Desert Dandelion
Malacothrix glabrata
Photographed along SR-95 east of Parker, La Paz County, Arizona, USA on Mar. 14, 2010.
At Glendale, Arizona, this Bird Grasshopper, Schistocerca nitens, was eating the leaves on Mar. 21, 2015.
FLOWERS: The flower heads resemble very much the common dandelion,
but are smaller and usually on a shorter peduncle. Florets are entirely of strap-shaped
form. Blooms mostly February to April.
ANNUAL: A low-growing, winter-spring annual plant appearing only in years with good
winter rains.
LEAVES Leaves are divided into very narrow, linear segments and are primarily
arranged at the base near ground level. Upper leaves are linear. Leaves are largely free of
pubescence.
RANGE: Grows in sandy soils in the deserts of California to southwestern New
Mexico.
FRUIT: The seeds lack the typical dandelion puff of bristles; instead there are a
few short, obscure bristles.