BIGTOOTH MAPLE
Acer grandidentatum
Maple Family (Aceraceae)
Height: To 40’.
Trunk: To 8” in diameter.
Bark: Light brown to gray; smooth or scaly.
Flowers: Yellow, ³⁄₁₆” long; in drooping cluster, followed by greenish, U-shaped, paired, winged seeds or “keys” to 1¼” long. Male and female flowers on same tree.
Leaves: Shiny, dark green above, lighter beneath; turning red and yellow in fall; red stems, 3 to 5 lobes, not toothed; often appearing on short stems along length of trunk; to 4” wide.
Blooms: April.
Elevation: 4,700 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Moist canyons, alongside streams, and in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Has spreading, rounded crown. Browsed by livestock and deer. Used for fuel, and can be tapped for syrup in late winter. Three species of Acer in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cave Creek, Portal, April 23. Toothless leaf margins identify this maple.
BOXELDER
Acer negundo
Maple Family (Aceraceae)
Height: To 50’.
Trunk: To 2½’ in diameter.
Bark: Gray to brown, becoming deeply furrowed with age.
Flowers: Yellowish green, ³⁄₁₆” long, female flowers in hanging, terminal cluster; male flowers in flat-topped cluster; on separate trees; each followed by paired, clustered, long, V-shaped, winged seed cases (“keys”) to 1½” long.
Leaves: Bright green above, lighter green and hairy beneath; thick, pinnately compound; to 6” long; 3 to 7 toothed leaflets to 4” long.
Blooms: April–May.
Elevation: 3,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Along streams, ponds, and lakes in oak woodlands and ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: A rapid grower, but short-lived. Three species of Acer in Arizona. Photograph taken at Oak Creek Canyon, September 9.
GOLDEN-FLOWERED AGAVE
Agave chrysantha
Agave Family (Agavaceae)
Height: Flower stalk to 20’.
Flowers: Golden yellow with no purplish tinge, in dense clusters of up to 300 flowers, on tall flower stalk.
Leaves: Bluish green, evergreen, thick; prickles on margins to ³⁄₈” long; crowded in basal cluster to 40” wide, 32” high.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 3,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Foothills, mountains, and canyons.
Comments: After several years, plant produces flower stalk and then dies. Native Americans roasted emerging flower stalk for food. Twelve species of Agave in Arizona. Photograph taken at Superior, April 12, shows huge asparagus-like flower stalk. Flowering clusters similar to Parry’s Agave (Agave parryi ssp. parryi) (at right), but lack purplish red tinge on buds.
PARRY’S AGAVE
Mescal
Agave parryi ssp. parryi
Agave Family (Agavaceae)
Height: Foliage to 20”, flowering stalk to 18’.
Flowers: Buds reddish orange, after opening turn yellow; 6 petallike parts to 2½” long; facing skyward, in large, flattened, terminal clusters.
Leaves: Grayish green, spatula-shaped, concave on upper surface; hooked spines on margins; sharp, terminal spine; leaf to 20” long, in large, basal rosette.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 4,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes.
Comments: After approximately 25 years plant sends up flowering stalk; after blooming, it dies. New plants already formed on root system take over. Pollinated by insects and hummingbirds. The juice of this species can be irritating to the skin. Native Americans use plant for food, fiber, soap, beverages, and medicines. Twelve species of agave in Arizona. Photograph taken near Payson, June 27.
SHIN DAGGER
Amole
Agave schotti var. schottii
Agave Family (Agavaceae)
Height: Unbranched flower stalk to 9’.
Flowers: Light yellow, waxy, and sweetly fragrant; 6 flower segments, long yellow stamens; flower to 2½” long, 1” wide; in crowded, narrow, elongated cluster to 40” long; followed by woody fruit capsule to ¾” long, ³⁄₈” in diameter.
Leaves: Dark green to yellowish green; linear, frequently curved; margins have fine, curved fibers, spine-tipped, concave or flat on upper surface; without marginal spines; to 16” long, in crowded, basal rosette.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry, exposed slopes.
Comments: Perennial. Resembles a yucca. Plants grow crowded together forming large nuts which cover good-sized areas. Twelve species of Agave in Arizona. Photograph taken at Molino Canyon, Mount Lemmon, May 13.
WOOLLY TIDESTROMIA
Tidestromia lanuginosa
Amaranth Family (Amaranthaceae)
Height: Prostrate; but occasionally up to 1½’ high, to a mound of 5’ wide.
Flowers: Yellow-green, petalless; 5 pointed sepals, 5 yellow-tipped stamens; flower to ¹⁄₈” wide, in clusters in leaf axils.
Leaves: Grayish green, very downy, in pairs; heartshaped to oval to roundish, in clusters; to 2” long (including stem), 1” wide.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 100 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Fields, dry plains, and roadsides.
Comments: Annual; very hairy pinkish stems. Host plant of beet leafhopper. Collects blowing sand. Three species of Tidestromia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mesa, June 16.
SKUNK BUSH
Rhus aromatic var. trilobata (Rhus trilobata)
Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae)
Height: Shrub to 10’.
Flowers: Yellow, appearing before leaves; to ¾” wide; in dense cluster on spike; followed by cluster of sticky, bright, orange-red berries.
Leaves: Dark green, shiny; compound with 3 oval, coarsely toothed, lobed leaflets; to 1¼” long.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: 2,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Pinyon-juniper areas, canyons, mesas, and slopes.
Comments: Closely related to poison ivy. Leaves look like miniature poison ivy leaves and turn red in fall; emit strong odor when bruised. Berries not poisonous; small mammals and birds eat berries. Sheep, antelope, and deer browse on twigs and foliage. A lemonade-like drink is made from fruits. Native American women used stems in basket weaving. Eight species of Rhus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Nutrioso, August 3.
MOUNTAIN PARSLEY
Alpine False
Spring Parsley Pseudocymopterus montanus
Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
Height: To 2’, but highly variable.
Flowers: Minute; color varies greatly from yellow to reddish purple; in flat-topped, terminal cluster of variable size.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnately compound, varies substantially in shape and size.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 5,500 to 12,000’.
Habitat: Ponderosa pine forests, mixed conifer forests, and grasslands.
Comments: Perennial herb. One species of Pseudocymopterus in Arizona. Photographed in Willow Springs Lake area, August 19.
CORN-KERNEL MILKWEED
Broadleaf Milkweed
Asclepias latifolia
Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Pale yellow and white, with 5 upwardpointing hoods above a pedestal; 5 downwardpointing petals below pedestal; very corn kernel– like in appearance; to ³⁄₈” wide, ½” long, followed by a broad, tapered pod to 5” long.
Leaves: Green to bluish green, roundish, smooth, and leathery; succulentlike; with reddish midvein, whitish side veins; to 6” long, 6” wide.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 3,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, plains, and mesas.
Comments: Perennial herb. Produces a milky sap. Twenty-nine species of Asclepias in Arizona. Photograph taken north of Springerville, August 5.
DESERT MILKWEED
Asclepias subulata
Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellowish to cream; to ½” wide, in cluster to 2” wide; followed by a smooth, tapered seed pod to 4” long.
Leaves: Mostly leafless on mature plants. New growth has 2”-long leaves, which soon drop.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Dry mesas, slopes, flats, and sandy washes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Has numerous, erect, gray-green stems that produce a milky sap. Each seed has a tuft of silky hairs. Twenty-nine species of Asclepias in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, May 17.
BUTTERFLY WEED
Asclepias tuberosa
Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Brilliant yellow to orange (page 214); to ½” wide, ½” long; 5 small sepals, 5 petals (bent back) and 5 hoods, in flat-topped, erect, terminal cluster to 3” wide; followed by a narrow, tapered pod to 5” long.
Leaves: Light green, narrowly arrow-shaped; to 4 ½” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 4,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Dry, open grasslands and open areas in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial, bushy herb with hairy stems. Seeds have white, silky hairs. Unlike most milkweeds, sap of this species is not milky. Twentynine species of Asclepias in Arizona. Photograph taken at Oak Creek Canyon, June 18.
SAN FELIPE FOETID MARIGOLD
Adenophyllum porophylloides (Dyssodia porophylloides)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellowish orange, to ³⁄₁₆” long; bracts have dark glands; large flower head to ½” wide, 1” long.
Leaves: Dark green, opposite and alternate; pinnately 3- or 5-parted into narrow lobes; to 1” long, ⁷⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: March–October.
Elevation: 500 to 3,000’.
Height: Mesas, washes, and rocky slopes.
Comments: A straggly bush. When crushed, plant gives off disagreeable odor. Four species of Adenophyllum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Kings Canyon, Tucson, April 17.
PALE AGOSERIS
Mountain Dandelion
Agoseris glauca var. glauca
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Flower stem to 18”.
Flowers: Yellow; all ray flowers, center ones shorter; to 1½” wide; single; terminal on erect, leafless stem; followed by round seed heads with soft, white bristles attached.
Leaves: Dark green, basal, producing milky sap when crushed; shape varies from narrow to broadly lance-shaped; toothed or not, or deeply pinnately divided; to 14” long.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 6,500 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows and coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Three species of Agoseris in Arizona. Photograph taken at Lake Mary, June 1.
WILD CHRYSANTHEMUM
Ragleaf
Amauriopsis dissecta (Bahia dissecta)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, darker yellow disks; to ¾” wide; numerous; in open, branched cluster.
Leaves: Green, pinnate, divided 2 or 3 times; basal leaves deeply lobed, to 3¼” long.
Blooms: August–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Biennial or short-lived perennial. One species of Amauriopsis in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Mormon Lake, September 3.
MEADOW ARNICA
Leafy Arnica
Arnica chamissonis
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2½’.
Flowers: Yellow rays notched at tips, with brownish yellow to orangish disks; to 1½” wide; single or up to 3 terminal flower heads. Bracts on flower head have tufts of white hairs inside tips.
Leaves: Grayish green, felty-haired, opposite; clasping stem; 5 to 12 pairs; toothed, oblong to lance-shaped; to 4½” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 8,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Moist mountain meadows and mountain lakesides.
Comments: Single-stemmed, sticky-haired plant. Thirteen species of Arnica in Arizona. Photograph taken at Lee Valley Reservoir in mountains above Greer, August 7. A similar species, Heartleaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia), has pointed ray flowers, heart-shaped leaves, and solitary flower heads.
BAHIA
Bahia absinthifolia
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Bright yellow rays, thick, orange disk flowers; to 2” wide.
Leaves: Grayish, hairy, 3-lobed, to 2½” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 2,500 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Mesas, plains, and slopes.
Comments: Three species of Bahia in Arizona. There are varieties and intermediates of this species which vary in leaf and flower characteristics. Photograph taken in Tucson area, April 18.
PARISH GOLDENEYE
Bahiopsis parishii (Viguiera deltoidea var. parishii)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Shrub to 4’.
Flowers: Yellow rays with lighter yellow tips; darker yellow disks; to 1¼” wide; solitary, on long stalks at branch tips.
Leaves: Dark green, shiny, crinkled, mostly opposite; triangular-shaped, hairy, toothed; to 1½” long.
Blooms: February–June.
Elevation: 1,000 to 3,500’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, canyons, and mesas.
Comments: Many-branched, with grayish bark. Two species of Bahiopsis in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Tortilla Flat, March 19.
DESERT MARIGOLD
Baileya multiradiata
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow, daisylike; to 2” wide; on long, nearly leafless stem.
Leaves: Grayish, woolly, well-divided, and lobed; to 3” long.
Blooms: March–October at various intervals; yearround under ideal conditions.
Elevation: To 5,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, slopes, and sandy, gravelly areas.
Comments: Annual herb. On overgrazed land, sheep and goats are frequently poisoned by feeding on this marigold. With age, flower petals become bleached and tissue paper–like. Three species of Baileya in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, March 18.
WILLOW RAGWORT
Willow Groundsel
Barkleyanthus salicifolius (Senecio salignus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 7’.
Flowers: Yellow, ray flowers vary in number from 2 to 8; flower head to ⁷⁄₈” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, willowlike, narrow; tapered at both ends; to 4” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: 2,500 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Along streams and moist washes.
Comments: Sprawling bush. One species of Barkleyanthus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Harshaw, April 27.
CHUCKWALLA’S DELIGHT
Sweet Bush
Bebbia juncea var. aspera
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’, usually straggly.
Flowers: Yellow, rayless, with hairy bracts; tubular, sweet-smelling; flower head to ½” wide, ⁵⁄₈” long; solitary or several; terminal on many branches.
Leaves: (When present) dark green, sparse, alternate; linear to lance-shaped; lobed, rough, hairy; to 2” long.
Blooms: Much of the year.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Canyons, rocky slopes, sandy washes, and roadsides.
Comments: Bushy, slender-branched plant with hairy stems. Attracts butterflies. One species of Bebbia in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Granite Reef Dam, April 25.
LYRELEAF GREENEYES
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow rays (5 to 12) veined with reddish tint beneath; maroon disk; prominent, nearly flat, broad bracts; flower head to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, velvetlike; deeply lobed or pinnately divided into segments, with largest at end; to 5” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and fields of southeastern Arizona.
Comments: Perennial herb. Gives off a faint smell of chocolate when rays are pulled from flower head. Native Americans used flower heads as food seasoning. One species of Berlandiera in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Sierra Vista, April 26.
COULTER’S BRICKELLBUSH
Brickellia coulteri
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellowish green, rayless, with brownish to pinkish bracts; slender flower head to ⁵⁄₈” long, ¼” wide; approximately 15 flowers in loose, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Light green, triangular-shaped, tapering to tip; toothed, opposite, to 1½” long.
Blooms: March–November.
Elevation: 2,000 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Canyons and dry, rocky slopes.
Comments: Forms a roundish shrub with brownish, hairy, brittle stems. Sticky plant. More than 2 dozen species of Brickellia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Kings Canyon, Tucson, April 17.
YELLOW TACKSTEM
Calycoseris parryi
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 12”.
Flowers: Butter yellow, with pinkish streaks or dots on back of petals; to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrow; with narrow lobes near base of plant, sparser and smaller lobes toward ends of stems; to 3” long. Tiny stalked red glands on sepals, leaves and stems.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 500 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Sandy soil of mesas, plains, and hillsides.
Comments: Annual. Named “tackstem” for its tack-shaped glands on stems. Two species of Calycoseris in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, March 30.
YELLOW STAR THISTLE
Centaurea solstitialis
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Bright yellow disk flowers, erect; to ½” wide; yellowish spines to ¾” long extending from green bracts surrounding flower head; followed by seeds attached to hairy fluff.
Leaves: Grayish green, finely haired, spineless; wavy, divided at base; to 2” long; linear and decreasing in size along stem; grasping and extending like wings along entire stem.
Blooms: May.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, and fields.
Comments: Annual weed. Well-branched. Native of Europe; now naturalized in parts of U.S. Over a dozen species of Centaurea in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Granite Reef Dam, May 14.
PARRY’S THISTLE
Cirsium parryi
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 40”.
Flowers: Yellowish green, very narrow, hairy; in flower head with outer bracts fringed with bristles and a spine; flower head to 1¼” wide; occurring singly or several in a cluster.
Leaves: Dark green above, grayish green beneath, hairy, spiny-margined; to 10” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 7,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Clearings in coniferous forests and mountain meadows.
Comments: Has hairy stems. Around two dozen species of Cirsium in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountain clearing above Greer, August 8.
CALLIOPSIS
Golden Tickseed
Coreopsis tinctoria
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow with reddish brown at base; 5 to 7 rays; to 1¼” wide.
Leaves: Dark green; pinnate, with 2 to 3 pairs of linear lobes; to 4” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: Not available. Photograph taken at 7,000’.
Habitat: Moist fields, waste areas, and roadsides.
Comments: Annual. An escapee from cultivation. Five species of Coreopsis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Upper Lake Mary, September 2.
BRITTLEBUSH
Incienso
Encelia farinosa
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, daisylike rays and disks; to 2” wide, in branched clusters; on tall, brittle stems forming a yellow canopy above foliage. In some areas of Arizona, a form of this species has flower heads with brownish-red disk flowers.
Leaves: Greenish gray to silvery gray and woolly; oval, oblong or triangular-shaped; to 4” long; leaves are smaller during dry conditions.
Blooms: November–May (in frost-free areas).
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Slopes, washes, and flats.
Comments: Shrubby perennial. A rounded bush. During drought, leaves turn brown and drop, and are replaced by tiny new leaves. Stems are easily broken; exude a resin or gum which was chewed by Native Americans and burned as incense (incienso) in early missions. Four species of Encelia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, March 7.
RAYLESS ENCELIA
Green Brittlebush
Encelia frutescens
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellowish orange, rayless, dome-shaped; flower head to ¾” wide; solitary; on hairy stem.
Leaves: Dark green, very shiny above, hairy on margins and beneath; wavy-margined, rough, oval to oblong; to ½” wide, 2” long.
Blooms: January–September.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Mesas and rocky slopes.
Comments: Low, branching shrub often to 3’ wide. Young stems are pinkish, older stems are whitish. Four species of Encelia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Salome, March 28.
ENGELMANN’S DAISY
Cutleaf Daisy
Engelmannia peristenia (Engelmannia pinnatifida)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, usually with 8 rays, slightly curled under at tips; yellow disks: to 1¼” wide; in loose, terminal cluster on upper stems.
Leaves: Dark green above, lighter green beneath; alternate, very rough and hairy, deeply pinnately lobed; clasping stem; basal leaves to 8” long, becoming shorter on upper stems.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 4,000 to 6,500’.
Habitat: Dry prairies and hills.
Comments: Perennial herb. Hairy-stemmed. One species of Engelmannia in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Portal, May 4.
TURPENTINE BUSH
Ericameria laricifolia
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Bush to 40”.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with up to 11 ray flowers, up to 13 disk flowers; to ³⁄₈” long, ³⁄₈” wide; in dense cluster; terminal on leafy branches.
Leaves: Light green to grayish green; linear, leathery, crowded, glandular-dotted; to ¾” long, ¹⁄₁₆” wide.
Blooms: August–December.
Elevation: 3,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Canyons, rocky slopes, and mesas.
Comments: Foliage smells like turpentine when crushed. Plant contains small amount of rubber. Attractive to bees and other insects. Over a dozen species of Ericameria in Arizona. Photograph taken east of Camp Verde, September 30.
RABBIT BRUSH
Chamisa
Ericameria nauseosa (Chrysothamnus nauseosus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow, feathery, slender, and rayless; to ¼” wide, ½” long; in terminal cluster; followed by seeds with white bristles attached.
Leaves: Grayish green, linear, very narrow; to 2½” long; at intervals along stem of soft, matted hairs.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 3,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Dry plains, dry mountainsides, grassland, open woodlands, and roadsides.
Comments: Perennial shrub, with slender, flexible branches. Twigs are covered with feltlike hairs. Eaten by rabbits and browsed by deer, elk, and pronghorn. Provides shelter for birds and small mammals. Flowers attract insects, and yield yellow dye used by Navajo Indians. Inner bark is a source of green dye. The Hopi use plant for kiva fuels and wind breaks, and in arrow and wicker work. Latex obtained from plant is of no commercial value. Fourteen species of Ericameria in Arizona; this species has many varieties. Photograph taken at Upper Lake Mary, September 2.
PRINGLE’S WOOLLY SUNFLOWER
Eriophyllum pringlei
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2”.
Flowers: Yellow, all disk flowers; to ¹⁄₁₆” wide, in ¼”-wide clusters.
Leaves: Grayish green, woolly haired, linear, 3-lobed at tips; to ³⁄₁₆” long; surrounding flower cluster.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 1,500 to 3,000’.
Habitat: Sandy desert flats and slopes.
Comments: Grows in tufts. Five species of Eriophyllum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Catalina State Park, April 2.
SLENDER BLANKETFLOWER
Reddome Blanketflower
Gaillardia pinnatifida
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Yellow ray flowers; reddish to greenish disk flowers in rounded dome; to 1¾” wide.
Leaves: Green, pinnately lobed, to 3” long.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 3,500 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Fields, plains, mesas, and clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Hopi Indians use this species as a diuretic. Five species of Gaillardia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Portal, April 23.
DESERT SUNFLOWER
Desert Gold
Geraea canescens
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, golden orange disks, to 2” wide; terminal on branches.
Leaves: Grayish green, very hairy, diamondshaped, with toothed margins; to 3” long.
Blooms: January–June; abundant in April.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Sandy desert roadsides and flats.
Comments: Annual. Fragrant; attractive to bees and hummingbird moths. Seeds are a food source for small rodents and birds. One species of Geraea in Arizona. Photograph taken north of Yuma, March 29.
CURLYTOP GUMWEED
Mountain Gumplant
Grindelia nuda var. aphanactis (Grindelia aphanactis)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellow, rayless, ball-shaped flower head of rounded, linear, semi-hooked, sticky bracts; to 1¼” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, narrow, straplike, sticky, with toothed margins, to 2³⁄₈” long.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and clearings in ponderosa forests.
Comments: Annual or biennial. Sticky-gummy plant. Nine species of Grindelia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Nelson Reservoir, August 3. Recognizable by its absence of ray flowers.
CURLYCUP GUMWEED
Rosinweed
Grindelia squarrosa
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, darker yellow disk flowers; daisylike; tips of bracts surrounding flower head are rolled back and very sticky; to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, oblong, stemless, clasping stem at base, to 4” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Dry, open fields, and waste places.
Comments: Perennial herb; sticky-gummy plant. Plant used medicinally. Invades overgrazed ranchland. Nine species of Grindelia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Show Low, August 5. Recognizable by presence of ray flowers.
BROOM SNAKEWEED
Turpentine Weed
Gutierrezia sarothrae
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow, tiny, 3 to 8 ray flowers to ¹⁄₈” long; 2 to 8 disk flowers; flower heads to ¼” long; in dense clusters at ends of branches.
Leaves: Dark green, very narrow, to ¹⁄₈” wide, 2½” long; at intervals along stem.
Blooms: July–December.
Elevation: 3,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Plains, pinyon-juniper woodlands, ponderosa forest clearings, and roadsides.
Comments: Perennial herb. Plant forms mound. Where abundant, it indicates overgrazed land. Poisonous to livestock; causes abortion of fetuses. Seeds eaten by birds. Once used medicinally on sheep for snakebite. Dried stems made into primitive brooms. Chewed leaves were once placed on ant, bee, or wasp stings to reduce swelling. Seven species of Gutierrezia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, July 27. A similar species., Threadleaf Snakeweed (Gutierrezia microcephala), has fewer and more slender flower heads.
GUMHEAD
Gymnosperma glutinosum
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow, with inconspicuous rays; flower to ³⁄₈” wide, ½” long; in clusters on stems off main stem; followed by minute pappus (hairs).
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, linear; rough, curled a bit, to 2” long; occurring all up stem; smaller leaves in clusters at base of leaf stem.
Blooms: March–December.
Elevation: 1,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Rocky canyons and slopes.
Comments: A slightly woody plant toward base; has light brown stem. Plant used medicinally in Mexico. One species of Gymnosperma in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, November 14.
ARIZONA SNEEZEWEED
Helenium arizonicum
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow, 3-lobed ray flowers; purplish brown, globular disk flowers; to 2” wide; occurring singly at tips of stems.
Leaves: Dark green, narrow, to 5” long; becoming smaller on upper stems.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and clearings in ponderosa forests.
Comments: Five species of Helenium in Arizona. Photograph taken at Willow Springs Lake area, July 21.
ASPEN SUNFLOWER
Five-Nerve Helianthella
Helianthella quinquenervis
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Pale yellow rays, with greenish yellow disks; sunflowerlike, hairy bracts; to 3” wide; solitary or in a few-flowered cluster.
Leaves: Grayish green, hairy, with 5 prominent veins; broadly lance-shaped; to 10” long; mostly basal.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows, slopes, and coniferous clearings, often near aspen groves.
Comments: Perennial herb. Wildlife graze on flower heads. Four species of Helianthella in Arizona. Photograph taken in Greer area, July 5. A similar species, Parry’s Dwarf Sunflower (Helianthella parryi) has narrower leaves and smaller flowers.
COMMON SUNFLOWER
Mirasol
Helianthus annuus
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 9’.
Flowers: Bright yellow ray flowers, maroon disk flowers; to 5” wide.
Leaves: Dull green, stiff hairs; lower leaves are broadly triangular to heart-shaped; irregularly toothed; to 12” long.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 100 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and fields.
Comments: Annual; state flower of Kansas. Frost-sensitive. Flowers are heliotropic (face the sun as it moves across sky). Seeds eaten by birds, rodents, and humans. Native Americans use seeds to make purple and black dye; yellow dye is made from the flowers. Eight species of Helianthus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Mexican Hay Lake, July 21.
PRAIRIE SUNFLOWER
Helianthus petiolaris ssp. fallax
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, reddish brown disk flowers; to 2” wide.
Leaves: Green, oblong to lance-shaped, toothed; to 2” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 1,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and cultivated land.
Comments: Annual. Has hairy stems. Eight species of Helianthus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sunset Crater National Monument, September 7. Shorter plant, with more compact flower heads than Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) (at left).
ANNUAL GOLDENEYE
Annual Viguiera
Heliomeris longifolia var. annua (Viguiera annua)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, pointed rays, yellowish orange disks, flat at first, later cone-shaped; flower head to ⁷⁄₈” wide; terminal, and numerous on branches.
Leaves: Dark green, very narrow, rough, opposite and alternate; with margins rolled under; to 2½” long, ¹⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 2,500 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and hillsides.
Comments: In fall, turns hillsides golden yellow, especially in Yavapai County. Forage for sheep. Two species of Heliomeris in Arizona. Photograph taken north of Payson, September 30. This species of Heliomeris recognizable by its numerous small flowers and very narrow leaves with margins rolled under.
GOLDENEYE
Heliomeris longifolia var. longifolia (Viguiera longifolia)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, darker yellow disks, large bracts; to 2” wide; at tips of slender stalks.
Leaves: Shiny, dark green, willowlike; lanceshaped to linear; to 2” long.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 4,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Many-branched with reddish stems. Two species of Heliomeris in Arizona. Photograph taken at Upper Lake Mary, September 2.
MANY-FLOWERED GOLDENEYE
Heliomeris multiflora (Viguiera multiflora)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow ray flowers, darker yellow disk flowers tinged with brown; disk is flat but as flower fades it becomes cone-shaped. Green bracts beneath flower head are in 3 layers: lowest are long and turn down; middle ones are short and turn down; upper ones are short and turn up. Flower head to 2½” wide, terminal on stem.
Leaves: Green, lance-shaped, opposite on lower stem; to 2¼” long, ³⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 4,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows, slopes, and ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb, with branches. Two species of Heliomeris in Arizona. Photograph taken near Willow Springs Lake, September 13. This species of Heliomeris recognizable by its layers of bracts and larger flowers and leaves.
CAMPHORWEED
Telegraph Plant
Heterotheca subaxillaris (Heterotheca psammophila)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Bright yellow rays, orange disk flowers, to 1” wide; in loose clusters on branches on a single, erect stem resembling a telegraph pole; followed by seed heads like tiny, mature dandelions.
Leaves: Light green, wavy, egg-shaped; thick, toothed, with clasping bases; to 3½” log.
Blooms: March–November.
Elevation: 1,000 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, pastures, vacant lots, and other disturbed places.
Comments: Crushed leaves smell like camphor. Ten species of Heterotheca in Arizona. Photograph taken at Oak Creek Canyon, September 9.
HAIRY GOLDEN ASTER
Rosinweed
Heterotheca villosa (Chrysopsis villosa)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: 30”.
Flowers: Yellow rays varying in number, darker yellow disks; to 1” wide; terminal, in cluster.
Leaves: Gray to grayish green, woolly haired; alternate, oblong to spoon-shaped (widest toward tip); crinkled; to 1¼” long; occurring all along stems.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 1,500 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Plains, mesas, and clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Brownish, hairy stems. Ten species of Heterotheca in Arizona. There are six varieties of this species, differing in hairiness and other characteristics. Photograph taken at Black Canyon Lake, September 29.
FENDLER’S HAWKWEED
Hieracium fendleri
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Yellow, small, all rays; to ½” wide, ¾” long.
Leaves: Green above, lighter green beneath; very hairy, in basal rosette; widest between middle and tip; to 5” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Stem is very hairy, with ¹⁄₈”-long hairs. Around twenty species of Hieracium in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Ashurst Lake, June 1.
FINELEAF WOOLLYWHITE
Yellow Cut-Leaf
Hymenopappus filifolius
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 30”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, petalless; disk flowers enlarged with long stamens and style projecting upward and outward; flower head to ⁷⁄₈” wide; number of flower heads varies.
Leaves: Grayish green above, gray beneath; feltlike hairs; pinnately divided into threadlike segments; leaves 3” to 8” long, depending on variety; basal in some varieties; in others 1 to 7 leaves extend up stem.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: Varies depending on variety.
Habitat: Rocky slopes or sandy soil or clearings in ponderosa pine forests depending on variety.
Comments: Very variable species (several varieties). Photograph taken in Ashurst Lake Area, September 5. Five species of Hymenopappus in Arizona. The flowers of Mexican Woollywhite (Hymenopappus mexicanus) are very similar, but the basal, woolly leaves are single, lance-shaped to partly lobed, and up to 6” long, ½” wide. Plant is 3’ tall with lower reddish stem.
BITTERWEED
Hymenoxys bigelovii
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellow, notched rays; orange disks to ¾” wide; flower head to 2” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, very narrow; with whitish midvein in grooved, upper surface; hairy beneath, very hairy at base; clasping stem; mainly basal, to 7” long; with a few shorter, alternate leaves on upper stem.
Blooms: April–July.
Elevation: 5,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Pine forests.
Comments: Flower resembles a tall, sparsely leaved gaillardia. Fourteen species of Hymenoxys in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Upper Lake Mary, June 2.
COOPER’S GOLDFLOWER
Hymenoxys cooperi
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, straggly rays, orangish disks; to 1” wide, on stalks up to 4” long; numerous stalks of flowers on plant.
Leaves: Grayish green, woolly, pinnate, with linear lobes in some varieties, wider leaves in others; to 3” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 2,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky areas.
Comments: Two varieties of this species. Woolly stems. Fourteen species of Hymenoxys in Arizona. Photograph taken at North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, July 13.
WESTERN SNEEZEWEED
Owl-Claws
Hymenoxys hoopesii (Helenium hoopesii)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow to orange-yellow, narrow, straggly, droopy ray flowers, each tipped with 3 teeth; flat flower head to 3” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, long, narrow, and woolly; progressively smaller toward flower head; to 1’ long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 11,000’.
Height: Mountain meadows and coniferous forests.
Comments: Has woolly stems. Causes illness in sheep and is poisonous to cattle if eaten. Some people are allergic to pollen. Root is used medicinally. Yellow dye made from flower heads. Fourteen species of Hymenoxys in Arizona. Photograph taken at Lee Valley Reservoir, July 2.
SOUTHERN JIMMYWEED
Isocoma pluriflora (Isocoma wrightii)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’ high, 3’ wide.
Flowers: Yellow, to ½” wide, ½” long; flower head to 15 flowers, in terminal clusters on stems.
Leaves: Grayish green, very rough, linear with shorter linear leaf cluster on stem at base; alternate; to 2¼” long, all along stem.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, plains, and mesas.
Comments: A weed. Often takes over on overgrazed land. If large amounts are eaten by cattle, it causes “milk-sickness” or “trembles,” a disease transmitted through milk to humans. Six species of Isocoma in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, August 20. A similar species, Burroweed (Isocoma tenuisecta) is common in the Tucson area. Its leaves are glandular and linear with prominent side lobes.
PRICKLY LETTUCE
Wild Lettuce
Lactuca serriola
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Yellow, composed solely of ray flowers; to ⅓” wide; on short stalks, on branched, upper flowering stems; followed by miniature, dandelionlike tufts.
Leaves: Bluish green, clasping stem; with prominent white midvein smooth above, prickly veins beneath; prickly on margins, cut into deep, irregular lobes; to 10” long at base, graduating to smaller size on upper stems.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 1,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and disturbed soil.
Comments: A weed. Stems filled with milky juice; main stem branches where flowering occurs. Introduced from Europe; now naturalized. Seven species of Lactuca in Arizona. Photograph taken at Ashurst Lake, September 4.
GOLDFIELDS
Lasthenia gracilis (Lasthenia californica, Baeria chrysostoma ssp. gracilis)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 8”.
Flowers: Yellow ray flowers notched at tips; darker yellow disk flowers; to 1” wide; terminal on slender stems.
