Mojave tarplant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mojave tarplant |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Order: | |
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| Subfamily: |
Asteroideae
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| Genus: | |
| Species: |
D. mohavensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Deinandra mohavensis (D.D.Keck) B.G.Baldwin
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| Synonyms | |
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Hemizonia mohavensis D.D.Keck |
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The Mojave tarplant (scientific name: Deinandra mohavensis), also called Mojave tarweed, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the aster family, which includes sunflowers and daisies. It used to be known by another name, Hemizonia mohavensis.
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Where the Mojave Tarplant Lives
This plant is found only in California, which means it is endemic to the state. It has a special way of growing in different, separate areas, which is called a disjunct distribution. You can find it in the southern parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Mojave Desert, the Peninsular Ranges, and possibly the San Bernardino Mountains.
It likes to grow in places that are a bit wetter. These areas include chaparral habitats, which are shrublands with tough, woody plants. It also grows in riparian zones, which are areas along rivers or streams.
What the Mojave Tarplant Looks Like
The Mojave tarplant is an annual plant, meaning it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It grows like a herb, reaching a height of about 10 to 100 centimeters (4 to 40 inches).
Its stems are covered in tiny hairs and are also glandular. This means they have special glands that can produce sticky or oily substances, often giving the plant a "tar-like" feel or smell. The leaves are also bristly and glandular. Their edges can be smooth or serrated, which means they have small, saw-like teeth.
Flowers of the Mojave Tarplant
The plant's flowers grow in groups called flower heads. These heads can be tightly clustered together or spread out a bit. Each flower head is surrounded by special leaf-like parts called phyllaries. These phyllaries are very glandular, just like the stems and leaves.
Inside each flower head, you'll find two types of yellow flowers:
- Ray florets: There are five of these, and they look like the "petals" of a daisy. Each one is about half a centimeter long.
- Disc florets: There are six of these, and they are tiny tube-shaped flowers found in the center of the head.
Saving the Mojave Tarplant
For more than 50 years, people thought this plant had become extinct. This happened because all the places where it used to grow seemed to have disappeared.
But in 1994, the Mojave tarplant was found again! It was rediscovered in the San Jacinto Mountains, giving hope for its future.
