Edwards' hole-in-the-sand plant
Nicolletia edwardsii A.Gray
Edwards’ hole-in-the-sand plant stays close to the desert surface, with upright or spreading stems only about 3–25 cm high. Flora of North America records both annual and perennial plants. Its leaves divide into three to five slender lobes. Flora of North America: Nicolletia edwardsii
Botanical name
Nicolletia edwardsii A.Gray is accepted by ITIS and treated as a species in Flora of North America. ITIS: Nicolletia edwardsii
Recognizing the plant
The leaf’s central axis is scarcely wider than its narrow divisions, a distinction from Nicolletia occidentalis. Flower heads sit on stalks about 5–30 mm long. Seven to nine ray florets surround a center of yellow tubular flowers. The ray blades are approximately 7–16 mm long. Around the head, six to eight lance-shaped bracts form a narrow, tapering envelope. Mature fruits bear both bristles and longer pointed scales. Flora of North America: Nicolletia edwardsii
Bloom window
Texas and northern Mexican range covered by Flora of North America
Flora of North America describes flowering mainly in autumn, following rain rather than on a rigid calendar. Flora of North America: Nicolletia edwardsii
Native range
The species occurs in Texas and northern Mexico. It occupies sandy alluvial fans, flats and dry lake basins in desert scrub, often on soils rich in limestone or gypsum, at about 800–1,700 m. Flora of North America: Nicolletia edwardsii
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.