Plant Species of the Borrego Desert: 2008-2009 Blooms
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Both pictures taken on 7 March 2009 at the base of Coyote Mountain, just north of Henderson Canyon Road and just west of the Pegleg Monument.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Rainfall This Season
Annual Germination, Growth and Blooms
General Requirements for Annual Germination
Summary of Annual Germination, Growth and Blooms in 2008-2009
Detailed Germination, Growth and Bloom Reports From Each Hike
Pictures From Each Hike
How Long Will An Annual Bloom Last
General Factors
Predictions for This Year
Species in Bloom On Each Trip
Number of Species and Plants in Bloom On Each Trip
List of Species in Bloom On Each Trip
Links to Other Webpages on Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Blooms
Introduction
The Borrego Desert is the northern part of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park below an elevation of 3000 feet, named for the Borrego Valley and the town of Borrego Springs (map and expanded definition).
This page gives some information about the early progress of the 2008-2009 bloom, concentrating on the annuals that are responsible for the widespread showy blooms that appear in some years on the desert floor. The date of the last update to this page is given at the bottom of this page.
In addition to specific information about current conditions, this page also gives some general information on what is needed to germinate those annuals, and what is needed to sustain the annual bloom.
The information here is by no means a definitive list to what is blooming in the Borrego Desert; it only records the species I've seen in bloom on my hikes that occur roughly every fourth day. Because the locations change, the numbers of species in bloom, and the number of plants in bloom, cannot usually be directly compared from trip to trip. However, the information here will give the reader an idea of what the bloom is doing in the Borrego Desert.
Note that there is often quite a difference in the annual bloom between the moister canyons west of Borrego Springs and the drier areas around the Badlands. Similarly, even within those canyons on the west, there can be large differences between the north-facing and south-facing slopes, and between canyons with permanent water, like Borrego Palm Canyon, and drier canyons. In the drier areas to the east, there can be large differences between the edges of washes and the middle of washes, and between shady canyons and open areas.
The locations for each hike are in the detailed reports below; more information is sometimes given in Botanical Trail Reports in Chronological Order, which usually includes more information about the bloom on each trip.
Rainfall This Season
Rainfall is the most important determinant of blooms. Rainfall is usually highest on the mountain slopes, especially on the west edge of the Borrego Desert, and falls off dramatically with lower elevation to the east. This occurs whenever our rainfall is mostly orographic. However, when rainfall is from convection, the deserts can at times get more rainfall than the coast. (See Precipitation types.)
In addition to desert stations, I've also given the rainfall from my house in Fallbrook, on the coastal side at 680 feet elevation, to show the large difference in rainfall between the wet side of the mountains and the dry side.
The following table gives the storm totals, in inches, as of the last day of each storm. The storm totals were taken from the Weather Service Rainfall Storm Summary, except for Fallbrook and the Borrego Badlands. Occasionally other stations are missing in that report; if so, totals are taken from the Rainfall Summary Map.
There is no weather station in the Borrego Badlands; the rainfall estimates are just guesses made from how wet the area appears on trips there. If a station didn't appear in the summary, I assumed the rainfall total was zero. Although this assumption is probably usually correct, it is not necessarily always valid since missing data plague all rain reports.
Note that the total rainfall at the bottom of the table is since 1 October, since rain that falls earlier doesn't germinate the desert annuals (see below); this is different from the rainfall reported by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center using the normal California rainfall year that begins on 1 July.
| Date | Fallbrook | San Felipe | Agua Caliente | Borrego Palm Canyon | Borrego Springs | Borrego Badlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2008 | 0.00 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 4 November 2008 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 27 November 2008 | 1.81 | 0.51 | 0.52 | 0.31 | 0.35 | ~0.30 |
| 15 December 2008 | 2.40 | 0.98 | 0.15 | 0.75 | 0.47 | ~0.4? |
| 17 December 2008 | 1.61 | 0.87 | 2.13 | 1.14 | 1.54 | ~1.5? |
| 22 December 2008 | 0.51 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ? |
| 25 December 2008 | 0.51 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | ? |
| 3 January 2009 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 23 January 2009 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 26 January 2009 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 7 February 2009 | 1.65 | 0.91 | 0.08 | 0.24 | 0.31 | 0.31? |
| 9 February 2009 | 0.63 | 0.90 | ? | 0.37 | 0.72 | ? |
| 16 February 2009 | 0.55 | ? | ? | 0.24 | 0.58 | ? |
| Total Since 1 October | 10.23 | ~5.3? | 3.5? | 3.05 | 3.99 | ~3.0? |
Annual Germination, Growth and Blooms
General Requirements for Annual Germination
The timing of rainfall is extremely important for the annual bloom. Rainfall received in the summer and early fall will not germinate the annuals that bloom in February and March. Rainfall received after January will either not germinate those annuals, or will germinate them too late for them to produce a robust bloom in most years. Thus rain must fall in October, November, and/or December in order to germinate the annuals that produce the showy mass displays.
