''Linanthus bellus'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the
phlox family known by the common name desertbeauty. It is known only from northern
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
and eastern
San Diego County, California
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...
, where it grows in high desert
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
in sandy soils. This is a petite annual herb producing short, threadlike stems lined with occasional tiny needle-lobed leaves. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is usually a single tiny flower with bright pink lobes no more than a centimeter across. The flower has a yellow throat with purple spots.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
bellus
Flora of Baja California
Flora of California
{{Polemoniaceae-stub