Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
Encyclopedia
Palafoxia arida, var. gigantea, (also =Palafoxia linearis) is a species of flowering plant
from the sunflower family (Asteraceae
), genus Palafoxia
. It is found in the western and northwestern Sonoran Desert
of Arizona
and northwestern Mexico
, states of Sonora
and Baja California
, and the southern Colorado Desert
of southeastern California
.
The erect, slender stem
grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved. It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts. It has 2-5 inch slender leaves, looking similar to the graphic of Small Palafox, P. callosa pictured here: Palafoxia
, of stem, leaves, and flowers.
In the Lower Colorado River Valley
, (Yuma, Arizona region
), in semi-shaded sites with annual sparse rainfall, can grow to be bushy bordering on producing 100 flowers on a single plant.
This plant is also called "Spanish Needles." It can be common along some riverine environments, (Colorado River
, Gila River
), as well as irrigation canals. It is most commonly found in grasslands.
The wind-borne seeds are dandelion-like, but larger and in a smaller quantity per flower. The plant with seed is easily identified since the seeds splay out in a flat circle until broken from the plant by strong wind. The seed is macroscopic in size, with about 10-16 seeds per circular flower-splay, each seed up to 0.6 in before the parachute.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
from the sunflower family (Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
), genus Palafoxia
Palafoxia
Palafoxia is a genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family ,This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa , a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon....
. It is found in the western and northwestern Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and northwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, states of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, and the southern Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
of southeastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The erect, slender stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved. It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts. It has 2-5 inch slender leaves, looking similar to the graphic of Small Palafox, P. callosa pictured here: Palafoxia
Palafoxia
Palafoxia is a genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family ,This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa , a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon....
, of stem, leaves, and flowers.
In the Lower Colorado River Valley
Lower Colorado River Valley
The Lower Colorado River Valley is the river region of the lower Colorado River of the southwestern United States in North America that rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet at the Colorado River Delta in the northern Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, between the states of Baja...
, (Yuma, Arizona region
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
), in semi-shaded sites with annual sparse rainfall, can grow to be bushy bordering on producing 100 flowers on a single plant.
This plant is also called "Spanish Needles." It can be common along some riverine environments, (Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
), as well as irrigation canals. It is most commonly found in grasslands.
The wind-borne seeds are dandelion-like, but larger and in a smaller quantity per flower. The plant with seed is easily identified since the seeds splay out in a flat circle until broken from the plant by strong wind. The seed is macroscopic in size, with about 10-16 seeds per circular flower-splay, each seed up to 0.6 in before the parachute.
External links
- USDA: NRCS: Plants profilte; Arizona counties; California counties
- Photo-High Res-(Flower); Article – desertusa.com—"Purple and Blue Blooms"–Wildflower Field Guide
