Esteve's Pincushion
Desert Pincushion
Chaenactis stevioides
Photographed in the Plomosa Mountains, La Paz County, Arizona, USA. March 1, 2009.
Sponsored Links:
FLOWERS: Flower heads are composed entirely of five-pointed disc
florets, about two dozen per head. Those at margins of the head are slightly
larger. Color in most specimens is white, however, some populations have pale
yellow flowers. Blooming March and April in the Sonoran Desert and highly
dependent on adequate rainfall - absent in drought years. The bracts
surrounding the head blunt or pointed, but not sharply.
ANNUAL: Mid-sized annual of rocky slopes and wash banks normally less
than 60 cm tall. Several branches
to main stem.
LEAVES: Leaves are discected into linear segments. Under magnification
cobwebby hairs present on petioles and leaves.
RANGE: Frequent throughout the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico.
Rocky slopes, wash banks and desert pavement.
FRUIT: Single seeds, achenes, develop from each floret and are topped by
some small scales.
UNARMED. Spineless.