most beautiful and delicate of the flowering
plants of the desert are the Evening-primroses. Flowers are usually large,
with the four petals either white or yellow, turning to red or pink with age.
Many species are low-growing herbs with large, delicate petals; while
others may be shrub-like, sometimes attaining a height of 5 feet. As the
name implies, the flowers open in the evening and wilt soon after sunrise.

In the low, warmer sections of the desert, plants in blossom may be found
as early as February.

YELLOW

43

Berberis trifoliata
Berberis haematocarpa

Common names: ALGERITA, BARBERRY, HOLLYGRAPE
Arizona desert: (Berberis haematocarpa). Yellow. February-April.
California desert: (Berberis fremonti). Yellow. May-July.
Texas desert. (Berberis trifoliolata). Yellow. Spring.
Barberry family. Size: Shrubs, 3 to 8 feet.

The pendant clusters of golden blossoms are particularly noticeable because
of their delightful fragrance, and the small purple berries are juicy and of
pleasant flavor. They make excellent jelly and are readily eaten by birds and
some of the small mammals. Due to the holly-like leaves and the fragrant
blossoms and fruits, the plants would make attractive ornamentals for
landscape and decorative plantings were it not for the fact that they are
secondary hosts for the black stem rust of the cereals, hence cannot be used
in communities where grains are grown. Indians use the root as a tonic, and
obtain from it a brilliant yellow dye.

Some botanists prefer to use the generic name Mahonia or Odostemon for
this group of plants.

YELLOW

44

Lesquerella gordoni

Common names: BLADDERPOD, BEAD-POD
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Lesquerella gordoni). Yellow. February-May.
California desert: (Lesquerella palmeri). Yellow. March-May.
Mustard family. Size: 6 to 8 inches high.

Extensive sections of the desert are gilded in springtime with this low-
growing annual herb which is one of the earliest of the desert flowers.

Following moist winters, it covers dry mesas and plains below 4,000 feet
from Oklahoma west to Utah, and southward into northern Mexico. After
the seed pods have matured, the plant is reported to furnish valuable forage
for range stock.

YELLOW

Cucurbita digitata
Cucurbita foetidissima

Common names: BUFFALO-GOURD, COYOTE-MELON, 45
(CALABAZILLA), (CHILI COYOTE)
Arizona desert: (Cucurbita digitata). Yellow. June-October.
California desert: (Cucurbita palmata). Yellow. July-September.
Texas desert: (Cucurbita foetidissima). Yellow. May-August.
Gourd family. Size: Trailing perennial with stems 4 to 15 feet long.

Gourds are conspicuous, trailing, rank-growing plants common along
roadsides and in the open desert. Leaves are grayish-green, and blossoms
yellow and trumpet-shaped. The striped fruits are about the size and shape
of a tennis ball, although some are egg-shaped.

The fruits which are very conspicuous after the vines and leaves have been
winter-killed, are sometimes collected, painted in gay colors, and used as
ornaments about the house.

Although Indians considered the fruits as inferior and suitable only for
coyotes, they ate them either cooked or dried, and made the seeds into a
mush. Pioneers used the crushed roots of these plants as a cleansing agent
in washing clothes.

YELLOW

46

Amsinckia tessellata

Common names: FIDDLENECK
Arizona desert: (Amsinckia intermedia). Yellow. Spring.
California desert: (Amsinckia tessellata). Yellow. Spring.
Borage family. Size: Bristly erect herbs, 8 to 18 inches.

An annual of the Creosotebush belt, and very abundant on gravelly or sandy
soils in dry, open places, Fiddleneck is found from western New Mexico to
California and north to eastern Washington.

A. tessellata occurs also in Chile and Argentina. Plants are reported to make
good spring forage where they grow in heavy stands, but indications have
been found that cirrhosis of the liver may result in cattle, sheep and horses
that eat the nutlets.

Following moist winters, Fiddleneck is often so abundant as to form vast
fields of yellow or orange-yellow blossoms, especially on the Mohave
Desert in southern California.

The curling habit of the opening flower heads somewhat resembles the neck
of a violin, hence the name.

YELLOW

47

Flourensia cernua

Common names: TARBUSH, VARNISHBUSH
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Flourensia cernua). Yellow. July-December.
Sunflower family. Size: A small shrub 3 feet, occasionally 6 or 7 feet high.

These resinous, much-branched, perennial shrubs are found on plains and
mesas at elevations around 4,000 feet from western Texas to eastern
Arizona and south into Mexico. The yellow, nodding flower heads are
small, and the leaves have a hop-like odor and a bitter flavor unpalatable to
cattle.

In northern Mexico the leaves and dried flower heads are sold in the drug
markets under the name of hojase, recommended, in the form of a brew, as
a remedy for indigestion.

YELLOW

48

Prosopis pubescens
Prosopis juliflora

Common names: MESQUITE, HONEY MESQUITE 49
Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Prosopis juliflora). Yellow.
April-June.
Pea family. Size: Tree 15 to 25, rarely 30 feet high.

Mesquite (mess-KEET) is one of the commonest and most widespread of
desert trees, often growing in extensive thickets. It occurs at elevations
below 5,000 feet, usually along streams, desert washes, or in locations
where the water table is relatively high, from Kansas to California and
south into Mexico. Roots are reported to penetrate to a depth of 60 feet with
more wood below ground than above. In some parts of the desert, blowing
sand settles around Mesquite clumps forming hummocks through which
rodents tunnel.

The numerous branches are armed with sturdy, straight thorns. In the spring
when covered with bright green leaves and laden with catkin-like clusters of
greenish-yellow flowers, Mesquite is a particularly handsome shrub or tree.
Blossoms are fragrant and attract myriads of insects, including Honeybees.

During pioneer days, Mesquite wood was of the utmost importance to
settlers as fuel, and was also used extensively in building corrals and in
making furniture and utensils. With the exception of Ironwood, Mesquite is
the best firewood to be found in the desert, giving off a characteristic aroma
and forming a long-lived bed of coals.

Fruits of the Mesquite, which resemble string beans, ripen in autumn and
are eaten by domestic livestock and other animals. They are rich in sugar
and still form a staple food among natives. Indians made wide use of
Mesquite, the fruits often carrying them over periods when their crops
failed. Pinole, a meal made by grinding the long, sweet pods, was served in
many ways. When fermented, it formed a favorite intoxicating drink of the
Pimas. The gum, which exudes through the bark, was eaten as candy, and
was used as a pottery-mending cement, and as a black dye.

YELLOW

Common names: SCREWBEAN, FREMONT SCREWBEAN,
SCREWPOD MESQUITE, (TORNILLO)
Arizona, Texas, and California deserts: (Prosopis pubescens). Yellow. May-
June.
Pea family. Size: Shrub, or tree up to 20 feet.

Although the Screwbean, so called because of the tight spiral curl formed
by the seed pod, is not as common as Honey Mesquite, it is nearly as
widespread, being found below 4,000 feet from western Texas to southern
Nevada, and southern California to northern Mexico. The majority of the
trees are small and shrubby.

Fruits, in common with those of Honey Mesquite, are used by Indians and
livestock for food. Bark from the roots was used by the Pima Indians to
treat wounds. Where abundant, the wood is used for fence posts, tool
handles, and fuel. Birds, particularly the Crissal Thrasher, make use of the
shreddy bark for nest-lining material.

Where Screwbean and Honey Mesquite grow together, they may be
distinguished in the winter when trees are leafless and fruits have fallen or
been removed by animals, by the gray-barked twigs of the Screwbean, those
of the Honey Mesquite being brownish red.

Some botanists prefer to classify Screwbean as genus Strombocarpa.

YELLOW

50

Baeria chrysostoma variety gracilis

Common names: GOLDFIELDS
Arizona desert: (Baeria chrysostoma). Yellow. March-May.
Sunflower family. Size: Low growing, usually under 6 inches.

After winters of particularly heavy precipitation, these small close-growing
annuals with their sunflower-like blossoms cover large patches of desert
with a carpet of gold. Individual flowers are so small and so inconspicuous
among larger plants that they are easily passed unnoticed, but millions of
the plants all in blossom at the same time make a spectacular display that
attracts visitors from considerable distances.

They occur in Arizona below 3,600 feet, westward to California, Lower
California, and north to Oregon. A plant of winter and early springtime,
Goldfields takes advantage of winter moisture and cool spring weather to
produce its flowers and mature its seeds. Thus it escapes the heat and

drought of the desert by lying dormant in the seed stage until the moisture
and cool temperatures of the following winter awaken it.

