Desert Star
Monoptilon bellioides
Monoptilon bellioides, the desert star, also called Mojave desertstar, is a desert flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to stony and sandy plains in the Mojave Desert of California and the Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States northwestern Mexico. It is and is very common in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the desert.
It is native to stony and sandy plains in the Mojave Desert of California and the Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States northwestern Mexico.
It is and is very common in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the desert.
Monoptilon bellioides is a short annual plant; in seasons with very little rainfall, the plant may only grow to 1-2 cm, if it grows at all, while in seasons of heavy rainfall, it can grow up to 25 cm tall. The leaves are linear, 5-10 mm long, with a blunt apex. The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences (capitula), 2 cm diameter, with white ray florets and yellow disc florets in the center. The flowers open in the morning and close in the evening.
To learn more, visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video about this species:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQ4R5BiXgI
Found in sandy desert areas, washes
Elevation: 200–1200 m. (650-4000 ft.)
Flowering time: Feb–May, Sep.
Annual: 2-25 cm. tall.
2 cm diameter, with white rays and yellow disc in the center. The flowers open in the morning and close in the evening.
Calscape
