Desert Areas of the West—this booklet deals with the common plants of three of them: (1) the Chihuahua; (2) the Sonoran; and (3) the Mojave. Plants of the higher plateau country of from 4,500 to 7,000-feet elevation are shown and described in “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas,” companion volume to this one, by Pauline M. Patraw and Jeanne R. Janish, 1951. Mountain zone vegetation (from the Ponderosa Pine belt, or about 7,000 feet, on up) is the subject of “Flowers of the Southwest Mountains,” the third of the triad, by Leslie P. Arnberger and Jeanne R. Janish. FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS By Natt N. Dodge Drawings by Jeanne R. Janish HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET In order that you may get full value from this booklet, it is important that you understand how to make the greatest use of it. The purpose of the booklet is double: (1) to introduce the common desert flowers to newcomers to the Southwest; and (2), to give a little background of information about the plants’ interesting habits and how they have been and are used by animals, by the native peoples, and by the settlers. Every effort has been made to present accurate, if not always complete, information. Since there are more than 3,200 plants recorded from Arizona alone, and this booklet attempts to introduce you to the common plants of desert areas in Texas, New Mexico, and California in addition to Arizona, it is apparent that you will find an enormous number of flowers which are not included. Therefore, a painstaking effort has been made to select the commonest or most spectacular; that is, those which you will naturally stop to look at and say, “Who are you?” For ease in identification, flowers are arranged in this booklet according to color of the flower petals. When you meet a flower to whom you would like an introduction, first note the color of its petals. Don’t jump too quickly to a conclusion, for what at first glance may seem to be pink, careful examination may prove to be lavender, violet, or purple. Once you feel reasonably sure of the color, turn to the section of the booklet in which flowers of that color are listed and examine the sketches. Find something that looks similar?