| Xylorhiza tortifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Xylorhiza |
| Species: | X. tortifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Xylorhiza tortifolia | |
| Synonyms | |
Xylorhiza tortifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, known by the common names Mojave-aster and Mojave woodyaster. [3]
The flowering plant is native to the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Great Basin Desert ecoregions of the southwestern United States, California, and northwestern Mexico. [4]
It grows in arid canyons and bajadas/washes, from 240–2,000 metres (790–6,560 ft) in elevation. Habitats it is found in include creosote bush scrub, saltbush scrub, and Joshua tree woodlands. [3]
Xylorhiza tortifolia is a perennial herb or subshrub with branching, hairy, glandular stems that reach 60–80 centimetres (24–31 in) in height/length. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or oval, with pointed or spiny tips and spiny edges, while the leaf surfaces are hairy and glandular.
The inflorescence is a solitary flower head borne on a long peduncle. The head has a base with long, narrow phyllaries which may be over 2 centimeters long. The head contains up to 60 or more lavender, pale blue, or white ray florets which may be over 3 centimeters long. The bloom period is March through June. [3]
The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.
Desert species of this aster with a woody base (Xylorhiza means woody base) are classified under the genus Xylorhiza , and have been removed from the large and complex genus Machaeranthera , where they were placed for many decades. [9] A similar species, Xylorhiza wrightii−Big Bend aster, is native to the Chihuahuan Desert in western Texas and northern Mexico. [9]
The Havasupai used the plant for incense and fragrance, with ground leaves carried in the clothes and used as perfume by men and women to counteract body odors. [10]
Phacelia fremontii is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae native to the southwestern United States. In California, its range includes the Mojave Desert, the San Joaquin Valley, the Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada. It was named for John C. Frémont.
Nama demissum is an annual flowering plant. It is known by the common name purplemat, or purple mat.
Cirsium occidentale, with the common name cobweb thistle or cobwebby thistle, is a North American species of thistle in the family Asteraceae.
Ericameria laricifolia is a North American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae known by the common name turpentine bush, or turpentine-brush. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico (Chihuahua).
Brickellia californica, known by the common name California brickellbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
Androstephium breviflorum is a species of flowering plant known by the common names pink funnel lily and small flowered androstephium.
Calochortus kennedyi is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name desert mariposa lily.
Chaenactis glabriuscula, with the common name yellow pincushion, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is native to California and Baja California.
Enceliopsis covillei, known by the common name Panamint daisy, is a rare North American desert species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
Adiaphila brickellioides is a species of shrub in the family Asteraceae known by the common name brickellbush goldenweed. It is native to the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada, where it grows in rocky limestone habitat.
Lomatium mohavense is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Mojave desertparsley. It is native to southern California with a few outlying populations in Arizona, Nevada and Baja California. It is found in several types of mountain and desert habitat, including chaparral, woodland, and scrub, mostly from 2,000–7,000 feet (600–2,100 m) elevation.
Navarretia setiloba is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Paiute Mountain pincushionplant and Piute Mountains navarretia.
Oenothera primiveris is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names yellow desert evening primrose, bottle evening-primrose, and desert evening-primrose.
Palafoxia arida is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, known by the common names desert palafox and Spanish needle.
Psorothamnus arborescens is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Mojave indigo bush.
Ribes velutinum is a species of currant known by the common name desert gooseberry.
Senecio mohavensis, known by the common name Mojave ragwort, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family.
Tetradymia glabrata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name littleleaf horsebrush. It is native to the western United States, especially the Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Its habitat includes sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub. It is an erect, bushy shrub growing to a maximum height over one meter, its stems coated unevenly in white woolly fibers with many bare strips. The narrow, pointed leaves are usually no more than a centimeter long and most occur in clusters along the branches. The inflorescence bears up to seven flower heads which are each enveloped in four woolly phyllaries. Each head contains four yellow cream flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, ribbed achene with a pappus of bristles.
Xylorhiza cognata is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Mecca-aster and Mecca woodyaster.
Xylorhiza orcuttii is a perennial plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Orcutt's aster. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in scrubby habitat in the dry canyons of the Sonoran Desert. It often grows in rocky and sandy substrates, clay, and alkaline soils amongst cactus. It is a shrub with branching, mostly hairless stems that may reach 1.5 meters in length. The leaves are lance-shaped to oblong with smooth, toothed, or spiny edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head with up to 40 or more lavender or pale blue ray florets, each of which may measure over 3 centimeters in length. Flowering may begin as early as late fall or winter. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.
Media related to Xylorhiza tortifolia at Wikimedia Commons