Common names:
Gravel ghost, parachute plant, tobacco weed
Family:
Scientific name:
Atrichoseris platyphylla
Main flower color:
Range:
The Mojave Desert
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Dry, often sandy locations; desert washes, hillsides
Leaves:
Grey-green, mottled, broad and oblong/ovate, up to 4.5 inches long, with irregular edges
Season:
February to May
The chicory-like flowers of atrichoseris platyphylla, about 1.5 inches in diameter, have several rows of overlapping petals, yellow at the center, pinkish purple at the tips but otherwise pure white. The stamens are similarly colored. Petal tips are flat and notched, and thin grooves run lengthways. The unusual mottled leaves grow only around the base, in a flat rosette, from where the thick grey-green flower stalk rises up to 3 feet, branching a few times towards the top. The leaves may also have a pinkish purple tint. Atrichoseris is a monotypic genus. The plant grows in sandy or gravelly locations in the Southwest deserts.
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