Leaves: Light green, hairy on both surfaces; narrow, linear, opposite; to 1½” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 1,500 to 4,500’.
Habitat: Deserts, mesas, and plains.
Comments: Annual herb. Often grows in dense patches, forming carpets of gold. Grazed by horses. Fragrant flowers attract a species of small fly. Four species of Lasthenia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 22.
FENDLER’S DANDELION
Desert Dandelion
Malacothrix fendleri
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 6”.
Flowers: Yellow, notched petals, pink-striped on back; to 1” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, pinnate, triangularly lobed, to 2” long.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: 2,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Foothills, sandy plains, and mesas.
Comments: Annual herb. Eight species of Malacothrix in Arizona. Photograph taken at Portal, April 23.
DESERT DANDELION
Malacothrix glabrata (Malacothrix californica var. glabrata)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Pale yellow rays, no disk flowers, centers are red until all petals expand; to 1¾” wide.
Leaves: Green, linear, pinnately lobed, mostly basal; to 5” long.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: Below 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry, sandy flats of low desert and mesas.
Comments: Annual herb. Eight species of Malacothrix in Arizona. Photograph taken near Golden Shores, March 9.
SENECIO
Packera franciscana (Senecio franciscanus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4”, in tufts to 3” wide.
Flowers: Yellow rays, orange disks; flower head to ½” wide, single or a few at tips of stems.
Leaves: Grayish green, edged in reddish purple; oval to roundish, downy, crinkly, toothed; to 2” long.
Blooms: July–August on San Francisco Peaks.
Elevation: On San Francisco Peaks up to 12,000’.
Habitat: Tundra on San Francisco Peaks.
Comments: Stems are reddish. Found only in Arizona, this species is federally protected. Nineteen species of Packera in Arizona. Photograph taken at the Arboretum at Flagstaff, June 3.
AXHEAD BUTTERWEED
Packera multilobata (Senecio multilobatus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 14”.
Flowers: Yellow rays, orangish disk flowers, to 1” wide; numerous flower heads in wide, flattopped cluster, with many clusters per plant.
Leaves: Dark green, divided into sharply toothed lobes or segments; to 4” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 6,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes.
Comments: Several varieties of this species. Nineteen species of Packera in Arizona. Photograph taken at North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, May 30.
NEW MEXICO BUTTERWEED
New Mexico Groundsel
Packera neomexicana var. neomexicana (Senecio neomexicanus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 32”.
Flowers: Yellow rays, darker yellow disk flowers; to ⁷⁄₈” wide; in terminal cluster.
Leaves: Grayish green with woolly hairs; oval to lance-shaped; sharply saw-toothed, mostly basal; to 3” long; few and smaller leaves on stem.
Blooms: April–August.
Elevation: 3,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Pine forest and oak chaparral.
Comments: Perennial herb. Most abundant of Packera species in Arizona. Nineteen species of Packera in Arizona. Photograph taken at Chiricahua National Monument, April 24.
OAK CREEK RAGWORT
Packera quercetorum (Senecio quercetorum)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, orange disks; to 1¼” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnately lobed, toothed; end lobe to 3” long, side lobes shorter; leaf to 8” long; upper leaves smaller and clasping stem.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 3,500 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Oak woodland areas.
Comments: Reddish to purplish hollow stems. Nineteen species of Packera in Arizona. Photograph taken northeast of Superior, April 20.
FOETID-MARIGOLD
Lemonweed
Pectis angustifolia var. angustifolia
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 6”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 8 to 10 rays; to ¼” wide; clustered at end of branches.
Leaves: Dark green, smooth, linear, with 3 to 5 pairs of linear lobes; to 1½” long.
Blooms: August–November.
Elevation: 700 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry, sandy, or gravelly mesas.
Comments: Hopi Indians extracted a dye from plant, and also consumed the plant raw or dried. Nine species of Pectis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Painted Rocks State Park, November 12.
TAILLEAF PERICOME
Yerba De Chivato
Pericome caudata (Pericome glandulosa)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow to orange-yellow, rayless, to ½” wide; in branched clusters to 2” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, triangular, tip tapers to long slender tail; limp, drooping; to 5” long, 2½” wide at widest part.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and slopes in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb; named by Spaniards yerba de chivato (“herb of the he-goat”) because of its goatlike smell. Plant used for treating ailments. Bushes often grow to 6’ wide, forming mound of yellow flowers. One species of Pericome in Arizona. Photograph taken at Mormon Lake, September 3.
LEMMON’S ROCK DAISY
Perityle lemmonii (Laphania lemmoni)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 1’, but generally prostrate.
Flowers: Yellow, rayless; to ½” long, to ¼” wide.
Leaves: Dark green edged in brown; woolly haired, opposite, maplelike; cleft into narrow lobes; to ³⁄₈” long, ¼” wide.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 3,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Crevices of boulders and cliffs.
Comments: Brittle, hairy stems. Twelve species of Perityle in Arizona. Photograph taken at Molino Canyon, Santa Catalina Mountains, May 13.
DESERT FIR
Pigmy Cedar
Peucephyllum schottii
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Shrub to 4½”.
Flowers: Yellow, rayless, ½” wide; occurring at tips of branches.
Leaves: Green, hairlike, stiff, and dense; to ¾” long.
Blooms: Mid-February–June.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, and along washes.
Comments: Perennial; many-branched shrub. One species of Peucephyllum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cattail Cove State Park, February 23.
PAPER FLOWER
Cooper’s Paperflower
Psilostrophe cooperi
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with varying number of broad rays, notched into 3 lobes; small disk flowers; to 1” wide; terminal on branches; turning papery with age; remaining on plant for weeks.
Leaves: Grayish green, woolly, linear; to 2½” long.
Blooms: Most of the year.
Elevation: 2,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Plains, mesas, and along washes.
Comments: Forms a bushy mound with tangled branches. Three species of Psilostrophe in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 26.
PAPER DAISY
Psilostrophe tagetina
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 18”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 3 to 5 petals; 3-lobed; to ¾” wide, in clusters at ends of branches; becoming straw-colored and papery with age.
Leaves: Grayish green, very woolly, oblong to lance-shaped; twisted, growing along stems, to 2½” long.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Plains, mesas, and pine forest clearings.
Comments: A many-branched, aromatic, rounded plant. Poisonous to sheep. Three species of Psilostrophe in Arizona. Photograph taken near Nutrioso, August 18.
CURLY-HEAD GOLDENWEED
Pyrrocoma crocea var. genuflexa
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Saffron-colored rays, yellowish disks; to 2” wide; usually single, but occasionally up to 3 per stem.
Leaves: Dark green above, with prominent midvein beneath; alternate, clasping stem; basal; linear leaves to 6” long; smaller, arrow-shaped leaves on stem, to 1½” long.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Clearings in coniferous forests and mountain meadows.
Comments: Reddish, hairy stem. Four species of Pyrrocoma in Arizona. Photographed in vicinity of Willow Springs Lake, September 14.
MEXICAN HAT
Prairie Coneflower
Ratibida columnifera (Ratibida columnaris)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Drooping rays, yellow with reddish brown or all reddish brown), to 1½” long; disks are purplish brown and tubular, covering a coneshaped column to 1½” long; terminal flower head to 3” wide.
Leaves: Green, narrow, pinnately cleft into 5, 7, or 9 narrow segments; to 6” long.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and open clearings in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Two species of Ratibida in Arizona. Flower photograph taken at Greer, July 21.
CUTLEAF CONEFLOWER
Brown-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia laciniata var. ampla
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 7’.
Flowers: Yellow ray flowers arching downward to 2” long; tiny, greenish yellow disk flowers forming cone. Flower head to 5” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnate, leaves with 3 to 7 deeply toothed lobes; to 8” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 5,000 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Rich soil in meadows, along mountain streams, and in moist canyons.
Comments: Perennial herb. Poisonous to livestock. Four species of Rudbeckia in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Alpine, August 2.
SANDPAPER MULES EARS
Scabrethia scabra (Wyethia scabra)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 30”.
Flowers: Yellow rays, yellowish brown disks; long, spiny bracts on flower head turned downward; to 3” wide.
Leaves: Shiny, dark green, sandpapery, with whitish midvein; finely toothed, narrowly lance-shaped, mostly basal; to 20” long, shorter on stem.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Dry slopes and mesas, often in very sandy conditions.
Comments: Perennial herb. One species of Scabrethia in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Kayenta, June 27.
NODDING GROUNDSEL
Bigelow Groundsel
Senecio bigelovii var. bigelovii
Sunflower Family (Compositae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, all disk flowers; nodding flower head to ½” wide, ⁵⁄₈” long, each on separate stalk; flower heads on elongated cluster; followed by seedlike fruits with fine, white hairs attached.
Leaves: Dark green, leathery, lance-shaped, toothed; clasping stem, alternate; to 7” long at base, progressively sorter toward flower heads. Also in Arizona is Hall’s Ragwort (Senecio bigelovii var. hallii), with tomentose leaves.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 11,000’.
Habitat: Moist soil of roadsides, mountain meadows, and clearings in coniferous forests.
Comments: Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountain meadow above Greer, August 10.
GROUNDSEL
Senecio eremophilus var. macdougalii (Senecio macdougalii)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: 5 to 8 yellow rays, darker yellow disks; stamens curling upward; long, slender bracts tipped with black; flower head to ⁵⁄₈” wide, ³⁄₈” long.
Leaves: Dark green, lance-shaped, slightly hairy; lobes deeply cleft almost to midvein; leaf to 5” long toward base; alternate and graduating in size upward on stem.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 6,500 to 10,500’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests and clearings in aspen groves.
Comments: Recognizable as a Senecio by its few ray flowers and as this particular species by its black-tipped bracts and its leaf shape. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountains above Greer, August 13.
SAND WASH GROUNDSEL
Comb Butterweed
Senecio flaccidus var. monoensis (Senecio douglasii var. douglasii)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, orange disks, to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Yellowish green, pinnate with linear lobes curling upward; comblike; to 2½” long.
Blooms: Most of the year.
Elevation: 2,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Washes, dry slopes, mesas, and plains.
Comments: Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken in Tucson area, March 3. The comblike leaves help to identify this species.
THREADLEAF GROUNDSEL
Felty Groundsel
Senecio flaccidus var. flaccidus (Senecio douglasii var. longilobus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: 8 to 13 yellow rays, yellowish orange disks; woolly bracts side by side; floppy petals; to ¹¹⁄₈” wide; in clusters.
Leaves: Grayish green, very woolly, linear; divided into very narrow lobes; to 4” long.
Blooms: Throughout most of year at lower elevations; May–November elsewhere.
Elevation: 2,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Sandy washes, plains, and mesas.
Comments: Many-branched, woolly stemmed shrub. Once used medicinally by Native Americans. Very poisonous if eaten by cattle or horses. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken near Portal, May 5. Unlike Broom Ragwort (Senecio spartioides var. multicapitatus) (page 142), this species has woolly bracts and stems and divided, woolly leaves.
LEMMON’S BUTTERWEED
Senecio lemmonii
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, orange disks, to 1¹⁄₈” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, shiny, alternate; lanceshaped, clasping stem; sunken midvein, toothed, to 5” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: 1,500 to 3,500’.
Habitat: Along washes and on rocky slopes.
Comments: Somewhat shrubby. Has reddish stems. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken at King’s Canyon, Tucson, April 17.
BROOM RAGWORT
Senecio spartioides var. multicapitatus (Senecio multicapitatus)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, yellowish orange disks; narrow, floppy petals; to 1” wide; in loose clusters.
Leaves: Dark green, smooth, very narrow; threadlike segments; to 4” long, occurring all along stem.
Blooms: May–November.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in pine forests, mesas, and plains.
Comments: Many-stemmed. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken at Upper Lake Mary, September 6. Unlike Threadleaf Groundsel (Senecio flaccidus var. flaccidus), (page 141) this species has smooth bracts and stems, and smooth, undivided leaves.
BROOM GROUNDSEL
Grass-Leaved Ragwort
Senecio spartioides
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: 8 yellow, slightly drooping rays, each with 2 notches; orange disks; flower head to ¾” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, very narrow; some with narrow lobes; to 3” long, along length of stem.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 6,500 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in pine forests.
Comments: A bushlike plant with numerous stems. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Nelson Reservoir, August 16.
WOOTON’S BUTTERWEED
Senecio wootonii
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow, 8 to 10 irregularly shaped rays; darker yellow disks; to ⁵⁄₈” wide; in loose, terminal clusters.
Leaves: Grayish green, leathery, smooth; toothed or untoothed; spatula- to spoon-shaped with long, tapering, flat stalk; basal, to 10” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests.
Comments: Has leafless stem. Twenty-four species of Senecio in Arizona. Photograph taken at Carnero Lake near Greer, July 11.
TALL GOLDENROD
Solidago altissima ssp. altissima
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, heads to ¼” wide, ¹⁄₈” long; forming a pyramidal, terminal cluster with flowers mostly on one side.
Leaves: Green and lance-shaped; to 6” long, gradually smaller on upper stem.
Blooms: August–October.
Elevation: 2,500 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides and clearings.
Comments: Perennial herb. A variable species. Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken at Willow Springs Lake, August 5.
CANADA GOLDENROD
Solidago canadensis var. canadensis
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, tiny, to ¹⁄₈” long; on arching stems in a large, loose, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Dark green, narrowly lance-shaped, with 3 prominent veins; to 5” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 3,000 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Clearings in ponderosa forests, meadows, fields, and roadsides.
Comments: Perennial herb. Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, September 9.
MISSOURI GOLDENROD
Prairie Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis var. tenuissima
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, to ¼” long, ¹⁄₈” wide; about 8 in each flower head; in tight cluster, total flowering cluster to 6” long; on slightly arching stem.
Leaves: Dark green, shiny, smooth; alternate, lance-shaped, margins curved upward; basal leaves to 7” long, ¾” wide; shorter, narrower leaves up stem, with small clusters of tiny leaves at leaf axils.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Along streams and clearings in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb; has smooth, reddish stem. Native Americans use leaves as salad greens. Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken near Christopher Creek, August 11. Recognizable by smooth leaves and stem, and by close arrangement of flowers on arching stem.
ALPINE GOLDENROD
Solidago multiradiata
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellow, up to 13 rays, each to ⁵⁄₈” wide, ¾” long; in tight, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, smooth; broadly spatula-shaped and tapering to stem; to 4” long Stem leaves are stalkless.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: Not available. Photograph taken at 9,500’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows and clearings in moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Has erect stem. Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountains above Greer, August 7.
DWARF GOLDENROD
Mt. Albert Goldenrod
Solidago simplex ssp. simplex (Solidago decumbens)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Below 10”.
Flowers: Yellow rays, yellow disks; to ³⁄₈” wide; in dense cylindrical, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, smooth; often toothed at rounded tip; spatula-shaped but variable; to 3” long at base; upper leaves smaller.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 8,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Clearings in coniferous forests and mountain meadows.
Comments: Has reddish stems, which often creep along the ground for a few inches before growing erect. Often grows in small patches. Nine Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountains above Greer, August 7.
SPARSE-FLOWERED GOLDENROD
Solidago velutina (Solidago sparsiflora)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, to ¼” wide, ¹⁄₈” long; about a dozen in each flower head; in clusters to 1¼” wide on one side of arching stem; total flowering clusters to 7” long.
Leaves: Dull grayish green, alternate, rough; lance-shaped to linear, with 3 prominent veins; to 3” long.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 2,000 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, chaparral, and clearings in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Eleven species of Solidago in Arizona. Photograph taken near McNary, August 10. Recognizable by its rough-textured leaves and loose, sparse flowers on arching stem.
COMMON SOWTHISTLE
Annual Sowthistle
Sonchus oleraceus
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow, dandelion-like flower head to 1¼” wide; in sparse clusters; followed by seeds ribbed lengthwise, attached to soft white hairs forming a miniature parachute.
Leaves: Dark green, thin, deeply lobed into 1 to 3 lobes on each side; tip lobe broadly triangular; clasping stem; to 7” long.
Blooms: February–November.
Elevation: 150 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Waste areas, roadsides, and disturbed places.
Comments: Fleshy annual. Naturalized from Europe. Birds feed on seeds. Two species of Sonchus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Granite Reef Dam, March 1. A similar species, also exotic, is Spiny Sowthistle (Sonchus asper), which has prickly toothed leaves.
