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Monoptilon bellioides

Mojave desertstar

Asteraceae

Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterVery Low · drought-tolerant

Overview

Monoptilon bellioides is a low, spreading winter annual of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, forming flat rosettes and cushions usually 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) tall and up to 8 inches (20 cm) across. The stems are slender, branching from the base and pressed close to the ground, covered in stiff white hairs. Small narrow leaves 0.2-0.5 inch (5-12 mm) long crowd the stems. Each branch tip bears a single daisy-like flower head about 0.5-1 inch (12-25 mm) wide, with 12-25 white to pale lavender ray florets surrounding a yellow disk. After wet winters the plant can carpet open desert pavement and sandy flats with bloom, while in dry years it may germinate sparsely or not at all. M. bellioides completes its life cycle in a single season, setting seed and dying as the soil dries in late spring. It grows in gravelly and sandy desert soils in full sun and depends entirely on seasonal rainfall, so it cannot persist where summer water collects. Its small size means it is quickly overtopped by taller vegetation, limiting it to open, sparsely vegetated ground.

Native Range

Monoptilon bellioides is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, including the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California. It grows on open desert pavement, gravelly flats, and sandy washes below about 3,500 feet (1,070 m).

Suggested Uses

M. bellioides is used in desert and rock gardens, gravel plantings, and restoration seeding of arid sites where it fills bare ground with low spring bloom. It suits naturalistic xeriscapes that receive winter rain and dry out in summer. Its tiny stature makes it suitable for the front of gravel beds rather than mixed borders.

How to Identify

Identify M. bellioides by its low ground-hugging cushions of slender white-hairy stems topped with single daisy-like heads 0.5-1 inch (12-25 mm) across. Each head has 12-25 white to pale lavender rays around a yellow center, held just above the foliage. The small narrow leaves are stiff-hairy and crowd the lower stems. Its mat-forming annual habit on bare desert soil separates it from taller desert daisies.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1" - 4"

Width/Spread6" - 8"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Spring

Flowering follows winter and early-spring rains, typically February through May, with the exact timing and abundance set by rainfall. In wet years the heads open across the whole plant at once; in dry years few or none appear. Bees and small desert insects visit the flowers, which close as the soil dries and quickly set seed.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White with yellow center

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range7.0 - 8.5(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

M. bellioides grows in full sun on gravelly or sandy, sharply drained desert soil with a neutral to alkaline pH of 7.0-8.5. As a desert annual it needs winter moisture to germinate and a dry, warm spring to flower and set seed. Sowing seed in autumn onto bare mineral soil mimics its natural cycle, and no fertilizer is required. Excess water or rich soil causes weak growth and rot. The plant dies after seeding, returning only from seed the following season. It has no major pests in its dry open habitat.

Pruning

M. bellioides needs no pruning. As a small annual it is left in place to flower and set seed, after which the dried plant can be cleared. Leaving spent plants allows seed to drop for the next season germination.