Antirrhinum mohavea – “Golden Desert Snapdragon”

Also Known As: Lesser Mohavea
Other Botanical Names: Mohavea breviflora
Family: Plaintain or Figwort (Plantaginaceae/Scrophulariaceae)
Bloom Period: Feb-May
Form: Perennial herb
Habitat: Gravelly desert slopes, washes
Leaves: Ovate or lanceolate, clasping stem in crowded arrangement with flowers; in whorls around stem
Translation: “Antirrhinum” from Greek “anti,” “like,” plus “rhinon,” “nose,” which is “like a nose” because many flowers in this genus have a “snout” (though not this one); “mohavea” is “of the Mojave [Desert]”; “breviflora” is Latin for “short flower.”
Notes: The yellow flowers can have red speckles.