COMMON DANDELION
Taraxacum officinale
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Flower stalks to 15”.
Flowers: Golden yellow flower head, straplike ray flowers toothed at tips; flower head to 1½” wide; solitary on hollow stalk; followed by downy, globular mass with seeds attached to parachutelike hairs.
Leaves: Dark green, lance-shaped, deeply cut into triangular-shaped sections; in basal rosette; to 10” long.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 100 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, lawns, meadows, and fields.
Comments: Perennial weed, with deep taproot and milky stem juice. From Europe; now naturalized. Used for food and medicine. Three species of Taraxacum in Arizona. Photograph taken near Greer, July 4.
GRAY FELT THORN
Spineless Horsebrush
Tetradymia canescens
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Rounded shrub to 2’ tall, 5’ wide.
Flowers: Yellow, petalless, 4 disk flowers per head; 4 woolly bracts surrounding head; to ⁵⁄₈” long; in terminal clusters on branches; followed by tan bristles to ¾” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, stiff, woolly, narrow; to ½” long; growing along entire stem.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Rocky, sandy, dry soils in woodlands; clearings in ponderosa pine forests; and roadsides.
Comments: Has a woody base and many branches. Native Americans use plants medicinally. Safely browsed by cattle, but often fatal to sheep when consumed in large quantities. Four species of Tetradymia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Aripine, August 4.
HOPI-TEA GREENTHREAD
Colorado Greenthread
Thelesperma megapotamicum
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow disk flowers surrounded by green bracts; rayless; to ½” wide, ½” long; terminal on long, leafless stems.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnate, linear; 3 to 7 threadlike segments; mainly basal, opposite, leaf to 4” long.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Open woodlands and forest, plains, roadsides, and mesas.
Comments: Annual herb. Hopi Indians used flowers and young leaves for making tea. A dye extracted from plant is used for textiles and basketry. Three species of Thelesperma in Arizona. Photograph taken at Black Canyon Lake, September 29.
NEEDLELEAF DOGWEED
Thymophylla acerosa (Dyssodia acerosa)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Yellow rays (usually 8), slightly darker yellow disks; flower bracts dotted with yellowish glands; to ¾” wide, terminal on branches.
Leaves: Dark green, narrowly linear, needlelike, opposite or alternate, dotted with yellowish glands; to ½” long, all along stems.
Blooms: March–October.
Elevation: 3,500 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Washes; dry, rocky slopes; and mesas.
Comments: Perennial herb. Many-branched, rounded bush; woody at base. Has glands on pinkish brown stems. Three species of Thymophylla in Arizona. Photograph taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, October 3.
DOGWEED
Thymophylla pentachaeta (Dyssodia pentachaeta)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 8”.
Flowers: Bright yellow rays and disks; bracts dotted with orangish brown glands; to ½” wide; on leafless stalks above leaves.
Leaves: Dark green, mostly opposite, stiff, pinnately cleft into very narrow lobes with spiny tips; to ½” long.
Blooms: March–September.
Elevation: 2,500 to 4,500’.
Habitat: Desert and dry slopes.
Comments: Plant forms low mound. Foliage has disagreeable odor when handled. Three species of Thymophylla in Arizona. Photograph taken at Catalina State Park, April 15.
YELLOW SALSIFY
Meadow Salsify
Tragopogon dubius
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Lemon-yellow, individual ray flowers to ½” long; 10 to 13 bracts longer than ray flowers; open in morning, closed by noon; flower head to 2½” wide; followed by a large-spherical seed head resembling a giant dandelion.
Leaves: Grayish green, long, grasslike; clasping stem; to 10” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 3,500 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry roadsides, fields, and vacant lots.
Comments: Perennial herb. Introduced from Europe; now naturalized. Stems release milky sap when broken. Native Americans used plant for food and medicine. Five species of Tragopogon in Arizona. Photograph taken near Prescott, May 26.
TRIXIS
Trixis californica var. californica
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Sprawling shrub to 3½’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, rayless, surrounded by leaflike bracts; flower heads composed of 9 to 15 flowers; to ¾” wide, at branch ends; followed by seeds with straw-colored bristles.
Leaves: Dark green, lance-shaped, smooth-edged to fine-toothed; numerous; to ½” wide, 2” long.
Blooms: February–October.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, along washes, among other bushes.
Comments: Browsed by cattle. One species of Trixis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, March 1.
SILVER PUFFS
Starpoint
Uropappus lindleyi (Microseris linearifolia)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: Flowering stem to 1½2’.
Flowers: Yellow; all rays, dandelion-like; flower head bracts extend beyond rays as sharp points; to 1” wide; followed by delicate, silvery, pufflike seed head to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green to dark green; linear to partly linear, or pinnately lobed; to 5” long.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: Below 6000’.
Habitat: Pine forests down to foothills, plains, and mesas.
Comments: Hollow stemmed. One species of Uropappus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro National Park West, April 17.
GOLDEN CROWNBEARD
Cowpen Daisy
Verbesina encelioides
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow rays, each notched into 3 lobes; yellow disk flowers; to 2” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, triangular, with toothed margins; to 4” long.
Blooms: Early germinations, March–July; later germinations, July–December.
Elevation: Below 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, waste areas, and washes.
Comments: Annual. Flattened seed head covered with grayish brown hairs gave rise to name, “crownbeard.” Rodents and birds eat seeds. Native Americans and early settlers used plant to treat skin diseases and boils. Hopi Indians use water of steeped plant for treating spider bites. Three species of Verbesina in Arizona. Photograph taken near Salome, March 28.
ARIZONA MULES EARS
Wyethia arizonica
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 10 to 15 rays, yellow disk flowers; to 2½” wide; solitary at tip of stem.
Leaves: Dark green, with white midstripe; hairy, with wavy margins; oblong or elliptical; basal leaves to 1½’ long, 3” wide; stem leaves much shorter.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Slopes and canyons in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. One species of Wyethia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mormon Lake area, June 2.
YELLOW SPINY DAISY
Slender Goldenweed
Xanthisma gracilis (Machaeranthera gracilis)
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Yellow rays and disks; to 1¼” wide; terminal on upper branches.
Leaves: Grayish green, hairy, narrow; angled upward, toothed, with spiny bristle at tip of each tooth; lowest leaves have a few lobes; to ¾” long.
Blooms: February–December.
Elevation: Below 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry plains, mesas, and rocky slopes.
Comments: Annual herb. Six species of Xanthisma in Arizona. Photograph taken at Apache Lake, March 19. Recognizable by spiny bristle at tip of each leaf tooth.
PRAIRIE ZINNIA
Rocky Mountain Zinnia
Zinnia grandiflora
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 3 to 6 ray flowers; reddish disk flowers in center; to 1½” wide; occurring singly on tips of branches.
Leaves: Grayish green, linear, very narrow; somewhat curled; to 1” long; all along stem.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 4,000 to 6,500’.
Habitat: Mesas, dry plains, roadsides, and pinyonjuniper woodlands.
Comments: Spreading, many-branched herb forming rounded clump. Three species of Zinnia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Wupatki National Monument, September 8.
FREMONT BARBERRY
Berberis fremontii
Barberry Family (Berberidaceae)
Height: Shrub to 10’.
Flowers: 6 yellow petals, flower to 1” wide, in clusters of 3 to 9; followed by loose cluster of dark blue, ½”-wide berries.
Leaves: Dark grayish-green, leathery, pinnately compound, with 3 to 7 leaflets to 3” long; leaf to 5” long.
Blooms: April–July.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Pinyon-juniper and pine woodlands.
Comments: Evergreen. Fragrant. Hopi Indians use wood for crafts and roots for yellow dye. Berries used for jams and jellies. Contains the drug berberine. Six species of Berberis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Vernon, June 13.
RED BARBERRY
Algerita
Berberis haematocarpa
Barberry Family (Berberidaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Fragrant, to ½” wide, with 6 yellow petals and stamens; in loose few-flowered cluster; followed by red, juicy berry to ³⁄₈” in diameter.
Leaves: Bluish green covered with a whitish bloom, pinnate, 3 to 5 leaflets; leaflets unstalked, leathery, stiff, to ¾” wide, each tapering to a sharp, terminal spine, terminal leaflet longest, pointed lobes on leaflets ending in sharp spines; leaf to 4” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: 3,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Desert grasslands and oak woodlands. Native to upper desert slopes and to chaparral in central Arizona.
Comments: Red jelly made from fruits; root and bark used in making a yellow dye. Six species of Berberis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, March 3.
KOFA MOUNTAIN BARBERRY
Berberis harrisoniana
Barberry Family (Berberidaceae)
Height: Small shrub to 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, with 6 large petals and sepals; to ½” wide; in large, loose cluster; followed by bluish black, slightly oval fruits, to ¼” in diameter.
Leaves: Grayish green, palmate, with 3 similar leaflets; thick, leathery, and stiff, ending in stout, sharp spines; leaf to 2” long.
Blooms: February–March.
Elevation: 2,500 to 3,500’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes in Ajo and Kofa Mountains.
Comments: Forms a sprawling bush. Six species of Berberis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Palm Canyon in Kofa Mountains, February 22.
CREEPING BARBERRY
Berberis repens
Barberry Family (Berberidaceae)
Height: Low, creeping shrub to 1’.
Flowers: Fragrant, to ¾” wide; 6 yellow petals; in dense cluster, followed by cluster of ¼” bluish purple berries.
Leaves: Dark green, shiny, leathery, hollylike; to 10” long; pinnately compound; 3 to 7 wavy leaflets with spiny margins, leaflets to 3” long.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 5,000 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Open coniferous forests and wooded slopes.
Comments: Evergreen shrub. Excellent ground cover and erosion fighter. Stems root when they come in contact with soil. In fall, leaves turn shades of red, yellow, or purple. Berries are used for jelly and eaten by wildlife; twigs and leaves are used medicinally. Yellow dye is made from roots. Six species of Berberis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sharp Creek northeast of Christopher Creek, April 22. A similar shrub, Holly Leaf Grape (Berberis wilcoxii), is taller and has fewer than 10 coarse teeth on each leaflet. Photograph taken at Cave Creek, Portal, April 23.
YELLOW TRUMPET BUSH
Yellow Bells
Tecoma stans var. angustata
Bignonia Family (Bignoniaceae)
Height: Small shrub to 15’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, trumpet-shaped, with ruffled lobes; to 2” long; in clusters; followed by a narrow capsule to 8” long, ¼” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, glossy, lance-shaped to oval; pointed at tips, toothed; to 6” long; pinnately compound, with 5 to 13 leaflets.
Blooms: May–October.
Elevation: 2500 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Dry, gravelly hillsides in southeastern Arizona.
Comments: Evergreen in frost-free areas. Browsed by bighorn sheep. Cultivated as an ornamental. One species of Tecoma in Arizona. Photograph taken at Mesa, May 9.
MOUNTAIN GROMWELL
Lithospermum cobrense
Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Pale yellow, funnel-shaped, 5-lobed; to ¾” wide; clustered together on erect coil.
Leaves: Gray, lancelike, covered with short hairs; to 2” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Biennial or short-lived perennial. Six species of Lithospermum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Vernon, June 13.
FRINGED GROMWELL
Lithospermum incisum
Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellow, fringed, and trumpet-shaped; 5 united petals; to 1¼” long, ¾” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrowly lanceolate, to 2½” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Foothills, open plains, and slopes.
Comments: Used by the Hopi Indians to produce medicine. Six species of Lithospermum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Chiricahua National Monument, April 24.
MANYFLOWER STONESEED
Lithospermum multiflorum
Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow to yellowish orange, funnellike, with 5 short, rounded petal lobes; to ½” wide; in nodding, coiled, terminal clusters.
Leaves: Grayish green, sandpapery, and covered with stiff hairs; linear to slightly lance-shaped; to 2” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Slopes, flats, and clearings in pinyonjuniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Perennial, with hairy stems. Native Americans obtained purple dye from roots. Six species of Lithospermum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Mormon Lake, June 2.
SAHARA MUSTARD
Brassica tournefortii
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, with 4 petals; to ¼” wide; followed by cylindrical seed pod to 2½” long on 1”-long stem.
Leaves: Dark green to yellowish green, pinnately lobed, warty-looking; hairy, toothed, with clasping stem; to 10” long at base, smaller on upper stem.
Blooms: Late winter to early spring.
Elevation: Below 4,000’. Photograph taken at 1,700’.
Habitat: Roadsides and fields.
Comments: Hairy-stemmed. A native of Europe; rapidly taking over in some areas of Arizona. Four species of Brassica in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mesa, February 22.
MOUNTAIN TANSY MUSTARD
Descurainia incisa ssp. incisa (Descurainia richardsonii)
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 40”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 4 petals; to ¹⁄₁₆” wide; in terminal raceme: followed by ½”-long slender seed capsule containing 1 row of seeds.
Leaves: Grayish green, slightly hairy, pinnate; to 2½” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 6,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides and fields.
Comments: Annual. Native Americans used seeds for making pinole, a ground meal. Six species of Descurainia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Nutrioso, August 3.
DRABA
Draba asprella
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 5”.
Flowers: Yellow, with 4 petals; to ¼” wide; in long, terminal cluster or raceme on leafless stem.
Leaves: Green, very hairy, oval to elliptical; in basal rosette; to ½” long.
Blooms: Starting in February.
Elevation: 5,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Pine forests.
Comments: Plants vary in hairiness of foliage. Fifteen species of Draba in Arizona. Photograph taken at Black Canyon Lake area, June 4.
GOLDEN DRABA
Draba aurea
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 9”.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with 4 petals; hairy, tiny; to ¼” long, ³⁄₁₆” wide, in loose, terminal cluster; followed by small, hairy, flat, nearly erect seed pod to ½” long (including stem) ending in persistent style to ¹⁄₁₆” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, covered with short, starlike hairs; elliptical-shaped on stem, spatula-shaped in basal rosette; faintly toothed; to 1½” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 12,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Erect to sprawling stems are covered with short hairs. Fifteen species of Draba in Arizona. Photograph taken at Luna Lake, August 5.
WESTERN WALLFLOWER
Erysimum capitatum var. purshii (Erysimum asperum)
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 32”.
Flowers: Bright yellow (occasionally purplish, with 4 petals; to ¾” wide; in cluster on rounded, terminal raceme; followed by very slender, erect 4-sided pod to 4” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, lance-shaped, toothed margins; in basal rosette; to 5” long. Stem leaves are narrow with small teeth.
Blooms: March–September.
Elevation: 2,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, open flats, slopes, and dry, stony banks.
Comments: Biennial or perennial. Three species of Erysimum in Arizona. Photograph taken near Globe, March 29.
ARIZONA BLADDERPOD
Physaria arizonica (Lesquerella arizonica)
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 6”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 4 petals; to ½” wide; in short flower cluster; followed by a thick, oval fruit to ¼” in diameter.
Leaves: Silvery gray, woolly, linear; to 2” long.
Blooms: April–May.
Elevation: 3,500 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes and mesas.
Comments: Has unbranched, erect stem. Eleven species of Physaria in Arizona. Photograph taken on San Carlos Indian Reservation, April 20.
GORDON’S BLADDERPOD
Physaria gordonii (Lesquerella gordonii)
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 4 petals; to ⅓” wide; in terminal, loose raceme; followed by ¹⁄₈” diameter spherical pod tipped with slender point.
Leaves: Green, but often appearing silvery because of hairs; narrow, lance- or spatula-shaped; basal leaves often lobed; to 2” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: 100 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Desert flats, dry plains, and among desert shrubs on mesas.
Comments: An annual; erect or spreading. Forage for cattle. Eleven species of Physaria in Arizona. Photograph taken at Alamo Lake, February 26.
NEWBERRY’S TWINPOD
Physaria newberryi
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 4” in circular tuft.
Flowers: Yellow, with 4 petals; to ½” wide; in terminal raceme; followed by pale pinkish, twin, bladderlike seed capsules deeply notched between the 2 cells; twin pods to 1” wide, in cluster above leaves.
Leaves: Silvery gray, roundish to squarish, and downy; with upwardly curved margins; toothed; basal; to 2” long.
Blooms: May.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes; often in volcanic cinders.
Comments: At first glance the pink bladders resemble flowers. Eleven species of Physaria in Arizona. Photograph in pod taken at Sunset Crater National Monument, June 5.
