What is a Desert Trumpet
Below is a transcription of the above sign found at the Valley of Fire Visitor Center.
Desert Trumpet – Eriogonum inflatum
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes
- Clade: Angiosperms
- Clade: Eudicots
- Order: Caryophyllales
- Family: Polygonaceae
- Genus: Eriogonum
- Species: E. inflatum
COMMUNITY
Creosote Bush Shrub and Arroyo Woodland
BLOOMS
March-July
HABITAT
Sandy or rocky ground
ELEVATION
1000 to 2000 ft (320 to 800 cm)
TYPE OF SOIL
Sand/gravel; disturbed areas
SOURCE OF WATER
Surface rain/snow
HEIGHT
8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm)
POLLINATION
Wildlife, wind, insects
ADAPTATION FOR SURVIVAL
Small leaves in rosette close to ground; tall, green stalk raises flowers high above, where wind can pollinate them and carry away seeds.
COMMENTS
Over 100 species of Eriogonum are found in the Southwest.
In late summer and early fall, these plants turn red and are commonly seen on disturbed soils such as roadsides.
The desert trumpet’s distinctive inflated stalk was dried by Indians to use as pipe stems.
Also an important food for bighorn sheep, and a species of wasp deposits eggs in the inflated stem.