DESERT HONEYSUCKLE
Anisacanthus thurberi
Acanthus Family (Acanthaceae)
Height: Shrub to 6’.
Flowers: Vermillion or orange, with long slender tube; to 1¼” long.
Leaves: Dark green, short-stemmed, elliptical; to 2½” long, ¾” wide.
Blooms: Chiefly in spring, but also other times of year.
Elevation: 2,500 to 5,500’.
Habitat: Along sandy washes and in canyons.
Comments: Has woody stems and shreddy bark. Browsed by sheep and cattle; pollinated by hummingbirds. One species of Anisacanthus in Arizona. Photograph taken at Patagonia, April 27.
BUTTERFLY WEED
Asclepias tuberosa
Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Brilliant orange to yellow (page 109); 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 4½” 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 stems hairy. Seeds have white, silky hairs. Unlike most milkweeds, sap of this species is not milky. Twenty-nine species of Asclepias in Arizona. Photograph taken at Oak Creek Canyon, June 18.
ORANGE AGOSERIS
Orange Mountain-Dandelion
Agoseris aurantiaca
Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Burnt orange, all rays, with shorter rays toward center; stamens stand upright; flower head to 1” wide; solitary on erect, leafless flower stem; followed by seeds topped with silvery bristles.
Leaves: Grayish green, narrow, widest above middle; with or without teeth or lobes; to 10” long.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Meadows and clearings in coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb; has pinkish stem. Produces milky sap. Three species of Agoseris in Arizona. Photograph taken in Greer area, August 8.
FIDDLENECK
Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia (Amsinckia intermedia)
Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae)
Height: To 20”.
Flowers: Yellow-orange, funnel-shaped; to ¹⁄₈” wide; in coiled spike.
Leaves: Green, narrow, with bristly hairs; 6” at base, graduating upward to ¾” at tips of stem.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: Below 4,000’.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, and dry, open areas.
Comments: Annual. At start of blooming, flower head is coiled in a manner resembling the neck of a violin; as individual flowers open, the coil uncurls. Two species of Amsinckia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Usery Mountain Recreation Area, March 7.
WHEELER’S WALLFLOWER
Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum (Erysimum wheeleri
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Height: To 32”.
Flowers: Deep orange to orange-yellow, 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: Above 7,000’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests.
Comments: Biennial or perennial. Three species of Erysimum in Arizona. Photograph taken south of Alpine, July 23.
BEARBERRY HONEYSUCKLE
Twinberry Honeysuckle
Lonicera involucrata
Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae)
Height: To 7’.
Flowers: Yellow tinged with red; tubular; to ½” long; in pairs, with 2 large bracts at base; followed by a pair of shiny, purplish black, pea-sized berries.
Leaves: Dark green, glandular-dotted, oval, and hairy; to 5” long.
Blooms: June–July.
Elevation: 7,500 to 10,500’.
Habitat: Along streams and in moist coniferous forests.
Comments: Often forms thickets. Frequented by hummingbirds. Birds and mammals eat its sour berries. Twelve species of Lonicera in Arizona. Photograph taken in Greer, July 20.
ORANGE GOOSEBERRY
Ribes pinetorum
Currant Family (Grossulariaceae)
Height: Sprawling to 6’.
Flowers: Reddish orange, with 5 petals; hairy; to ¾” long; on short branchlet; followed by very spiny, ½” round berry, maturing to dark reddish purple.
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, roundish; 5-lobed, toothed, glandular-hairy; to 2½” long, 2” wide; in clusters on branches.
Blooms: April–September.
Elevation: 7,000 to 10,000’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests.
Comments: The most abundant species of gooseberry in mountains of southern Arizona. Tan spines, to ³⁄₈” long, with 1 to 3 at notes, curve downward from branches. Ten species of Ribes in Arizona. Photograph taken on Mount Lemmon, May 13.
TINKER’S PENNY
Hypericum anagalloides
St. John’s Wort Family (Hypericacae)
Height: Prostrate, to 8” long, 2” high.
Flowers: Yellow to orange, with 5 petals, 5 sepals, many stamens; to ¼” wide at branch tips.
Leaves: Light green, opposite; round, slightly oval to elliptical; to ⁵⁄₈” long; all along stems.
Blooms: June–August.
Elevation: 7,500 to 8,000’.
Habitat: Lakeshores and other wet areas.
Comments: Perennial herb. Forms leafy mats. Prostrate stems root along their length. Three species of Hypericum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Woods Canyon Lake, July 7.
YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Sisyrinchium arizonicum
Iris Family (Iridaceae)
Height: To 2’ tall.
Flowers: Orange to yellowish orange; 6 pointed segments, all alike; 3 yellow stamens tipped with black; 3-branched style; flower to 1½” wide, followed by an oblong capsule to ½” long.
Leaves: Dark green, linear, prominently veined; grasslike, flattened; to 10” long, ¼” wide, basal and up along stem.
Blooms: July–August.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,500’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests.
Comments: Perennial herb. Stems erect and branching. Six species of Sisyrinchium in Arizona. Photograph taken at Woods Canyon Lake, August 3.
DESERT MARIPOSA
Calochortus kennedyi var. kennedyi
Lily Family (Liliaceae)
Height: To 2’.
Flowers: Bright orange 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 near Superior, April 12.
TORREY’S CRAG LILY
Echeandia flavescens (Anthericum torreyi)
Lily Family (Liliaceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Yellowish orange, starlike, with 3 wide petals, 3 narrower sepals; petals and sepals have greenish to brownish vertical veins; to 1” wide; along slender flower stalk, followed by an oblong capsule.
Leaves: Dark green, basal, pointing upward; grasslike, margins curved inward; to ¹⁄₈” wide, to 8” long.
