About Monoptilon bellioides (A.Gray) H.M.Hall
Monoptilon bellioides is a short annual plant. In seasons with very little rainfall, it may only reach 1–2 centimetres (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) in height if it grows at all, while in seasons of heavy rainfall, it can grow up to 25 cm (10 in) tall. Its leaves are linear, 5–10 millimetres (3⁄16–3⁄8 in) long, with a blunt apex and stiff hairs. Flowers form in dense, 2 cm wide capitulum inflorescences, with white ray florets and yellow disc florets in the center. Flowers open in the morning and close in the evening. This species is native to stony and sandy plains in the Mojave Desert of California, the Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, and northwestern Mexico. It is very common in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of these deserts.
