Yucca whipplei is a much smaller plant than Y. elata, but produces a stouter flower stalk with a great spreading plume of small, delicate flowers. These graceful plumes appear at night as if aglow with an inner light, hence the name “Our Lord’s Candle.” (See Broad-leaf Yucca [[p. 19]] and Joshua-tree [[p. 18]].)
Clematis ligusticifolia
Clematis drummondi
Common Names: CLEMATIS, LEATHERFLOWER Arizona and Texas deserts: (Clematis drummondi). Cream. March-September. California desert: (Clematis ligusticifolia). Cream. May-September. Crowfoot family. Size: Climbing, vine-like perennial with stems 6 to 8 feet long.
By no means limited to the desert, Clematis is found throughout the Southwest. Several species are grown as ornamentals, foliage, flower clusters and the cotton-like masses of hairy fruits all being effective. Petals are absent or rudimentary, the sepals which furnish color to the blossoms being either creamy or purplish-brown. The name “Leatherflower” has been applied to the latter group.
CREAM
Phragmites communis
Common Names: COMMON REED, (CARRIZO), RIVERCANE, GIANTREED Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Phragmites communis). Creamy. July-October. Grass family. Size: 8 to 12 feet tall.