Baileya multiradiata Seeds | Desert Marigold
LATIN NAME: Baileya multiradiata
COMMON NAME: Desert Marigold
Plant Profile
Desert marigold is a short-lived perennial of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, growing twenty to sixty centimetres with a basal rosette of deeply lobed, woolly white leaves and, in spring, long-stemmed yellow daisies that rise above the foliage and open in full sun. Each flower has a single ring of ray florets around a yellow centre, and a well-grown plant can carry fifty of them. The plant blooms for a few weeks after winter rain, sets seed and then dies back, often surviving as seed rather than as a plant. It grows on sandy washes, roadsides and gravelly slopes in southern California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico, where the rainfall is under a hundred millimetres and the summer is brutal. It is one of the most reliable desert wildflowers for a dry garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Baileya multiradiata is a member of the sunflower tribe of the Asteraceae, and its woolly leaves are covered with tangled hairs that reflect light, reduce water loss and may deter insects. The plant is a short-lived perennial that behaves as an annual in hot, dry conditions, and its life span depends on moisture: in a wet year it may persist for three seasons, in a dry one it dies after flowering. The flowers are visited by a wide range of small bees and beetles, and the seed is dispersed by wind and water. The plant contains sesquiterpene lactones and is toxic to livestock, particularly sheep, which is why it is not grazed despite its abundance. Its seed germinates readily after winter rain, and the seed bank persists for years, which makes it a good candidate for desert restoration seeding.
Uses & Benefits
The plant is grown as an ornamental for dry gardens, rock gardens and desert plantings, where its long flowering season and its tolerance of heat and drought make it valuable. It is also used in restoration seeding on disturbed desert ground, and it is one of the species recommended for roadside plantings in the southwestern United States. The flowers are good for cutting, lasting several days in water. It has no culinary use and is toxic to livestock, so it should not be planted in pasture. In the garden it needs full sun, sharp drainage and no summer water; too much water kills it faster than drought. It self-sows freely where it is happy, and a patch will persist for years if the ground is left alone.
Growing from Seed
Sow in autumn in a sandy mix, pressing the seed into the surface and covering it with a bare two millimetres of grit. Keep at fifteen to twenty degrees with cool nights; germination takes two to four weeks. The seedling resents transplanting, so sow direct where it is to flower, or use a deep cell and plant out young. Grow in full sun with sharp drainage and no organic matter in the planting hole. Water only to establish, then leave the plants to the rain. Allow the flowers to set seed and self-sow, which is how the patch persists. Do not mulch with compost, which holds moisture around the crown and rots it.
Our Take
A desert daisy that flowers for weeks on winter rain and then seeds itself. Full sun, gravel, and no summer water at all.
Related Reading
Continue exploring with these related plants: