Geraea canescens
Geraea canescens, commonly known as desert sunflower, hairy desert sunflower, or desert gold, is an annual plant in the family Asteraceae. "Geraea" in its scientific name comes from the Greek geraios, referring to the white hairs on the fruits.
Geraea canescens bears yellow sunflower-like flowers on slender, hairy stems. It grows high. The leaves are gray-green and grow to long. It flowers February through May after sufficient rainfall.
Geraea canescens is native to western North America, specifically Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah. A drought-resistant annual plant, it can be found in the California, Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts. It grows from in sandy desert soil in the company of creosote bush. It is one of the flowers which participates in the occasional superblooms of desert flowers.
The flowers attract bees and birds, and the seeds are eaten by birds and rodents.
There are two varieties of Geraea canescens:
- Geraea canescens var. canescens
- Geraea canescens var. paniculata S.F.Blake
