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Asteraceae
Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
Desert resilience, sunshine, persistence.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Baileya
- Native to
- Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Type
- Short-lived perennial
- Height
- 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Sandy, gritty, very well-drained
- Water
- Very low
- Hardiness
- 7–11
- Lifespan
- Short-lived perennial
Did you know
- Desert marigold can flower almost continuously from March through November in its native Southwest—the only break comes during the hottest June afternoons when even tough desert plants take a rest.
- Each small yellow daisy is held high above the woolly silver-gray leaves on long bare stems—creating the illusion of tiny suns floating above a silver carpet.
- It's incredibly tough: a single plant can survive on rainfall alone in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, with no irrigation, in soil that would kill most ornamentals.
- Despite being short-lived (usually only 2–3 years), desert marigold self-seeds prolifically—a single plant can populate an entire garden in a few seasons.
- Like many desert composites, the flowers contain natural compounds that are toxic to grazing livestock—sheep especially avoid it, and ranchers use its presence as an indicator of overgrazed range.
Color meanings
0
desert resilience
1
sunshine
2
persistence