Latin name: Parthenium argentatum A. Gray Pronunciation: par-THEEN-ee-um ar-jen-TAY-tum Common name: Guayule Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) Habitat: Rocky limestone desert areas in well-drained soils in the southwestern US, including possibly in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and certainly in the trans-Pecos region of Texas and Mexico Blooming period: Summer Name derivations: 1) Parthenium 2) argentatum NOTE: This is a species which I photographed at Manzanar National Historic Site, where it was grown, harvested and utilized by the Japanese camp population for the production of rubber during WWII, and where it still grows. It's possible that there are other restricted populations in California, but the Jepson eflora does not include it, and I have been unable to verify that although Wikipedia makes that claim. The name guayule derives from the Nahuatl word ulli/olli for "rubber." The name is pronounced wy-YOO-lee.