Submitted by Julia Lynam, Interpretive Ranger
Cottonwood Ranger Station, Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park Wildflower Update March 1, 2011
A beautiful field of golden poppies, brown eyed primroses and chia is on display along the western side of the road at the southern end of the park, south of the Cottonwood Mountains. Please park carefully in designated places to enjoy the flowers.
And remember that many wild flowers, especially poppies, close up every night, to reopen when the sun is high next day. A stretch of desert that looks barren of wildflowers at 9am may be very different at noon!
Click Read More to see locations and abundance of species
Abundance: Please note that sightings of any particular species may refer to many blooms, or to just a few blooms.
- On a scale of one to ten, the number that appears after the location key refers to an estimate of relative abundance of flowers at that location with “I” indicating a few scattered blooms and “10” indicating that the place is carpeted with the species! The location keys and abundance scores are combined in one column.
- There may be several common names for a species. Please refer to the scientific name if you don’t recognize the common name.
Key to Locations. See park map to find them.
| Elevation | Elevation | |||||||
| 49 | 49 Palms Oasis | 2700’ | LHV | Lost Horse Valley | 4500’ | |||
| BD | Barker Dam | 4280’ | NE | North Entrance | 2810’ | |||
| BJ | Bajada | 2000’ | OVC | Oasis Visitor Center | 1960’ | |||
| BR | Black Rock | 4000’ | PB | Pinto Basin | 1800’ | |||
| CC | Cholla Cactus Garden | 2160’ | SB | South Boundary | 1500’ | |||
| CW | Cottonwood | 3100’ | SR | Skull Rock | 4320’ | |||
| HV | Hidden Valley | 4200’ | WE | West Entrance | 3520’ | |||
| IC | Indian Cove | 2730’ | WC | Wilson Canyon | 3000’ | |||
| JR | Jumbo Rocks | 4380’ | ||||||
|
Yellow Flowers |
||||||||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance | ||||||
| Bigelow’s coreopsis | Coreopsis bigelovii | WC/1 | ||||||
| Bladderpod | Isomeris arborea | BJ/3, PB/3, WC/3, NE/3, IC/3 | ||||||
| Brittlebush | Encelia farinosa | BJ/2, WC/3, PB/3 | ||||||
| Checker fiddleneck | Amsinckia tessellata | BJ/1, W/1 | ||||||
| Chinchweed | Pectis papposa var papposa | PB/4 | ||||||
| Creosote bush | Larrea tridentata | CW/1, PB/3 | ||||||
| Desert dandelion | Malacothrix glabrata | PB/3, BJ/1 | ||||||
| Desert lotus, Desert bird’s-foot trefoil | Lotus strigosus | PB/3; BJ/1 | ||||||
| Desert mistletoe | Phoradendron californica | CW/3 | ||||||
| Desert rockpea | Lotus rigidus | 49/3, CW/2 | ||||||
| Desert trumpet | Eriogonum inflatum | CW/1, PB/4 | ||||||
| Green brittlebush | Encelia frutescens | PB/1 | ||||||
| Mojave ragweed | Senecio mohavensis | PB/3 | ||||||
| Parish’s golden poppy | Eschscholzia parishii | BJ/7, PB/3 | ||||||
| Pygmy cedar | Peucephyllum schottii | PB/1 | ||||||
| Rush milkweed, Ajamete | Asclepius subulata | PB/1 | ||||||
| Sahara mustard* | Brassica tournefortii | CW/1, PB/3 | ||||||
| Sweetbush | Bebbia juncea var aspera | PB/4 | ||||||
| Trixis | Trixis californica | PB/2 | ||||||
| Yellow ground cherry | Physalis crassifolia | CW/1, PB/2 | ||||||
| Yellow tansy mustard | Descurainia pinnata | CW/1 | ||||||
| Yellowhead, Yellowdome | Trichoptilium incisum | PB/1 | ||||||
| Red or Orange Flowers | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance |
| Arrowleaf (red & yellow) | Pleurocoronis pluriseta | PB/3 |
| Burroweed, White bursage | Ambrosia dumosa | PB/4 |
| Chuparosa | Justicia californica | BJ/2 |
| Ocotillo | Fouquieria splendens | BJ/1 |
| Prostrate spurge | Chamaesyce polycarpa | PB/3 |
| Scarlet milkvetch | Astragalus coccineus | Lost Palms Trail/1 |
| White Flowers | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance |
| Anderson’s desert thorn | Lycium andersonii | CW/1 |
| Brown-eyed primrose | Camissonia claviformis | BJ/5, PB/3, WC/2 |
| Cheesebush | Hymenoclea salsola | PB/3 |
| Comb burr | Pectocarya sp | BJ/2, WC/7 |
| Desert alyssum | Lepidium fremontii | BJ/1, IC/1, WC/1, CC/1 |
| Desert forget-me-not | Cryptantha sp | BJ/2, CW/2 |
| Desert almond | Prunus fasiculata | Lost Palms Trail/2 |
| Desert pincushion | Chaenactis carphoclinia var carphoclinia | PB/4, BJ/2 |
| Desert rock daisy | Perityle emoryi | PB/3 |
| Desert star | Monoptilon belloides | PB/2, BJ/1 |
| Desert star vine | Brandegea bigelovii | BJ/2, CC/1, WC/3, PB/4 |
| Desert tobacco | Nicotiana obtusifolia | PB/2, CW/1 |
| Ditaxis | Ditaxis lanceolata | PB/2 |
| Narrowleaf suncup | Camissonia refracta | PB/2 |
| Joshua tree | Yucca brevifolia | BR/1 |
| Onyx flower/Frostmat/Sandmat | Achyronycia cooperi | PB/3 |
| Panamint cat’s eye | Cryptantha angustifolia | PB/4, BJ/2, W/2 |
| Spectacle-pod | Dithyria californica | PB/1 |
| Woody bottle washer | Camissonia boothii | WC |
| Pink to Purple Flowers | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/s |
| Arizona lupine | Lupinus arizonicus | BJ/3, PB/3 |
| Bigelow’s monkey flower | Mimulus bigelovii | BJ/1 |
| Chia | Salvia columbariae | PB/3, BJ/4 |
| Desert lavender | Hyptis emoryi | BJ/1, PB/3 |
| Desert sand verbena | Abronia villosa var villosa | PB/1 |
| Dune peabush | Psorothamnus emoryi | PB/2 |
| Fagonia | Fagonia laevis | PB/3, BJ/1 |
| Filaree | Erodium cicutarium | BJ/2, CW/2, PB/2 |
| Freckled milk vetch | Astragalus lentiginosus var fremontii | Keys Ranch/1 |
| Hairy prairie-clover | Dalea mollis | PB/2 |
| Notch-leaf scorpion weed | Phacelia crenulata var crenulata | PB/2, WC/1 |
| Rock hibiscus, paleface | Hibiscus denudatus | PB/1 |
| Spanish needles | Palafoxia arida var arida | PB/3, BJ/1 |
| Turpentine Bloom | Thamnosma montana | NE |
| Wright’s buckwheat | Eriogonum wrightii | Lost Palms Oasis/1 |
| Blue Flowers | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance |
| Canterbury bell, desert bell | Phacelia campanularia | CW/1 |
| Mojave lupine | Lupinus sparsiflorus | BJ/1 |
| Green Flowers | ||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance |
| Croton | Croton californicus | PB/2 |
| Plantain | Plantago ovata | PB/4 |
| Stillingia | Stillingia linearifolia | CW/1 |
- invasive species of concern
Phone 760 367 5500 www.nps.gov/jotr
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