TUMBLE MUSTARD
Sisymbrium altissimum
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Pale yellow, with 4 petals; to ½” wide; in loose, terminal cluster on branch; followed by slender, 4”-long seed capsule that spreads from stem.
Leaves: Dark green, hairy, deeply lobed; to 11” long; upper leaves are pinnately lobed to linear, to 4” long.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and waste places.
Comments: Many-branched and spreading. Introduced from Europe. Four species of Sisymbrium in Arizona. Photograph taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, May 30.
LONDON ROCKET
Sisymbrium irio
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, with 4 petals; to ¹⁄₈” long; on slender stalk, in small, terminal cluster on stem; followed by long, slender seed pod thicker than flower stalk, to 2” long.
Leaves: Dark green, fleshy, large, and pointed; with terminal lobe, 1 to 4 pairs of smaller lobes below; to 8” long.
Blooms: December–April.
Elevation: 100 to 4,500’.
Habitat: Irrigated fields, roadsides, and waste places.
Comments: Annual. Introduced from Europe. The flower stem gradually elongates as the seed pods mature. Four species of Sisymbrium in Arizona. Photograph taken near Granite Reef Dam, February 6.
PRINCE’S PLUME
Stanleya pinnata
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Yellow, with long stamens and pistil, 4 narrow petals, and 4 sepals; to 1¼” long; in dense, terminal spike to 2’ long; blooming first at base and progressing up spike; followed by slender, drooping seed pods to 2” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrow; to 7” long at base, shorter on upper stem; some pinnately divided at base and on stem.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 2,500 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Mesas, dry plains, and sagebrush areas.
Comments: Perennial herb. Native Americans used seeds for mush and plant as a potherb. One species of Stanleya in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sunset Crater National Monument, September 8.
CHAPARRAL HONEYSUCKLE
Lonicera interrupta
Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae)
Height: Trailing.
Flowers: Creamy white, tubular, with swollen throat; upper lobe rolled backward, lower lobe in watchspring-shaped curl; 4 very long stamens; to ¾” long; in elongated, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Dark green above, lighter green beneath; opposite, oval; to 1¾” long.
Blooms: May–June.
Elevation: 4,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Along streams in juniper-oak woodlands.
Comments: Has reddish stems. Twelve species of Lonicera in Arizona. Photograph taken north of Payson along East Verde River, June 3.
FOUR-WING SALTBUSH
Chamiso
Atriplex canescens var. canescens
Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae)
Height: To 8’, but more commonly to 4’.
Flowers: Pale yellow, tiny, inconspicuous, in clusters along the stems; male and female on different plants; followed on the female plant by bunches of small, burlike seeds encased in 4 papery, light green, winglike bracts; to ½” wide; bracts dry to pale brown.
Leaves: Gray-green, narrow; to 2” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 2,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Sandy, sometimes saline soil, from creosote bush to pinyon to ponderosa belts.
Comments: This salt-tolerant shrub is the most widely spread species of Atriplex in the U.S. Its deep roots help control erosion. Its foliage tastes salty. Some female bushes become a mass of fruits. A browse shrub for livestock, deer, and antelope, its seeds provide food for birds and small rodents. Over twenty-five species of Atriplex in Arizona. Photograph taken at Wupatki National Monument, September 8. Littleleaf Saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa) resembles the four-wing saltbush but its leaves are small and it lacks the prominent, 4-winged fruits.
YELLOW BEE PLANT
Peritoma jonesii (Cleome lutea var. jonesii)
Cleome Family (Cleomaceae)
Height: To 2½’.
Flowers: Yellow, 6 long stamens, 4 petals; to ³⁄₈” wide, ¼” long, in cluster at top of stem; followed by slender seed pod to 1½” long, hanging downward on long stalk.
Leaves: Green, palmately compound; usually 5 lance-shaped leaflets, each to 3” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 2,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Along streams and in other moist areas.
Comments: The Hopi Indians used immature plants as potherbs. Two species of Peritoma in Arizona. Photograph taken in Kayenta area, June 27.
JACKASS CLOVER
Wislizenia refracta ssp. refracta
Cleome Family (Cleomaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Tiny and yellow, with 4 petals; ¹⁄₈” long; in dense, terminal raceme, followed by ¹⁄₈” pod on a sharply bent stalk.
Leaves: Light green, with 3 segments, elliptical leaflets; to 1¼” long.
Blooms: April–November.
Elevation: 1,000 to 6,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, dry streambeds, and other sandy areas.
Comments: Annual. One species of Wislizenia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, November 14.
ROCK ECHEVERIA
Live-Forever
Dudleya saxosa ssp. collomiae
Orpine Family (Crassulaceae)
Height: Flower stalk to 1½’.
Flowers: 5 yellow petals, reddish orange sepal; to ½” long, spaced at end of curved flower stem.
Leaves: Grayish green, succulent; flat on upper surface, rounded beneath; linear, tapering to reddish-tipped point; to 6” long, ¾” wide, ¹⁄₈” thick; in basal rosette.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 3,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky, desert slopes.
Comments: Reddish stems. Two species of Dudleya in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Roosevelt Lake, April 29.
FINGER-LEAVED GOURD
Cucurbita digitata
Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae)
Height: Trailing vine.
Flowers: Yellow, bell-shaped tube, to 1½” long; followed by a dark green, roundish gourd, with vertical, whitish stripes and blotches; to 3½” in diameter. Matures to pale yellow.
Leaves: Grayish green with central silvery white markings on 5 narrow, fingerlike segments; very hairy beneath; side lobes vary in shape and size; to 10” long including stem.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Sandy washes, mesas, and dry plains.
Comments: Has very hairy stems. Three species of Cucurbita in Arizona. Photograph taken at Catalina State Park, November 9.
BUFFALO GOURD
Calabazilla
Cucurbita foetidissima
Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae)
Length: Prostrate to 20’ long.
Flowers: Yellow, funnel-shaped, to 4” long; followed by smooth, round, light and dark green striped 4” gourd that turns yellow when mature.
Leaves: Gray-green above, whitish beneath; triangular, finely toothed, long-stalked; to 1’ long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 1,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and dry or sandy areas.
Comments: Perennial, with huge taproots and foul-smelling leaves. Flowers open very early in day. Pollinated by bees. Gourds are edible before they dry. Native Americans used oil extracted from seeds for cooking, and dried gourds for ceremonial rattles. Three species of Cucurbita in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Vernon, August 4. The Coyote Melon (Cucurbita palmata) has similar flowers and round gourds, but its leaves are fingerlike instead of triangular.
RUSSIAN OLIVE
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Oleaster Family (Elaeagnaceae)
Height: To 25’.
Trunk: To 4”.
Bark: Grayish brown, fissured, shredding in long strips.
Flowers: Pale yellow inside, silver on outer surface; petalless, bell-shaped, very fragrant; to ³⁄₈” long; growing from leaf bases; followed by yellowish brown, silver-scaled, elliptical, ½”-long, berrylike fruit.
Leaves: Grayish green above, gray beneath; velvety, toothless, lance-shaped or oblong; to 3½” long.
Blooms: Early summers.
Elevation: 3,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Moist soils along streams and ponds.
Comments: Deciduous, with reddish brown spines on branches and twigs to 2” long. Native of Europe and western Asia; now naturalized in areas of Arizona, crowding out native species. Fruits eaten by birds; occasionally used for making jelly. One species of Elaeagnus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Lyman Lake, August 4.
RUSSET BUFFALO BERRY
Shepherdia canadensis
Oleaster Family (Elaeagnaceae)
Height: To 8’.
Flowers: Yellowish, inconspicuous, petalless; to ¹⁄₁₆” wide; followed by reddish orange, fleshy, juicy, pockmarked, oval, berrylike fruit to ¼” long.
Leaves: Dull green and dusty-scaled above; silvery with rusty patches beneath; elliptical to oval; to 3” long.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Thornless, sprawling shrub with grayish brown bark. Fruit tastes bitter; eaten by birds. Male and female flowers on separate plants. Three species of Shepherdia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Greer, July 5.
HORNED SPURGE
Euphorbia brachycera (Euphorbia lurida)
Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae)
Height: To 3’; usually shorter.
Flowers: Yellowish bracts, petalless, male and female flowers occur together in a tiny cup formed by joined bracts; to ¹⁄₁₆” wide.
Leaves: Light green, fleshy, numerous; more wide than long, to ³⁄₈” wide, ¼” long.
Blooms: April–August.
Elevation: 3,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and clearings.
Comments: Stems have milky juice. More than three dozen species of Euphorbia in Arizona. Photograph taken northeast of Superior, April 3.
PHYSICNUT
Sangre-De-Drago
Jatropha cuneata
Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Pale yellowish; with deep yellow stamens; tubular, 5-lobed, narrow bell with rim curved backward; to ¼” long, ¹⁄₈” wide; cluster at tips or on sides of branches.
Leaves: Dark green, thick, fleshy, smooth; alternate, oval with pointed base; creased down middle; to ¾” long; in small clusters on branches. Usually leafless until after the summer rains.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 1,000 to 2,000’.
Habitat: Dry mesas, plains, and slopes in southwestern Arizona.
Comments: Fleshy stems and leaves store water for drought periods. Pinkish stems. Tannin in roots was once used for tanning hides. Reddish sap in roots was used to produce dye and medicine. Three percent rubber can be extracted from dry stems. Four species of Jatropha in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, August 25.
WHITE-THORN ACACIA
Acacia constricta (Vachellia constricta)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Shrub to 10’.
Flowers: Yellowish orange, very fragrant, crowded into ½” balls; followed by curved, reddish brown pod to 5” long, to ¼” wide.
Leaves: Light green, bipinnately compound; to 2” long, 1” wide.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 2,500 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Mesas, dry slopes, washes, shallow caliche soil, and desert grassland.
Comments: Semi-deciduous; leafless during winter months. Branches armed with pairs of white spines to 2” long. Golden stamens (up to 40 per ball) give ball its color. Jackrabbits feed on young growth. Six species of Acacia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Saguaro Lake, August 26.
SWEET ACACIA
Huizache
Acacia farnesiana (Acacia smallii, Vachellia farnesiana)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Spiny shrub, or small tree to 20’.
Trunk: To 1’ in diameter.
Bark: Reddish brown, ridged, scaly, and thin.
Flowers: Golden yellow, ball-shaped, very fragrant; to ³⁄₈” in diameter; followed by a purplish pod to 3” long.
Leaves: Bright green, bipinnately compound; to 4” long; leaflets to ¼” long.
Blooms: November–May.
Elevation: 2,500 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Occasionally found naturally in washes in southern Arizona.
Comments: Deciduous to semi-deciduous. Has white, straight, inch-long spines at base of leaves. Foliage and pods eaten by livestock. When mature has round, widely spreading crown. Although native in Sonora, Mexico, and probably in parts of southern Arizona, sweet acacia is widely used in landscapes and can be found escaping into nearby drainages. Six species of Acacia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Tortilla Flat, November 11.
CATCLAW ACACIA
Una De Gato
Acacia greggii (Senegalia greggii)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Shrub, or small tree to 23’.
Trunk: To 8” in diameter.
Bark: Gray to brown; scaly.
Flowers: Cream to pale yellow, dense, fragrant, cylindrical spike, to 2½” long; followed by flattened, twisted pod to 6” long, ½” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, bipinnately compound; to 3” long.
Blooms: April–October, with heaviest blooms in April and May.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Slopes, canyons, desert grasslands, and along washes and streams.
Comments: Deciduous. Branches have short, sharp, ¼” long, recurved spines that resemble cats’ claws and can rip clothing and flesh if brushed against. Wax-coated seeds delay germination for several years. Flowers attract bees and other insects. String bean–like fruits are ground into meal by Native Americans. Wood used for tool handles and fuel. Six species of Acacia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Saguaro Lake, August 26.
YELLOW BIRD-OF-PARADISE
Caesalpinia gilliesii
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Shrub to 10’.
Flowers: Yellow petals, 10 red stamens; to 3” long; in terminal raceme; followed by a flattened bean, to 5” long, splitting and curling when mature.
Leaves: Grayish green, twice pinnately compound; to 14 primary leaflets, up to 10 pairs of oval secondary leaflets; leaf to 6” long, 3” wide.
Blooms: April–September.
Habitat: Roadsides and waste areas in warmer counties of Arizona.
Comments: Open, deciduous shrub to 6’ wide. Native of South America and Mexico, now naturalized in the Southwest and grown as a landscape shrub. Flowers and foliage have an unpleasant odor. Seed pods are thought to be poisonous. Three species of Caesalpinia in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Scottsdale, May 7.
COURSETIA
Baby Bonnets
Coursetia glandulosa (Coursetia microphylla)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 20’; usually less.
Flowers: Cream-colored upper petals, yellow lower petals, pealike; to ½” long, ¼” wide; in short, glandular raceme; followed by a brown, thick-walled seed pod, to 2” long, constricted between seeds.
Leaves: Grayish green, hairy, pinnately compound; to 1” long, singly or in clusters. Elliptical to oblong leaflets to ¼” long, and in pairs; no terminal leaflet.
Blooms: March–April.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Canyons and dry, rocky slopes.
Comments: Plant has grayish bark; no spines, and hairy stems. Two species of Coursetia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro National Monument West, April 17.
BIRDSFOOT LOTUS
Ground Honeysuckle
Lotus corniculatus
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Sprawling stems, tips upright to 18”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, pealike, with upright upper hood; 5-petaled; to ⁵⁄₈” long, ³⁄₈” wide; on axil stem, in flat-topped, loose cluster of up to 12 flowers; cluster to 1¼” wide; followed by 1”-long, narrow pod with a hair at tip; pods radiating outward in half-circle.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnate, with 3 oblong leaflets, each to ¾” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: Not available. Photograph taken at 5,600’.
Habitat: Roadsides and meadows.
Comments: Perennial. Introduced from Eurasia. Configuration of pods suggests a bird’s foot. Fifteen species of Lotus in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Christopher Creek, August 11.
GREEN’S LOTUS
Lotus greenei
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Creeper to 6” high.
Flowers: Yellow, with orangish backs; pealike; banner (upper) petal very large; to ³⁄₈” wide, on long flower stem.
Leaves: Grayish green, densely haired, pinnate, 4 to 5 spatula-shaped leaflets in fanlike cluster, to ¼” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 3,000 to 5,000’ in southern Arizona.
Habitat: Roadsides, rocky hillsides, and mesas.
Comments: Fifteen species of Lotus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sonoita, April 26.
DESERT ROCK PEA
Shrubby Deer Vetch
Lotus rigidus
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow-tinged with orange; pealike, banner (upper) petal flares backward; on long flower stem; flower to 1” long; followed by long, narrow seed pod to 1½” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, pinnate, widely spaced on stem; 3 to 5 narrow leaflets; leaf to 1¹⁄₈” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, in canyons and in deserts.
Comments: The most drought-resistant lotus in Arizona. Several erect, wiry, gray stems. Fifteen species of Lotus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Superior, April 3. Recognizable by wide spacing on stems between leaves, and by its very gray stems and foliage.
HAIRY LOTUS
Desert Lotus
Lotus strigosus var. tomentellus
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Prostrate to 10”.
Flowers: Yellow and pealike; to ¹⁄₈” wide; 1 to 2 on long flower stem.
Leaves: Grayish, hairy, and pinnate, with 5 to 6 blunt leaflets; to 1” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Sandy deserts.
Comments: Fifteen species of Lotus in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 15.
WRIGHT’S DEERVETCH
Lotus wrightii
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellow, tinged with orange or red with age; pealike; to ½” long; in leaf axils; followed by a slender pod to 1” long.
Leaves: Dark green; pinnately compound with 3 to 5 leaflets, each to ½” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 4,500 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and dry, open pine forests and juniper woods.
Comments: Fifteen species of Lotus in Arizona. Photograph taken in Willow Springs Lake area, August 9.
BLACK MEDICK
Nonesuch
Medicago lupulina
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Trailing to 2’ long.
Flowers: Bright yellow and pealike; to ¹⁄₈” long; clustered together on short, dense spike; followed by tiny, 1-seeded, kidney-shaped pod, to ¹⁄₈” long.
Leaves: Dark green, divided into 3 leaflets with rounded tips; to 1” long including stalk.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 2,500 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, lawns, and waste areas.
Comments: Annual; a forage plant. Native of Eurasia; now naturalized in U.S. Five species of Medicago in Arizona. Photograph taken at Black Canyon Lake, September 29.
