Common name: Chinese Parsley, Heliotrope
Latin name: Heliotropium curassavicum
Height: 4-24 inches
Description: The stem is prostrate to weakly ascending, 1–6 dm, fleshy, without hairs. The flowers grows in spikes 2–4, at the tip of the inflorescence and is coiled in flower
Leaf: The 1–6 cm leaf has a short tapered sharp to blunt tip, is thick and juicy (succulent) and without hairs.
Range: Desert Mountains, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, California
Habitat: Moist to dry, saline soils
Elevation: < 2100 m.
Flowering time: Mar–Oct
Notes: Heliotropium curassavicum, a dicot, is a perennial herb that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. This photo was taken in the salt flats near Newberry Springs, San Bernardino County, on California April 6, 2007.
SEARCH THIS SITE
Past Wildflower Season Videos
click on links below
Wildflower Field Guide - find flowers by color
Click here to see current desert temperatures!
DesertUSA is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest destinations. Learn about desert biomes while you discover how desert plants and animals learn to adapt to the harsh desert environment. Find travel information about national parks, state parks, BLM land, and Southwest cities and towns located in or near the desert regions of the United States. Access maps and information about the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert.