Phemeranthus aurantiacus, the former Talinum aurantiacum, is now in Talinaceae, the flameflower family, “a family of two genera and 28 species.” There’s more; the genus Phemeranthus is a combination of two Greek words and means the flower lives for one day. The specific epithet, aurantiacus refers to the color of the flowers which can orange or yellow. Now you know.
I love the way you see those orange or yellow flowers out in the grassland in the heat of the day. For the photos used here I wandered out in the thick of a monsoon “pudding day” and snapped some shots. A sweaty endeavor, but it is such an interesting plant and flower. Flameflower is found from 2,400 feet to 6,600 feet out in the desert scrub or grassland of southern Arizona. For me it is always part of the muggy monsoon days of summer and magical the way it appears on the land that surrounds our place near the banks of the ol’ Guajolote.
Petey is enthusiastic about the naturally occurring grass parks that create magical openings in the coniferous forests of the White Mountains.
In July of 2002 I produced an episode about the summer monsoon and spadefoots. It was so much fun to write and record. In...
I spent so much time jabbering about my conversion to a desert rat and monsoon believer that I left out some fun stuff. Native...
