Checker Fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata)

I found these somewhat dainty flowers on 04/21/2011 on a hike to the Mt. Potosi area, west of Las Vegas, Nevada. Because it was still fairly early in the morning and it was just barely starting to get some sun, its blossoms were not fully extended.

Description:Checker Fiddleneck (Amsinckia Tessellata) or sometimes called Devil’s Lettuce, is an erect, bristly annual plant can be from 8-24 inches in height. Its stiff leaf hairs have bulbous bases. Its five-parted, 1/3-2/3 inch long flowers are generally yellow (sometimes orange) and sit atop a 2-5 inch coiled stem. the petals of the flower are less and a 1/4 inch wide and the flower tubes are cylindrical. The lobes have white hairs on the margins. It grows in dry sandy or gravelly places up to  6000 feet around creosote bush, sagebrush scrub and joshua tree woodlands. It is most common throughout the Mojave and Sonoran Desert. Its flowering season is from March to May.