Brittlebush

Brittlebush is a shrub of northwestern Mexico, southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and western Arizona. I have been looking at the article on "encelia farinosa" or brittlebush in Wikipedia and realizing I know virtually nothing about flowers. As I read the description and then go to links describing the descriptive words, I still can't figure out what it is saying. The common name comes from the brittleness of its stems. I've never tried breaking them, so that part of the description means nothing to me. What I am aware of is that they have silver gray leaves and beautiful yellow flowers surrounding a yellow disk that bloom in the spring (March to June) that can dominate the desert landscape. When they are in full bloom, they can turn a barren desert landscape into the most picturesque of flower gardens. The stems exude a frangrant resin that was chewed by the Indians and used as incense in the churches of Baja California. This photo below was taken on the Ajo Mountain Drive in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in March.

The next photo was taken in the same area.

As was the next photo. The beauty added by the brittlebush transforms the desert into a visual paradise.

The next photo was taken near Eagle Mountain.

This view of a solitary plant gives a closer perspective. It was also taken near Eagle Mountain.

A closer photo, taken in the San Felipe Hills, shows individual flowers and the silver gray leaves beneath.

Thiscloser view of individual flowers was taken in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

And finally, this photo of two flowers, was also taken in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.