About Baileya multiradiata Harv. & A.Gray ex Torr.
Baileya multiradiata Harv. & A.Gray ex Torr. is a sun-loving North American wildflower in the Asteraceae plant family. This species is native to desert regions of northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and has been recorded in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and Aguascalientes, as well as the U.S. states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas.
Baileya multiradiata can grow as a short-lived perennial or an annual plant. It forms clumping patches of silvery-green foliage, and reaches up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) in height. Its leaves measure 4–8 cm (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄4 inches) long. Many tall, bare stems grow from the foliage; each stem is topped with a single bright yellow, daisy-like flower head. These flower heads are about 4–5 cm (1+1⁄2–2 inches) wide, and hold 25–50 ray florets. Flowering occurs from April through October.
Its seed-like fruit is whitish, and lacks scales or bristles at its tip. Though this species is commonly called desert marigold, it is only a distant relative of the true marigolds that belong to the genus Tagetes.
