Greenhouse Experiments and Spectra of Desert Wildflowers found in Anza-Borrego, California, 2025-2026

The species within the Anza-Borrego, California desert are under intense evaporative stress. It is critical to study these species in order to understand their life history strategies and better assess and predict drought impacts in a time of increasingly common and longer droughts. This project aimed to germinate 10 rare desert wildflower species found in Anza-Borrego, California:Lupinus arizonicus (Arizona Lupine), Eschscholzia minutiflora (Pygmy Gold Poppy), Oenothera deltoides (Dune Evening-Primrose), Hesperocallis undulata (Desert Lily), Chylismia claviformis (Brown-Eyed Evening-Primrose), Malacothrix glabrata (Desert Dandelion), Mimulus bigelovii (Bigelow Monkey Flower), Abronia villosa (Sand Verbena), Geraea canescens (Desert Sunflower), and Rafinesquina neomexicana (Desert Chicory). We used the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) greenhouse to conduct 4 different treatments for each species. Treatment groups included presoaking seeds in concentrations of 125 parts per million (ppm)-1000 ppm of gibberellic acid (GA), 4-6 week stratification periods, physically removing seed coats, and pre-soaking in water or liquid smoke. Specific treatments can be found in the Seed_treatment_groups.cvs file data table below. Once plants germinate, we plan to obtain the spectral signature of leaves and petals and conduct spectral unmixing of hyperspectral satellite imagery of Anza-Borrego, California. This data contributes to our understanding of how ephemeral vegetation escapes drought and how this life history strategy compares to perennial vegetation.