The amount in a single storm is also important. Native annuals require about an inch of rainfall, received over no longer than a period of something like several days, in order to germinate. Our native annuals have learned the hard way that any less rainfall doesn't guarantee enough moisture in the soil for them to produce seeds.
Unfortunately, non-native annuals can germinate on less rainfall, and can sometimes get a head start over our native annuals if we get a first rainfall much less than an inch.
See Predicting Desert Wildflower Blooms - The science behind the spectacle from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for information relating to Arizona desert blooms.
Summary of Annual Germination, Growth and Blooms in 2008-2009
A total of 82 annual species have been observed in bloom as of 11 March 2009 (see detailed list); 152 total species have been observed in bloom so far this season.
Peak bloom began on the desert floor below 1000 feet elevation around 24 February 2009, and in the canyons on the west side of Borrego Springs around 11 March 2009. The field of hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, along the eastern portion of Henderson Canyon Road reached peak bloom on 2 March 2009. The bottom portion of the Montezuma Grade on S22 began peak bloom on 2 March 2009 with hundreds of plants in bloom of brittlebush, Encelia farinosa, and creosote, Larrea tridentata. Glorietta Canyon reached peak bloom on 11 March 2009.
Peak bloom is still continuing as of 11 March 2009, but some areas on the desert floor are now past peak bloom. For example, the display at the end of Di Giorgio Road was much diminished on 2 March 2009, with many annuals entirely in seed then.
Some shrub species have been in peak bloom for some time. Chuparosa, Justicia californica, has been in peak bloom since late December 2008. Bladderpod, Isomeris arborea, has been in peak bloom in Rockhouse Canyon below Hidden Spring since 15 January 2009. Desert-lavender, Hyptis emoryi, has been in peak bloom there since 28 January 2009. Desert apricot, Prunus fremontii, was in peak bloom in Culp Valley and Rockhouse Canyon on 1 February 2009. Wishbone plant, Mirabilis bigelovii, was in full bloom in mid-February 2009.
A small number of annual species are almost totally absent this year. I've seen only three live plants TOTAL of chia, Salvia columbariae, compared to seeing literally thousands of dead plants from previous years. This species just didn't germinate in most areas on the desert floor this year.
Many annuals are smaller than normal due to no rainfall for 52 days after they germinated on 15-17 December 2008. Fortunately, the inch of rain on 7-9 February 2009, and the half inch of rain on 16 February 2009, helped many plants produce more blooms, and it has turned out to be a decent bloom season after all. In fact, the small size of most of the non-native Asian mustard, Brassica tournefortii, plants is allowing the smaller native plants to produce a better show!
Detailed Germination, Growth and Bloom Reports From Each Hike
Detailed reports since 1 February are given here; for earlier reports, see Reports from 28 November 2008 to 28 January 2009.
These reports are just summaries of these conditions from each hike. Many of these hikes have much more complete botanical reports online with additional information; see Plant Trail Reports, San Diego County, 2009.
2/1/09: Rockhouse Canyon. The bloom is similar to that on 1/28/09, with the following three additional annuals now in bloom. There is only a single very small plant of everlasting nest-straw, Stylocline gnaphaloides, that germinated here this year, and it is now in bloom. The first plants of many of the following two non-native annuals, Mediterranean schismus, Schismus barbatus; and Asian mustard, Brassica tournefortii, have begun to bloom here.
One plant of Parish's viguiera, Viguiera parishii, is beginning its bloom. Buds of cheesebush, Hymenoclea salsola, are growing larger and may begin blooming in the next week or two. Small buds have appeared on one plant of beavertail cactus, Opuntia basilaris, and on one plant of brittlebush, Encelia farinosa.
Chuparosa, Justicia californica, is in full bloom in Clark Valley along the Rockhouse Canyon Road.
One plant of brittlebush, Encelia farinosa, is in full bloom along S22 near the bottom of the Montezuma grade, but most plants there are not yet showing buds.
2/5/09: Rockhouse Canyon. The annuals have popped into full bloom at several locations along Rockhouse Canyon Road west of Clark Lake! We spent about an hour photographing about ten annual species that had popped into bloom in the last four days. All the usual suspects were there, including spectacle-pod, Dithyrea californica (one even had its first fruit!); narrow-leaved cryptantha, Cryptantha angustifolia; brown-eyed primrose, Camissonia claviformis ssp. peirsonii; Spanish needle, Palafoxia arida; desert dandelion, Malacothrix glabrata, and hairy sand verbena, Abronia villosa. We found some perennial / subshrub plants of California fagonia, Fagonia laevis, in full bloom there as well. Chuparosa, Justicia californica, continues in full bloom along the Road.
