Plants



Cactus or Cacti :Anna Colebert A Cactus is any member of the plant family Cactacease, native to the Americans. They are often used as ornamental plants, and some are also crop plants for fodder, forage, fruits, cochineal, and other uses. Numerous species have been used since ancient times by indigenous peoples for their psychedelic effects. Cactuses are part of the plant order Caryophyllales, which also includes members like beets, gypsophila, spinach, amaranth, tumbleweeds, carnations, rhubarb, buckwheat, plumbago, bougainvillea, chickweed and knotgrass. Cactus is unusual and distinctive plants, which are adapted to extremely arid and/or semi-arid hot environments, as well as tropical environments as epiphytes or hemi-epiphytes. They show a wide range of anatomical and physiological features which conserve water. Their stems have adapted to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have become the spines for which cacti are well known.

= Chad Higley:Ghost Flower = = =

Desert washes and rocky slopes below 2,500 feet. Translucent, cream-colored to yellowish flowers bloom February through April. The 1-1/2 inch flower has pink-to-purple dots on the inside surface of 5 ragged lobes which form a cup. Lower petal has a reddish-purple spot with 2 bright yellow stamens curving upward over it.
 * Range** Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California to southern Nevada and western Arizona.
 * Habitat**
 * Flowers**

Description
Like the Snapdragon and Penstemont.The Ghost Flower is a member of the Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae). It is an erect annual which grows 4 to 16 inches high. It has long, hairy, light-green leaves that are elliptical to lanceolate, and grow up to 4 inches long. The Ghost Flower derives its name from the ghostly translucency of its flowers.

Scott Coneys-Five spot flower

Through the delicate petals of the flower, the globe resembles a glowinglanteren. For this reason, the Desert Five-Spot is also known as the Lantern Flower and the Chinese lantern.
 * Range **-Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona below 4,000 feet.**Habitat-**Dry, open desert bajadas, washes and flats.** Flowers -**Pink globes with 5 petals open at the top bloom March through May. Inside, the center is creamy with 5 deep, purple blotches surrounding many stamens. The 5 "spots" actually occur at the base of each petal. Flowers open in the afternoon and close at night.** Description -**The Desert Five-Spot is one of the most beautiful flowers that grows in the desert. This annual herb, a member of the Mallow Family (Malvaceae), grows 4 to 24 inches high. Its sparse leaves are round to heart-shaped, with scalloped margins up to 2 inches wide. The When light passes color of the leaves is green and often red with short, bristly hairs.

Taylor Lee- Sunflower

The desert Sunflower is a slender hairy plant with few leaves and golden-yellow flower heads. This flower can be found in sandy desert areas of southeastern California to southwestern Utah and western Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

Sheldon Foley - Wooly Daisy

 * // The Wooly Daisy or (Antheropeas lanosum), is a native plant to the deserts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. It prefers to sprout in dry sandy soil. It is a generally small pant normally growing to just 4 inches. It has tiny golden-yellow flowers that bloom in march, and stop blooming in June. The petals of the Wooly Daisy are small, Fuzzy. It is also a member of the Sunflower family. //**

Kali Coast - Creosote Bush

The creosote bush is common in the desert. It has green leaves and yellow flowers. It has yellow petals. After the Creosote blooms the flower turns into a small white fuzzy fruit capsule that has 5 seeds. You can find these seed capsules on the ground under the creosote bushes. The bush has very flexible stems. It is usually smaller than 4 feet.


 * Google Earth

Work Cited**
 * Jim, Bremner. "Desert Five Spot." //Desert USA//. N.p., 2009. Web. 3 March 2010. [].