Sunflower Family, Asteraceae

Photo: Prairie Sunflower, Helianthus niveus ssp. canescens When people come to Anza-Borrego from over the western mountains to look for flowers in Spring, one of the first things they are likely to notice is the mountains covered with clusters of Brittlebush, a favorite member of the Sunflower Family.

This is just the first member of the family that visitors usually see. In places where Spring flowers proliferate, such as in the sandy fields near Coyote Creek and along Henderson Canyon Road, you are likely to find yellow plants such as Prairie Sunflower (pictured at left), Desert Dandelion, Desert-Sunflower, Trixis, and Sweetbush, to name just a few.

Not every Sunflower Family member has yellow flowers. Desert Chicory flowers, Desert Star, and Rock-Daisies are white. The flowers of Mule fat, tiny Spanish Needles, and the lovely Orcutt's Woody Asters are in the pink to rose range.

For a list of Asteraceae species groups found in Anza-Borrego, click here.