Flowers of the Southwest Deserts

by Natt N. Dodge

Kallstroemia grandiflora

Common names: ARIZONA-POPPY, CALTROP Arizona and Texas deserts: (Kallstroemia grandiflora). Bright yellow. February-September. Caltrop family. Size: 1 to 2 feet tall.

Although superficially resembling in size, shape, and color the blossoms of the Goldpoppy, the blossoms of the large-flowered Caltrop have five petals instead of four, and the plant is a close relative of the Puncturevine and the Creosotebush. One of the most attractive of the desert’s summer annuals, Arizona-poppy is found at elevations below 5,000 feet in the drylands of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

Large-flowered Caltrop may be distinguished from Goldpoppy by (1) sprawling open habit of growth, (2) compound leaves, (3) season of blossoming, and (4) the fact that the plants grow singly rather than in masses.

YELLOW