On our car stops along Rockhouse Canyon Road, and hike up Rockhouse Canyon to upper Rockhouse Canyon, we saw over 500 individual specimens of 42 species in bloom. In Rockhouse Canyon, Bladderpod, Isomeris arborea; and desert-lavender, Hyptis emoryi; continue to be in full bloom. In the upper canyon, desert apricot, Prunus fremontii, is still in full bloom, but is near its end.
However, the annuals have not yet begun blooming in most locations here.
2/11/09: Coyote Canyon Road, Box Canyon. There are carpets of flowers now along Coyote Canyon Road, most of them from spectacle-pod, Dithyrea californica, which is in full bloom seemingly everywhere along the Road. Some plants have their first beautiful fruit that looks like spectacles. Dune primrose, Oenothera deltoides; hairy sand-verbena, Abronia villosa var. villosa; and brown-eyed primrose, Camissonia claviformis ssp. peirsonii; have all begun blooming in the area at the end of Di Giorgio Road.
Driving along Coyote Canyon Road reveals new species in bloom regularly, including the first blooms of desert dandelion, Malacothrix glabrata, in a number of places. There is no water at First Crossing, so many passenger cars, driven carefully, can make it to Second Crossing. We were pleased to find a nice patch of longbeak streptanthella, Streptanthella longirostris, between First and Second Crossing.
Most annuals in Box Canyon have not yet begun blooming.
On our car stops along Coyote Canyon Road, and hike up Box Canyon, we saw over 1100 individual specimens of 53 species in bloom.
2/17/09: Rockhouse Canyon Road, Henderson Canyon Road, Coyote Canyon Road, Box Canyon. The carpets of flowers along Coyote Canyon Road are even better, with desert dandelion, Malacothrix glabrata; Fremont pincushion, Chaenactis fremontii; and desert chicory, Rafinesquia neomexicana, beginning to join the show.
Hairy sand-verbena, Abronia villosa var. villosa, is now producing its usual carpets of flowers along S22. The first hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, blooms have appeared along Henderson Canyon Road.
Buds of desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata, will pop in about a week at S22 and Rockhouse Canyon Road.
On our car stops along Henderson Canyon and Coyote Canyon Roads, and hike up Box Canyon, we saw over 1600 individual specimens of 61 species in bloom!
Most annuals in Box Canyon are still the same, and have not yet begun blooming.
2/20/09: S22, Borrego Dunes Area of Borrego Badlands. This area of the Borrego Badlands probably has the most total blooms of anyplace, but unfortunately 99.9% of the blooms are from the non-native Asian mustard, Brassica tournefortii. However, there are 33 native species in bloom here, including the first blooms of the desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata. There are hundreds of plants here total, and we observed about 50 of them showing off their first blooms.
There are large numbers of hairy sand-verbena, Abronia villosa var. villosa; and dune primrose, Oenothera deltoides, in bloom in a number of locations. We found the first blooms of about 20 plants of hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, ten stunning plants of Borrego milk-vetch, Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus; and five plants of gray desert sunflower, Helianthus niveus ssp. canescens.
2/24/09: Coachwhip Canyon. Peak bloom has begun! We found one lovely field of flowers that can't have any more flowers blooming in the future than are blooming right now.
The roadside of S22 is covered with annuals in flower; we found 31 species in bloom within a 100 foot stretch along the road, and another 16 species in bloom along our hike in Coachwhip Canyon, for a total of 47 species in bloom here. We estimated we saw 1786 individual plants in bloom. Since we capped the count for each species at 99 plants, we easily saw over 2000 individual plants in bloom.
3/2/09: Little Surprise Canyon, Galleta Meadows, Di Giorgio Road, Henderson Canyon Road, Fonts Point Wash, Coachwhip Canyon entrance. This was primarily a car trip to sample the major bloom areas for a group of botanists from the Pasadena area, with the only hiking excursion being in Little Surprise Canyon.
Little Surprise Canyon had about 40 species in bloom, with more yet to come, and was a delight, even in 85° heat in the morning. There were literally thousands of plants in bloom just in this small canyon, many producing good displays already.
After Little Surprise Canyon, we stopped at Galleta Meadows at the corner of Borrego Springs and Henderson Canyon Road. It was interesting that this area was past peak bloom, even though Little Surprise Canyon, just a few miles away, was not yet at peak bloom.
Next stop was the end of the pavement of Di Giorgio Road. Michael Charters and I were shocked to see how the bloom had faded there. On 2/11/09, this area looked glorious, with vast fields of blooms from spectacle-pod, Dithyrea californica, and the first flowers of a number of other species. Today, the spectacle-pod was all in fruit, and many of the other species were either in fruit or on their last flowers.
The east end of Henderson Canyon Road had a good display of hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, although it is patchy and struggling to overcome the invasive non-native Asian mustard, Brassica tournefortii.