In common with Goldpoppy and other annuals that mature their seeds
before the summer heat descends upon the desert, Goldfields cannot
correctly be called a “desert plant.” Actually these are plants of cooler
climes which have found winter conditions in the desert ideal for their
needs and have established themselves.

These plants demonstrate effectively one method, that of escaping the heat
and drought, by which plants have adapted themselves to survival in the
desert. Like the winter tourist, they take advantage of ideal climatic
conditions of winter and spring. Since, unlike the winter tourist, they cannot
return north for the summer, they take the next best course and pass through
the hot, dry period in the dormancy of the seed phase of their life cycles.

YELLOW

51

Enceliopsis argophylla

Common name: SUNRAY
Arizona desert: (Enceliopsis argophylla). Bright yellow. April-June.
California desert: (Enceliopsis covillei). Lemon-yellow. April-June.
Sunflower family. Size: Perennial, 1 to 2½ feet tall.

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

52

Geraea canescens

Common names: DESERT-SUNSHINE, DESERT-SUNFLOWER,
DESERT GOLD, HAIRY-HEADED SUNFLOWER
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Geraea canescens). Yellow.
January-June.
Sunflower family. Size: An annual, 6 inches to 2 feet tall.

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

53

Encelia farinosa

Common names: BRITTLEBUSH, (INCIENSO)
Arizona and California deserts: (Encelia farinosa). Yellow. November-May.
Sunflower family. Size: Perennial shrubs, 2 to 3 feet high.

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

54

Baileya multiradiata

Common names: WOOLLY-MARIGOLD, DESERT-MARIGOLD,
PAPER-DAISY
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Baileya multiradiata). Yellow. March-October.
California desert: (Baileya pleniradiata). Yellow. March-November.
Sunflower family. Size: 4 inches up to 2 feet high.

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

55

Aplopappus heterophyllus
Aplopappus gracilis

Common names: JIMMYWEED, RAYLESS-GOLDENROD,
GOLDENBUSH, GOLDENWEED
Arizona desert: (Aplopappus lacrifolius). Yellow. August-November.
California desert: (Aplopappus gracilis). Yellow. February-November.
Texas-New Mexico desert: (Aplopappus heterophyllus). Yellow. June-
September.
Sunflower family. Size: Herbs or small shrubs 2 to 18 inches.

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

56

Psilostrophe cooperi

Common name: PAPERFLOWER
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Psilostrophe cooperi). Bright yellow. Year
around.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Psilostrophe sparsiflora). Bright yellow. May-
September.
Sunflower family. Size: Rounded bush 12 to 18 inches high.

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

57

Cassia lindheimeriana
Cassia bauhinoides

Common names: DESERT-SENNA, RATTLEWEED
Arizona desert: (Cassia bauhinoides). Yellow. May-August.
California desert: (Cassia armata). Yellow. April-May.

Texas desert: (Cassia lindheimeriana). Golden. June-September.
Pea family. Size: Low, branching shrub up to 3 feet.

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

58

Caesalpinia gilliesi

Common names: BIRD-OF-PARADISE-FLOWER
Arizona desert: (Caesalpinia gilliesi). Yellow-and-red. May-August.
Pea family. Size: Shrub, up to 10 feet tall.

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

59

Opuntia engelmanni
Opuntia basilaris

Common names: PRICKLYPEAR, (TUNA), BEAVERTAIL

Arizona desert: (Opuntia engelmanni). Yellow. April-June.
California desert: (Opuntia basilaris). Magenta. March-April.
Texas desert: (Opuntia engelmanni). Yellow. May-July.
Cactus family. Size: Clumps, sometimes 5 feet high and 10 feet in diameter.

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 60
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

Ferocactus wislizeni

Common names: BARREL CACTUS, COMPASS CACTUS,
DEVILSHEAD CACTUS, (BISNAGA), (BISNAGRE)
Arizona desert: (Ferocactus wislizeni). Orange-yellow. July-September.
California desert: (Ferocactus acanthodes). Yellow. March-May.
Texas desert: (Echinocactus horizonthalonius). Rose-pink. May-June.
Cactus family. Size: 2 to 8 feet high.

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 61
cactus candy.

YELLOW

Agave lechuguilla

Common names: AGAVE, CENTURYPLANT, (MESCAL),
(LECHUGUILLA)
Arizona desert: (Agave palmeri). Yellow-purple. July-Aug.
California desert: (Agave deserti). Yellow. May.
Texas-New Mexico desert: (Agave lechuguilla). Lavender-brown. April-
May.
Amaryllis family. Size: Flower stalks 8 to 25 feet tall.

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

62

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.

Calochortus kennedyi
Calochortus flexuosus

Common names: MARIPOSA, DESERT-MARIPOSA

Arizona and California deserts: (Calochortus kennedyi). Orange. March-
May.
Lily family. Size: Perennial, about 2 feet tall.

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

63

Eschscholtzia mexicana

Common names: GOLDPOPPY, DESERTPOPPY, (COPRA-DE-ORO),
MEXICAN POPPY
Arizona desert: (Eschscholtzia mexicana). Orange. February-May.
California desert: (Eschscholtzia glyptosperma). Bright yellow. March-May.
Poppy family. Size: 3 inches to a foot high, with many flower stems.

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

64

Martynia arenaria

Common names: DEVILSCLAW, UNICORNPLANT, ELEPHANT-
TUSKS
Arizona desert: (Martynia parviflora). Orange-purple. April-October.
California desert: (Martynia altheaefolia). Coppery yellow. July-September.
Texas desert: (Martynia arenaria). Coppery yellow. July-September.
Martynia family. Size: Trailing, with stems 2 to 5 feet long.

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

65

Hymenoclea monogyra

Common names: BURROBUSH, CHEESEWEED
Arizona and California deserts: (Hymenoclea salsola). Silvery red. March-
April.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Hymenoclea monogyra). Silvery red.
September.
Sunflower family. Size: Much-branched shrub, 2 to 3 feet tall.

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

66

Fouquieria splendens

Common names: OCOTILLO, SLIMWOOD, COACHWHIP,
CANDLEWOOD, FLAMINGSWORD
Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Fouquieria splendens). Bright red.
April-May.
Ocotillo family. Size: Up to 15 feet tall.

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 67
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

Allionia incarnata

Common names: WINDMILLS, PINK THREE-FLOWER, TRAILING-
FOUR-O’CLOCK
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Allionia incarnata). Purple pink. April-October.
California desert: (Allionia albida). Rose pink. July-October.
Four-o’clock family. Size: Spreading annual with branches 30 inches.

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, 68
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

Sphaeralcea ambigua

Common names: GLOBEMALLOW, APRICOT-MALLOW, SORE-
EYE POPPY, DESERTMALLOW

Arizona and California deserts: (Sphaeralcea ambigua). Peach-pink.
February-May.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Sphaeralcea angustifolia). Pink. May-October.
Mallow family. Size: 1 to 5 feet tall, often clustered.

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

69

Calliandra eriophylla

Common names: FAIRYDUSTER, FALSE-MESQUITE,
(MESQUITILLA), HAIRY-LEAVED CALLIANDRA
Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Calliandra eriophylla). Pink.
February-May.
Pea family. Size: From a few inches up to 3½ feet tall.

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

70

Eriogonum deflexum

Common names: SKELETONWEED, DESERT BUCKWHEAT
Arizona desert: (Eriogonum densum). Pink. May-October.
California desert: (Eriogonum deflexum). Pink-white. All year.
Texas desert: (Eriogonum polycladon). Pink. June-November.
Buckwheat family. Size: 6 inches to 30 inches high.

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

71

Tamarix pentandra

Common names: SALTCEDAR, TAMARISK
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Tamarix pentandra). Pink to white.
March-August.
Tamarix family. Size: Shrubs to trees up to 15-20 feet high.

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

72

Phlox tenuifolia
Phlox mesoleuca

Common name: DESERT-PHLOX
Arizona desert: (Phlox tenuifolia). White-lavender. Spring.
California desert: (Phlox stansburyi). Pinkish-red. May-July.
Texas desert: (Phlox mesoleuca). Pink-white. June-August.

Phlox family. Size: Low-growing perennials, in clumps; or shrubby plants
in tufts up to 3 feet tall.

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

73

Chilopsis linearis

Common names: DESERTWILLOW, DESERT-CATALPA
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Chilopsis linearis). Pink-lavender.
April-August.
Bignonia family. Size: Shrubby tree, 6 to 15 feet high.

