Orange Fiddle-neck
Amsinckia menziesii intermedia
Photographed at Saddle Mountain near Tonopah, Arizona, March 2003.
SPRING ANNUAL: Tall (1 - 2 meters) course annuals in wet years but can
grow as a small diminutive plant just a few cm tall in drought years. Blooming
from Feb. to May
LEAVES Leaves and stems have long prickly hairs.
RANGE: Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mohave Deserts of Arizona, Sonora,
California. Common to abundant often moreso on disturbed sites.
FLOWERS: Orange to yellow flowers appear on a spiked stalk that is
partially coiled like a fiddleneck.
BIOTA: Caterpillars of the
Painted Lady Butterfly can often be found within tent-like shelters
made from several leaves loosly sewn together with silk.