BUR CLOVER
Medicago polymorpha (Medicago hispida)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Prostrate to semi-erect, to 2’.
Flowers: Yellow and pealike; to ¹⁄₈” wide; 3 to 5 in a cluster on short stalk; followed by coiled, burlike seed pod with curved prickles on the sharp edge of a spiral; to ⁵⁄₁₆” in diameter.
Leaves: Bright green, divided into 3 wedgeshaped, toothed leaflets with slightly indented tips; to 1” wide.
Blooms: March–May; a longer period of time under moist conditions.
Elevation: 100 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Fields, lots, and disturbed areas.
Comments: Annual. Introduced from Europe; now naturalized in the U.S. Five species of Medicago in Arizona. Photograph taken on Apache Trail, March 19.
YELLOW SWEET CLOVER
Honey Clover
Melilotus officinalis
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow and pealike; to ¼” long; in long, spikelike raceme to 6” long.
Leaves: Light green, pinnately divided into 3 lanceshaped, toothed leaflets, each to 1” long.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: To 8,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and fields.
Comments: From Eurasia; now naturalized in the U.S. Biennial. Roots bind soil and enrich it with nitrogen. An excellent honey producer; browsed by deer. Three species of Melilotus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Greer, June 18.
MEXICAN PALOVERDE
Horse Bean
Parkinsonia aculeata
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 40’.
Trunk: To 1’ in diameter.
Bark: Yellowish green, smooth, scaly at base, and brown when larger.
Flowers: Golden yellow; 5 petals, the largest orange or yellow with orange spots; to 1” wide, in cluster to 7” long; followed by dark brown pod narrowing between seeds, to 4” long.
Leaves: Bright green, twice pinnately compound; to 20” long; up to 30 pairs of leaflets, each to ³⁄₁₆” long. Leaves fall off during drought or cold conditions.
Blooms: April–May.
Elevation: To 4,500’.
Habitat: Desert valleys.
Comments: Gradually becoming naturalized in Arizona. Foliage and seeds eaten by wildlife. A favorite of bees. Three species of Parkinsonia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mesa, May 3. Easily recognizable by its branches of long streamers; spines on branches grouped in threes.
BLUE PALOVERDE
Parkinsonia florida (Cercidium floridum)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 30’.
Trunk: To 1½’ in diameter.
Bark: Blue-green, smooth, and thin, becoming brown and scaly on large, older trunks.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 5-petaled (all petals yellow); to 1” wide; 4 or 5 in 2”-long cluster; followed by flat, yellowish brown pod, short-pointed at ends; to 3” long.
Leaves: Dull bluish green when present; to 1½” long; bipinnately compound with oblong leaflets to ³⁄₁₆” long.
Blooms: April–May.
Elevation: 500 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Along washes, valleys, flood plains, desert slopes, and desert grasslands.
Comments: Blue paloverde is widely spreading, with a very open crown. Photosynthesis takes place in the bark, in addition to the drought-deciduous leaves. Twigs often bear a ¼” spine at each node. Three species of Parkinsonia in Arizona. Blue paloverde is distinguished from Foothill Paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla) (at right) by its larger leaves, 5 yellow petals, bluish bark, and ¼”-long spines at the nodes. Photo taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, May 3.
FOOTHILL PALOVERDE
Littleleaf Paloverde
Parkinsonia microphylla (Cercidium microphyllum)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 25’.
Trunk: To 1’ in diameter.
Bark: Yellow-green and smooth.
Flowers: Pale yellow, with 5 petals (the largest petal is creamy white); ½” wide; in 1” cluster, followed by cylindrical pod with long, narrow points; pod to 3” long, ¼” in diameter.
Leaves: Yellowish green, bipinnately compound; 5 to 7 pairs of elliptical leaflets, each to ¹⁄₁₆” long; leaf to ¾” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 500 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky hillsides and mesas, plains, and deserts.
Comments: During the dry season, when leaves are dropped, photosynthesis is carried on by the chlorophyll in the bark. The tree has a widely spreading, open crown. Twigs end in stout, stiff spines, to 2” long. Three species of Parkinsonia in Arizona. Distinguished from Blue Paloverde (Parkinsonia florida) (at left) by its smaller leaves, 1 whitish petal, yellowish bark, and spine-tipped branchlets with no spines at the nodes. Photo taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, May 3.
WESTERN HONEY MESQUITE
Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 20’.
Trunk: To 1’ in diameter.
Bark: Brown and smooth, becoming rough with age.
Flowers: Creamy yellow and fragrant; to ¼” long; in narrow cluster to 3” long; followed by spiraled or straight beanlike pod to 8” long.
Leaves: Yellowish green, bipinnately compound; to 8” long; leaflets narrow, oblong, to 1¼” long, ¹⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: May.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Plains, hillsides, and along washes.
Comments: A favorite of bees. Native Americans used pods for meal. A single or pair of white to yellowish spines, to 3½” long, at large nodes on branches. Three species of Prosopis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, May 20. Texas Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) has reddish spines and larger leaflets. Native to Texas and New Mexico, it is being spread along highways in Arizona by droppings from cattle transport trucks.
SCREWBEAN MESQUITE
Tornillo
Prosopis pubescens
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: Shrub, or small tree to 20’.
Trunk: To 8” in diameter.
Bark: Light brown to reddish and smooth when young; when mature, separates into long, fibrous strips.
Flowers: Yellow and small; to ³⁄₁₆” long; in dense, narrow, cylindrical cluster to 2” long; followed by a light greenish, tightly coiled, spiral pod to 2” long; on stalk in crowded cluster.
Leaves: Yellowish green, slightly hairy, bipinnately compound; to 3” long; 5 to 8 pairs of oblong leaflets, to ³⁄₈” long, ¹⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Flood plains and bottomlands along rivers.
Comments: Deciduous. Branches are twisted and spiny. Pods used by Native Americans for meal and also eaten by desert animals. Wood used for fence posts and fuel. Three species of Prosopis in Arizona, with several varieties. Photograph taken in vicinity of Scottsdale, August 25.
VELVET MESQUITE
Prosopis velutina
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: A large shrub, or small tree to 30’ or more.
Trunk: To 2’ in diameter.
Bark: Dark brown, rough, separating into long, narrow strips.
Flowers: Cream to yellow, small and fragrant, in slender, cylindrical spikes to 4” long, followed by narrow seed pods (brownish when mature) to 8” long.
Leaves: Yellow-green, bipinnately compound; leaflet to ½” long, leaf to 6” long.
Blooms: April; often again in August.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Desert washes, alongside streams, and in areas where water table is reasonably high.
Comments: Deciduous shrub or tree, with straight 2” spines on branches. A legume that restores nitrogen to the soil. Roots penetrate ground to 60’ in search of water. Often grows in dense thickets.
A favorite of bees and other insects; its flowers are an excellent honey source. Ripened seed pods are eaten by livestock and wild animals; 80 percent of a coyote’s diet in late summer and fall is mesquite beans.
Along some desert rivers, such as the Verde, mesquite bosques (Spanish for “small forests”) are still found; they provide excellent nesting sites for desert birds and habitat for mammals. Three species of Prosopis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, April 9.
ROSARY BEAN
Rhynchosia senna (Rhynchosia texana)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 8”, but mostly trailing.
Flowers: Yellow to peachy orange, pealike flower with sickle-shaped keel; to ¹⁄₈” wide, ¼” long; occurring singly or in small cluster in leaf axils; followed by green, flat pea pod to ¾” long.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnately divided into 3 elliptical segments; leaflet to 1¼” long, leaf to 2¼” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 3,500 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Dry plains, mesas, and slopes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Ground cover, often controlling erosion. Three species of Rhynchosia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Lynx Lake, September 11.
DESERT SENNA
Senna covesii (Cassia covesii)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Rusty yellow, with 5 petals; to 1” wide; in terminal cluster; followed by slightly curving, woody seed pod, to 1¼” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, with fine, white hairs; pinnate; 3 pairs of elliptical leaflets; to 2” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 1,000 to 3,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, mesas, and roadsides.
Comments: A bushy perennial. Nine species of Senna in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, March 1.
PINE THERMOPSIS
Golden Pea
Thermopsis divericarpa (Thermopsis pinetorum)
Pea Family (Fabaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow and pealike; to 1” long; in terminal, erect cluster; followed by long, slender pod, to 3” long.
Leaves: Bright green, compound, with 3 broad, lance-shaped leaflets; to 4” long.
Blooms: April–July.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Meadows and clearings in pine forests.
Comments: Perennial herb; grows in clumps. Two species of Thermopsis in Arizona. Photograph taken near Hannagan Meadow, June 24.
GOLDEN CORYDALIS
Scrambled Eggs
Corydalis aurea
Fumitory Family (Fumariaceae)
Height: To 1½’, but, because it is weak-stemmed, often supported or prostrate.
Flowers: Golden yellow, irregularly shaped; to ¾” long; in spikelike cluster; followed by a flatsided, curved, narrow seed capsule to 1” long.
Leaves: Silvery bluish green, finely dissected, slightly succulent; to 6” long.
Blooms: February–June (sometimes late summer).
Elevation: 1,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, washes, and pastures.
Comments: Short-lived perennial herb. Plant contains poisonous alkaloid. One species of Corydalis in Arizona. Photograph taken on Mount Graham, May 3.
SPURRED GENTIAN
Halenia recurva
Gentian Family (Gentianaceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Yellowish and pointed, with cylindrical corolla, 4 erect lobes, 4 short spurs at base; to ½” long, ½” wide; at leaf intervals along stem.
Leaves: Yellowish green, linear, in opposite pairs at intervals on erect stem; to 1½” long.
Blooms: August–September.
Elevation: 7,500 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows and moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Annual herb. One species of Halenia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Willow Springs Lake, September 13.
WOLF’S CURRANT
Black Currant
Ribes wolfii
Currant Family (Grossulariaceae)
Height: Straggly shrub to 15’.
Flowers: Yellowish white, small, and bellshaped, in small cluster. Followed by round currant with soft hairs tipped with brown, to ¼” in diameter; in clusters, blackish with a whitish bloom when mature.
Leaves: Green, maplelike, 3-lobed; toothed, deeply veined; to 3” long, 2½” wide.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 8,500 to 11,500’.
Habitat: Moist coniferous forests and areas of springs.
Comments: Often sends shoots up into nearby trees. Browsed by elk. Birds and small mammals feed on fruits. Though tart, fruits are used for baking and for jelly. Ten species of Ribes in Arizona. Photograph taken at Greer, August 10.
WHISPERING BELLS
Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora
Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Pale yellow, bell-shaped, and nodding; with 5 untied petals; to ½” long; in loosely branched cluster.
Leaves: Grayish green, long, narrow; pinnately lobed; to 4” long.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Desert washes, slopes, and along streams.
Comments: Annual herb. Stems are covered with sticky hairs. So-named because when it is dry, paper-thin flowers make rustling sounds in the wind. One species of Emmenanthe in Arizona. Photograph taken in the Superstition Mountains, March 15.
SOUTHWESTERN ST. JOHN’S WORT
Hypericum formosum
St. John’s Wort Family (Hypericacae)
Height: To 28”.
Flowers: 5 bright yellow petals above, reddish orange markings beneath; tiny, black dots on petal edges; numerous yellow stamens; to 1” wide.
Leaves: Dull green, often tinged with pink; oblong to oval; paired around stem; black-dotted on margins (translucent dots all over leaf are oil and pigment glands); to 1” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Along mountain streams and moist meadows in coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Reddish green erect stem, often with branches. Plant is named for St. John the Baptist. It was once believed if plants were hung in a home, inhabitants were protected from witches and thunder. Three species of Hypericum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Greer, July 5.
COMMON BLADDERWORT
Greater Bladderwort
Utricularia macrorhiza (Utricularia vulgaris)
Bladderwort Family (Lentibulariaceae)
Height: To 8” above surface of water.
Flowers: Yellow, 2-lipped, snapdragon-like; large palate faintly striped with red; spurred; to ½” wide, ¾” long; in a sparsely flowered, terminal cluster on a stout, leafless stem.
Leaves: Dark green, finely dissected, hairlike; floating or submerged; provided with scattered, ¹⁄₈”-wide bladders; to 2” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 8,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Mainly shallow water of ponds and lakes.
Comments: Only insectivorous plant in Arizona. The bladders resemble minute bubbles. Each is equipped with a tiny door and a sensitive trigger, which when touched opens the door. The vacuum inside the bubble sucks an organism in, then digestive enzymes disintegrate the prey. Water fleas and mosquito larvae are common victims. Eight species of Utricularia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Carnero Lake near Greer, July 11.
DESERT MARIPOSA
Calochortus kennedyi var. munzii
Lily Family (Liliaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow petals with purple to black markings; membranes at base; short-stemmed when growing in open, long-stemmed among shrubs; to 3” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrow, grasslike, few; to 8” long.
Blooms: March–May, but usually April.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Open or shrubby areas in dry soil.
Comments: Perennial herb. Mariposa means “butterfly” in Spanish. Six species of Calochortus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Patagonia Lake State Park, April 26.
NEW MEXICAN YELLOW FLAX
Linum neomexicanum
Flax Family (Linaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellow and starlike, with 5 petals; to ½” wide. Many grow on elongated flower stems to 1½” long.
Leaves: Dark green, narrow; to ½” long; pointed upward, hugging stem; all along upward-pointing branches.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 4,500 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Pine forests.
Comments: Nine species of Linum in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Woods Canyon Lake, August 3.
VENUS BLAZING STAR
Jones’ Blazing Star
Mentzelia jonesii (Mentzelia nitens)
Stick Leaf Family (Loasaceae)
Height: To 2’, often prostrate.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 5 rounded petals, to ¼” wide; in small, hairy clusters at tip of branches.
Leaves: Grayish green, rough, hairy; pinnately and deeply cleft into very narrow lobes; lower leaves to 6” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Sandy deserts, often along rivers.
Comments: Several varieties of this species. Over twenty species of Mentzelia in Arizona. Photograph taken along Bill Williams River below Alamo Lake Dam, February 26.
DESERT BLAZING STAR
Adonis Blazing Star
Mentzelia multiflora (Mentzelia pumila)
Stick Leaf Family (Loasaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, star-shaped; outer stamens have broad, flattened filaments and resemble additional petals; to 2” wide; occurring at ends of branches; followed by bullet-shaped seed capsule.
Leaves: Grayish green, sandpapery, long, narrow, many-lobed; to 4” long.
Blooms: February–October.
Elevation: 100 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, dry stream beds, pinyonjuniper woods, and ponderosa forest clearings.
Comments: Plant has whitish stems. Flowers open in late afternoon. This species has a bullet-shaped ovary below flower head. Leaves and stems cling to fabric like Velcro, due to hooked hairs. Native Americans ground seeds for meal. Over twenty species of Mentzelia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Painted Rocks Dam, March 31.
DESERT VINE
Janusia gracilis
Malpighia Family (Malpighiaceae)
Height: Twining, tangled vine climbing over cacti and trees up to 6’, vine to 9’ long horizontally.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 spoon-shaped petals; to ½” wide; occurring singly or in small cluster; followed by a 2- or 3-winged, reddish fruit similar to maple samara.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrow, very hairy above and beneath; opposite, linear; to 1¼” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 1,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Washes; dry, rocky slopes; and desert flats.
Comments: Very slender stems. One species of Janusia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro National Monument West, April 16.
BALLOON MALLOW
Herissantia crispa
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: Straggly and weak-stemmed, to 2’ long.
Flowers: 5 very pale peachy yellow petals, orangish center, to ¾” wide; followed by an angular, hairy, inflated, balloon-shaped fruit, to ½” wide, ³⁄₈” high.
Leaves: Grayish green, heart-shaped, toothed, hairy above and beneath; to 2” long.
Blooms: Almost year-round.
Elevation: Below 3,500’.
Habitat: Dry slopes.
Comments: Often vinelike. One species of Herissantia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro National Park West, March 31.
DESERT ROSE MALLOW
Coulter’s Hibiscus
Hibiscus coulteri
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: To 4’, but usually less.
Flowers: Butter yellow to whitish with red basal spot, 5 rounded petals; cup-shaped; stamens joined at bases form tube surrounding style; to 2” wide.
Leaves: Dark green and reddish-margined; toothed, hairy, glandular; 3-lobed upper leaves to 1” long, undivided lower leaves to 1½” long.
Blooms: Periodically throughout the year.
