Annual Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
 Devil's Spineflower is often not noticed until it dries and becomes spiny |
General: Devil's Spineflower (Chorizanthe rigida) is a small annual forb with broad basal leaves on long petioles and stout spines on the short flowering stalk. The flowers are yellow, but tiny and hard to see. This plant is quite stiff and dries to an upright, spiny mass that stands long into the winter. People often confuse the dried plants with cactus. Devil's Spineflower is a common component of desert vegetation communities on sandy and gravel soils in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones. |
 Broad basal leaves on long petioles |
Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae). Other Names: rigid spiny herb, spiny-herb Plant Form: low, compact, spiny. Height: Usually about 2 inches, to 6 inches. Stems: None. Leaves: Basal; petiole long, blade less than 1-inch long, oblanceolate. |
 Dried flowering stalk during winter: tiny "cactus" |
Flowers: Tiny, yellow, hidden among spiny bracts (small and nondescript). Seeds: Habitat: Sandy and rocky desert soils. Elevation: About 6,000 feet. Distribution: California to Utah and Arizona, and south into NW Mexico. Comments: |
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 Leaf dorsal surface: petiole long, blade short and wide, hairy |
 Leaf ventral surface: petiole long, blade short and wide, very hairy |
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 The leaves fade early leaving only the flowering stalk |
 Tiny yellow flowers surrounded by spines |
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 Flowers: tiny, yellow, and hidden among spiny bracts |
 Flowers: tiny, yellow, and hidden among spiny bracts |
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 Dried flower stalks can carpet the ground during fall |
 Dried flower stalks can carpet the ground during fall |
 Dried plants persist into the next year ... |
 ... often covering the ground with nasty, stiff spines. |
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Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
; Last updated 240616
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