The S22 roadside near Coachwhip Canyon still had many blooms. The area of the mudhills on the east side of Coachwhip Canyon showed the strong influence of species and habitat. The plants on the mudhills are just starting their bloom, and are a week or two away from being in full bloom. Yet right at the base of the mudhills, in the sand, the desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata, plants had finished their bloom and were in fruit!
During this day, we saw over 2400 individual plants in bloom of 74 species.
3/7/09: Clark Valley, Henderson Canyon Road. The desert floor is still at peak bloom, and flowers are beginning at 3000 feet elevation in Culp Valley. On my drive in, Culp Valley was lit up with the pinkish-purple blooms of the non-native redstem filaree, Erodium cicutarium, which unfortunately has taken over most of the open spaces between the shrubs, along with the non-native red brome, Bromus madritensis. The bottom of the Montezuma Grade on S22 was lit up by native species, with hundreds of plants in bloom of brittlebush, Encelia farinosa; creosote, Larrea tridentata; and Parish's poppy, Eschscholzia parishii.
The hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, display on east Henderson Canyon Road was still going strong. The base of Coyote Mountain just a bit west of the PegLeg Monument had a good display of belly flowers, including desert 5 spot, Eremalche rotundifolia, bristly langloisia, Langloisia setosissima; yellow-head, Trichoptilium incisum; and desert star, Monoptilon bellioides. The parking spot for this area is marked with a beautiful display of Arizona lupine, Lupinus arizonicus, on the south side of S22.
We spotted the first cholla bloom of the season, on silver / golden cholla, Opuntia echinocarpa, at S22 and Rockhouse Canyon Road.
In Clark Valley northeast of Clark Lake, we found about 40 plants in bloom of desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata, including one flower stem 30 inches tall! Some of the plants were finished blooming, or on their last flowers, but some had a number of flowers yet to come.
Borrego milk-vetch, Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus; and Salton milk-vetch, Astragalus crotalariae, are beginning bloom in Clark Valley.
We saw over 2200 plants in bloom of 60 species during this entire day.
3/11/09: Henderson Canyon Road, Ella Wash to Vista del Malpais. The hairy desert-sunflower, Geraea canescens, display on east Henderson Canyon Road was still going strong. The base of Coyote Mountain just a bit west of the PegLeg Monument has an even better show of belly flowers than four days ago, and pebble pincushion, Chaenactis carphoclinia, is now in full bloom there.
Surprisingly, our hike along Ella Wash was like a trip back a few weeks in time. Several species were still blooming there that were essentially finished blooming along S22 here, including hairy sand verbena, Abronia villosa; desert lily, Hesperocallis undulata; and brown-eyed primrose, Camissonia claviformis ssp. peirsonii.
Desert pincushion, Chaenactis stevioides, is now in full bloom here, and many areas of the Badlands are covered with Arizona lupine, Lupinus arizonicus in full bloom. The first blooms of little desert trumpet, Eriogonum trichopes, were seen.
We saw over 3000 plants in bloom of 67 species during this entire day.
Pictures From Each Hike
Most of my pictures were taken for scientific purposes, and not specifically to show anything about the bloom. However, they may be of interest to people showing some aspects of what the bloom was like on a given date. My pictures are not even on standard webpages; I link to a directory and you have to click on the link for each picture to see it. Scientific names are used almost exclusively for the picture names.
The context for most of these pictures is given in the botanical reports from each hike.
In contrast, on those hikes where Michael Charters came along, he documented most of the plants in bloom, and placed them on standard webpages with common and scientific names. I recommend you click on his pages first.
How Long Will An Annual Bloom Last
General Factors
Past Rainfall, Future Rainfall, and Heat are the main factors determining how long an annual bloom will last on the desert floor at about 1000 feet elevation:
- Past rainfall affects how big the plant is, and how many resources it has to keep blooming, especially the root system of the plant and how much moisture is available in the ground. Given enough resources, annuals can withstand conditions that would otherwise abruptly end the bloom.
- Future rainfall can allow a bloom to keep going even if resources are meager. Even annuals near death can produce significant new growth if they receive rainfall.
- Heat is the main factor that terminates a bloom. I've seen a very robust February bloom abruptly end in just two weeks in March when 90° heat begins and is sustained for a few weeks. On the other hand, the bloom can go into April in years with cooler March temperatures.
Predictions for This Year
The annual bloom on the desert floor could come to a sudden end the week of March 17. Temperatures are predicted to be consistently in the mid-80s, which is usually the signal for annuals to immediately stop blooming and concentrate on maturing their seeds. This is similar to what happened last year, when heat arrived in mid-March, and quickly ended the bloom, with most annuals almost completely finished blooming by 1 April.
The canyons on the west side, and higher elevations, will probably not be as affected by this heat, and will continue to have good blooms for at least a few weeks.
