About Trixis californica Kellogg
Trixis californica Kellogg is a sprawling shrub or subshrub that reaches up to 90 centimetres (35 inches) in height. Its leaves are lanceolate (lance-shaped), dark green, measuring 2 to 5 centimetres long and 0.5 to 3 centimetres wide. Its inflorescence grows at the end of stems, and is typically structured as a panicle or corymb, though sometimes flower heads grow singly at branch tips. The flower heads are 2 centimetres across, with around 15 bright yellow flowers per head. This species is native to the southwestern United States, where it occurs in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as northern Mexico, where it is found in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. It grows at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,500 metres (5,000 ft). Its typical habitats include rocky hillsides, thorn scrub, desert washes and desert brush. In the western Sonoran Desert, it only grows in washes and among other plants. In the Colorado Desert, it grows in creosote scrub. In the Yuma Desert, which lies east of the Colorado River, it grows in scrub. While its usual flowering period falls between February and October, it can bloom nearly year-round depending on winter weather conditions. The Seri people of Mexico smoked the leaves of this species for pleasure. It is also used as an aid during childbirth.
