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Sunflower Family, Asteraceae

Plants of the Sunflower family seen in Anza-Borrego include:

Desert Goldenhead (Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus)

San Felipe Dyssodia (Adenophyllum porophylloides)

Bur-Sage or Burro-Weed (Ambrosia dumosa)
Cheesebush (Ambrosia salsola var. salsola)

Scale-Bud (Aniscoma acaulis)

Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)

Mule-Fat or Seep Willow or Water Wally (Baccharis salicifolia)
Desert Baccharis (Baccharis sergiloides)

Short-Ray Desert Marigold (Baileya pauciradiata)

Rush Sweetbush (Bebbia juncea var. aspera)

Desert Pincushion (Chaenactis fremontii)
Yellow Pincusion (Chaenactis glabriuscula)

Punctate Rabbitbrush, Black-Stem Rabbitbush (Chrysothamnus paniculata)

California Thistle (Cirsium occidentale var. californicum)

Desert Dicoria (Dicoria canescens)

Acton's Encelia (Encelia actonii)
Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)
Rayless Encelia (Encelia frutescens)

Boundary Goldenbush (Ericameria brachylepis)
Interior Goldenbush (Ericameria linearfolia)

Long-Stem Golden-Yarrow (Eriophyllym confertiflorum)
Wallace's Woolly Daisy (Eriophyllum wallacei)

Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens)

California Cudweed (Gnaphalium californicum)

Gray Sunflower (Helianthus niveus ssp. canescens)

Alkali Goldenbush (Isocoma acradenia)

Goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis)

White Layia (Layia glandulosa)
Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)

Desert Dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata)

Mohave Desert-Star (Monoptilon belliodes)

Spanish Needles (Palafoxia arida var. arida)

Chinch-weed (Pectis papposa)

Emory's Rock Daisy (Perityle emoryi)

Pygmy Cedar (Peucephyllum schottii)

Arrow-Leaf, (Pleurocoronis plurisetta)

Arrow Weed (Pluchea sericea)

Turtleback (Psathyrotes ramosissima)

Desert Chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana)

Common Sow-Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

Small Wreath-Plant (Stephanomeria exigua ssp. exigua)
Few-Flower Wreath-Plant (Stephanomeria pauciflora)

Desert Golden-Head (Trichoptilium incisum)

California Trixis (Trixis californica var. californica)

Silver-Puffs (Uropappus lindleyi)

Parish's Golden-Eyes (Viguiera parishii)

Orcutt's Woody-Aster (Xylorhiza orcuttii)

When people come to Anza-Borrego from over the western mountains to look for flowers in Spring, one of the first things they are likely to notice is the mountains covered with clusters of Brittlebush, a favorite member of the Sunflower Family.

This is just the first member of the family that visitors usually see. In places where Spring flowers proliferate, such as in the sandy fields near Coyote Creek and along Henderson Canyon Road, you are likely to find yellow plants such as Prairie Sunflower, Desert Dandelion, Desert-Sunflower, Trixis, and Sweetbush, to name just a few.

Not every Sunflower Family member has yellow flowers. Desert Chicory flowers, Desert Star, and Rock-Daisies are white. The flowers of Mule fat, Arrowweed, and tiny Spanish Needles are in the pink to rose range. The lovely Orcutt's Woody Aster blossoms in blue.

Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association
P O BOX 310 ( 652 Palm Canyon Drive) Borrego Springs, CA 92004-0310
Office 760-767-3052 | Desert Store & Nature Center 760-767-3098 | FAX 760-767-3099