5 Species of Plants in Death Valley
Death Valley Phacelia: Phacelia vallis-mortae
Phacelia vallis-mortae is a species of phacelia known by the common name Death Valley phacelia. It is native to the Southwestern United States, where it grows in deserts such as Death Valley, mountains, plateau, and valley scrub habitat. It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and most are compound, divided into smaller leaflets lined with teeth or lobes. Each flower is 1 to 1.5 centimeters long and a shade of lavender or purple.
Pima Pineapple Cactus: Coryphantha scheeri var robustispina
The Pima pineapple cactus is a round plant, measuring four to eighteen inches tall and three to seven inches wide. Silky yellow flowers appear in July with the onset of the monsoon season. The fruit is oval, green and sweet. The cactus grows in semidesert grassland and in Sonoran desert shrub between an elevation of 2,300 and 5,000 feet. It often occurs in open areas on flat ridge tops. The Pima pineapple cactus is listed as an endangered species.
Joshua Tree: Yucca brevifolia
This tree is native to southwestern North America in the states of California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, where it is confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 400 and 1,800 meters (1,300 and 5,900 ft) elevation. It thrives in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. A dense Joshua tree forest also exists in Mojave National Preserve, in the area of Cima Dome.
Bluebonnet: Lupinus texensis
Death Valley is famous for its spectacular, spring wildflower displays. Only under perfect conditions does the desert fill with a sea of gold, purple, pink or white flowers. Although there are years where blossoms are few, they are never totally absent. Wildflower seeds that sprout with cool winter storms often remain small and low to the ground until the springtime sun starts to warm the soil. They may not look like they are growing, but below the surface a strong root system is being built. As the temperatures get warmer the well established plants then put on a growth spurt and start to bloom.
Barrel Cactus: Ferocactus wislizenii
The California Barrel and Sonora Barrel are similar species. 4-5 feet up to 8 feet (1.25-2.5 meters) high, fat with hooked spines which glisten red when wet. Older plants lean to the south and sometimes fall over. The flowers are red-orange, shading to yellow and bloom in a ring at the top of the cactus.