Blooms: August.
Elevation: 6,000 to 9,000’.
Habitat: Coniferous forests and canyons.
Comments: Leafless stem. One species of Echeandia in Arizona. Photograph taken at Woods Canyon Lake, August 3.
LEMMON’S STAR
Triteleia lemmoniae
Lily Family (Liliaceae)
Height: To 9”.
Flowers: Yellow-orange, star-shaped, 6 segments, in terminal cluster on leafless stem; to ¾” wide.
Leaves: Dark green, 1 or 2, grasslike, to 6” long.
Blooms: May–August.
Elevation: 5,000 to 7,700’.
Habitat: Partial shade among ponderosa pines.
Comments: This species is unique to Arizona. One species of Triteleia in Arizona. Photograph taken near Willow Springs Lake, June 16.
PLAINS FLAX
Yellow Flax
Linum puberulum
Flax Family (Linaceae)
Height: To 15”.
Flowers: Pale orangish with reddish and white inner rings, 5 petals; to 2” wide.
Leaves: Grayish green, wiry, and very narrow; to 1” long; at intervals along the stem.
Blooms: April–October.
Elevation: 2,000 to 6,500’.
Habitat: Desert and mesas.
Comments: Nine species of Linum in Arizona. Photograph taken at Tortilla Flat, April 1.
INDIAN MALLOW
Pelotazo
Abutilon incanum
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: Bush to 8’.
Flowers: Orange-yellow, with 5 petals, reddish brown center, bright yellow stamens; to ³⁄₈” wide; followed by a short-pointed, hairy, round fruit with up to 7 segments.
Leaves: Grayish green, woolly, velvetlike, heartshaped, toothed; to 3” long.
Blooms: March–May.
Elevation: 1,000 to 3,000’.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes and deserts.
Comments: Ten species of Abutilon in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, March 26.
PALMER’S INDIAN MALLOW
Abutilon palmeri
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: To 6’.
Flowers: Orangish yellow, with 5 broad petals; to 1½” wide; followed by roundish, segmented fruit with very short point.
Leaves: Grayish green above, paler beneath; very finely haired, somewhat oval, with tapered point; scalloped or toothed; to 3” long.
Blooms: March–October.
Elevation: 1,000 to 4,000’.
Habitat: Dry slopes.
Comments: Ten species of Abutilon in Arizona. Photograph taken below Horse Mesa Dam, Apache Lake, March 23.
DESERT GLOBEMALLOW
Sore-Eye Poppy
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: To 40”.
Flowers: Bright orange, with variants of white, pink, purplish, or reddish-maroon hues, with 5 petals; to 1½” wide; in clusters along upper stems.
Leaves: Grayish, maplelike, 3-lobed; with scalloped edges; covered with starlike hairs; to 2½” long; equally wide.
Blooms: Year-round. (Each plant establishes its own time.)
Elevation: Below 3,500’.
Habitat: Roadsides, banks of sandy washes, and flats.
Comments: Perennial herb that grows in large clumps. The most drought-tolerant of the globemallows. Browsed by bighorn sheep, domesticated sheep and goats, and desert tortoises; attracts bees. Leaf hairs are an eye irritant to some people. Sixteen species of Sphaeralcea in Arizona. Photograph taken at Apache Junction, March 22.
LITTLELEAF GLOBEMALLOW
Sphaeralcea parvifolia
Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
Height: To 3’.
Flowers: Orange-red, with 5 petals; to 1” wide.
Leaves: Green, broad, 3-lobed or none; whitish hairs, to 1½” long.
Blooms: May–September.
Elevation: 4,000 to 7,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides and dry slopes.
Comments: Perennial herb. Whitish hairs on stems. Sixteen species of Sphaeralcea in Arizona. Photograph taken at Wupatki National Monument, September 8.
MEXICAN GOLD POPPY
Amapola Del Campo
Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana (Eschscholzia mexicana)
Poppy Family (Papaveraceae)
Height: To 16”.
Flowers: Orange, (rarely cream with orange spots at petal bases) with 4 petals forming a cup; to 1½” wide on a single stalk, with numerous flowers per plant; followed by a slender seed capsule to 4” long.
Leaves: Fernlike, pale bluish green; to 2½” long.
Blooms: Mid-February–May, starting earliest in warmer desert areas.
Elevation: Below 4,500’.
Habitat: Slopes, plains, foothills, and mesas.
Comments: Annual; remains open only in full sunlight. Whole areas of desert become a sea of gold from these poppies after abundant winter rainfalls. Dr. Eschscholtz, for whom genus is named, was a Russian surgeon, naturalist, and traveler. Three species of Eschscholzia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Superstition Mountains, February 22. The Desert Gold or Mohave Poppy (Eschscholzia glyptosperma) has orange-yellow flowers on long, naked stems, with all the leaves in a basal cluster.
ARIZONA CALTROP
Summer Poppy
Kallstroemia grandiflora
Caltrop Family (Zygophyllaceae)
Height: Sprawling to 3’.
Flowers: Brilliant orange, crimson in center, with 5 broad, rounded petals forming bowl; deep orange stamens, hairy sepals; to 1” wide; facing upward on very hairy stems.
Leaves: Grayish green, pinnately compound; opposite, to 2½” long; oval leaflets, very hairy.
Blooms: July–October.
Elevation: Below 5,000’.
Habitat: Roadsides, open plains, mesas, and desert slopes.
Comments: Annual. Four species of Kallstroemia in Arizona. Photograph taken in Phoenix area, August 16. This species distinguished from Mexican Gold Poppy (Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana) (page 222) mainly by 5 petals instead of 4, by its very hairy, compound leaves, and by its later blooming period.