Geology Animals Plants People Range Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona below 4,000 feet. Habitat Dry, open desert bajadas, washes and flats. May. Inside, the center is creamy with 5 deep, purple blotches surrounding many stamens.
Flowers open in the afternoon and close at night.
The Desert Five-Spot is one of the most beautiful flowers that grows in the desert. Its sparse leaves are round to heart-shaped, with scalloped margins up to 2 inches wide. The color of the leaves is green and often red with short, bristly hairs. When light passes through the delicate petals of the flower, the globe resembles a glowing lantern. For this reason, the Desert Five-Spot is also known as the Lantern Flower and Chinese Lantern.