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

74

Lemaireocereus thurberi
Lophocereus schotti

Common names: ORGANPIPE CACTUS, SINITA; (PITAHAYA
DULCE)
Arizona desert: (Lemaireocereus thurberi). Pink lavender. May-June.
Arizona desert: (Lophocereus schotti). Pink. April-August.
Cactus family. Size: In clumps, stems up to 15 feet.

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 75
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

Mammillaria microcarpa

Common names: PINCUSHION CACTUS, FISHHOOK CACTUS,
CORKSEED CACTUS, NIPPLE CACTUS, BUTTON CACTUS
Arizona desert: (Mammillaria microcarpa). Lavender. June-July.
California desert: (Mammillaria tetrancistra). Lavender. June-July.
Texas-New Mexico deserts: (Mammillaria micromeris). Lavender. Early
summer.
Cactus family. Size: Cucumber-shaped and 3 to 10 inches high.

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

76

Gilia longiflora
Gilia filifolia

Common names: GILIA, STARFLOWER
Arizona desert: (Gilia filifolia). Lavender. April-May.
California desert: (Gilia latifolia). Pink-lavender. March-April.
Texas desert: (Gilia longiflora). Blue-lavender. April-October.
Phlox family. Size: 6 to 24 inches high.

Although the Gilias are not generally well known, they are common, 77
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

Phacelia crenulata

Common names: PHACELIA, SCORPIONWEED, WILD-
HELIOTROPE
Arizona desert: (Phacelia crenulata). Violet-purple. February-June.
California desert: (Phacelia distans). Blue-violet. March-May.
Texas desert: (Phacelia coerulea). Violet-purple. March-April.
Waterleaf family. Size: 4 to 16 inches tall.

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.

78

Lycium andersoni
Lycium pallidum

Common names: SQUAW-THORN, RABBIT-THORN, DESERT-
THORN, WOLFBERRY, SQUAWBERRY, (TOMATILLO)
Arizona desert: (Lycium pallidum). Green-lavender. April-June.
California desert: (Lycium andersoni). Lavender. February-April.
Texas desert: (Lycium berlanderi). Lavender-cream. March-September.
Potato family. Size: Thorny shrubs, stiff and brushy, up to 6 feet.

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

79

Leucophyllum frutescens

Common names: CENIZA, SENISA, ASHPLANT, WILD-LILAC
Texas desert: (Leucophyllum frutescens). Lilac-violet. August-October.
(Leucophyllum texanum). Violet-purple. August-October.
Figwort family. Size: Bushy shrub, 3 to 4 feet high.

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

80

Erodium texanum
Erodium cicutarium

Common names: FILEREE OR FILAREE, HERONBILL,
(ALFILERIA)
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Erodium texanum). Pink-violet. February-
March.
California desert. (Erodium cicutarium). Rose-violet. February-March.
Geranium family. Size: 3 to 12 inches high.

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

81

Olneya tesota

Common names: IRONWOOD, DESERT-IRONWOOD, TESOTA,
(PALO-DE-HIERRO)
Arizona and California deserts: (Olneya tesota). Violet-purple. May-June.
Pea family. Size: Wide-crowned tree up to 35 feet.

Ironwood is one of the desert’s most beautiful trees, being particularly
colorful when the new, dark-green leaves and violet, wisteria-like flowers
give it a lavender glow in late May or early June. Since the tree survives
only in warm locations, it has for years served as a guide to citrus growers
in selecting sites for orange, lemon, or grapefruit plantings.

Foliage of the Ironwood is dense and evergreen, and the wood is very heavy
and so hard that it cannot be worked with ordinary tools. When thoroughly
dry, it makes high-quality firewood, and as a result it has been cut and

removed over much of the desert, hence mature trees are becoming
relatively scarce. Indians used the wood for arrow points and as tool
handles.

Ironwood trees grow along desert washes, often in company with Mesquite
and Paloverde. Blossoms are much more numerous in some years than in
others. Although the trees, when in bloom, make a spectacular showing,
they are very difficult to capture on color film, and photographs that do
them justice are rare. Seeds, which mature late in the summer, are roasted
and eaten by desert Indians who prize them for their peanut-like flavor.
They are eaten also by various desert animals.

In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and in some other parts of the
desert, Ironwood trees have become heavily infested with Mistletoe which
stunts or kills the branches and produces grotesque, tumor-like swellings.

VIOLET

82

Aster tephrodes
Aster abatus

Common names: ASTER, DESERT ASTER, MOHAVE-ASTER,
TANSY ASTER
Arizona desert: (Aster tephrodes). Amethyst blue. April-October.
California desert: (Aster abatus). Violet to lavender. March-May.

Texas desert: (Aster tanacetifolius). Bright violet. June-October.
Sunflower family. Size: Few inches to 2½ feet tall.

Since the Aster is one of the most widespread and best-known of the
flowers, it is usually easily recognized. There are many species, principally
perennials, ranging from low-growing, single-stemmed plants, sprawling,
many-stemmed plants with large flowers, to tall bushes. Desert species are
found on dry, rocky hillsides and along roadsides and on waste ground.

Aster tanacetifolius leaf shapes

The Aster is by no means restricted to the desert. Over much of the United
States they are considered as fall bloomers, but many species blossom in the
spring while others are at their floral best in midsummer.

VIOLET

83

Pentstemon pseudospectabilis
Pentstemon fendleri

Common names: PENTSTEMON, BEARDTONGUE
Arizona desert: (Pentstemon pseudospectabilis). Rose-purple. April-July.
California desert. (Pentstemon thurberi). Blue-purple. April-June.
Texas desert: (Pentstemon fendleri). Blue-purple. April-June.
Figwort family. Size: Perennial herbs from a few inches high to 3 feet or
more tall.

Widespread through the Southwest at nearly all elevations, the Penstemons
are conspicuous herbs or small shrubs with showy flowers that attract
attention and admiration when they are in bloom in the spring and early
summer on the desert.

PURPLE

84

Lupinus sparsiflorus
Lupinus havardi

Common names: LUPINE, BLUEBONNET
Arizona desert: (Lupinus sparsiflorus). Violet-purple. January-May.
California desert: (Lupinus odoratus). Royal purple. April-May.
Texas desert: (Lupinus havardi). Blue-purple. March-April.
Pea family. Size: Bushy, and up to 2 or 2½ feet tall.

Lupines are among the old dependables of spring display flowers of the
desert, usually mingling with other blossoming herbs to create the bright
color pattern for which the desert is famous in early spring, but occasionally
growing in pure stands. Ranging in color from pale pink to deep purple, the
Lupines are usually considered as blue flowers.

The name “Lupine” comes from the Latin word meaning wolf and was
applied to these plants because they were believed to rob the soil of its
fertility. Actually, they prefer the poorer, sandy soils and, by fixing in the
soil nitrogen that they, in common with other plants of the pea family, are
able to obtain from the air, they actually improve the land on which they
grow.

Perhaps the best known display of Lupines takes place each spring in 85
Texas. Here the “Bluebonnet” (L. texensis and L. subcarnosus) has
been named the state flower of Texas, and the annual spring display attracts
thousands of people to the areas of heavy bloom. The majority of Lupines
have handsome flowers, some species are fragrant, and several species are
cultivated as ornamentals. The seeds of a few species contain alkaloids
which are poisonous to livestock, especially sheep.

PURPLE

Orobanche ludoviciana

Common names: BROOMRAPE, BURROWED STRANGLER,
CANCER-ROOT
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Orobanche ludoviciana).
Brownish-purple. March-July.
Broomrape family. Size: 4 to 15 inches tall.

This root parasite, although not common, is sufficiently strange and striking
in appearance to arrest attention. Its purple to yellowish-brown, leafless
flower stalks somewhat resembling coarse shoots of asparagus rise above
the desert soil, usually in open, sandy locations.

Broomrape, of which there are several species, is found throughout the
Southwest from southern Utah and Nevada to Texas, California, and
Mexico.

The plant is parasitic on the roots of a number of different plants, but the
desert species usually parasitize Burrobush, Bur-sage, and other
composites. Flowers are small, purple with brown and white markings, and
monopolize the plant stalk in the absence of foliage.

Underground parts of the plant were eaten by Southwestern Indians. The
name “Cancer-root” refers to the reported efficacy of treatment in applying
the stems of the plant to ulcers.

