With a Pathogen?
This plant is growing on a somewhat remote sandstone peak in the Santa Monica Mountains on exposed shelves and flats amongst sandstone outcroppings; within an area of about 50 square meters. Growing in openings among Eriogonum cinereum and Salvia mellifera.
Leaves are fleshy and succulent.
Around 500 plants were noted on a single south facing exposure, other smaller sub-populations were noted to have ~50 plants.
This was the only A.p. desertica we found on a survey of the Cedar Spring Trail and the PCT north of it. We found it at our turn-around point, so there may be more plants of this taxon farther north.
The first pix shows the glabrescent ovary of this taxon, very different from the many hairy ovaries of A. glandulosa on the plants farther down. The numerous leaf-like bracts in the infl are also very different from the ones in the previously-seen A. glandulosa.
Eating what appears to be a frog eye.