Elevation: 1,500 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Canyons and rocky slopes.
Comments: Straggling shrub with gray, woody stems. Frequented by bees. Three species of Hibiscus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro National Monument West, April 17.
SPREADING FANPETALS
Sida abutifolia (Sida filicaulis)
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: Sprawling vine.
Flowers: Yellowish to peachy orange, with bright yellow center, 5 flattened petals slightly indented at tips; to ⁷⁄₈” wide, borne singly from leaf axil.
Leaves: Dark green, hairy, elliptical, with scalloped margins; folded slightly upward; to 1” long.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 2,500 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Plains and mesas in dry, sandy soil.
Comments: Stems are pinkish and hairy. Five species of Sida in Arizona. Photograph taken at Portal, April 23.
FRINGED LOOSESTRIFE
Lysimachia hybrida (Lysimachia ciliata var. validula)
Myrsine Family (Myrsinaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Shiny yellow, flattened; with 5 rounded, crinkly edged, toothed petals pinkish toward base; 5 green sepals showing between petals; 5 stamens; to ¾” wide, on stalks in leaf axils.
Leaves: Light green with pinkish margins; opposite, folded upward, lance-shaped to elliptical; to 2¾” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 6,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Moist soil of meadows, pondsides, and stream banks.
Comments: Perennial herb. Many-branched, with squarish stems. One species of Lysimachia in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of McNary, July 7.
YELLOW MENODORA
Twinfruit
Menodora scabra
Olive Family (Oleaceae)
Height: To 1½’.
Flowers: Bright yellow and tubular, with 5 or 6 spreading lobes; to ¾” wide; in loose clusters at branch tips; reddish buds, followed by 2 translucent, round fruits side by side, each to ¼” in diameter.
Leaves: Grayish green, thick, rough, and lanceshaped; to 1½” long; occurring along the length of entire stem.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 1,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Dry mesas and rocky slopes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Many-branched; browsed by wildlife. Two species of Menodora in Arizona. Photograph taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, May 30.
YELLOW EVENING PRIMROSE
Calylophus hartwegii ssp. hartwegii
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 4 very crinkly petals; to 2½” wide; large buds are reddish with green stripes.
Leaves: Gray-green, hairy, narrow, with wavy margins; to 2” long.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 3,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, hillsides, and plains.
Comments: Perennial herb. Four species of Calylophus in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Safford, April 20.
YELLOW CUPS
Sundrop
Camissonia brevipes
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 22”.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 4 petals; cup-shaped; to 1½” wide; in broad raceme; followed by slender pod, to 3” long.
Leaves: Green with reddish tinge, mostly in basal rosette; coarse, oval or pinnately lobed; to 5” long.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Desert slopes and washes.
Comments: Annual. Blooms at sunrise instead of sunset, like most evening primroses. Around two dozen species of Camissonia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Alamo Lake, February 13.
MUSTARD EVENING PRIMROSE
Camissonia californica
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, 4-petaled; often with pinkish spots at bases of petals; to ¾” wide; followed by a long, very narrow, mustardlike seed pod to 2½” long.
Leaves: Dark green, narrow; linear on stems; lance-shaped with irregular margins toward base of plant; to 4” long.
Blooms: February–June.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Washes, dry slopes, and plains.
Comments: Many-branched. Resembles members of the Mustard Family. Around two dozen species of Camissonia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 22.
MINIATURE SUNCUPS
Camissonia micrantha (Oenothera micrantha)
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with orangish buds, 4 petals; to ½” wide.
Leaves: Gray-green, leathery with hairs; arrowshaped; base clasps stem; to 2” long at base, smaller up along stem.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Washes and desert flats.
Comments: Around two dozen species of Camissonia in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Saguaro Lake, May 20.
HOOKER’S EVENING PRIMROSE
Yellow Flowered Evening Primrose
Oenothera elata ssp. hirsutissima (Oenothera hookeri)
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow, becoming pink to orange the following day; 4 broad petals; to 3” wide; in a simple or branching raceme; followed by a slender pod to 2” long.
Leaves: Green, long, lance-shaped or elliptical; to 9” long, graduating to smaller from base to top of stem.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 3,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and ponderosa pine clearings.
Comments: Biennial herb. Seeds eaten by Native Americans. Flowers open in late afternoon and close by noon the following day. Twenty-one species of Oenothera in Arizona. Photograph taken near Willow Springs Lake, September 13.
YELLOW PRIMROSE
Oenothera flava ssp. taraxacoides (Oenothera taraxacoides)
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: To 6”.
Flowers: Bright yellow (pink when faded), with 4 quilted petals, yellow stamens, long, yellowish green stigma with 4 threadlike branches; to 3½” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, very finely haired, deeply lobed; to 6” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Sandy or moist soil along roadsides and in pine forests.
Comments: Twenty-one species of Oenothera in Arizona. Photograph taken at Crescent Lake, July 2.
BOTTLE EVENING PRIMROSE
Sundrop
Oenothera primiveris
Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
Height: Prostrate, to 4”.
Flowers: Yellow, 4 petals, notched; to 2” wide, opening in the evening, closing following morning.
Leaves: Greenish gray, pinnate, broad, rounded lobes, basal; to 4” long.
Blooms: Mid-February–May.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Dry and open deserts.
Comments: Twenty-one species of Oenothera in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 28.
STRIPED CORAL ROOT
Corallorhiza striata var. vreelandii
Orchid Family (Orchidaceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Pale brownish, yellowish, or whitish, striped with purplish to brownish, tiny orchids to 1” wide; oval lip to ½” long is bent downward; in racemes on erect, reddish purple stems.
Leaves: Nearly leafless, with only a few scalelike vestiges of leaves on lower stems.
Blooms: June–July.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forests.
Comments: Saprophytic orchid lacking chlorophyll. Receives nourishment from a fungus that decomposes dead plant material. Has corallike underground stem. Three species of Corallorhiza in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Forest Lakes, June 13.
YELLOW LADY’S SLIPPER
Yellow Moccasin Flower
Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens)
Orchid Family (Orchidaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Golden yellow, inflated slipperlike lip petal to 2” long; 2 spirally twisted side petals ranging in color from yellow to yellowish brown with reddish markings. Two greenish yellow, lance-shaped sepals with reddish markings, one above and one below lip petal; usually 1 bloom but sometimes twin blooms per stem.
Leaves: Dark green, clasping stem; hairy, oval to elliptical, deeply veined; usually 3 to 5 per stem; to 8” long.
Blooms: June–July.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Rich soil in well-shaded locations of moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Extremely rare in Arizona. One species of Cypripedium in Arizona. (Because of its rarity many have never seen this orchid growing in Arizona. The author of the first edition was, however, very familiar with the species and included here a photograph taken in 1982 in her wildflowers garden in the Northeast where her plant multiplied year after year.)
MEXICAN CANCER-ROOT
Conopholis alpina var. mexicana
Broomrape Family (Orobanchaceae)
Height: To 12”.
Flowers: Yellowish, curved with protruding stigmas; in several rows on elongated spike; to ½” long.
Leaves: Yellow (lack chlorophyll); scalelike.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: The humus in pine, oak, cypress, and madrone areas.
Comments: Plant resembles a large pine cone. A saprophyte on decaying vegetation. One species of Conopholis in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Cave Creek, Portal, April 22.
CLUSTERED BROOMRAPE
Cancer-Root
Orobanche fasciculata
Broomrape Family (Orobanchaceae)
Height: To 4”.
Flowers: Yellowish with slight pinkish color on lobes; tubular, 5-lobed; pointed, hairy calyx lobes; glandular hairs on flower and calyx; 2 pair of very hairy, yellow stamens; flower to ³⁄₈” wide, 1” long.
Leaves: Cream-colored scales.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 4,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Chaparral and coniferous forests, frequently in volcanic cinders.
Comments: Cream-colored, hairy, separate stems in cluster. A root parasite. Six species of Orobanche in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sunset Crater National Monument, June 4.
CREEPING WOOD SORREL
Little Yellow Sorrel
Oxalis corniculata
Oxalis Family (Oxalidaceae)
Height: Creeping stems to 8” long.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with 5 petals; to ½” wide; in cluster of 1 to 5 on slender stalk from leaf axil; followed by yellowish green, cylindrical, 5-angled, pointed, 1”-long seed pod.
Leaves: Dark green (sometimes tinged with purple); palmately compound with 3 notched leaflets; to 1” wide; folding together at night.
Blooms: February–November.
Elevation: 100 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Lawns, gardens, and fields.
Comments: Common garden weed; originated in Europe, now naturalized in the U.S. Roots at joints. Mature seed pods burst open, throwing seeds in all directions. Eight species of Oxalis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Chiricahua National Monument, April 24.
LITTLE GOLD POPPY
Pygmy Poppy
Eschscholzia minutiflora
Poppy Family (Papaveraceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Yellow-orange, 4 petals; to ¾” wide; followed by a long, slender seed capsule.
Leaves: Bluish green, fernlike, divided into narrow segments; on long stalks at stem joints; to 2” near the ground, decreasing in size upward.
Blooms: February–May.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Lower deserts in sandy soil.
Comments: A rather bushy plant. Three species of Eschscholzia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Kofa Mountain area, March 29.
CREAM CUPS
Platystemon californicus
Poppy Family (Papaveraceae)
Height: To 1’.
Flowers: Pale yellow or cream; normally 6 petals, occasionally more (as in photograph); terminal on stem; to 1” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, softly haired, linear to narrowly lance-shaped; to 3” long; mainly on lower stems.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 1,500 to 4,500’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, hillsides, and along streams.
Comments: Annual. One species of Platystemon in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Roosevelt Dam, March 23.
YELLOW LINANTHUS
Desert Gold
Leptosiphon aureus (Linanthus aureus)
Phlox Family (Polemoniaceae)
Height: To 4”.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with bright orange center; 5-lobed, funnel-shaped, upright; to ½” wide.
Leaves: Green, divided into 3 to 7 linear lobes; to ¼” long; in rings at well-spaced intervals on stem.
Blooms: March–June.
Elevation: 2,000 to 6,000’.
Habitat: Dry plains, mesas, and oak woodlands.
Comments: Annual. Threadlike, with reddish stalks. Three species of Leptosiphon in Arizona. Photograph taken on Mount Graham, April 21.
RIGID SPINY-HERB
Devil’s Spiny-Herb
Chorizanthe rigida
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Height: To 4”.
Flowers: Yellowish green, surrounded by 3 long spines.
Leaves: Dark green, basal, broadly oval, longstemmed; to 1½” long. Stem leaves are bractlike.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: Below 2,500’.
Habitat: Hot, coarse gravels of lower deserts.
Comments: Annual; sprouts up by the thousands after wet winter, then dies. Dried, blackened plants remain in desert soil for a year or more like spiny tufts. Four species of Chorizanthe in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Gila Bend, March 30.
WINGED BUCKWHEAT
Eriogonum alatum var. alatum
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellowish green to yellowish brown; tubular, petalless, small (to ³⁄₁₆” wide); in numerous loose clusters on upper branches, followed by small, hard, winged, triangular seeds.
Leaves: Grayish green, spatula-shaped, very hairy; mainly basal; to 7” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 5,500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides and forest clearings.
Comments: Erect and many-branched, with hairy stems. Navajo and Hopi Indians used plant medicinally to ease pain. Over fifty species of Eriogonum in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Woods Canyon Lake, August 2.
WILD BUCKWHEAT
Eriogonum corymbosum var. glutinosum (Eriogonum aureum)
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Grayish-white to yellowish, tiny, and numerous; in rounded clusters to ¾” wide; on many-stemmed branches.
Leaves: Light green, oval; to 1¾” long, 1¹⁄₈” wide.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: 4,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Comments: Over fifty species of Eriogonum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Sunset Crater National Monument, September 6.
DESERT TRUMPET
Bladderstem
Eriogonum inflatum
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Yellow, tiny; on threadlike stalks at stem divisions.
Leaves: Dark green, oval, long-stemmed; to 2” long; in basal rosette.
Blooms: February–October.
Elevation: Below 3,500’.
Habitat: Rocky or sandy desert slopes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Stems above nodes are inflated. Some species of wasps drill holes in the hollow stems, fill the hollows with captured insect larvae, then lay their eggs within the stems, thus ensuring food for their young. Over fifty species of Eriogonum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cattail Cove State Park, February 24. The inflated stems are common to numerous species of Eriogonum.
YELLOW-FLOWERED ERIOGONUM
Eriogonum sp.
Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)
Height: To 1½’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 3 petals, 3 sepals, to ³⁄₁₆” wide; in flattish, terminal cluster to 3” wide.
Leaves: Grayish-green, hairy, lance-shaped; mainly basal; to 6” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Clearings in ponderosa pine forests and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Comments: A variable species with over 20 varieties. Has a leafless flower stem, and grows in clumps. Almost all species of Eriogonum are difficult to identify, even for the expert botanist. For the amateur, simply recognizing wild buckwheat as such is an accomplishment. Over fifty species of Eriogonum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Walnut Canyon National Monument, September 7.
COMMON PURSLANE
Portulaca oleracea
Purslane Family (Portulacaceae)
Height: Normally prostrate to 2’ long; occasionally erect to 6” high.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 petals; to ¼” wide; singly or in small clusters in leaf axils or at stem tips; followed by a small, round capsule.
Leaves: Bronze-green with reddish margins, succulent, thick, smooth, and shiny; wedge-shaped, rounded at tip; to 1½” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 1,000 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Clearings in ponderosa forests, overgrazed areas, meadows, and cultivated areas.
Comments: Annual. Reddish on stems. Joints produce roots when in contact with soil. Introduced from Europe; now naturalized. Its iron content is very high, so it is eaten as a salad green and as a potherb. Six species of Portulaca in Arizona. Photograph taken in Pine, September 2.
YELLOW COLUMBINE
Golden Columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha
Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Canary yellow, with 5 yellow petals with 2”-long spurs projecting backward; flower horizontal or upward pointing; to 3” wide.
Leaves: Bluish green, mostly basal, divided into threes; leaflets to 1½” long about as wide.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 3,000 to 11,000’.
Habitat: Alongside streams and in rich, moist soil in shady forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Seven species of Aquilegia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Willow Springs Lake, September 9.
HEARTLEAF BUTTERCUP
Ranunculus cardiophyllus
Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Shiny yellow, with 5 waxy petals; to 1½” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, heart-shaped, with scalloped margins; to 2” long.
Blooms: June–July.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Moist meadows in pine and spruce-fir belts.
Comments: Buttercups contain a cardiac poison and are poisonous if eaten. Over twenty species of Ranunculus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Greer, June 21.
AQUATIC BUTTERCUP
Ranunculus hydrocharoides
Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)
Height: To 3”.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with 5 petals; waxylooking; to ¼” wide; grow singly at end of stalk.
Leaves: Green, shiny, oval to lance-shaped; to 1½” long.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Springs, marshes, streams, and wet meadows in mixed coniferous forests.
Comments: Aquatic perennial. Over twenty species of Ranunculus in Arizona. Photograph taken near Hannagan Meadow, June 24.
MACOUN’S BUTTERCUP
Ranunculus macounii
Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Golden yellow, with 5 rounded petals; to ⁵⁄₈” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, finely haired above, lighter green beneath; triangular-shaped but divided and cleft; to 8” long, including stem; leaves smaller on upper stems.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 6,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: In mud along streams and in marshes in coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial. A sprawling plant with either hairy or smooth stems. Over twenty species of Ranunculus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Greer, July 5.
ROADSIDE AGRIMONY
Agrimonia striata
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 petals, yellow stamens; to ⁵⁄₁₆” wide; on long, slender spike.
Leaves: Dark green and hairy above, pale green and hairy beneath; pinnate, divided into large and small leaflets to 2” long, with pointed tips, toothed; up to 11 leaflets per leaf.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 6,500 to 8,500’.
Habitat: Rich soil in pine forests and along streams.
Comments: Perennial herb with very hairy stem. Two species of Agrimonia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Greer, July 5.
COMMON SILVERWEED
Argentina anserina (Potentilla anserine)
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: Strawberrylike runners, with flower stalk to 12”.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 petals; to ¾” wide.
Leaves: Silvery green, featherlike; upper surface is silky-haired, lower surface woolly haired; pinnately compound, with 9 to 31 lancelike, sharply toothed leaflets; to 10” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 5,600 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Open, moist ground in ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forests.
