Agave lechuguilla
Common names: AGAVE, CENTURYPLANT, (MESCAL), (LECHUGUILLA) Arizona desert: (Agave palmeri). Yellow-purple. July-Aug. California desert: (Agave deserti). Yellow. May. Texas-New Mexico desert: (Agave lechuguilla). Lavender-brown. April-May. Amaryllis family. Size: Flower stalks 8 to 25 feet tall.
Many species of Agave are found in various parts of the desert, hence it is difficult to settle on those which should be given particular recognition. Their blossoms, in general, are various shades of yellow. The larger species are called Centuryplant or Mescal (mess-KAHL), while the small ones are spoken of as Lechuguillas (letch-you-GHEE-ahs). The Lechuguilla, covering hundreds of square miles in Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, is an indicator of the Chihuahuan Desert, holding the position in that desert which the Saguaro does in the Sonoran desert and the Joashua-tree in the Mohave Desert.
From its leaf fibers the Mexicans weave a coarse fabric. Its plumelike flower stalks, relished by deer and cattle, form one of the spectacular sights of the Chihuahuan Desert in springtime.
YELLOW
Agave plants require a number of years to store sufficient plant foods for the production of the huge flower stalk which grows with amazing rapidity to produce the many flowers and seeds, after which the plant dies. This long pre-blossom period of a dozen to 15 or more years is the basis for the name “Centuryplant.” If the young flower stalk is cut off, the sweet sap may be collected and fermented to form highly intoxicating beverages, some of which are distilled commercially. Among these are mescal, pulque (POOL-kay), and tequila (tay-KEEL-ah). Indians cut the young bud stalks, and roast them in rock-lined pits.
Calochortus kennedyi
Calochortus flexuosus
Common names: MARIPOSA, DESERT-MARIPOSA Arizona and California deserts: (Calochortus kennedyi). Orange. March-May. Lily family. Size: Perennial, about 2 feet tall.
Under favorable weather conditions, this short-stemmed Mariposa presents a gorgeous display of spring color. Closely related to the white-flowered Twisted-stem Mariposa (C. flexuosus) and to the Sego-lily (state flower of Utah), the Desert-mariposa is found below 5,000 feet in Nevada, southern California, southern Arizona, and northern Sonora. When growing beneath taller shrubs, it forsakes its short-stemmed habit and forces its way up through the low branches, displaying its blossom above.
The Mariposas, of which there are several species, are among the most beautiful wildflowers of the Southwest.
ORANGE