Species in Bloom On Each Trip
Number of Species and Plants in Bloom On Each Trip
Four plots are given below:
- The first two plots show what was observed on each trip, the total number of species in bloom and the total number of plants in bloom. The total number of plants in bloom for each individual species is capped at a maximum of 99 plants.
- The next two plots give the cumulative total numbers from all trips so far this season, of all species seen in bloom and of all annual species that germinated this year and have begun blooming. Thus this does not count any annual species that survived from last year and is now blooming. These cumulative total numbers include the number of species on a given trip as well as those from all trips previous to that trip.
The plots and the table here must be interpreted cautiously, for at least two reasons:
- First, long hikes will find more plants in bloom than short hikes. For example, the hikes of 12/29, 1/2 and 1/9 were all in Henderson Canyon, but were 4, 7 and 8 miles long, respectively. The increase in the number of plants was due almost entirely to the length covered.
- Second, some areas have a higher species diversity than others, and so will have more species blooming at a given time. For example, on 2/20/09, I botanized the Borrego Badlands, which has significantly fewer species than the Coyote Creek area I had botanized for the previous two trips. As a result, the total number of species observed in bloom skidded from 61 to 35, even though the bloom overall in the Borrego Desert is still getting better. Note that the cumulative number of species, and annuals, seen to be in bloom from all trips this year continued to increase, since the Badlands have some species not found elsewhere.
I've added yellow diamonds to some points in the plots to show when I've switched areas, which follow the color-coding in the table headers below. Hikes in the same general area on successive trips are color-coded in the table headers below. If the color changes between columns, it is a tip-off that different environments, and hence plant species, might have been sampled. There is no significance to the color used; only the change in color is significant. When a color change occurs, there is no implication that it was back to the environment sampled when that color occurred previously.
I've added two bars in each plot, that represent the time of peak bloom estimated by Park Rangers. Two bars were needed since I wasn't sure of the meaning of the word between in the Park Rangers statement that they anticipate the peak blooming season to hit between the 3rd week of February and the 2nd week of March, depending on the weather. The lower pink bar extends from the beginning of the third week of February (2/15) and the end of the second week of March (3/14). The upper green bar extends from the end of the third week of February (2/22) to the beginning of the second week of March (3/7).
The following plot gives the percent of the blooming species that are annuals:
The following table gives the numbers used for the above plots, for the last two months. For earlier numbers, see Numbers from 28 November 2008 to 28 January 2009. The individual observations used to obtain these numbers are in the List of Species in Bloom On Each Trip.
| Number of | 1/2 | 1/7 | 1/12 | 1/15 | 1/19 | 1/24 | 1/28 | 2/1 | 2/5 | 2/11 | 2/17 | 2/20 | 2/24 | 3/2 | 3/7 | 3/11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | 7 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 41 | 54 | 61 | 35 | 47 | 75 | 61 | 67 |
| Plants | 88 | 94 | 99 | 328 | 74 | 123 | 330 | 337 | 487 | 1129 | 1593 | 977 | 1786 | 2446 | 2228 | 3055 |
List of Species in Bloom On Each Trip
The table gives the number of plants observed to be in bloom for each species on each hike, with a maximum value of 99 plants for each species. This maximum value prevents one species from dominating the total plants in bloom, and makes it much easier on me to keep track of the bloom.
Because the hike locations vary, some species will not be present on every hike, so the lack of an entry for a given hike says nothing about whether that species is blooming elsewhere.
The Checklist is sorted first by category, with dicots before monocots, and then by family and scientific name. The Family and Scientific Name are from the Jepson Manual. An asterisk before the Common Name indicates a non-native taxon.
See Plant Family Abbreviations to obtain the full family name from the abbreviations used in the table below.
This table gives the number of plants in bloom only since 1 February 2009. Some species thus have no number of plants in bloom listed in this table since they were observed in bloom only on trips prior to that date. For those earlier trips, see list of species seen in bloom from 28 November 2008 through 28 January 2009.
