[Illustration: Nemacladus glanduliferus]
Common name: THREADPLANT
Arizona desert. (_Nemacladus glanduliferus_). Purple-white. March-May.
California desert. (_Nemacladus rigidus_). Purple-white. March-May.
Bellflower family. Size: 2 to 12 inches tall.
The tiny, slender-stemmed, profusely-branched Threadplant is so small
that it is completely overlooked by the majority of visitors to the
Southwest, yet it is one of the most common and most attractive of
desert flowers. Under a magnifying glass, the shape and coloring of the
minute, delicate flowers make them appear as beautiful as orchids. The
white flowers are touched with tints of red, brown, yellow, or purple.
Plants are abundant below 1,800 feet elevation on dry, gravelly or rocky
soils, frequently along the shoulders of highways from Nevada throughout
western Arizona and southern California to Lower California. Be on the
lookout for this small but interesting and beautiful plant.