Brownfoot
Acourtia wrightii
Sketched from live specimen observed in eastern Maricopa Co., Arizona. An enlarged view of a flower head showing the two-lipped florets is at lower right.
By May Acourtia wrightii enters dormancy and the above ground portions change to a bright yellow-brown. Image is part of the Wikimedia Project.
FLOWERS:
Heads are made up entirely of two-lipped florets - typically twelve
or fewer. They are an appealing pink color and produce an exquisite perfume.
PERENNIAL HERB: Woody crown just at and below soil line. Fresh growth is produced in
spring given good rains. Frequently growing in the partial shade a desert tree, such as
Foothills Palo Verde.
LEAVES: Tough, alternate leaves are sharply serrated and clasp the stem. With return of
desert drought by June the leaves turn conspicuous yellow-brown but remain attached to the
stems/crown thus serving as a ‘Brown Foot’ to the tree beneath which the plant grows.
FRUIT: A slender
achene topped with an array of fine bristles.
RANGE: A common plant in the Sonoran Desert found in the foothills of
mountains especially along the eastern flanks and hence into the Chihuahuan
Desert.
UNARMED.
Asteraceae -- Sunflower Family
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Observed in North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness, Arizona. 16 March 2014.