About Chaenactis xantiana A.Gray
Chaenactis xantiana, commonly called the Mojave pincushion, is an annual plant that reaches up to 50 cm in height. Its leaves are somewhat succulent: young plants produce a basal rosette of leaves 3–7 cm long and 3–4 mm broad, and this rosette withers away when the plant flowers. The flowering stem bears spirally arranged leaves. The foliage is green, finely flecked with white scales, which gives the entire plant an overall grayish color. Flowers grow in a capitulum 3–6 cm in diameter, and the flowers themselves are white. This species is similar to Chaenactis stevioides, known as the Esteve pincushion. It is named after John Xantus (1825–1894), a Hungarian-American ichthyologist.
