Baileya multiradiata (desert marigold) ( )

Desert marigold is a short-lived perennial that reaches 10-20 inches in height, with white-woolly stems and gray-green pinnately-lobed leaves arrayed near the base of the plant. It extends leafless flowering stalks with large and spectacular flower heads. Desert marigold is common in sandy and rocky flats on bajada slopes of creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland in the eastern Mojave Desert. "California Desert Plants, Philip W Rundel, Robert J Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."
Blooming in spurts over a long period, this desert herb is also the showiest common member of the aster and sunflower group. The omnipresence of the desert marigold along roadsides and its long woolly stalks and lovely lemon hued flowers make this plant unforgettable. To confirm its identity, check to see if the seeds have withered ray flowers attached to them. Its flowering flush from early March to May is best known, but it also may contribute as much as a third of the August pollen harvest by desert honeybees, indicating another late peak. Where runoff accumulates, desert-marigolds bloom almost year round throughout the desert and in some grassland habitats. "Arizona Highways Presents Desert Wildflowers, 1988"