Desert Prince's Plume
Stanleya pinnata
Observed blooming near Cottonwood Spring, Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA. 1 May 2010.
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FLOWERS: Grand spikes of bright yellow flowers atop tall stems. As usual with all mustard plants, there are four petals and six stamens. The stamens os Stanleya are especially long and conspicuous. Blooming late spring and sometime in autumn depending on rainfall.
RANGE: On the northern and western fringes of the Sonoran Desert, i.e.
absent from most of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Conspicuous in the Colorado
Desert portion of Joshua Tree National Park. Also in the Mojave Desert, Great
Basin and on the Colorado Plateau.
PERENNIAL HERB: Rising to two meters or more in height on mostly
herbaceous stems, but the basal branches and crown is very tough and woody.
There are dozen or more main lateral branches from central main stem.
LEAVES: Tough leaves have the margins mostly deeply pinnately lobed.
FRUIT: Long, slender pods.
UNARMED.
These beautiful plants face a possible threat as the Painted Stink Bug expands it s range after an accidental introduction in the Los Angeles area. Please report if you find this bug beyond California to the e-mail at bottom of this page.
