The flower of the gravel ghost, also known as the parachute plant, is very similar to the desert dandelion and desert chicory. What really differentiates the gravel ghost is that the flower is all white with a yellow center, sometimes with some additional red, and very often has red to pink tinges on the white petals.
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| Desert dandelion |
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| Desert chicory |
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| Gravel ghost |
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| Upper branching: a red bud (upper left), a flower just opening up (bottom center), a flower that is more than half opened, above it. |
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| A similar branching from a different angle. |
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| Two flowers and several buds. |
It has a very thin branching stem which supports one to several flowers. The stem is so thin that it appears the flower is suspended in the air like a ghost.
I think it is one of the most beautiful desert flowers.
I love the serrated petals with the lines from each dip running down the length of the petal. They are beautiful!
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