JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK MARCH 2008 PAGE ONE
Photographs by Michael Charters





At the end of March, 2008, I signed up for a two-day field trip organized by the Joshua Tree Institute and led by Park botanist Tasha LaDoux and her husband Jim Andre, Director of the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center in the East Mojave National Preserve. The flora was spectacular, the weather was glorious and the trip leaders had a vast knowledge of desert plants. An upside-down V next to the common name indicates a taxon that was new to me when I photographed it on this field trip.


 
 
Brandegea
Brandegea bigelovii
Cucurbitaceae
 
 
California tickseed
Coreopsis californica var. californica
Asteraceae
Arizona lupine
Lupinus arizonicus
Fabaceae
   
Chuparosa
Justicia californica
Acanthaceae
Brittle spineflower
Chorizanthe brevicornu
Polygonaceae


 
Cheesebush
Hymenoclea salsola
Chenopodiaceae


 
 
Apricot mallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua
Malvaceae
 
Coulter's lupine
Lupinus sparsiflorus
Fabaceae
Cushion cryptantha
Cryptantha circumscissa
Boraginaceae
   


 
 
Gravel ghost
Atrichoseris platyphylla
Asteraceae
Daisy desertstar
Monoptilon bellidiforme
Asteraceae
 


   
Desert alyssum
Lepidium fremontii var. fremontii
Brassicaceae
  
Desert bluebells
Phacelia campanularia var. vasiformis
Hydrophyllaceae
  
Desert dandelion
Malacothrix glabrata
Asteraceae


   
Hall's purple bush
Tetracoccus hallii
Euphorbiaceae
 
Desert pale gilia ^
Gilia hutchinsifolia
Polemoniaceae


   
Little San Bernardino Mts linanthus ^
Linanthus maculatus
Polemoniaceae
 
Palmer beadpod
Lesquerella tenella
Brassicaceae
 
Pedicellate phacelia
Phacelia pedicellata
Hydrophyllaceae
   
Desert twining snapdragon
Antirrhinum filipes
Scrophulariaceae
Mojave aster
Xylorhiza tortifolia var. tortifolia
Asteraceae
   
Pebble pincushion
Chaenactis carphoclinia
Asteraceae
Parish's viguiera
Viguiera parishii
Asteraceae
   


   
Desert rock pea
Lotus rigidus
Fabaceae
  
Narrow-leaved forget-me-not
Cryptantha angustifolia
Boraginaceae
  
Beavertail cactus
Opuntia basilaris
Cactaceae