| # | FAM | Scientific Name | Common Name | 2/1 | 2/5 | 2/11 | 2/17 | 2/20 | 2/24 | 3/2 | 3/7 | 3/11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACA | Justicia californica | chuparosa | 79 | 80 | 99 | 99 | 20 | ||||
| 2 | ASC | Asclepias albicans | white-stemmed milkweed | |||||||||
| 3 | ASC | Asclepias subulata | rush milkweed | |||||||||
| 4 | ASC | Sarcostemma hirtellum | rambling milkweed | 1 | 10 | |||||||
| 5 | AST | Ambrosia dumosa | burroweed | |||||||||
| 6 | AST | Baccharis salicifolia | mule fat | 20 | 20 | |||||||
| 7 | AST | Baileya pauciradiata | Colorado Desert marigold | 1 | 10 | |||||||
| 8 | AST | Bebbia juncea var. aspera | sweetbush | 10 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 10 | ||||
| 9 | AST | Calycoseris wrightii | white tackstem | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| 10 | AST | Chaenactis carphoclinia var. carphoclinia | pebble pincushion | 10 | 50 | 99 | ||||||
| 11 | AST | Chaenactis fremontii | Fremont pincushion | 1 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 10 | ||||
| 12 | AST | Chaenactis stevioides | desert pincushion | 5 | 99 | 99 | ||||||
| 13 | AST | Chrysothamnus paniculatus | punctate rabbitbrush | 10 | 1 | |||||||
| 14 | AST | Encelia farinosa | brittlebush | 2 | 30 | 2 | 10 | 99 | 99 | 99 | ||
| 15 | AST | Encelia frutescens | button encelia | 2 | 15 | |||||||
| 16 | AST | Ericameria brachylepis | boundary goldenbush | |||||||||
| 17 | AST | Geraea canescens | hairy desert-sunflower | 10 | 20 | 5 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |||
| 18 | AST | Gnaphalium luteo-album | *common cudweed | 5 | ||||||||
| 19 | AST | Gutierrezia sarothrae | matchweed | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 20 | AST | Helianthus niveus ssp. canescens | gray desert sunflower | 5 | ||||||||
| 21 | AST | Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola | cheesebush | 1 | 50 | 50 | 10 | 99 | 20 | |||
| 22 | AST | Isocoma acradenia var. acradenia | alkali goldenbush | |||||||||
| 23 | AST | Lepidospartum squamatum | scale-broom | 1 | ||||||||
| 24 | AST | Malacothrix glabrata | desert dandelion | 1 | 25 | 50 | 1 | 10 | 99 | 30 | 50 | |
| 25 | AST | Monoptilon bellioides | desert star | 10 | 30 | 50 | 99 | |||||
| 26 | AST | Palafoxia arida var. arida | desert needle | 2 | 5 | 40 | 40 | 50 | 99 | 10 | 40 | 25 |
| 27 | AST | Perityle emoryi | Emory's rock-daisy | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| 28 | AST | Peucephyllum schottii | pygmy-cedar | |||||||||
| 29 | AST | Pleurocoronis pluriseta | arrow-leaf | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 161 | AST | Psathyrotes ramosissima | turtleback | 1 | ||||||||
| 30 | AST | Rafinesquia neomexicana | desert chicory | 2 | 30 | 1 | 20 | 50 | 99 | 99 | ||
| 31 | AST | Senecio mohavensis | Mojave ragwort | 1 | ||||||||
| 32 | AST | Stephanomeria pauciflora var. pauciflora | wire-lettuce | |||||||||
| 33 | AST | Stylocline gnaphaloides | everlasting nest-straw | 1 | ||||||||
| 34 | AST | Trichoptilium incisum | yellow-head | 10 | 50 | 99 | 99 | |||||
| 35 | AST | Trixis californica var. californica | California trixis | 1 | ||||||||
| 36 | AST | Viguiera parishii | Parish's viguiera | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 37 | AST | Xylorhiza orcuttii | Orcutt's woody-aster | 5 | 2 | |||||||
| 38 | BOR | Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii | small-flowered fiddleneck | 20 | ||||||||
| 39 | BOR | Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata | bristly fiddleneck | 50 | ||||||||
| 40 | BOR | Cryptantha angustifolia | narrow-leaved cryptantha | 5 | 40 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |
| 41 | BOR | Cryptantha barbigera | bearded cryptantha | 1 | 1 | 30 | 50 | 50 | ||||
| 42 | BOR | Cryptantha costata | ribbed cryptantha | 1 | ||||||||
| 183 | BOR | Cryptantha ganderi | Gander's cryptantha | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 43 | BOR | Cryptantha maritima | Guadalupe cryptantha | 99 | 50 | 2 | 50 | |||||
| 44 | BOR | Cryptantha micrantha | purple-root cryptantha | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| 45 | BOR | Cryptantha nevadensis | Nevada cryptantha | 1 | 10 | |||||||
| 46 | BOR | Cryptantha pterocarya | wing-nut cryptantha | 1 | ||||||||
| 47 | BOR | Heliotropium curassavicum | seaside heliotrope | 3 | ||||||||
| 48 | BOR | Pectocarya heterocarpa | chuckwalla pectocarya | 2 | 99 | 50 | 50 | 20 | 50 | |||
| 49 | BOR | Pectocarya platycarpa | broad-fruited combseed | 99 | 1 | 50 | 99 | 5 | ||||
| 50 | BOR | Pectocarya recurvata | curvenut combseed | |||||||||
| 199 | BOR | Tiquilia palmeri | Palmer's coldenia | 10 | ||||||||
| 51 | BOR | Tiquilia plicata | plicate coldenia | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 52 | BRA | Brassica tournefortii | *Asian mustard | 10 | 20 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 53 | BRA | Descurainia pinnata | western tansy-mustard | 10 | ||||||||
