Acourtia nana, the desert holly or dwarf desertpeony, is a North American species of perennial plants in the family Asteraceae. found in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Desert regions of the south-western United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) and northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Zacatecas).Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 73, 74 Desert holly, dwarf desertpeony Acourtia nana (A. Gray) Reveal & R. M. King, Phytologia. 27: 230. 1973. Gray, Asa 1849. Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Science, new series 4(1): 111 descriptions in English and LatinReveal, J. L. and R. M. King. 1973. Re-establishment of Acourtia D. Don (Asteraceae). Phytologia 27: 228–232.
Flowers, uncommonly seen, have a scent similar to jasmine or violets.Sonoran Desert Wildflowers, Richard Spellenberg, 2nd ed., 2012,
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