Ball Clover - Gomphrena caespitosa
Ready Pay Gulch
East of Hillsboro, NM, USA
Photograph immediately above and two below
The Ball Clover, Gomphrena caespitosa, which grows in this area, up to middle elevations, prospered in May and June of 2016. The low plant with its mass of fluff is easily recognizable on hikes, especially those taken along the ridges east of Hillsboro.
In addition to Ball Clover, other common English names include Tufted Globe Amaranth. Its scientific synonyms include Gomphrena viridis.
This species was first described by John Torrey in the “Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, Made Under the Direction of the Secretary of the Interior, by William H. Emory. Volume 2, Botany” (p. 181 & 182 - see description above).
The specimen shown below was collected on the referenced survey near Doña Ana, New Mexico. The exact collector of the specimen is not indicated but it would have been one of the following: C. C. Parry, J. M. Bigelow, Charles Wright, or A. Schott - not a bad collection of possibilities.
Photographs immediately above and three below on April 5
Road to Opportunity Mine, east of Hillsboro, New Mexico
Photographs immediately above and two below on May 3, 2021
East of Hillsboro, New Mexico
