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Native Plant Database

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Monoptilon bellioides (Mojave desertstar)
Unknown, NPSOT

Monoptilon bellioides (Gray) Hall

Mojave desertstar

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

USDA Symbol: MOBE2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A small low plant with flower heads of white rays often tinged with rose surrounding a yellow central disk; longer branches tending to lie on ground.

As is often characteristic of desert annuals, this species growth depends upon the amount of rainfall. If winter rains are ample, it and other spring wildflowers grow in profusion, even obscuring the surface of the ground; if rainfall is scant, the plant will be only a fraction of an inch tall, with one head disproportionately large in comparison to the rest of the plant. Daisy Desert Star (M. bellidiforme), a very similar species from the same region, has only one plume-tipped bristle atop the fruit

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Flower:
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , NV
Native Distribution: Southern California, western Arizona, and northwestern Mexico.
Native Habitat: Sandy or gravelly, desert flats.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Monoptilon bellioides in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Monoptilon bellioides in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Monoptilon bellioides

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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