Desert Sunflower

Geraea canescens

Range

Sonoran and Mojave deserts of southeastern California to southwestern Utah and south to Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

Habitat

Sandy, barren desert flats and roadsides below 3,000 feet.

Flowers

Two-inch, golden-yellow flower heads appear at the ends of branches. Flowers are composed of 10 to 20 oblong rays surrounding the golden disk. Blooms February through May and sometimes, with moist summers, again in October and November.

Description

The desert sunflower is a slender, hairy plant that grows 1 to 3 feet high. The sparse, gray-green, ovate, leaves grow to 3 inches long and have toothed margins. "Geraea" is derived from the Greek word for "old man" -- "geraios" -- which refers to the white hairs on the seed-like, flat fruits.

The flower of this colorful annual is popular with bees and birds, while the seeds are an important food source for birds and rodents. After a spring rainfall, the desert sunflower can be found in abundance along desert roadways and is common along with sand verbena and dune evening primrose.

-- A.R. Royo

For state wildflower reports click on link below

Arizona | California | Nevada | Texas

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Mojave Desert Wildflowers book
200 color photos

Desert Plants & Wildflowers Index

More Wildflowers

We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.

Photo 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 for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...

What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports

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The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms