Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
Desert Marigold is a bright, sun-loving wildflower that adds golden color to arid landscapes throughout the spring and summer. Common across the deserts of the Southwest, it’s both tough and beautiful—thriving in heat, poor soil, and full sun.
Appearance:
A short-lived perennial or annual that grows 12 to 24 inches tall. Its gray-green leaves are fuzzy and often deeply lobed. The plant produces cheerful, daisy-like flowers with golden-yellow petals and a yellow center. The blooms can appear singly or in loose clusters and are held above the foliage on slender stems.
Habitat:
Common in sandy or gravelly soils, desert flats, washes, roadsides, and rocky slopes. Found throughout the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts.
Bloom Time:
Typically blooms from March through October, often continuing well into summer if there’s enough rain.
Pollinators:
Attracts bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. It’s an important nectar source during both spring and summer bloom periods.
Note:
Desert Marigold is easy to grow and often used in native gardens for its long bloom time and low water needs. Though delicate-looking, it’s well adapted to survive some of the harshest desert conditions.
Herbaceous perennial; sprawling groundcover.
About 1ft tall, 2ft across
Grows in all of Western US and Mexico in elevations below 5000ft.