Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 30, 2013

Joshua Tree Wildflower Updatd 3/31/13

 submitted by
Julia Lynam, Interpretive Ranger
Joshua Tree National Park

Update 3/31/13

The Joshua Tree bloom is going over at Black Rock now, still strong in the rest of the Joshua Tree area of the park.

Joshua Tree National Park Wildflower Bloom Report for  March 30, 2013

We’re experiencing one of the best Joshua Tree blooms for many years, especially in Black Rock Campground and throughout the northern section of the park. Wildflowers are not plentiful this year, but they are blooming in the southern part of the park and the bloom is moving gradually northward through the Pinto Basin. Cacti are beginning to bloom throughout the Park.

The plants listed under the last column “SB” are in the very remote Coxcomb area of the park. However, some of these flowers may be seen along the Park’s eastern boundary on Hwy. 177, where visitors can find plenty of places to pull safely off the road and can roam the near-by landscape.

Watch for snakes and desert tortoises on park roads and trails. Please do not touch or disturb these or any other animals in the park.

To see a detailed chart of what is wildflower bloom including location and abundance click read more

  Location Elevation (in feet)   Location Elevation (in feet)
49 49 Palms Oasis 2700 NE North Entrance 2810
BD Barker Dam 4280 PB Pinto Basin 1800
BJ Bajada 2000 QV Queen Valley 4000 – 4500
BR Black Rock 4000 SB South Boundary 1500
CW Cottonwood 3100 WE West Entrance 3520
HV Hidden Valley 4200 WC Wilson Canyon 3000

 

On a scale of one to ten, the number that appears under the location key refers to an estimate of the relative abundance of flowers at that location, with “1” indicating a few scattered blooms and “10” indicating that the place is carpeted with that species! The location codes represent large areas, not precise locations.

 

Yellow Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Barrel cactus Ferocactus cylindraceus

1
Bladderpod Peritoma arborea

2

2

3

3

3

1
Brittle bush Encelia farinosa

2

1

1

3
Brittle spineflower Chorizanthe brevicornu

1

1

1
Buckwheat Eriogonum sp

1
Creosote bush Larrea tridentata

2

2

1

3
Desert dandelion Malacothrix glabrata

1

1

1

2

2

1
Desert golden poppy Eschscholzia parrishi/androuxii**

2

1

2

1
Desert lotus Acmispon strigosus

1

1

1
Desert miseltoe Phoradendron californicum

2

2
Desert rock pea Acmispon rigidus

4

1
Desert sunflower Geraea canescens

1
Desert trumpet Eriogonum inflatum

1

1

1

1
Golden suncup Chylismia brevipes

3

1
London rocket (invasive alien) Sisymbrium irio

1

1
Mojave ragwort Senecio mohavensis

1
Narrow leaved suncup Eremothera refracta

1
Mormon tea Ephedra spp

1

1
Parrish’s goldeneye Bahiopsis parishiii

1
Pygmy desert poppy Eschscholzia minutiflora

1
Sahara mustard Brassica tournefortii

1

2

1
Schott’s pygmy cedar Peucephyllim schotii

1
Sweetbush Bebbia juncea var aspera

1

1

1
Thick-leaved ground cherry Physalis crassifolia

1

1

1

1

1
Trixis Trixis californica

1

1

1
Wallace’s Woolly Daisy Eriophyllum wallacei

1
Western tansy mustard Descurainia pinnata

1
Whispering bells Emmananthe penduliflora

1
Whitestem blazing star Mentzelia albicaulis

3

1
Yellow fiddleneck Amsinckia tessallata

1

4

1
Yellowdome Trichoptilium incisum

1

1

** Species name of our desert gold poppy is under discussion. In the past we’ve called it E. parrishi but this is changing.

