Geraea canescens
Encyclopedia
For other uses, see Desert Sunflower (disambiguation).
Geraea canescens is also known as the desert sunflower, hairy desert sunflower, or desert gold. It is a dicot and annual
of the Aster (Asteraceae
) family. "Geraea" in its scientific name comes from the Greek geraios ("old man"), referring to the white hairs on the fruits.
The desert sunflower has a yellow sunflower-like flower, each flower on a slender, hairy stem. It grows 1-3 feet (0.3–1 m) high. The leaves are gray-green and grow to 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. It flowers February through May after sufficient rainfall.
It is native to western North America, specifically Arizona
, Nevada
, California
, and Utah
. A drought-avoiding annual plant, it can be found in the California, Mojave
, and Sonoran Desert
s. It grows from sea level to 4265 feet (1,300 m) in sandy desert soil in the company of creosote brush.
The flowers attract bees and birds. Seeds are eaten by birds and rodents.
There are two varieties of Geraea canescens:
Geraea canescens is also known as the desert sunflower, hairy desert sunflower, or desert gold. It is a dicot and annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
of the Aster (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...
) family. "Geraea" in its scientific name comes from the Greek geraios ("old man"), referring to the white hairs on the fruits.
The desert sunflower has a yellow sunflower-like flower, each flower on a slender, hairy stem. It grows 1-3 feet (0.3–1 m) high. The leaves are gray-green and grow to 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. It flowers February through May after sufficient rainfall.
It is native to western North America, specifically 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...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, 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...
, and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. A drought-avoiding annual plant, it can be found in the California, Mojave
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, and 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...
s. It grows from sea level to 4265 feet (1,300 m) in sandy desert soil in the company of creosote brush.
The flowers attract bees and birds. Seeds are eaten by birds and rodents.
There are two varieties of Geraea canescens:
- Geraea canescens var. canescens
- Geraea canescens var. paniculata S.F.Blake