Hesperocallis undulata (desert lily) (lirio del desierto)

Our most notable geophyte is the desert lily, an unusual endemic found on sandy flats and dunes below 2.500 feet in the western and southern Mojave desert and adjacent areas of the Sonoran Desert. A good place to see this species is at the Kelso Dunes in the eastern Mojave Desert. Desert lily arises from a large bulb, with a basal rosette of bluish-green leaves, 10-20 inches in length, with a distinctive wavy margin. These rosettes are distinct all other desert geophytes. The single flowering stalk reaches anywhere from 1-6 feet in height depending on growing conditions, and beats clusters of large trumpet-shaped flowers that resemble small Easter lilies. The flowers have a strong, sweet fragrance that attracts hawk moths-the primary pollinators. Desert lily was once included in the lily family but is now placed in the Agave subfamily within the asparagus family. "California Desert Plants, Philip J Rundel, Robert W Gustafson, Michael E Kauffmann."