This is the mixture of thick groundcover you see on the mountain and its hillsides: Narrowleaf Popcorn Flower and Curve-Nut Combseed. I read: Most species of Pectocarya are early spring bloomers and all look very similar. The type specimen of Pectocarya recurvata is from Chandler, Arizona. http://southwestdesertflora.com/Website ... bseed.html

There are at least 35 species of popcorn flowers in Arizona. Apparently the plants germinate in the Fall, then bloom in February and March. Seeds can lie dormant for many years, just waiting…waiting for the right conditions. Then they explode.