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86

Astragalus mollissimus

Common names: MILKVETCH, LOCOWEED, RATTLEWEED,
WOOLLY-LOCO
Arizona and California deserts: (Astragalus nuttalianus). White-purple.
February-May.
Texas deserts: (Astragalus mollissimus). Purple. April-May.
Pea family. Size: 4 to 12 inches high.

A very large genus of plants, with 78 species recorded in Arizona alone,
Astragalus ranges from the driest, hottest parts of the desert to high
mountain peaks and the far north. A. nuttalianus is the commonest of the
desert species and is found on dry plains, mesas, and slopes below 4,000
feet from Arkansas and Texas westward to California and south into
Mexico.

Some of the species, of which Mollisimus (Wooly-loco) is one, contain a
poisonous constituent causing the well-known and often fatal loco disease
of livestock, particularly horses. (Loco is a Spanish word meaning “crazy.”)
Other species which prefer soils rich in selenium take up enough of that
toxic mineral to make them poisonous to livestock, especially sheep.

Nearly all of the species are colorful and spectacular when in blossom, and
some of them have a rank, disagreeable odor.

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87

Solanum elaeagnifolium
S. rostratum

Common names: PURPLE NIGHTSHADE, GROUNDCHERRY,
WILD POTATO, (TROMPILLO), HORSENETTLE
Arizona and California deserts: (Solanum xanti). Purple. April-August.
Texas desert: (Solanum elaeagnifolium). Purple-violet. May-September.
Potato family. Size: Up to 3 feet.

Quite showy when in flower, these common roadside plants attract
considerable attention during the late spring and summer. Some species
become troublesome in cultivated fields and are difficult to eradicate. An
alkaloid, solanin, reported as present in the leaves and unripe fruits of
several species, renders them poisonous. Pima Indians add the crushed
berries of S. elaeagnofolium to milk in making cheese.

The yellow-flowered S. rostratum is heavily covered with spines, including
both stems and fruit, giving it the name of Buffalobur. This species is said
to be the original host of the now widespread pest, the Colorado Potato
Beetle.

PURPLE

88

Heliotropium curassavicum

Common names: WILD-HELIOTROPE, QUAILPLANT, CHINESE-
PUSLEY
Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Heliotropium curassavicum).
Purple. March-April.
Borage family. Size: Spreading, weak stems up to 18 inches.

Widely distributed on salty and alkaline soils throughout the warmer parts
of the Western Hemisphere, there are several species and varieties of Wild-
heliotrope. The flowers, which are almost white, shading to a pale purple in
the corolla throat, open as the spike uncoils, perfuming the desert air with
their fragrance. The name “Pusley” which is applied to this plant in some
localities is possibly a corruption of “Purslane.”

Pima Indians are reported to powder the dried roots of these plants,
applying the dust to wounds or sores. The name “Wild-heliotrope” is also

applied to another desert flower, Phacelia crenulata (which see), causing no
little confusion.

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89

Pluchea sericea

Common names: ARROWWEED, MARSH-FLEABANE
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Pluchea sericea). Roseate purple.
Spring.
Sunflower family. Size: Perennial, 3 to 10 feet tall.

Seldom found above 3,000 feet elevation, the rank-smelling Arrowweed
forms dense, willow-like thickets in stream beds and in moist, saline soils.
It is common in moist locations from Texas to southern Utah and south into
California and Mexico; usually in pure, dense stands.

The green foliage gives off an agreeable odor, but when the plant dries this
becomes rank and unpleasant, clinging to the plant long after it has been
cut. This odor is often a characteristic of native dwellings where
Arrowweed has been used as a ceiling mat above the rafters.

Arrowweed is browsed by deer, and sometimes by horses and cattle. The
straight stems were used by Indians in making arrowshafts, and are still
important as a construction material in the walls and roofs of mud huts. The
stems are used, also, by desert Indians in basketmaking, and in fabricating
storage bins and animal cages. From the foliage of the stem tips, Pima
Indians brewed a tea which they used as an eye wash.

The flowers are reported to furnish considerable nectar gathered by
Honeybees. The blossoms are inconspicuous and develop into tawny-tufted
seed-heads.

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90

Mimulus bigelovi

Common name: MONKEYFLOWER
Arizona and California deserts: (Mimulus bigelovi). Red-purple. February-
April.
Texas desert: (Mimulus glabratus). Yellow. June.
Figwort family. Size: Branching, creeping annual up to 8 inches.

Disproportionately large flowers for the size of the low-growing, small-
leafed plant make it particularly conspicuous in the open, sandy locations
where it blossoms in the springtime.

Although the Monkeyflower is usually thought of as moisture-loving, there
are a number of desert species. The flowers are quite easy to recognize, as
they closely resemble the Monkeyflowers which grow in the moist places
surrounding seeps and springs, and they also are somewhat similar in
appearance to their close relatives the Snapdragons and Pentstemons.

The desert species are well worthy of consideration for cultivation as
garden ornamentals.

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91

Nama demissum

Common names: PURPLEMAT, PURPLE ROLL-LEAF
Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Nama demissum). Red-purple.
March-May.
Waterleaf family. Size: Tiny plant, an inch or so high.

Although the plants are very small, they grow close together and the
blossoms are often quite large in comparison. The reddish-purple color of
the flowers stands out in sharp contrast to the green of spring vegetation so

that a widespread growth of the plants forms patches or mats of colorful
desert carpeting.

Masses of the plants are usually found on open flats, often among
Creosotebush, and on either clay or sandy soils. In dry years, growth is
restricted and a tiny plant may bear but a single flower, the blossom
sometimes almost as large as the rest of the plant.

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92

Boerhaavia caribaea

Common names: SPIDERLING, WEST INDIAN BOERHAAVIA

Arizona, California and Texas deserts: (Boerhaavia caribaea). Red-purple.
May-September.
Four-o’clock family. Size: Trailing stems up to 4 feet in length.

A common roadside perennial, Spiderling becomes an annoying garden
weed when it invades open fields and areas of cultivation. Its trailing stems
and sticky foliage interfere with tillage. The flowers are small but numerous
and grow in attractive, colorful clusters. This species is widely distributed,
not only throughout the deserts of the Southwest, but also in tropical and
subtropical America.

In addition to B. caribaea, other species of Boerhaavia are widespread
throughout areas of the Southwest below 5,500 feet elevations. The plants
usually grow where they are exposed to full sunlight, although sometimes
found in open brushlands, and reach full flower in late summer and autumn
months.

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93

Orthocarpus purpurascens

Common names: OWLCLOVER, (ESCOBITA)
Arizona and California deserts: (Orthocarpus purpurascens). Red-purple.
March-May.
Figwort family. Size: 4 to 8 inches high.

This short, leafy annual ranging in color from rich velvet red to purple is
noticeable even as an individual plant, but, following winters of above
average rainfall, it often grows en masse, covering portions of the desert
floor with a carpet of bright purple; sometimes in pure stands, often mixed
with Goldpoppy, Lupine, and other spring flowers.

Since Escobita is limited in range to southern and western Arizona,
California, and Lower California at elevations below 3,000 feet, Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument is well within its range, and in that area can be
seen at its spectacular best.

The California variety has the lower lip of the blossom tipped with rich
yellow.

PURPLE

94

Opuntia spinosior
Opuntia fulgida
Opuntia acanthocarpa

Common names: CHOLLA, CANE CACTUS, WALKINGSTICK
CHOLLA, BUCKHORN CHOLLA
Arizona desert: (Opuntia spinosior). Red-purple. May-June.
California desert: (Opuntia acanthocarpa). Yellow-purple. April-May.

Texas desert: (Opuntia imbricata). Red-purple. May-June.
Cactus family. Size: Shrubby, from 3 to 8 feet high.

Aside from the true Tree Cholla (Opuntia fulgida), which is the largest of
the branching, cylindrical-jointed cacti and is very common in restricted
portions of the desert in the Tucson-Phoenix area, the species listed above
are the largest, most representative, and most widely spread of the Chollas
(CHOH-yahs).

The bright red to purple flowers of O. spinosior and O. imbricata make
them particularly attractive during the blossoming season, while the
extreme variability, from yellow to red and purple, of the flowers of O.
acanthocarpa make its identification by this means always a matter of
uncertainty. Fruits of spinosior and imbricata are quite large, yellow, and at
a distance may be mistaken for blossoms.

Flowers of O. fulgida are small, pink, and appear in midsummer followed
by fruits which remain on the plant to form long hanging clusters relished
by cattle. A hybrid between spinosior and fulgida is reported along the Gila
River west of Florence, Arizona.

