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Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Perennial Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)

General: Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii) is an annual or weak perennial forb with large, 3- and 5-lobed leaves that grows as a spreading vine on the ground and may climb into shrubs and low trees. The plant produces small, white, 5-petaled flowers, and these are followed by 3-inch diameter green gourds covered with spines. In time, the gourds dry, blow away, and break open to release a payload of seeds.

Desert Starvine is an uncommon component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained dirt and gravelly areas on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Around Las Vegas, look for Desert Starvine south of town in the California deserts in places such as the Mojave National Preserve and in Grapevine Canyon (Lake Mead NRA).

Family: Gourds (Cucurbitaceae)

Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine covering shrubs
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine growing on a hillside
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine tendrils
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine leaf
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine leaf
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine leaf
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine leaf, dorsal surface
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine leaf, ventral surface
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii) Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii) Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine flowing stems
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine flowing stems
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine flowers
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine flowers
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii) Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine developing fruit
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine developing fruit
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine fruit
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)
Desert Starvine fruit
Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii) Desert Starvine (Brandegea bigelovii)

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 200504

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