About Diplacus mohavensis (Lemmon) G.L.Nesom
Diplacus mohavensis is a small, hairy annual herb that grows at ground level, or can grow erect to a maximum height of about 10 centimeters. Its oppositely arranged leaves are narrow oval in shape, and reach less than 3 centimeters in length. Its leafy herbage is typically colored reddish green to red-purple. The tiny flower has a tubular base, which is enclosed by a hairy, ribbed calyx made of red sepals with pointed lobes. The flower has a flat face with five rounded, equal lobes. The bases of the corolla lobes are pink with dark veins, and their edges are white. This species blooms between April and June. This plant is endemic to San Bernardino County, California, and is only found in the Mojave Desert. It has been recorded at several locations in and around Barstow, where it often grows in gravelly, sandy habitats such as arroyos. Its historical range was larger than its current range, and many of its former occurrences have been extirpated. Its population size and abundance vary, and this variation is likely dependent on annual rainfall amounts.
