Yellow >
Desert Trumpet
Eriogonum inflatum
A slender, leafless plant growing to over two feet bearing tiny yellow flowers. Blueish stem is inflated at the node giving the plant its "trumpet" shape.
Common throughout the Mojave Desert below 6,000' in gravel flats and sandy washes in creosote bush, blackbush and sagebrush scrub. Also found in similar soils in Joshua tree, and pinon-juniper woodlands.
Flowers - January to May
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Native American plant use: Indians would use the inflated stem portion of the plant as a means to smoke tobacco.
Desert Habitat:
References:
A Flower Watcher's Guide - Milt Stark
Desert Wildflowers - Philip A. Munz
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - Pam MacKay
The Jepson Desert Manual
Desert Trumpet photo taken at Joshua Tree National Park