# Devil's Spineflower (*chorizanthe rigida*) The Devil's Spineflower (Chorizanthe rigida) is a fascinating desert-adapted annual plant that thrives in some of the harshest arid regions of North America. During the fleeting wet winter months, it emerges as a low-profile rosette with soft, greenish-gray leaves and inconspicuous yellow flowers. However, as the blistering summer heat sets in, the plant undergoes a dramatic transformation: its fleshy parts die off, leaving behind a rigid, blackened, spine-covered skeleton that can persist in the desert landscape for several years. This ghostly wooden framework plays a crucial role in the plant's survival, guarding its seeds from hungry desert herbivores and ensuring that the next generation remains protected until the heavy rains arrive once more. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Found on gravelly desert flats, alluvial fans, and rocky slopes of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. ![Devil's Spineflower](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/44038/medium.jpg) Photo: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/44038) ## Appearance Typically growing between 5 and 15 centimeters in height, the Devil's Spineflower has a highly distinctive structural form. When young and actively growing, it features broad, rounded, white-woolly leaves clustered at the base, with tiny yellow flowers nestled inside spiny bracts. As it dries, the leaves fall away and the stems harden into a stiff, star-like or cone-shaped cluster of dark grey to charcoal-black thorns. This rigid, spine-tipped skeletal carcass looks almost like charred wood or miniature metal spikes, making it incredibly easy to recognize against the pale desert gravel. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Polygonaceae - **Genus:** Chorizanthe ## Interesting facts - Despite its intimidating, thorny appearance when dried, the young plant starts life with remarkably soft, fuzzy, and harmless green leaves. - Its scientific name 'rigida' perfectly describes the stiff, unyielding nature of its dried stems, which do not decay easily in the dry desert air. - The dried, spiny skeletons of this plant can persist in the desert environment for several years after the plant has died, acting as a natural barbed-wire protection for its seeds. ## Special abilities - **Persistent Skeletal Armor:** After dying, the plant's rigid, spine-covered woody structure remains intact for years, physically protecting the seeds enclosed within from granivorous animals. - **Desert Ephemeral Lifecycle:** It quickly germinates, flowers, and sets seeds during brief winter rains, escaping the extreme summer heat by completing its life cycle before the drought peaks. - **Hygroscopic Seed Release:** The dried spiny bracts open and release their seeds primarily in response to moisture, ensuring seed dispersal occurs when conditions are favorable for germination. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 3-15 cm - **Weight:** 0.001-0.01 kg - **Lifespan:** 0-1 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photosynthetic plant, the Devil's Spineflower produces its own energy using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, drawing essential minerals from the rocky desert soil. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Water, Carbon Dioxide, Soil Minerals ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Mojave Desert Tortoise (*Gopherus agassizii*) — The succulent young leaves of the growing plant are sometimes consumed by desert tortoises during the early spring. - **Eaten by:** Desert Pocket Mouse (*Chaetodipus penicillatus*) — Desert pocket mice forage for the seeds of this plant, though they must bypass the spiny skeleton to reach them. - **Mutualism:** Mining Bee (*Perdita spp.*) — Tiny solitary bees visit the small yellow flowers for nectar and pollen, acting as key pollinators during the spring bloom. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Devil's Spineflower? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Devil's Spineflower? 3-15 cm ### How much does Devil's Spineflower weigh? 0.001-0.01 kg ### How long does Devil's Spineflower live? 0-1 years ### What does Devil's Spineflower eat? As a photosynthetic plant, the Devil's Spineflower produces its own energy using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, drawing essential minerals from the rocky desert soil. ### Where is Devil's Spineflower usually found? Found on gravelly desert flats, alluvial fans, and rocky slopes of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. ## Where to spot - [Rodman Mountains](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rodman-mountains) — California, US · Natural Landmark - [Eagle Borax Works](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/eagle-borax-works) — California, US · Historic Site - [Trona Pinnacles](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/trona-pinnacles) — California, US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see Devil's Spineflower](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/devils-spineflower) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Devil's Spineflower: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/devils-spineflower)