Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2013

Joshua Tree Wildflower Bloom Update 4/20/13

 submitted by Julia Lynam
Interpretive Ranger
Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree Blooming Wildflowers                           

as of April 20, 2013

Joshua tree blooms are over and the Mojave yucca bloom is declining. Various species of cactus are blooming throughout the park, and Hidden Valley nature trail is a good spot to see them. Annual wildflower blooms are scattered throughout the park in low abundance. Many shrubs, including senna, creosote, scrub oak, indigo bush and chuparosa, are in bloom.  Watch for snakes and tortoises on park roads and trails. Please do not touch or disturb animals in the park.

Click read more to see a detailed chart of what is in bloom, where it can be found and abundance of bloom

 

 

  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
IC Indian Cove 3200 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

IC

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Acton’s brittle bush Encelia actonii

3

Barrel cactus Ferocactus cylindraceus

1

1

1

Bigelow’s coreopsis Coreopsis bigelovii

1

2

Bladderpod Peritoma arborea

1

2

1

2

2

2

1

Brittle bush Encelia farinosa

1

2

1

5

1

3
Brittle spineflower Chorizanthe brevicornu

1

1

1
Buckwheat Eriogonum sp

1

Creosote bush Larrea tridentata

3

9

8

8

1

3
Desert dandelion Malacothrix glabrata

1

2

1

1

1

2

2

1
Desert gold poppy Eschscholzia parrishi/androuxii**

2

3

2

1

2

1
Desert lotus Acmispon strigosus

1

1

1
Desert miseltoe Phoradendron californicum

2

2

Desert rock pea Acmispon rigidus

1

1

1

1

4

1

Desert senna Senna armata

5

5

Desert sunflower Geraea canescens

1
Desert trumpet Eriogonum inflatum

1

1

1

1

1
Golden gilia Linanthus aureus

4

Golden suncup Chylismia brevipes

1

3

1

Heart-leaved suncup Chylismia cardiophylla

1

1
Interior goldenbush Ericameria linearifolia

3

3

3

Jones’s blazing star Mentzelia jonesii

3

2

Jones’s linanthus Linanthus jonesii

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

1

Parrish’s goldeneye Bahiopsis parishii

1

Pygmy desert poppy Eschscholzia minutiflora

1
Rush milkweed, Ajamate Asclepias subulata

1
Sahara mustard Brassica tournefortii

1

2

1

Schott’s pygmy cedar Peucephyllim schotii

1

Scrub oak Quercus spp

5

Sweetbush Bebbia juncea var aspera

1

1

1

1
Thick-leaved ground cherry Physalis crassifolia

1

2

1

1

1
Trixis Trixis californica

1

1

1
Wallace’s Woolly Daisy Eriophyllum wallacei

3

3

2

Western tansy mustard Descurainia pinnata

1

1

Whispering bells Emmananthe penduliflora

1

Whitestem blazing star Mentzelia albicaulis

3

1

Yellow fiddleneck Amsinckia tessallata

1

1

1

4

1

Yellow monkey flower Mimulus guttatus

2

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

IC

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Burrobrush Ambrosia dumosa

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

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

1

Mojave Mound Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus

2

1

1

3

3

Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens

1

1

Odora Porophyllum gracile

1

Rattlesnake weed Chamaesyce albomarginata

1

2

Smallseed sandmat Chamaesyce polycarpa

2

3

1

1
Yuma sandmat Chamaesyce setiloba

2

1

1
White Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

IC

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Alkali phacelia Phacelia neglecta

1
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

2

1

1

1
Comb burr Pectocarya recurvata

1

3

1

1
Pectocarya platycarpa

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

3

1

1
Cryptantha barbigera

1

1

1
  Cryptantha circumcissa

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

1
Ditaxis Ditaxis neomexicana

1

1

1
Ditaxis lanceolata

1

Fiesta flower Pholistoma membraneceum

1

Fremont pincushion Chaenactis fremonti

2

1

2

1
Ghost flower Mohavea confertiflora

1
Jones’s linanthus Linanthus jonesii

1
Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia

2

3

2

3

2

1

Mojave yucca Yucca schidigera

5

2

5

1

3

 4

2

5

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
Sacred datura, Jimson weed Datura wrightii

1

Sand blazing star Mentzelia involucrata

1

1

Sand fringepod Thysanocarpus curvipes

1

Shaggy fruit pepperweed Lepidium lasiocarpum

1

1
Small leaved amsonia Amsonia tomentosa

2

Star gallium Galium stellatum

1
Steve’s pincushion Chaenactis steviodes

1
Tidy tips Layia glandulosa

1

2

Tufted Evening Primrose Oenothera caespitosa

2

Virgin’s bower Clematis

Wishbone plant Mirabilis laevis

1

1
Whitestem milkweed Asclepias albicans

1
White stemmed blazing star Mentzelia albicaulis

1

Woody bottle washer Eremothera boothii

3

1

1
Pink to Purple Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

IC

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Arizona lupine Lupinus arizonicus

2

1

1

1
 Bajada lupine Lupinus concinnus

1

Beavertail cactus Opuntia basilaris

3

2

1

2

2

1

1

1

1
Big berry manzanita Arctostaphylos glauca

2

Bigelow’s monkeyflower Mimulus bigelovii

1

1

1
Broomrape Orobanche cooperii

1
California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum

1

Chia Salvia columbariae

1

5

Desert calico Loesliatrum matthewsii

1

Desert five-spot Eremalche rotundifolia

1

1
Desert lavender Hyptis  emoryi

2

1

1

1

1
Desert parsley Lomatium mohavense

1

Fagonia Fagonia laevis

1

1
Filaree (invasive alien) Erodium cicutarium

1

1

1

3

1

Fishhook cactus Mammilaria tetrancistra

1
Gilia Gilia spp

1

1

1

1
Hairy prairie clover Dalea mollis

1

1
Hole in the sand plant Nicolletia 0ccidentalis

1

Indigo bush Psorothamnus arborescens

1

Lilac sunbonnet Langloisia setosissima

1
Milk vetch Astragalus sp

1

2

1

Mojave aster Xylorhiza tortifolia

1

Mojave thistle Cirsium mohavense

1

Notch leaved phacelia Phacelia crennulata

1

1

1

1
Paper bag bush Salazaria mexicana

2

1

1

Purple mat Nama demissum

1

1

2

1

1

1
Rock Live forever Dudleya saxosa

1

1

2

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
White rhatany Krameria grayi

1

1
Wild heliotrope Phacelia distans

1

1

1
Windmills Allionia incarnata

1

1
Blue Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

IC

BD

49

QV

NE

WC

PB

CW

BJ

SB
Canterbury bells Phacelia campanularia

1

3

2

1

Coulter’s lupine Lupinus sparsiflorus

1

1

Parry dalea Marina parryi

1
Green/Brown Flowers
Common Name Scientific Name

BR

WE

IC

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
Devil’s spineflower Chorizanthe rigida

2

2

1
Evergreen buckthorn Rhamnus ilicifolia

2

1

Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis

1

1

1

1

Narrow leaved willow Salix exigua

2

2

Queen’s root Stillingia linearifolia

1

Teddy bear cholla  Cylindropuntia bigelovii

1

2

3

Woolly plantain Plantago ovata

1

1

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

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