Orcutt's Woody-Aster, Xylorhiza orcutti

Orcutt's Woody Aster, Xylorhiza orcutti
Orcutt's Woody Aster

If you come across this beautiful plant in the Anza-Borrego Desert, and you open your favorite flower identification guide to determine what it is, you may well come away with the idea that it is a Desert-aster or Mohave-aster, Xylorhiza tortifolia var. tortifolia.

Not true. If you found it in San Diego County, you found an Orcutt's Woody-Aster. That's the easy way to tell the difference. For a botanist's explanation, see the Jepson Desert Manual.

In every other county and state in the hemisphere, Orcutt's Woody-Aster is rare. For us, it's commonplace and always a blessing to find.

The plant is a member of the Sunflower Family, Asteraceae.