Paper Flower
Psilostrophe cooperi
Painted from live specimen.
FLOWERS: Bright or pale yellow flowers appear mid to late spring. After
blooming the ray flower petals remain, bleach whitish, and rustle like bits of
paper in the breeze. A member of the Asteraceae, the flowers are borne in heads
with each flower producing one seed or achene; two achenes are shown enlarged,
one with the corolla attached.
SHRUB: Low shrub usu. less than one meter tall is slightly woody
RANGE: Mid elevations in the Arizona Sonoran desert. More common near
Tucson than in Phoenix area.
LEAVES: Nearly linear and often quite silvery due to abundance of
whitish hairs.
UNARMED.
At elevations above 600 m this plant makes an excellent contribution to xeriscape gardens.