Scientific Name: Chaenactis carphoclinia A. Gray (primarily var. carphoclinia in Death Valley and most of its range)
Scientific Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes (vascular plants)
- Clade: Angiosperms (flowering plants)
- Clade: Eudicots
- Clade: Asterids
- Order: Asterales
- Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower or Daisy family)
- Genus:Chaenactis (pincushions or dustymaidens)
- Species:Chaenactis carphoclinia A. Gray
Common names include Pebble Pincushion, Pincushion Flower, and Straw-bed Pincushion. Two varieties exist: the widespread var. carphoclinia (smaller plant, common in Death Valley) and the rarer var. peirsonii (larger, limited to southern California’s Santa Rosa Mountains).
Description
Pebble Pincushion is a native annual forb/herb that grows from an erect, branching stem (usually one main stem) reaching 4–16 inches (10–40 cm) tall, occasionally up to 2 feet (60 cm) in favorable conditions. The stems are whitish-pubescent (hairy).
Leaves are green, mostly linear, and pinnately dissected or lobed (basal leaves highly divided and wither early; cauline leaves smaller with slender petioles), up to 4–10 cm long.
The inflorescence consists of 1–several small discoid flower heads (no ray flowers) per stem, each 0.25–1 cm wide. Heads feature white to pinkish-tinted disk florets with enlarged outer corollas and prominently exserted (protruding) anthers. Flat, sharp-pointed phyllaries (bracts) line the heads and often appear reddish. The fruit is a small achene tipped with a scaly pappus.
The plant resembles other desert Chaenactis species (e.g., Esteve’s Pincushion), but is generally smaller with multiple cream-to-white heads per stem.
Blooms
As a desert annual, Pebble Pincushion germinates after winter rains and blooms primarily in spring (January/February/March through May or June, depending on elevation and rainfall). In Death Valley, it is a signature species during “superbloom” years, often peaking in March–April alongside other desert annuals. The flowers are visited by bees, butterflies, and other small insects for nectar and pollen.
Range and Habitat
Pebble Pincushion is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its range spans Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Baja California, and Sonora—primarily in the Mojave Desert, with extensions into the Sonoran Desert, southern Great Basin, and northwestern Chihuahuan Desert. Elevations range from 300–6,200 feet (90–1,900 m).
It thrives in rocky, gravelly, or sandy soils, including washes, open plains, mesas, slopes, and flats within desert shrublands. In Death Valley National Park, it is commonly found in gravelly washes and rocky areas (e.g., near Emigrant Pass, Badwater, and Mosaic Canyon), where it can form dense displays after sufficient winter precipitation. Seeds may be consumed by birds, small mammals, and desert tortoises.
Pebble Pincushion growing in typical Death Valley habitat—gravelly washes with mixed desert annuals under clear desert skies.
This hardy annual plays a key role in desert ecosystems as a quick-response bloomer that stabilizes soil and supports pollinators and wildlife following rainy periods.