''Mohavea'' is a plant

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

consisting of two species native to the deserts of the southwestern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. This genus is often included in the closely related snapdragon genus ''

Antirrhinum ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae family, commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They ...

''.

Taxonomy

Formerly included in the family

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

, the genus is now included in

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family or veronica family, is a large, diverse family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as Antirrhinum, snapdragon and Digitalis, foxglove. It is unrelated ...

. The two species are both notable annuals flowering in the spring: the lesser mohavea, '' Mohavea breviflora'', has small yellow flowers, while the ghost flower, ''

Mohavea confertiflora ''Mohavea'' is a plant genus consisting of two species native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This genus is often included in the closely related snapdragon genus ''Antirrhinum''. Taxonomy Formerly include ...

'', features large pale flowers with a pattern of purple spots.

Etymology

The genus name is derived from the

Mojave River The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the ti ...

, where specimens were first collected by

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

.Jepson Manual Treatment
/ref>

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Mohavea''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2707666 Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae genera Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Mojave Desert Taxa named by Asa Gray