Bell-Shaped Desert Flowers

• Although rare, it is possible to find plant life in just about all the deserts of the world. In some areas, beautiful blossoms may even appear. Such is the case with bell-shaped desert flowers. Such flora come in a variety of colors and sizes and can be found in many desert locations, from the Mojave to the Namaqualand.

Yucca Elata

• The Yucca elata, which is part of the Agavaceae family of flowers, is also known as the soaptree yucca. It is found in the Mojave Desert, which stretches across the southwest United States. The Yucca elata can be recognized by its tall, single branch, which sprouts from a shrub with long, spiky leaves. The bell-shaped flowers that grow on this branch are generally off-white with a tinge of either green or yellow. The reason this plant is also known as the soaptree is because Native Americans have created soaps and shampoos from a substance inside the root, and made homemade dental floss from the leaf fibers.

Wahlenbergia Annularis

• Wahlenbergia flowers come under the Campanulaceae family, which consists of the flora most often referred to as "bellflowers." This particular group of flora is common to much of the Southern Hemisphere. The Wahlenbergia annularis can be found in the Namaqualand Desert in South Africa. Its blossom starts in an elongated bell shape and then opens up to reveal rich purple petals. The rest of the plant is a desert shrub that is close to the ground with small, needle-like leaves covering its branches.

Desert Bluebell

• As the named suggests, these bell-shaped flowers are native to the desert, specifically the Sonoran desert and parts of the Mojave. The Latin name for this plant is Phacelia campanularia. A common garden plant in Arizona, the desert bluebell requires minimal attention and still produces a lush cluster of deep cobalt blossoms. The flowers are attached to small shrubs that are only 1-2 feet high. They rest among several of the plant's broad, green leaves, which have a thick layer of fuzz running down through the stems.

Nolana Elegans

• The Nolana elegans can be found in much of the Atacama Desert, which stretches up the coast of Chile into Peru and is known as one of the driest deserts on the planet. Despite the lack of consistent watering, these flowers produce large, alluring bell-shaped blossoms, which are typically a light shade of violet. Although one shrub may only produce a few blossoms, the shrubs grow low to the ground and are often clustered together, giving the appearance of a large bouquets of blossoms.