''Baileya'' (the desert marigolds) is a genus of plants in the aster family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. All are native to the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

and to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Tropicos, ''Baileya'' Harv. & A. Gray ex Torr.
/ref> They are typically annual, though ''B. multiradiata'' may be perennial. The leaves, which may range from being entire to deeply lobed, mostly occur in a basal cluster. From this arises several flower stems, up to 18 inches (50 cm) in height, usually carrying a single yellow radiate flower each, although ''B. pauciradiata'' may have 2-3 flowers on a stem.Flora of North America, Baileya Harvey & A. Gray ex Torrey in W. H. Emory
/ref> Desert marigolds typically have their main bloom in the spring, extending through July. Summer

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

s may enable a second bloom in October and even into November.Jepson Manual Treatment
/ref> ''Baileya'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including '' Schinia miniana'' (which feeds exclusively on the genus) and '' Schinia pallicincta'' (which feeds exclusively on ''B. pauciradiata''). The genus is named after US microscopist and

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

professor

Jacob Whitman Bailey Jacob Whitman Bailey (1811–1857) was an American naturalist, known as the pioneer in microscopic research in America.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 Biography ...

(1811–1857), known for his studies of

diatoms A diatom (New Latin, Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group com ...

Species

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
Asteraceae genera Flora of North America Helenieae {{Asteroideae-stub