| 54 | BRA | Dithyrea californica | spectacle-pod | 20 | 99 | 99 | 30 | 99 | 50 | 1 | 20 | |
| 55 | BRA | Guillenia lasiophylla | California mustard | 1 | 2 | 20 | ||||||
| 56 | BRA | Lepidium lasiocarpum var. lasiocarpum | hairy-podded pepper-grass | 3 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 20 | 30 | 30 | ||
| 57 | BRA | Sisymbrium irio | *London rocket | 30 | 99 | 2 | 20 | 50 | ||||
| 58 | BRA | Streptanthella longirostris | longbeak streptanthella | 20 | 20 | 1 | 20 | |||||
| 59 | CAC | Ferocactus cylindraceus | California barrel cactus | 1 | ||||||||
| 60 | CAC | Mammillaria dioica | California fish-hook cactus | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 61 | CAC | Opuntia echinocarpa | silver cholla | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 62 | CAP | Cleomella obtusifolia | Mojave cleomella | 2 | ||||||||
| 63 | CAP | Isomeris arborea | bladderpod | 99 | 99 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| 64 | CAR | Achyronychia cooperi | frost mat | 2 | ||||||||
| 65 | CHE | Atriplex elegans var. fasciculata | wheelscale | 10 | ||||||||
| 66 | CHE | Atriplex hymenelytra | desert holly | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 67 | CHE | Chenopodium murale | *nettle-leaved goosefoot | 5 | 20 | |||||||
| 68 | CHE | Monolepis nuttalliana | Nuttall's poverty weed | 99 | ||||||||
| 69 | CRA | Crassula connata | pygmy-weed | 99 | ||||||||
| 70 | EUP | Chamaesyce polycarpa | small-seeded spurge | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 50 | |
| 71 | EUP | Croton californicus | California croton | 5 | 2 | |||||||
| 72 | EUP | Ditaxis lanceolata | narrowleaf ditaxis | 1 | 2 | 99 | 50 | 10 | 1 | |||
| 73 | EUP | Euphorbia eriantha | beetle spurge | 2 | ||||||||
| 74 | EUP | Stillingia linearifolia | linear-leaved stillingia | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 75 | EUP | Stillingia spinulosa | annual stillingia | 1 | ||||||||
| 76 | FAB | Astragalus aridus | annual desert milk-vetch | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 77 | FAB | Astragalus crotalariae | Salton milk-vetch | 6 | ||||||||
| 78 | FAB | Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus | Borrego milk-vetch | 10 | 10 | |||||||
| 79 | FAB | Cercidium floridum ssp. floridum | blue palo verde | |||||||||
| 308 | FAB | Dalea mollis | silky dalea | 20 | ||||||||
| 80 | FAB | Dalea mollissima | downy dalea | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 81 | FAB | Lotus rigidus | desert lotus | 5 | 10 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| 317 | FAB | Lotus salsuginosus var. brevivexillus | short-bannered coastal lotus | 5 | ||||||||
| 82 | FAB | Lotus strigosus | strigose lotus | 50 | 1 | 50 | ||||||
| 83 | FAB | Lupinus arizonicus | Arizona lupine | 10 | 20 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |||
| 84 | FAB | Marina parryi | Parry's marina | |||||||||
| 85 | FAB | Psorothamnus emoryi | Emory's indigo-bush | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 86 | FAB | Psorothamnus schottii | indigo bush | 1 | ||||||||
| 87 | FOU | Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens | ocotillo | 1 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 20 |
| 88 | GER | Erodium cicutarium | *redstem filaree | 5 | 99 | 99 | 30 | |||||
| 89 | GER | Erodium texanum | Texas filaree | 1 | ||||||||
| 90 | HYD | Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora | whispering bells | 1 | ||||||||
| 91 | HYD | Nama demissum var. demissum | purple mat | 1 | ||||||||
| 92 | HYD | Phacelia crenulata var. ambigua | heliotrope phacelia | 2 | 99 | 1 | 10 | 99 | ||||
| 93 | HYD | Phacelia crenulata var. minutiflora | little-flowered heliotrope phacelia | 10 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 1 | ||||
| 94 | HYD | Phacelia distans | common phacelia | 10 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |||||
| 95 | KRA | Krameria grayi | white rhatany | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| 96 | LAM | Hyptis emoryi | desert-lavender | 99 | 99 | 50 | 50 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 70 | 80 |
| 97 | LAM | Salvia eremostachya | desert sage | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 98 | LOA | Mentzelia affinis | yellow blazing star | 30 | 20 | |||||||
| 389 | LOA | Mentzelia albicaulis | white-stemmed blazing star | 10 | ||||||||
| 99 | LOA | Mentzelia involucrata | bracted blazing star | 20 | 20 | 10 | ||||||
| 100 | MAL | Eremalche exilis | white mallow | 5 | 99 | |||||||
| 101 | MAL | Eremalche rotundifolia | desert five-spot | 5 | 3 | |||||||
| 102 | MAL | Hibiscus denudatus | rock hibiscus | 1 | ||||||||