PURPLE

95

Cirsium neomexicanum
Cirsium undulatum

Common names: THISTLE, WAVY THISTLE
Arizona desert: (Cirsium neomexicanum). Pink-purple. March-September.
California desert: (Cirsium mohavense). Pink-white. Summer.
Texas desert: (Cirsium undulatum). Red-purple. October.

Sunflower family. Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, sometimes taller.

Sometimes called Bullthistles, these biennials or perennials with spiny
stems, prickly leaves, and heavy flower heads ranging in color from white
to purple need no introduction to most people.

The Mohave Thistle is the commonest form found in southern California,
being abundant, sometimes in dense stands, in open gravelly valleys, on
rocky slopes, or about alkaline seeps in the Mohave Desert. Range of the
New Mexico Thistle extends westward to the eastern borders of the Mohave
Desert. Cirsium californica, with white blossoms, occurs in Death Valley
National Monument at elevations between 4,000 and 5,000 feet.

Navajo and Hopi Indians are reported to use the Thistle plant for medicinal
purposes.

PURPLE

96

Abronia villosa

Common name: SANDVERBENA
Arizona and California deserts: (Abronia villosa). Pink-purple. March-
April.
Texas desert: (Abronia angustifolia). Pink-purple. March-July.
Four-o’clock family. Size: Trailing annual, stems sometimes 2 feet in
length.

Sandverbenas are attractive, low-growing herbs with pink-purple to
lavender, fragrant flowers forming clusters or heads which cover the plants.
Desert species are conspicuous in the springtime when they line roadsides
and carpet open, sandy locations, such as dry streambeds, with a mass of
purple. Although they are often found in solid patches, they frequently
intermingle with other spring flowers such as the Bladderpod producing a
gay pattern of color.

Other species are found at higher elevations and are common during the
summer months.

Some of the desert species blossom a second time in September.

PURPLE

97

Echinocereus fendleri
Echinocereus rigidissimus

Common names: HEDGEHOG CACTUS, STRAWBERRY CACTUS,
CALICO CACTUS
Arizona and California deserts: (Echinocereus engelmanni). Lavender-
purple. March-April.
Texas desert: (Echinocereus fendleri). Pink-purple. May-June.
Cactus family. Size: 6 to 18 inches high.

Growing in open clumps with stems resembling spine-covered cucumbers
standing on end, the Hedgehog is the first cactus to blossom in the spring.
Flowers vary considerably in color ranging from lavender through purple to
a rich red.

Fruits (called “pitayas” in Texas) are dark mahogany red, juicy, rich in
sugar, and may be eaten like strawberries, hence the name Strawberry
Cactus. They form an important item in the diet of birds and rodents. Pima
Indians consider them a delicacy.

A close relative, the Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus) is 98
restricted in its distribution to elevations between 4,000 and 6,000
feet. It is called “Rainbow” Cactus because of alternating bands of red and
white spines encircling the stem and marking growth of different seasons
and years. The blossoms of the Rainbow Cactus are pinkish (yellow in
western Texas) and are large and showy in comparison with the small size
of the single-stemmed plant.

PURPLE

Dichelostemma pulchellum

Common names: DESERT-HYACINTH, PAPAGOLILY, BLUEDICKS,
COVENA, GRASSNUTS
Arizona and California deserts: (Dichelostemma pulchellum). Light blue.
February-May.
Lily family. Size: About 1 foot high.

Very common and abundant in early spring, the pale blue to violet flowers
of this small, delicate perennial Lily are conspicuous on open slopes and
mesas. Found below 5,000 feet from southwestern New Mexico to
California and northward to Oregon, they are widely scattered over the
desert areas of the Southwest. Pima and Papago Indians ate the small bulbs,
as also did the early white settlers who named them Grassnuts.

BLUE

99

Evolvulus arizonicus

Common name: WILD-MORNINGGLORY
Arizona desert: (Evolvulus arizonicus). Sky blue. April-October.
Texas desert: (Evolvulus alsinoides). Azure blue. April-September.
Convolvulus family. Size: Spreading perennial herbs up to 2 feet.

Although E. arizonicus is considered one of the desert’s most beautiful
wildflowers, members of the genus are by no means limited to the desert.
They are found in sunny locations on desert grasslands, open plains and dry
mesas below 5,000 feet from the Dakotas and Montana to Argentina.

The flowers, although rarely more than ½ inch in diameter, are bright azure
or sky blue, and seem large in comparison with the small leaves and weak,
spreading stems of the plant that bears them.

Although the genus Ipomoea is the true Morningglory, blossoms of Evolvus
are similar in appearance, although flattened, hence are sometimes called
Wild-morningglory.

BLUE

100

Salvia carnosa
Salvia columbariae

Common names: CHIA, SAGE, DESERT-SAGE
Arizona desert: (Salvia carnosa). Sky-blue. Spring.
California desert: (Salvia columbariae). Blue. March-April.
Texas desert: (Salvia arizonica). Indigo blue. July-September.
Mint family. Size: Herbs and shrubs up to 3 feet high.

The word “Sage” is derived from the idea that these plants had the power to
make a person wise or sage. Please do not confuse the Desert-sage with
Sagebrush (Artemisia) which does not grow in low-elevation deserts but
which, due to popular writings and “western” movies, is associated in the
public mind with any brushy plant found in the west.

Seeds of the Chia at one time formed a staple article of diet among
southwestern Indians, and are still used by natives in Mexico for food and
for making mucilaginous poultices.

The flowers of several species of Chia are very ornamental and the plants
are quite common, usually in sandy soil.

BLUE

101

Delphinium amabile
D. scaposum

Common names: LARKSPUR, WILD-DELPHINIUM
Arizona desert: (Delphinium scaposum). Royal blue. March-May.
California desert: (Delphinium parishi) Sky blue. Spring.
Texas desert: (Delphinium carolinianum). Blue. Spring.

Crowfoot family. Size: Up to 2 feet in height.

Desert Larkspurs are low-growing, spring or early summer-flowering in
habit, often occurring in colonies, and frequently intermingle with other
spring flowers thereby adding their blue to the colorful tapestry of ground
cover. They are readily recognized because of their resemblance to the
cultivated varieties called Delphiniums, and because of the tubular
extension or “spur.” D. amabile is the most drought-resistant of all
southwestern species and may blossom in the desert as early as February.

Because they contain delphinine and other toxic alkaloids, Larkspurs are
poisonous to livestock, particularly sheep. On the desert, the plants are
small and bear few but beautiful blossoms. They prefer open, gravelly soil.

It is reported that the Hopi Indians grind Larkspur blossoms with corn to
produce blue meal.

BLUE

102

Dalea mollis
Dalea spinosa
Dalea formosa

Common names: SMOKETREE, INDIGOBUSH, PEABUSH
Arizona and California deserts: (Dalea spinosa). Blue-violet. April-June.
Texas deserts: (Dalea formosa). Purple. March-June.
Pea family. Size: Up to 10 or 12 feet tall.

Famous, although not common, throughout the frostless areas of the desert,
the Smoketree, because of its gray-green, leafless, plume-like growth
resembles at a distance a gray cloud of smoke hovering over a desert
campfire. When in flower, in May or June, it is one of the handsomest of

desert shrubs. It is always found in the bed of a sandy wash where it obtains
moisture from runoff following summer showers or winter rains.

In California, it occurs in portions of both the Mohave and the Colorado
Deserts, and in Arizona is restricted to the western part of the state. It is
fairly abundant near Quitobaquito in the southwestern corner of Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument.

Other species of Indigobush, of which there are many, are less famous than
the Smoketree, but all have purple or indigo flowers and most of them are
beautiful and noticeable when in blossom. Indians used an extract from the
twigs for dyeing basket material and ate the roots of D. terminalis.

BLUE

103

Rumex hymenosepalus

Common names: WILD-RHUBARB, DOCK, SORREL, CANAIGRE

Arizona and California deserts: (Rumex hymenosepalus). Pink-green.
March-April.
Texas desert: (Rumex mexicanus). Pink-green. Summer.
Buckwheat family. Size: Coarse perennial up to 2 feet tall.

Sturdy, conspicuous flower and seed heads together with the large leaves of
these coarse, roadside plants, although hardly to be considered as beautiful,
attract considerable attention and arouse the curiosity of the observer. Some
species are garden weeds introduced from Europe. In the desert, the large,
coarse leaves and pinkish flower stalks make quite a showing in sandy
washes and along the roadsides as early as March and April. The plant is
being considered as a source of tannin (from its tubers) to replace that
formerly obtained from Chestnuts.

GREEN

104

Simmondsia chinensis

Common names: GOATNUT, DEERNUT, (JOJOBA), WILD-HAZEL,
COFFEEBERRY
Arizona and California deserts: (Simmondsia chinensis). Green-yellow.
December-July.
Box family. Size: Shrub, 2 to 5 feet high.

Jojoba (hoh-HOH-bah) is another of the desert plants which is noticeable,
not because of its flowers, but due to its leathery, gray-green foliage which
persists throughout the year. These shrubs are numerous at elevations

between 1,000 and 4,300 feet in the lower levels of desert mountain ranges,
particularly on the alluvial fans at the mouths of canyons.

The acorn-like nuts, which taste something like filberts, but are bitter
because of their tannin content, were long an important item of food among
the Indians and the early settlers. The thickly set, evergreen leaves are
browsed by Deer and other animals, and the nuts are gathered by Ground
Squirrels.

The nuts contain an edible oil (actually a liquid wax) which has some
medicinal value and is used in small quantities in the manufacture of hair
oil. Attempts to raise the nut in commercial quantities have not proved
successful. On occasions the nuts have been roasted and used as a substitute
for coffee.

GREEN

105

Asclepias subulata
Asclepias erosa

Common names: DESERT MILKWEED, BEDSTRAW MILKWEED,
(AJAMENTE)
Arizona desert: (Asclepias subulata). Green-yellow. April-October.
California desert: (Asclepias erosa). Green-white. September-October.
Texas desert: (Asclepias texana). Green-white. Autumn.
Milkweed family. Size: Perennials, up to 5 feet.

Readily recognizable because of their milky sap and the pods filled 106
with silky-winged seeds, the Milkweeds are generally considered as
poisonous to livestock, although rarely eaten. Appreciable quantities of
rubber are found in the sap of some species.

GREEN

Koeberlinia spinosa
Holacantha emoryi

Common names: ALLTHORN, CROWN-OF-THORNS,
CRUCIFIXION-THORN, (CORONA-DE-CRISTO)
Arizona desert: (Koeberlinia spinosa). Greenish. May-June.
California desert: (Holacantha emoryi). Yellow-green. June-July.
Texas desert: (Koeberlinia spinosa). Greenish. May-June.

Koeberlinia is Junco family.
Holacantha is Simaruba family. Size: From 2 to 10 feet high.

Two intricately branched, thorny shrubs with green bark and leaves reduced
to small scales and otherwise resembling each other are both popularly
known by the names of Crown-of-thorns and Crucifixion-thorn, although
they are not closely related botanically.

Flowers of both are small and inconspicuous, although when the bushes are
in full bloom, they are quite noticeable. Even so, it is the unusual and eye-
arresting appearance of these shrubs which appear as leafless masses of
robust thorns, making them a conspicuous feature of the desert and arousing
the interest and curiosity of observers.

In some locations these shrubs are sufficiently abundant to form 107
thickets which repel livestock. Fruits of H. emoryi remain on the
plant for years, and it is usually possible to identify each season’s fruit
clusters by the degree of weathering. These masses of brown to black fruits
are very noticeable and are often mistaken for parasitic growths or the
results of a disease. A somewhat similar shrub, sometimes attaining tree size
and superficially resembling the Paloverde (see p. 36), is the Mohave-thorn
(Canotia holocantha). It is found at elevations between 2,500 and 4,500
feet, over much of southern and western Arizona and northern Sonora, and
blossoms from May to August.

Franseria dumosa

Common names: BUR-SAGE, BURROWEED, BURROBUSH
Arizona desert: (Franseria deltoidea). Greenish. December-April.
California desert: (Franseria dumosa). Greenish. April-November.
Sunflower family. Size: Up to 3 feet high.

Noticeable because of its ashy foliage, Bur-sage is a low, rounded, white-
barked shrub, the several species of which are very common on the dry
plains and mesas up to 3,000 feet. The flowers are small, without petals,
and colorless inasmuch as they are wind-pollenated and do not need to
attract insects.

It is classed by A. A. Nichol as one of the major plants of the Paloverde-
Bur-sage-Cacti plant association, one of the three plant communities of the
Sonoran Desert.

Bur-sage is one of the favorite foods of burros and sheep, and is said to be
preferred also by horses.

GREEN

108

Suaeda torreyana

Common names: INKWEED, SEEPWEED, IODINEBUSH, (QUELITE-
SALADO)
Arizona and Texas deserts: (Suaeda suffrutescens). Greenish. March-July.
California desert: (Suaeda torreyana). Greenish. July-September.
Goosefoot family. Size: Up to 6 feet tall, and branching.

Seepweed, which is usually an indicator of alkaline soil, is browsed to some
extent by cattle when other feed is scarce. The young plants are used for
greens by the Pimas and other desert Indians, sometimes eaten with cactus
fruits. Pinole was made by roasting the seeds. Coahuila Indians extracted
from the plants a black dye which they used in art work.

Flowers of the Seepweed are small, greenish, and without petals. Since the
pollen is carried by the wind, color to attract insects to the flowers is not
necessary. Because of its tolerance for somewhat salty or alkaline soils,
Seepweed thrives along the margins of dry lakes and on salt flats where
moisture is near the surface. On the desert of southern California it is often
associated with Mesquite and Quailbrush, the sooty-green to brown plants
standing out in sharp contrast.

Because it is so common in moist locations throughout the Southwest, and
sufficiently unusual in appearance to arouse curiosity as to its identity,
Seepweed is included in this publication regardless of the fact that its
flowers are small and inconspicuous.

GREEN

109

REFERENCES

Benson, Lyman; and Darrow, Robert: A Manual of Southwestern Trees and
Shrubs; University of Arizona, 1944.

Benson, Lyman: The Cacti of Arizona; University of Arizona, Second
Edition, 1950.

Black, Homer: Common and Larger Plants Near the Cavern Entrance;
Carlsbad Caverns National Park; mss. 1944.

Cooper, Norman C.: Check List of Plants of Organ Pipe Cactus National
Monument; mss. 1942.

Jaeger, Edmund C.: Desert Wildflowers; Stanford University Press, Revised
Edition, 1944.

Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature: Standardized Plant
Names; Second Edition, 1942.

Kearney, Thomas H.; and Peebles, Robert H.: Flowering Plants and Ferns
of Arizona; Government Printing Office, 1942.

McDougall, W. B.: Vegetation of White Sands National Monument; mss.
1939.

McDougall, W. B.: Check List of the Plants of Death Valley National
Monument; mimeo. 1945.

McDougall, W. B.; and Sperry, Omer E.: Plants of Big Bend National
Park; Government Printing Office, 1951.

Nichol, A. A.: The Natural Vegetation of Arizona; University of Arizona
Technical Bulletin No. 68, 1937.

Shantz, H. L.; and Piemeisel, R. L.: Indicator Significance of the Natural
Vegetation of the Southwestern Desert Region; Government Printing
Office, 1925.

Sperry, Omer E.; and Warnock, Barton H.: Plants of Brewster County,
Texas; Sul Ross State Teachers College Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 1,
Alpine, Texas, 1941.

Taylor, Walter P.; McDougall, Walter B.; and Davis, William B.:
Preliminary Report of an Ecological Survey of Big Bend National
Park; March-June, 1944; mimeo.