Comments: Perennial herb, introduced from Eurasia. At joints on runners, roots form and enter soil; leaves then develop and new plants form. One species of Argentina in Arizona. Photograph taken at Luna Lake, July 23.
BIG-LEAF AVENS
Largeleaf Avens
Geum macrophyllum
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Yellow, wavy with 5 petals as long or longer than sepals; numerous stamens and pistils; flower to ½” wide, in loose cluster on upper branches.
Leaves: Dark green, pinnately compound; bristly haired, toothed, and large; roundish segment at tip with small segments toward main stem; basal leaf to 18” long, progressively shorter toward flowers.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Mountain stream banks and clearings in moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb, with bristly, hairy stems. Four species of Geum in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mount Baldy Wilderness, August 13.
TALL CINQUEFOIL
Potentilla arguta
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 40”.
Flowers: Pale yellow, with 5 rounded petals; 5 long sepals visible between petals; yellow-centered stamens; to ¾” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, very hairy, pinnate; 5 to 9 broadly oval, toothed leaflets; unequally divided leaf to 8” long.
Blooms: June–July.
Elevation: 5,000 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Meadows and hillsides.
Comments: Stems are reddish, hairy, and sticky. Twenty species of Potentilla in Arizona. Photograph taken at Black Canyon Lake, June 4.
VARILEAF CINQUEFOIL
Meadow Cinquefoil
Potentilla diversifolia
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Golden yellow and buttercup-like, with 5 notched petals; 5 sepals showing between petals; orangish stamens; to ¾” wide; in loose, terminal cluster.
Leaves: Dark green and silky-haired above, whitish beneath; palmate, to 7 leaflets; sharply toothed, with hairs extending beyond teeth; to 2¾” wide, 2” long.
Blooms: June–September
Elevation: 8,000 to 12,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and moist, rocky areas.
Comments: Cinquefoil means “five leaves” in French. Twenty species of Potentilla in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Alpine, June 30.
SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL
Potentilla fruticosa
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright golden yellow, with 5 broad petals, up to 30 stamens; to 1¼” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green above, paler beneath; very hairy, pinnately divided into 3 to 7 leaflets (normally 5) tipped with a red dot and with margins rolled under; leaflet to ¾” long, leaf to 1¹⁄₈” long; cover entire shrub.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Moist meadows, pine forest clearings, streamsides, and plains.
Comments: Only shrubby Potentilla growing in Arizona. This erosion fighter has reddish brown, shreddy bark. Browsed by livestock and deer. Twenty species of Potentilla in Arizona. Photograph taken in Greer area, July 3.
CLUBLEAF CINQUEFOIL
Potentilla subviscosa
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: To 4” tall in leafy, rather flat rosette at higher elevations.
Flowers: Bright yellow, with 5 slightly notched petals; sepals shorter than petals; tack-shaped, glandular hairs on sepals and buds; to ⁵⁄₈” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, very hairy; toothed; 3 large segments with 2 smaller segments; to ¾” wide, 1¾” long, including stem.
Blooms: April–June.
Elevation: 6,500 to 12,000’.
Habitat: Mountain meadows and coniferous forests; often blooming at edges of snowbanks.
Comments: Hairy-stemmed. Twenty species of Potentilla in Arizona. Photograph taken on Mount Graham at 8,300’, May 3.
STANSBURY CLIFF-ROSE
Buckbrush
Purshia stansburiana (Cowania mexicana var. stansburiana)
Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Height: Shrub to 8’, or small tree to 20’.
Trunk: To 8” in diameter for a tree.
Bark: Reddish brown, shredding.
Flowers: Creamy white to pale yellow, 5-petaled with gold centers, very fragrant; to 1” wide; each flower followed by 5 to 10 ¼”-long fruits, each with a 2”-long feathery plume attached.
Leaves: Dark green above, white, woolly hairs beneath; leathery, glandular-dotted, wedge-shaped; divided into 3 to 5 narrow lobes; edges rolled under; to 1” long.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 3,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky hillsides and plateaus in upper desert, grasslands, and oak-pinyon-juniper areas.
Comments: Evergreen. Excellent winter browse for deer, sheep, and cattle despite its bitter taste. Native Americans used stringy bark for mats and clothing and wood for arrows. Six species of Purshia in Arizona. Photograph taken at North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, June 25. Unlike the Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa), cliff-rose is treelike, with a single trunk, and has waxy, hairless leaves, cream-colored flowers, and sparser plumes. Another similar shrub, Antelopebrush (Purshia tridentata), has wider leaves and smaller, yellowish flowers.
HOPBUSH
Dodonaea viscosa
Soapberry Family (Sapindaceae)
Height: Shrub to 12’.
Flowers: Yellowish, small, without petals; in small, terminal raceme; followed by 2 to 4 creamy to pinkish, broad-winged fruits.
Leaves: Green and oblong; to 4” long, ¾” wide.
Blooms: February–October.
Elevation: 2,000 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes and in canyons.
Comments: Fruits used as substitute for hops. Contains saponin, a poisonous substance, used as laundry soap. One species of Dodonaea in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 15.
MOGOLLON INDIAN PAINTBRUSH
Painted-Cup
Castilleja sulphurea (Castilleja mogollonica)
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 14”.
Flowers: Pale yellow; 3-toothed bracts, each 1” long, with pinkish, pointed tips, center tooth wider than others; very hairy, clustered on 4”-long erect spike. Flowers inconspicuous and generally hidden within bracts.
Leaves: Light green, finely haired, narrow; to 1¼” long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: Around 9,500’.
Habitat: Wet alpine meadows.
Comments: Stem is very hairy. Seventeen species of Castilleja in Arizona. Photograph taken in mountain meadow above Greer, August 8.
WRIGHT’S BIRDBEAK
Club-Flower
Cordylanthus wrightii
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Yellowish green, beaklike, narrow; upper and lower lips nearly equal; surrounded by long bracts; to 1¼” long, in clusters at branch ends.
Leaves: Light green, tinged with pink; hairlike, divided into very narrow, curly segments; to 2” long; occurring all along stems.
Blooms: June–October.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, sandy mesas, and flats, often growing among junipers.
Comments: Annual. Partially root-parasitic. Manybranched, spindly, and bushlike. Four species of Cordylanthus in Arizona. Photograph taken north of St. Johns, August 4.
BUSH PENSTEMON
Keckiella antirrhinoides ssp. microphylla (Penstemon microphyllus)
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: Sprawling shrub to 8’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, snapdragon-like, with 2 upper lobes, 3 lower lobes; 4 yellow stamens curved upward in throat, upper surface of fifth stamen (sterile, lacking anther) heavily bearded; flower to 1” long, ³⁄₈” wide; all along stems and side branches.
Leaves: Light green, hairy, elliptical to oblong; to ¾” long; in small clusters along branches.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 1,500 to 5,000’.
Habitat: Rocky slopes.
Comments: Only occasionally browsed by livestock. One species of Keckiella in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Superior, April 9.
BUTTER AND EGGS
Dalmatian Toadflax
Linaria dalmatica
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 4’.
Flowers: Pale yellow, snapdragon-like; long, slender, basal spur; 2 lobes of upper lip pointing upward, 2 lobes of lower lip pointing downward; orange palate (in throat); to 2” long; in elongated cluster along stem.
Leaves: Bluish green, broad, leathery; oval to lance-shaped; clasping stem at regular intervals; to 3” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 5,500 to 7,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and waste areas.
Comments: Perennial herb. Orange palate serves as a honey guide for bees. Naturalized from Eurasia. Four species of Linaria in Arizona. Photograph taken in Lynx Lake area, May 26.
SEEP MONKEY FLOWER
Yellow Monkey Flower
Mimulus guttatus
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, hairy throat spotted with reddish pink; 2 lobes of upper lip point upward, 3 lobes of lower lip point downward; to 1½” long, 1¼” wide; in upper leaf axils.
Leaves: Dark green, oval, opposite; margins toothed; to 4” long, upper leaves lack stalks.
Blooms: March–September.
Elevation: 500 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Along brooks, springs, and other wet places.
Comments: Perennial herb with hollow stems. Variable in size from tall and spindly to large and bushy. Native Americans used leaves for salad greens. Fourteen species of Mimulus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, April 1.
GHOST FLOWER
Mohavea confertifolia
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Pale cream-colored to yellowish, with pinkish purple dots on inside surface of roughly fringed lobes; cuplike; lower petal has reddish purple spot with 2 bright yellow stamens curving upward over spot; lower lip deeply indented on underside by hairy calyx; flower to 1½” long; in clusters among leaves.
Leaves: Light green, succulent, hairy on upper surface; elliptical to lance-shaped; to 4” long.
Blooms: February–April.
Elevation: Below 2,500’.
Habitat: Sandy desert washes and rocky talus slopes.
Comments: Annual. One main stem with many side stems. Translucent appearance of flower gives it its common name. Two species of Mohavea in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cattail Cove State Park, March 8.
YELLOW OWL’S CLOVER
Buttered Owl’s Clover
Orthocarpus luteus
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Golden yellow; 2-lipped, with upper lip forming short beak, saclike lower lip; to ½” long; in axils of hairy, 3-lobed bracts on single spike; flowering section of spike to 3” long.
Leaves: Dark green to reddish green, alternate, spiraling up stem; linear or at times narrowly 3-lobed; to 1” long.
Blooms: July–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests and moist meadows and hillsides.
Comments: Annual. Erect stem. Six species of Orthocarpus in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Greer, August 8.
GRAY’S LOUSEWORT
Fern-Leaf
Pedicularis procera (Pedicularis grayi)
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellowish with red-brown lines; 2-lipped, tubular, short-beaked; to ¾” long, in a dense, bracted, terminal spike.
Leaves: Dark green, fernlike, twice pinnate; to 1½’ long.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 8,000 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Rich soil in coniferous forests.
Comments: Eight species of Pedicularis in Arizona. Pediculus means “louse” in Latin; in Roman times seeds were used to kill lice. Photograph taken in Greer area, July 21.
YELLOW RATTLE
Rhinanthus minor ssp. minor (Rhinanthus rigidus)
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 8”.
Flowers: Yellow, with arched upper lip, 3-lobed lower lip; to ½” log; in dense, elongated cluster; followed by enlarged, bladderlike, oval calyx, to ³⁄₈” thick, ⁵⁄₈” long, ½” wide.
Leaves: Light green streaked with reddish purple; opposite, lance-shaped, toothed; to 2” long.
Blooms: August–September.
Elevation: 9,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Streamsides and moist mountain meadows.
Comments: Annual. Erect, 4-angled stems. Plant used as an insecticide. One species of Rhinanthus in Arizona. Photograph taken in Mount Baldy Wilderness, August 13.
MOTH MULLEIN
Verbascum blattaria
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 5’.
Flowers: Yellow (sometimes white), with 5 rounded, slightly unequal lobes; flat; red-orange anthers with purplish hairs on stamen filaments; to 1¼” wide; clustered along slender, erect spike.
Leaves: Dark green, straplike, lobed or toothed; to 5” long in basal rosette, decreasing in length toward flowers.
Blooms: August–September.
Elevation: 6,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, and wastelands.
Comments: Biennial weed. Introduced from Europe; now naturalized in U.S. Hairy stamen filaments resemble a moth’s antennae; the flattened flowers on the stem resemble resting moths; hence the name “moth mullein.” Five species of Verbascum in Arizona. Photograph taken near Prescott, September 11.
COMMON MULLEIN
Woolly Mullein
Verbascum thapsus
Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 slightly unequal lobes; 5 orange-tipped stamens; to 1” wide; in tightly wedged, spikelike cluster; to 20” long.
Leaves: Grayish green, oblong, feltlike, grayishhaired; basal leaves in rosette; to 16” long, shorter on stem.
Blooms: June–September.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, open areas, and disturbed places.
Comments: Biennial; naturalized from Europe. Seeds eaten by birds. Leaves used as wicks. For warmth, colonists and Native Americans lined footwear with leaves. Various parts of plant used medicinally. Five species of Verbascum in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Woods Canyon Lake, August 7.
HAIRY FIVE-EYES
Chamaesaracha sordida
Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
Height: To 1’; usually much less because plant hugs the ground.
Flowers: Pale yellowish or whitish above, purplish streaks beneath; flat, with 5 spreading lobes; 5 greenish bands radiating outward from center; eyelike markings at base of each lobe; to ½” wide, in upper leaf axils.
Leaves: Dull green, glandular, very sticky, and hairy; lance-shaped to oblong, often pinnately cleft or toothed, with wavy margins; to 1½” long.
Blooms: March–October.
Elevation: 3,500 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Dry mesas and plains.
Comments: Because of stickiness, foliage is often covered with pollen dust or soil particles. Three species of Chamaesaracha in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Fort Bowie, May 8.
TREE TOBACCO
Nicotiana glauca
Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
Height: To 20’.
Flowers: Pale yellow, tubular; to 2” long; in loose clusters at ends of branches.
Leaves: Bluish green, long-stalked, oval, and smooth; to 7” long.
Blooms: Throughout the year.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, washes, hillsides, and rocky canyons.
Comments: Grows as an open shrub or small tree. Contains the poisonous alkaloid nicotine. Plant also contains anabasine, another potent poison. An insecticide for aphids is brewed by soaking plant parts in water, and then using solution on infected plant. Native to South America, now naturalized in Arizona. The name Nicotiana is in honor of Jean Nicot, who introduced tobacco plants to the French royalty. Four species of Nicotiana in Arizona. Photograph taken in vicinity of Crown King, May 4.
THICK-LEAVED GROUND CHERRY
Physalis crassifolia
Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Tawny yellow, bell-shaped, with spreading lobes; petals joined; to ½” wide; followed by a silvery, inflated, ¾”-long, lantern-shaped calyx containing the berry of seeds.
Leaves: Dark green, triangular to heart-shaped; to 1” wide.
Blooms: February–October.
Elevation: Below 3,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes and washes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Plant forms small bush. Fourteen species of Physalis in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cattail Cove State Park, March 8.
BUFFALO-BUR
Texas Thistle
Solanum rostratum
Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
Height: To 2½’.
Flowers: Bright yellow, starlike, with 5 crinkly lobes, 5 yellow anthers form cone in center; to 1” wide; followed by spiny bur to 1” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, deeply cut into 5 to 7 pinnate lobes; stalks and vein backs covered with spines; to 6” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 1,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and disturbed areas.
Comments: Annual herb. Probably the original host of the Colorado potato beetle. Entire plant is covered with straight, sharp, straw-colored spines, to ½” long, which cause pain if touched. Leaves and seed pods are poisonous. Fifteen species of Solanum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, May 29.
CREOSOTE BUSH
Hediondilla
Larrea tridentata var. tridentata (Larrea divaricata)
Caltrop Family (Zygophyllaceae)
Height: Many-branched shrub to 10’.
Flowers: Yellow, solitary, 5-petaled; to 1” in diameter; followed by a globe-shaped, fuzzy, white, dry capsule, to ¼” in diameter.
Leaves: Dark green to yellowish green, waxy, and strong-scented; resinous, 2 leaflets are joined at base; to ³⁄₈” long.
Blooms: Periodically; peaks March–April and November–December.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Dry plains and mesas.
Comments: Evergreen. Certain creosote plants are thought to be oldest living plants, at over 11,000 years old. Gives off musty odor after rain. When pollinated, petals twist 90 degrees. Varnishlike coating on leaves conserves water by slowing evaporation. During extreme drought plant grows tougher, smaller leaves. Resin from branches was used by Native Americans as a glue; other parts of plant were used medicinally. One species of Larrea in Arizona. Photograph taken at Cattail Cove State Park, February 24.
PUNCTURE VINE
Goat’s Head
Tribulus terrestris
Caltrop Family (Zygophyllaceae)
Height: Prostrate, to 2” high, 5’ long.
Flowers: Yellow, with 5 broad petals, to ½” wide; followed by hard, star-shaped fruit which separates into 5 brownish gray nutlets, each bearing a pair of ¼”-long spines.
Leaves: Dark green, opposite, pinnately compound; to 2” long; with leaflets to ½” long.
Blooms: March–October.
Elevation: Below 7,000’.
Habitat: Fields, wastelands, roadsides, and desert.
Comments: Annual weed. Two-spined segment of fruit resembles goat’s head with horns. Native of Mediterranean region; now naturalized in Southwest. Spines injure livestock, puncture bicycle tires, are very painful to bare feet, and become embedded in fur and fabric. One species of Tribulus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Saguaro Lake, October 18.