Desert princesplume (Stanleya pinnata) is one of my favorite desert wildflowers, with the distinctive yellow spikes of flowers seeming so out of place in a location where colors and shapes are often muted. 
It's a member of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae), with flower parts in fours.
One of the neat things about desert princesplume is that there can be buds at the top, flowers in the middle, and seeds at the bottom of the stalk. They can grow to over five feet tall!They particularly like selenium rich soils, which helps explain why their distribution can be so patchy. It's growing well in a flower box next to my house, and I hope to collect seed and grow more.
For more information about desert princesplume, click here.
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