[Illustration: Calycoseris wrighti
Calycoseris parryi]
Common Names: TACKSTEM
Arizona desert: (_Calycoseris wrighti_). White. March-May.
California desert: (_Calycoseris parryi_). Yellow. March-April.
Sunflower family. Size: 4 inches to a foot tall.
One of the handsomest of desert spring annuals, _Calycoseris_ is common
on plains, mesas, and rocky slopes at elevations between 1,200 and 4,000
feet from western Texas to southern Utah, southern California, and south
into Mexico.
The name Tackstem comes from the presence of numerous tack-shaped glands
which protrude from the stems.
Taking advantage of the cool, moist weather of winter, the Tackstems
produce their beautiful rose, white, or yellow blossoms in early spring,
and mature their seeds before the advent of hot, dry weather.