Submitted by Julia Lynam, Interpretive Ranger
Cottonwood Ranger Station Joshua Tree National Park
Welcome to the Joshua Tree National Park 2011 wildflower update. This report will be updated weekly during the spring blooming season. It is available from Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Centers and online at www.nps.gov/jotr.
This week, many species in bloom can be found by driving west along the dirt road (passable by car but may be rough in places) just outside the Park’s southern boundary. This road runs on Bureau of Land Management land alongside the Colorado River aqueduct. It is possible to walk into the trail-less southern wilderness area of the Park from this road.
For abundance and location of species click Read More
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 |
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| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location/Abundance | ||||||
| Bladderpod | Isomeris arborea | Parkwide/4 | ||||||
| Brittlebush | Encelia farinosa | BJ/2, WC/3, PB/3 | ||||||
| California coreopsis (mis-identified as Bigelow’s coreopsis last week) | Coreopsis californica | WC/1 | ||||||
| Checker fiddleneck | Amsinckia tessellata | BJ/1, W/1/WC/3 | ||||||
| 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/2 | ||||||
| Desert mistletoe | Phoradendron californica | CW/4 | ||||||
| Desert rockpea | Lotus rigidus | 49/3, CW/4 | ||||||
| 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/8, PB/3 | ||||||
| Pygmy cedar | Peucephyllum schottii | PB/1 | ||||||
| Rush milkweed, Ajamete | Asclepius subulata | PB/1 | ||||||
| Sahara mustard* | Brassica tournefortii | CW/1, PB/3 | ||||||
| Scalebud | Anisocoma acaulis | Lost Horse Valley/1 | ||||||
| Sweetbush | Bebbia juncea var aspera | PB/4 | ||||||
| Trixis | Trixis californica | PB/2 | ||||||
| Wallace’s woolly daisy | Eriophyllum wallacei | CW/1, BJ/1 | ||||||
| Yellow ground cherry | Physalis crassifolia | CW/1, PB/2 | ||||||
| Yellow tansy mustard | Descurainia pinnata | CW/3 | ||||||
| Yellowhead, Yellowdome | Trichoptilium incisum | PB/1, CW/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/4 |
| Desert mallow/ Globe mallow | Sphaeralcea ambigua | CW/1 |
| Ocotillo | Fouquieria splendens | BJ/1, PB/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/6, PB/3, WC/2 |
| Cheesebush | Hymenoclea salsola | PB/3 |
| Comb burr | Pectocarya sp | BJ/7, WC/7 |
| Desert alyssum | Lepidium fremontii | BJ/1, IC/1, WC/1, CC/1 |
| Desert chicory | Rafinesquia neomexicana | PB/1 |
| Desert forget-me-not | Cryptantha sp | BJ/4, 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, IC/3 |
| Ditaxis | Ditaxis lanceolata | PB/2 |
| Narrowleaf suncup | Camissonia refracta | PB/2 |
| Joshua tree | Yucca brevifolia | BR/1,Park Boulevard/1 |
| Onyx flower/Frostmat/Sandmat | Achyronycia cooperi | PB/3 |
| Panamint cat’s eye | Cryptantha angustifolia | PB/4, BJ/2, W/2 |
| Popcorn flower | Plagiobothrys sp | IC/5 |
| 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, CW/1 |
| Chia | Salvia columbariae | PB/4, BJ/7 |
| Desert lavender | Hyptis emoryi | BJ/1, PB/3 |
| Desert/hairy 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/6 |
| Freckled milk vetch | Astragalus lentiginosus var fremontii | Keys Ranch/1 |
| Heliotrope Phacelia/Wild heliotrope | Phacelia distans | WC/1, CW/1 |
| Hairy prairie-clover | Dalea mollis | PB/2 |
| Notch-leaf scorpion weed | Phacelia crenulata var crenulata | PB/2, WC/1, BJ/1, CW/1 |
| Purple mat | Nama demissum | BJ/1 |
| Rock hibiscus, paleface | Hibiscus denudatus | PB/1 |
| Spanish needles | Palafoxia arida var arida | PB/3, BJ/1 |
| Turpentine Broom | 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/2 |
| 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
Joshua Tree National Park Phone 760 367 5500 http://www.nps.gov/jotr
Natural History Wanderings 
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