Menodora spinescens A. Gray
Spiny menodora
Spiny menodora is native to the southwestern United States, especially the Mojave desert.
Plants: Densely branched shrubs are 8–20″ (20–50 cm) tall. Branches are round and green or gray, and puberulent (covered in fine hairs). They taper to sharp spines.
Leaves: Alternate, fleshy, in small clusters, sessile, and linear to oblanceolate.
Flowers: Red to pink buds open to white flowers with yellow centers. Each flower usually has 5-6 lobes, and is less than ⅜″ (1 cm) around. Flowers appear from Aprill to May.
Fruits: Round, shiny brownish capsules usually contain two seeds.
Habitats: Arid mountain slopes, dry mesas, and canyons, at elevations of 3500–6500′ (1–2.0 km).
Online References:
Menodora spinescens A. Gray var. mohavensis Steyerm.
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (47 × 33 cm) 
4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 7 × 5″ (17 × 13 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (16 × 12 cm) 
4/28/2018 · High Point Overlook, Scenic Drive, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 11 × 8″ (29 × 20 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
4/28/2018 · High Point Overlook, Scenic Drive, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Oleaceae | Temperate climate shrubs, trees and a few vines, include forsythia, ash, jasmine, privet, olive, lilac, and many others |
| Genus | Menodora | From the Greek menos, “force,” and doron, “gift”; Jepson: “perhaps half-moon spear from appearance of fruit on stiff pedicel” (doro in Greek can also mean “spear”). David Hollombe provides the following which seems to confirm the former derivation: “Menodora is explained in the original description as ‘giving force’ or vigor to the cattle, sheep and mules that ate the young shoots of Menodora helianthemoides” |
| Species | spinescens | Spiny |
Menodora spinescens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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