Southwest Desert Flora

Scientific Name: Gomphrena sonorae
Common Name: Sonoran Globe Amaranth
Also Called: Ball Clover, Sonoran Globe Amaranth, Sonoran Globe-amaranth (Spanish: Cordón del Obispo, Siempreviva Cimarróna)
Family: Amaranthaceae, Pigweed Family
Synonyms: ()
Status: Native
Duration: Annual or perennial
Size: Up to 20 inches or more.
Growth Form: Forb/herb; stems erect or ascending, covered with thin hairs (pilose), roots fibrous or woody.
Leaves: Green, sessile or with short petioles, elliptic, oblong or linear, also covered with thin hairs.
Flower Color: White or yellowish; subtended by 2 leaves; bractlets white, not crested, flowers very similar to Pearly Globe Amaranth.
Flowering Season: August to September
Elevation: 3,000 to 5,500 feet.

Habitat Preferences: Dry plains and slopes usually with grasses.

Recorded Range: Another relatively rare Gomphrena in the United States found only in Arizona and New Mexico. In Arizona, Sonoran Globe Amaranth is found in the central, south and southeastern parts of the state.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Gomphrena sonorae.

U.S. Weed Information: No data available.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No data available.
Wetland Indicator: No data available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: No data available.

Comments: Sonoran Globe Amaranth is closely related to, and very similar in appearance to Pearly Globe Amaranth, Gomphrena nitida which is found mostly in southern Arizona.

Also see in Southwest Desert Flora also see Tufted Globe Amaranth, Gomphrena caespitosa.