INDEX

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
W X Y Z

A
Abronia 96
Acacia 28, 33
Acknowledgement 8
Agave 19, 21, 22, 61
Ajamente 105
Ajo 13
Alfilaria 80
Algerita 43
Allionia 67
Allthorn 106
Amole 19
Amsinckia 46
Amaryllis family 61
Aplopappus 55
Apricot-mallow 68
Arizona Desert 5
Arizona-poppy 38, 39
Argemone 12
Arundo 24
Arrowweed 17, 88
Artemisia 4
Asclepias 105
Ashplant 79
Aster 17, 82
Astragalus 86

110

B
Baccharis 25
Baeria 50
Balleya 54
Barberry 43
Barberry family 43
Barrel cactus 60
Barometerbush 79
Basketgrass 20
Bead-pod 44
Beardtongue 83
Beargrass 20, 22
Beavertail cactus 59, 60
Bedstraw milkweed 105
Bellflower family 16
Berberis 43
Bignonia family 73
Bird-of-paradise flower 58
Bisnaga 60
Bisnagre 60
Bladderpod 44, 96
Bluebonnet 84
Bluedicks 98
BLUE flowers 98-102
Blue paloverde 36
Boerhaavia 92
Borage family 46
Box family 104
Brickellbush 31
Brickellia 31
Brigham-tea 34
Brittlebush 53
Broadleaf yucca 19
Broom baccharis 25
Broomrape 85
Broomrape family 85

Buckhorn cholla 94
Buckwheat family 70, 103
Buffalo-bur 87
Buffalo gourd 44
Bullhead 38
Bullnettle 87
Bullthistle 95
Burnut 38
Burrobrush 17, 40
Burrobush 40, 65
Burroweed 107
Burroweed strangler 85
Bur-sage 40, 85, 107
Button cactus 75

C
Cactus family 9, 10, 26, 59, 60, 74, 75, 94, 97
Caesalpinia 58
Calabazilla 44
Caliandra, 69
Calico cactus 97
California Desert 6
California-poppy 63
Calochortus 62
Calycoseris 30
Caltrop 39
Caltrop family 38, 39, 40
Camphor-weed 35
Canaigre 103
Cancer-root 85
Canatilla 34
Candelilla 34
Candlewood 66
Canotia 107
Caper family 37, 41
Cane cactus 94
Carnegiea 9

Carrizo 24
Cassia 57
Catclaw 28, 33
Cat’s-claw 33
Ceniza 79
Century plant 22, 61, 62
Cercidium 36
Carnegiea 6, 9
Cheesewood 65
Chia 100
Chicolote 12
Chihuahuan Desert 5
Chili Coyote 44
Chilopsis 73
Chinese pusley 88
Cholla 26, 94
Christmas cholla 26
Cirsium 95
Clammyweed 37
Clematis 23
Cleome 37
Coachwhip 66
Coffeeberry 104
Colorado-Mohave Desert 6
Common reed 24
Compass cactus 60
Convolvulus family 17, 99
COPPERY flower 64
Copra-de-oro 63
Corkseed cactus 75
Corona-de-Cristo 106
Cottonwood 28
Covena 98
Coyote-melon 44
CREAM-colored flowers 19-25
Creosotebush 17, 38, 39, 40, 91
Crowfoot family 23, 101

Crownbeard 54
Crown-of-thorns 106
Crucifixion-thorn 106
Curcurbita 44
Cuscuta 17

D
Dalea 102
Darningneedle cactus 26
Dasylirion 19, 21, 22
Datil 19
Datura 11
Deernut 104
Delphinium 101
Desert, Arizona 5
Desert, California 6
Desert, Chihuahuan 5
Desert, Colorado-Mohave 6
Desert, Great Basin 6
Desert, Sonoran 5
Desert, Texas 5
Desert, Mohave-Colorado 6
Desert aster 82
Desert brickellia 31
Desert-broom 25
Desert-buckwheat 70
Desert-catalpa 73
Desert-dandelion 14
Desert Gold 52
Desert-hyacinth 98
Desert-ironwood 81
Desertlily 13
Desertmallow 68
Desert-marigold 54
Desert-mariposa 62
Desert-milkweed 105
Desert-mistletoe 28

Desert-phlox 72
Desert Plants 7
Desertpoppy 63
Deserts, Location of 2, 5
Deserts, What Are They? 5
Desert-sage 100
Desert-senna 57
Desert Spoon 21
Desert-sunflower 52
Desert-sunshine 52
Desert-thorn 78
Desert-tobacco 29
Desertwillow 73
Devilsclaw 33, 63
Devilshead Cactus 60
Diamond Cactus 26
Dichelostemma 98
Dock 103
Dodder 17
Dogbane family 15

111

E
Echinocactus 60
Echinocereus 97
Elephanttusks 63
Encelia 53
Enceliopsis 51
Ephedra 34
Eriogonum 70
Erodium 80
Eschscholtzia 63
Escobita 93
Evening-primrose 42
Evening-primrose family 42
Evolvulus 99

F
Fairyduster 69
False-mesquite 69
Ferocactus 60
Fiddleneck 46
Figwort family 79, 83, 90, 93
Fileree 80
Fishhook Cactus 75
Flamingsword 66
Flourensia 47
Fouquieria 66
Four-o’clock 67
Four o’clock family 67, 92, 96
Franseria 107
Fremont screwbean 48

G
Geraea 52
Geranium family 80
Giant cactus 9
Giant-dagger 19
Giant-jimson 11
Giant Joshua 18
Giantreed 24
Gilia 76
Globemallow 68
Goatnut 104
Goatsbeard 14
Goldenbush 55
Goldenweed 55
Goldfields 50
Goldpoppy 39, 63, 93
Goosefoot family 108
Grass family 24
Grassnuts 98
Gourd 44
Gourd family 44

Great Basin Desert 6
Greasewood 40
GREEN flowers 103-108
Groundcherry 87

H
Hairy-leaved Calliandra 69
Hairy-headed sunflower 52
Haplopappus 55
Hedgehog cactus 97
Hediondilla 40
Heliotropium 88
Heronbill 80
Hesperocallis 13
Heterotheca 35
Hierba-del-pasmo 25
Holacantha 106
Hollygrape 43
Holycross 26
Honey-mesquite 48, 49
Horsenettle 87
How to use this booklet 3
Hymenoclea 65

I
Incienso 53
Indianwheat 25
Indigobush 102
Inkweed 108
Iodinebush 108
Ipomoea 99
Ironwood 28, 81

J
Jackass-clover 37, 41
Jimmyweed 55
Jimson 11

Jimsonweed 11
Jointfir family 34
Jojoba 104
Joshua-tree 5, 6, 18, 61
Jumping cactus 26
Junco family 106

K
Kallstroemia 39
Koeberlinia 106

L
Larkspur 101
Larrea 40
LAVENDER flowers 72-76
Leatherflower 23
Lechuguilla 5, 6, 61
Lemaireocereus 74
Lesquerella 44
Leucophyllum 79
Lily Family 13, 18, 19, 21, 22, 61, 98
Little-stinker 40
Locoweed 86
Lophocereus 74
Lupine 63, 84, 93
Lupinus 84
Lycium 78

M
Mahonia 43
Mal-de-ojos 43
Mallow family 68
Mammillaria 75
Marigold 54
Mariposa 62
Marsh-fleabane 88
Martynia 63

Martynia family 63
Mescal 61, 62
Mesquite 28, 49, 81
Mesquitilla 69
Mexican-poppy 63
Mexican-tobacco 29
Milkvetch 86
Milkweed 105
Milkweed family 105
Mimulus 90
Mint family 100
Mistletoe 28, 81
Mistletoe family 28
Mohave-aster 82
Mohave Desert 6
Mohave-Thorn 107
Monkeyflower 90
Mormon-tea 34
Mustard family 44

N
Nama 91
Narrowleaf Yucca 22
National Monuments 6
National Parks 6
Nemacladus 16
Nerium 15
Nicotiana 29
Nightblooming Cereus 10
Nipple cactus 75
Nolina 20, 21

O
Ocotillo 66
Ocotillo family 66
Odostemon 43
Oenothera 42

Oleander 15
Olneya 81
Opuntia 26, 27, 59, 94
ORANGE flowers 62-63
Organpipe cactus 74
Orobanche 85
Orthocarpus 93
Our-Lord’s-candle 22
Owlclover 63, 93

112

P
Pachaba 31
Palmilla 22
Palo-de-hierro 81
Paloverde 36, 81
Papagolily 98
Paperdaisy 54
Paperflower 32, 66
Peabush 102
Pea family 33, 36, 48, 49, 57, 58, 69, 81, 84, 86, 102
Pencil-joint cholla 26
Peniocereus 10
Pentstemon 83, 90
Phacelia 77, 88
Phlox 72
Phlox family 72, 76
Phoradendron 28
Phragmites 24
Pincushion cactus 75
PINK flowers 67-71
Pink three-flower 67
Pitaya 97
Pitahaya dulce 74
Plantain 25
Plantain family 25
Plantago 25

Plantas-muy-malas 68
Plant names 4
Pluchea 88
Polanisia 37
Popotilla 34
Poppy family 12, 63
Potato family 11, 29, 78, 87
Pricklepoppy 12
Pricklypear 59, 60
Prosopis 48, 49
Psilostrophe 32, 56
Puncturevine 38, 39
PURPLE flowers 83-97
Purplemat 91
Purple-nightshade 87
Purple roll-leaf 91