| 103 | NYC | Abronia villosa var. villosa | hairy sand-verbena | 1 | 30 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |
| 104 | NYC | Allionia incarnata | trailing four o'clock | 1 | ||||||||
| 105 | NYC | Mirabilis bigelovii var. retrorsa | wishbone plant | 5 | 10 | 1 | 10 | |||||
| 106 | ONA | Camissonia boothii ssp. condensata | Booth's desert primrose | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||||||
| 107 | ONA | Camissonia californica | California suncup | 20 | 50 | 10 | 50 | |||||
| 108 | ONA | Camissonia claviformis ssp. peirsonii | brown-eyed primrose | 10 | 30 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 50 | 30 | 99 | |
| 109 | ONA | Camissonia pallida ssp. pallida | pale sun-cup | 1 | 1 | 1 | 40 | |||||
| 110 | ONA | Oenothera deltoides ssp. deltoides | dune primrose | 20 | 20 | 99 | 3 | 20 | 20 | |||
| 111 | PAP | Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. minutiflora | small-flowered poppy | 20 | 30 | 30 | 99 | 50 | 99 | |||
| 112 | PAP | Eschscholzia parishii | Parish's poppy | 1 | 2 | 30 | 20 | 99 | 99 | 99 | ||
| 113 | PLA | Plantago ovata | desert plantain | 5 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | |||
| 114 | POL | Gilia latifolia | broad-leaf gilia | 20 | 60 | |||||||
| 115 | POL | Gilia stellata | star gilia | 1 | 20 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| 116 | POL | Langloisia setosissima ssp. setosissima | bristly langloisia | 20 | 50 | 99 | ||||||
| 117 | POL | Loeseliastrum schottii | Schott's calico | 1 | 20 | |||||||
| 118 | POL | Eriogonum deflexum var. deflexum | flat-topped buckwheat | |||||||||
| 119 | POL | Eriogonum inflatum | desert trumpet | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 120 | POL | Eriogonum thomasii | Thomas' buckwheat | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 99 | ||||
| 483 | POL | Eriogonum trichopes var. trichopes | little desert buckwheat | 5 | ||||||||
| 121 | POL | Eriogonum wrightii var. nodosum | Wright's buckwheat | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 122 | POR | Calandrinia ambigua | desert red maids | 5 | 2 | 1 | 20 | |||||
| 123 | RES | Oligomeris linifolia | narrowleaf oligomeris | 30 | 20 | 99 | 99 | |||||
| 124 | ROS | Prunus fremontii | desert apricot | 20 | ||||||||
| 125 | RUT | Thamnosma montana | turpentine broom | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 126 | SCR | Mimulus bigelovii var. bigelovii | Bigelow's monkeyflower | 5 | 1 | |||||||
| 127 | SCR | Mohavea confertiflora | ghost flower | 1 | ||||||||
| 128 | SIM | Simmondsia chinensis | jojoba | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 129 | SOL | Datura wrightii | sacred datura | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 130 | SOL | Lycium andersonii | Anderson's desert-thorn | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 131 | SOL | Lycium brevipes var. brevipes | desert-thorn | 1 | ||||||||
| 132 | SOL | Lycium fremontii | Fremont box-thorn | 5 | ||||||||
| 133 | SOL | Nicotiana obtusifolia | desert tobacco | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 134 | SOL | Physalis crassifolia | thick-leaved ground cherry | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 135 | VIS | Phoradendron californicum | desert mistletoe | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 136 | ZYG | Fagonia laevis | California fagonia | 3 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 137 | ZYG | Larrea tridentata | creosote bush | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 138 | LIL | Hesperocallis undulata | desert lily | 50 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 50 | ||||
| 581 | POA | Aristida adscensionis | six-weeks three-awn | 20 | ||||||||
| 139 | POA | Aristida purpurea | purple three-awn | 2 | ||||||||
| 140 | POA | Cynodon dactylon | *Bermuda grass | |||||||||
| 599 | POA | Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum | *foxtail barley | 30 | ||||||||
| 141 | POA | Pennisetum setaceum | *fountain grass | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 142 | POA | Pleuraphis rigida | big galleta | 1 | 2 | 10 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 50 | ||
| 143 | POA | Schismus barbatus | *Mediterranean schismus | 1 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
Links to Other Webpages, etc. on Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Blooms
DesertUSA Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflower Reports For 2009
Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers: Where and When to Look from the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflower Hotline: (760)767-4684. "Information on this recording is updated regularly."
Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute Wildflowers (link didn't work on 9 February 2009)
Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline (Reports begin on 6 March 2009)