Xylorhiza tortifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) Greene

Growth Form and Stem Characteristics

Xylorhiza tortifolia is a perennial herb or subshrub with branching, hairy, glandular stems that grow between 30 and 75 centimetres (12 to 30 inches) tall.

Leaf Features

Its leaves grow up to 6.5 cm (2+1⁄2 in) long, are lance-shaped or narrow, have a spiny tip and spiny-toothed edges, and their surfaces are usually covered in gray hairs.

Inflorescence Structure

The inflorescence is a solitary flower head, around 5 cm (2 in) across, that sits at the end of a long peduncle.

Phyllary Traits

The base of the flower head is made of long, narrow phyllaries that can be over 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long.

Ray Floret Characteristics

The flower head holds up to 60 or more ray florets, colored lavender, pale blue, or white, that can be over 3 cm long.

Blooming Period

This species blooms from March to June.

Fruit Characteristics

Its fruit is an achene that can reach over 1 cm long when including its bristly pappus.

Native Distribution Range

This flowering plant is native to the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Great Basin Desert ecoregions of the southwestern United States, California, and northwestern Mexico.

Habitat and Elevation

It grows in arid canyons, bajadas, and washes, at elevations ranging from 240 to 2,000 metres (790 to 6,560 ft).

Associated Plant Communities

It occurs in creosote bush scrub, saltbush scrub, and Joshua tree woodland habitats.

Traditional Uses

The Havasupai people used this plant for incense and fragrance; both men and women carried ground leaves in their clothes and used them as perfume to mask body odor.