Hop Sage, Hopsage, Spiny Hopsage
Grayia spinosa
Color: Pink to Red
Common name: Hop Sage, Hopsage, Spiny Hopsage
Latin name: Grayia spinosa
Family: CHENOPODIACEAE
Height: 2-4 feet
Description: The male and female flowers grow on separate plants and are very inconspicuous. What is noticeable on this plant are the showy, colourful bracts, which are leaflike or scalelike parts, located on the inflorescence.
Leaf: 5–35 mm, grey-green with a rounded apex and tapering base.
Range: High Sierra Nevada (e slope), Tehachapi Mountain Area, s Inner South Coast Ranges, Western Transverse Ranges (n slope), Great Basin Floristic Province, Mojave Desert, nw Sonoran Desert. Distribution outside California: to Washington, Montana, New Mexico.
Habitat: Sandy to gravelly, Creosote Bush Scrub, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland.
Elevation: 500–2800 m
Flowering time: May–June
Notes: A common shrub that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. Hop Sage is closely related to Desert Holly. Cattlemen considered this a valuable forage plant. It can be found along Kelbaker Road near Interstate 40 in the Mojave National Preserve as well as along Highway 395 where this plant was photographed on Haiwee Power Plant Road. Horticulture: Insufficiently tested, but worth pursuing, especially within its natural range. Especially good for stabilizing or restoring disturbed or degraded areas. May be less suitable for general garden use.
Photos tips Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert wildflowers This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page to each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up now. (It's free.)
| THE DESERT ENVIRONMENT | |||
| The North American Deserts | |||
| Chihuahuan Desert | Great Basin Desert | Mojave Desert | Sonoran Desert |
| Glossary of Desert & Geological Terms | |||
Animals - Wildlife | Wildflowers-Plants | Minerals - Geology | Desert People
SEARCH THIS SITE
Wildflower field guide - find the flowers by color
Pink, Red, & Orange Flowers
Yellow & Gold Flowers
Are you interested in the temperatures in the
desert?Click here to see current desert temperatures!
DesertUSA is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest destinations. Learn about desert biomes while you discover how desert plants and animals learn to adapt to the harsh desert environment. Find travel information about national parks, state parks, BLM land, and Southwest cities and towns located in or near the desert regions of the United States. Access maps and information about the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert.
