Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Achyronychia cooperi, Onyxflower

Achyronychia cooperi, Onyxflower Achyronychia cooperi, Onyxflower Achyronychia cooperi, Onyxflower, Southwest Desert Flora


Scientific Name: Achyronychia cooperi
Common Name: Onyxflower
Also Called: Cooper Frostmat, Onyx Flower
Family: Caryophyllaceae, Pink Family or Carnation Family
Synonyms: ()
Status: Native.
Duration: Annual
Size: 1 or more inches high.
Growth Form: Forb/herb; glabrous or hairy, prostrate or ascending, stems branched, forms mats.
Leaves: Greenish, yellowish or brownish; leaf surfaces stiff or scaly (scarious).
Flower Color: White; flowers in axillary clusters fruit is 1-seeded indehiscent bladder (utricle).
Flowering Season: February to April, earlier in California; January to May.
Elevation: Below 2,000 feet.

Habitat Preferences: Sandy soils, desert washes and sand dunes.

Recorded Range: Onyxflower is found in the southwestern United States; AZ, CA, NV and UT. Also native to Baja California and northern Mexico. In Arizona it is found in central, southern and northwestern parts of the state.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Achyronychia cooperi.

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.

Genus Information: 1 species in North America.

Comments: Onyxflower is a diminutive plant found in lower deserts.

Date Profile Completed: 2/3/2015, rev. 07/22/2015, updated format 10/11/2017
References:
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service on-line database – ITIS search
Arizona Flora, Kearney, Thomas H., Peebles, Robert H., 1960, University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, California.
Ronald L. Hartman, FNA | Family List | FNA Vol. 5 | Caryophyllaceae | Achyronychia, Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 16+ vols. New York and Oxford. (accessed 2/3/2015).
1993, The Jepson Manual, Citation: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/I_treat_indexes.html (accessed 2/3/2015)
SEINet for synonyms, scientific names and recorded geographic locations, http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/.