Red or Orange Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Burrobrush Ambrosia dumosa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

1
Chuparosa Justicia californica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

2

 
Desert Paintbrush Castilleja angustifolia

1
Globe mallow Sphaeralcea ambigua

1

2

1
Hedgehog cactus Echinocereus engelmannii

1
Mojave Mound Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus

1
Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens

1

`1
Odora Porophyllum gracile

1
Smallseed sandmat Chamaesyce polycarpa

2

3

1

1
Yuma sandmat Chamaesyce setiloba

1

1
White Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Anderson’s boxthorn Lycium andersonii

1

2
Bright white Prenanthella exigua

1
Brown eyed evening primrose Chylismia claviformis

3

1

1
California mustard Caulanthus lasiophyllus

1
Cheesebush Ambrosia salsola

1

1
Comb burr Pectocarya recurvata

1

3

1

1
Pectocarya platycarpa

1
Desert almond Prunus fasciculata

1
Desert alyssum Lepidium fremontii

2

1
Desert chicory Rafinesquia neomexicana

1

1
Desert Forget-me-nots Cryptantha maritima

1

1

1
Cryptantha angustifolia

3

1

1
Cryptantha pterocarya

3

1

1
Cryptantha barbigera

1

1

1
  Cryptantha circumcissa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 
  Cryptantha nevadensis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1
Cryptantha utahensis

1
Desert Star Monoptilon belloides

3

1

1
Desert star vine Brandegea bigelovii

1

3

1
Desert thread plant Nemacladus tenuis

1
Desert tobacco Nicotiana obtusifolia

1

1
Ditaxis Ditaxis neomexicana

1

1

1
Ditaxis lanceolata

1
Fiesta flower Pholistoma membraneceum

1
Fremont pincushion Chaenactis fremonti

1
Ghost flower Mohavea confertiflora

1
Heart-leaved suncup Chylismia cardiophylla

1
Jones’s linanthus Linanthus jonesii

1
Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia

8

4

3

2

5

2

1
Mojave yucca Yucca schidigera

4

1

1

2

8

1
Narrow leaved primrose Eremothera recurvata

1
Parachute plant Atrichoseris platyphylla

1

1
Pebble pincushion Chaenactis carphoclinia

3

1
Rock Daisy Perityle emoryi

1

2

1

1
Sand blazing star Mentzelia involucrata

1

1
Sand fringepod Thysanocarpus curvipes

1
Shaggy fruit pepperweed Lepidium lasiocarpum

1

1
Steve’s pincushion Chaenactis steviodes

1
Tidy tips Layia glandulosa

1
Wishbone plant Mirabilis laevis

1

1
Whitestem milkweed Asclepias albicans

1
Woody bottle washer Eremothera boothii

3

1

1
Pink to Purple Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Arizona lupine Lupinus arizonicus

1

1

1
 Bajada lupine Lupinus concinnus

1
Beavertail cactus Opuntia basilaris

1

1

1

1
Big berry manzanita Arctostaphylos glauca

2
Bigelow’s monkeyflower Mimulus bigelovii

1

1
Chia Salvia columbariae

5
Desert five-spot Eremalche rotundifolia

1

1
Desert lavender Hyptis  emoryi

2

1

1

1
Desert parsley Lomatium mohavense

1
Fagonia Fagonia laevis

1

1
Filaree (invasive alien) Erodium cicutarium

1

3

1
Fishhook cactus Mammilaria tetrancistra

1
Gilia Gilia spp

1

1

1
Hairy prairie clover Dalea mollis

1

1
Lilac sunbonnet Langloisia setosissima

1
Milk vetch Astragalus sp

1

1
Mojave aster Xylorhiza tortifolia

1
Notch leaved phacelia Phacelia crennulata

1

1

1

1
Paper bag bush Salazaria mexicana

1

1
Purple mat Nama demissum

1

1

1
Soft prairie clover Dalea mollissima

1
Spanish needles Palafoxia arida var arida

1

1

1
Specter phacelia Phacelia pedicellata

1
Turpentine broom Thamnosma montana

2
Twining milkweed Funastrum hirtellum

1
Wild heliotrope Phacelia distans

1

1

1
Windmills Allionia incarnata

1
Blue Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Canterbury bells Phacelia campanularia

3

5

1
Coulter’s lupine Lupinus sparsiflorus

1

1
Green/Brown Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

HV

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Arrowleaf Pleucoronis pleuriseta

1

1
Beetle spurge Euphorbia eriatha

1
Big galletta grass Hilaria rigidus

1

1
Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis

1

1
Woolly plantain Plantago ovata

1

1

Posted in Desert, Wildflower Bloom Reports, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: , ,

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