Q
Quailplant 88
Queen-of-the-night 10
Quelite-salado 108

R
Rabbit-thorn 78
Rafinesquia 14
Rainbow cactus 98
Rattleweed 57, 86
Rayless-goldenrod 55
RED flowers 65-66
References 109
Reina-de-la-noche 10
Rivercane 24
Rosinbush 25
Rumex 103
Russian thistle 65

S

Sacahuiste 21
Sacred datura 11
Sage 100
Sagebrush 5
Saguaro 5, 6, 9, 61
Saltcedar 71
Salvia 100
Sandverbena 96
Scorpionweed 77
Screwbean 48, 49
Screw-pod mesquite 48
Seepweed 108
Seepwillow 17, 25
Sego-lily 62
Senita 74
Seniza 79
Simaruba family 106
Simmondsia 104
Skeletonweed 70
Slimwood 66
Smoketree 102
Soapweed 19, 22
Soaptree Yucca 22
Solanum 87
Sonoran Desert 5
Sore-eye-poppy 68
Sorrel 103
Sotol 20, 21, 22
Spanish-bayonet 19, 22
Spanish-dagger 22
Sphaeralcea 68
Spiderling 92
Spoonplant 21
Squawberry 78
Squaw-thorn 78
Starflower 76
Strawberry cactus 97

Strombocarpa 49
Suaeda 108
Sundrops 42
Sunflower family
14, 25, 30, 31, 32, 35, 47, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 65, 82, 88,
95, 107
Sunray 51

T
Tackstem 30
Tamarisk 71
Tamarix 71
Tansy aster 82
Tarbush 47
Tasajillo 26
Tearblanket 33
Teddybear cholla 26
Telegraph-plant 35
Teposote 34
Tesajo 26
Tesota 81
Texas Desert 5
Thistle 95
Thistlepoppy 12
Thornapple 11
Threadplant 16
Tomatillo 78
Tornillo 48
Torrito 38
Trailing four-o’clock 67
Tree-cholla 94
Tree-tobacco 29
Tree-yucca 18
Tribulus 38
Trompillo 87
Tuna 59

U

Unicornplant 63

V
Varnishbush 47
VIOLET flowers 77-82

W
Wait-a-minute 33
Walkingstick cholla 94
Waterleaf family 77, 91
Watermotie 25
Waterwally 25
Waterwillow 25
Wavy-thistle 95
Western-jimson 11
West Indian boerhaavia 92
Whisker cactus 74
WHITE flowers 9-18
Wild-delphinium 101
Wild-hazel 104
Wild-heliotrope 77, 88
Wild-lilac 79
Wild morningglory 99
Wild-potato 87
Wild rhubarb 103
Wild-zinnia 32
Windmills 67
Wislizenia 37, 41
Wolfberry 78
Woolly-marigold 54
Woolly-loco 86
Woolly plantain 25

Y
YELLOW flowers 26-61
Yellowcups 42
Yellowpad 59

Yellow paloverde 36
Yellow-wood 43
Yucca 6, 18, 19, 21, 22

Z
Zinnia 32

The traveling public is becoming increasingly aware of the National 113
Monuments, which have received less publicity than the great, well-
known National Parks, yet which possess extremely interesting features.

Many of these are in the Southwest; we hope you will take the opportunity
to visit one or more of them on your trip.

Administered as a group by the General Superintendent, Southwestern
National Monuments, Box 1562, Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona

IN UTAH:
Arches National Monument, Moab
Natural Bridges National Monument (care of Arches)
Rainbow Bridge National Monument (care of Navajo)
IN NEW MEXICO:
Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec
Capulin Mountain National Monument, Capulin
Chaco Canyon National Monument, Bloomfield
El Morro National Monument, El Morro
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (care of General Supt.)
Gran Quivira National Monument, Gran Quivira
IN ARIZONA:
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle
Casa Grande National Monument, Coolidge
Chiricahua National Monument, Dos Cabezas
Coronado National Memorial (care of Tumacacori)
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Camp Verde
Navajo National Monument, Tonalea
Sunset Crater National Monument (care of Wupatki)
Tonto National Monument, Roosevelt
Tumacacori National Monument, Tumacacori
Tuzigoot National Monument, Clarkdale
Walnut Canyon National Monument, Rt. 1, Box 790, Flagstaff
Wupatki National Monument, Tuba Star Route, Flagstaff

Other areas administered by the National Park Service in the Southwest
follow:

IN ARIZONA:
Grand Canyon National Monument, Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ajo
Petrified Forest National Monument, Holbrook
Pipe Spring National Monument, Moccasin
Saguaro National Monument, Rt. 8, Box 520, Tucson
IN COLORADO:
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (care of Colorado
National Monument)
Colorado National Monument, Fruita
Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Box 60, Alamosa
Mesa Verde National Park
IN NEVADA:
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Boulder City
Lehman Caves National Monument, Baker
IN NEW MEXICO:
Bandelier National Monument, Santa Fe
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad
White Sands National Monument, Box 231, Alamogordo
IN OKLAHOMA:
Platt National Park, Sulphur
IN TEXAS:
Big Bend National Park
IN UTAH:
Bryce Canyon National Park, Springdale
Capitol Reef National Monument, Torrey
Cedar Breaks National Monument (care of Zion)
Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Pleasant Grove
Zion National Monument (care of Zion)
Zion National Park, Springdale

114

This booklet is published by the
SOUTHWESTERN MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION

which is a non-profit distributing organization pledged to aid in the
preservation and interpretation of Southwestern features of outstanding
national interest.

The Association lists for sale interesting and excellent publications for
adults and children and very many color slides on Southwestern subjects.
These make fine gifts for birthdays, parties, and special occasions, and
many prove to be of value to children in their school work and hobbies.

May we recommend, for instance, the following items which give
additional information on the Southwest?

****3. ARIZONA’S NATIONAL MONUMENTS. King, ed.
Comprehensive chapters, written by rangers, on the 16
monuments in the state and Grand Canyon. Beautifully
illustrated, eight color pages, maps, 116 pp., cloth cover $3.00
***60. FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST MESAS. Patraw and
Janish. Companion volume to the Deserts flower booklet, but
covering the plants of the plateau country in the Southwest.
More than 140 species are beautifully illustrated in the 100
plates of line drawings by Jeanne R. Janish, with descriptive
text, 112 pp., color cover, paper $1.00
***61. FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS.
Arnberger and Janish. Descriptions and illustrations of plants
and trees of the southern Rocky Mountains and other
Southwestern ranges above 7,000 feet elevation, the third
book of the flower triad. 112 pp., color cover, paper $1.00
***64. POISONOUS DWELLERS OF THE DESERT. Dodge.
Invaluable handbook for any person living in the desert. Tells
the facts about dangerous insects, snakes, etc., giving
treatment for bites and stings, and dispels myths about
harmless creatures mistakenly believed poisonous. 48 pp.,
color cover $0.50

***67. ANIMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS. Olin and
Cannon. Handsome illustrations, full descriptions, and life
habits of the 42 most interesting and common species which
make up the strange animal population of the lower desert
country of the Southwest below the 4,500-foot elevation. 112
pp., 60 illus., color cover, paper $1.00
**107. TUMACACORI’S YESTERDAYS. Jackson. The
interestingly written story of the 18th and early 19th century
Indian and Spanish life in southern Arizona and Sonora as
reflected in the history of the mission of San Jose de
Tumacacori, now Tumacacori National Monument. 96 pp.,
color paper cover, 53 excellent illus. $0.75
**131. NALAKIHU. King. Thorough and concise reports on an
interesting pueblo in Wupatki National Monument. Technical
but has interesting summaries and discussions. 183 pp., 81
plates, 17 tables $4.00
**650. FOR THE DEAN. Reed and King, eds. Handsome volume
of anthropological essays by 23 of his former students in
honor of the noted Dr. Byron Cummings of the U. of Arizona.
Valuable contribution to science, consisting mostly of
Southwestern subjects. Authors include Haury, McGregor,
Hawley, Wedel, Willey, Spicer, etc., and subjects cover wide
field: Pueblo witchcraft, Cocopah history, Papago physical
status, Great Kivas, etc. 319 pp., illus., cloth $6.00

For the complete list of almost 100 publications and 1700 color slides on
Southwestern Indians, geology, ruins, plants, animals, history, etc., write the

SOUTHWESTERN
MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION
Box 1562 D—Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona

Transcriber’s Notes

Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
Corrected a few palpable typographical errors.
Slightly relocated species images before descriptive text, and flower
color after the descriptive text, where they had been dislocated because
of page layout issues in the printed exemplar.
In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLOWERS OF
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