After retiring to Arizona my husband and I searched for a comprehensive field guide to Arizona plants—wildflowers, cacti, trees, shrubs, vines, and ferns. When we found none, we decided to write our own. And so, we planned this compact guide for hikers, campers, rangers and other amateur botanists who are interested in recognizing, as well as learning more about, Arizona’s plants. We now present a new edition with updated plant information thanks to the help of John Wiens. this edition also reorganizes the plants to aid in visual indentification; plant photos now accompany their corresponding descriptions and can be found by division, color, and family more easily.
While writing this guide we traveled throughout the state photographing and carefully recording the measurements, elevations, and habitats of our plant subjects. these statistics were compared with the numerous references used to compile this guide. Where references proved inadequate, we queried plant experts. We are grateful for their interest in our extensive project, and for sharing their wealth of knowledge with us.
Arizona boasts over 3,000 species of plants—over 900 of which are pictured in this field guide. grasses and most weeds are not included. it is impossible, too, for a book of this size to picture all of the species within a given genus. For this reason the comments section under each plant indicates the number of species found in Arizona for that particular genus.
The plants in any genus usually resemble each other; however, each species differs in some respect. Where a genus contains a large number of species, the amateur often finds it impossible to name the specific plant. in these instances, using a general name such as goldenrod, or thistle, or evening primrose will often suffice. on the other hand, dedicated botanists frequently spend years deliberating over a species, often changing the genus or species name several times before agreeing. these professionals deserve our greatest respect.
For the convenience of the amateur botanist, plants with conspicuous flowers, the first species described in this book, are arranged by flower color (then listed according to family name in Latin, then by genus and species) into the following seven groups:
White to Cream
Yellow
Orange
Red
Pink to Purple
Blue
Green to Brown
Plants whose flowers have minute or absent petals have been grouped in with the green to brown section. it is also important to note that there are sometimes great color variations among flowers of the same species. in those cases, the colors in which the plant’s flowers may appear are listed in the species description.
Appearing next are the cacti. Although they are true flowering plants, cacti have such a distinctive appearance that we chose to group them separately. they can be tree- or shrublike, cylindrical or round, or have jointed stems or pad stems.
Conifers, a more primitive, nonflowering group, follow the true flowering plants and cacti. the ferns, the most primitive plants included in this guide, appear last and are also arranged by family and genera.
Each species is listed by its common name (e.g., Quaking Aspen); an alternate common name (e.g., golden Aspen); its scientific name (e.g., Populus tremuloides ); in parentheses, any other scientific name that may be commonly used; and the family name in English and Latin (e.g., Willow Family [salicacae])—in that order. Common names, while fun to use, vary from place to place. scientific names, on the other hand, are standard throughout the world. the scientific names in this guide, as well as the order of the families are based on The Flora of North America and Seinet. of course, changes are ongoing and authorities often disagree on names.
We have tried to keep the scientific jargon to a minimum in the text. A glossary is included for easy reference.
The appearance of any plant varies according to the time of year and the elevation (not to mention natural factors such as the amount of rainfall). therefore, as an aid to the reader, we indicate the location as well as the specific day of the month that the photo was taken.
With each succeeding generation more and more of our desert, woodland, and forest plants are destroyed. Many of the rarest species in our state are becoming extinct. We must protect Arizona’s flora for future generations to enjoy by staying on established trails when hiking and by not picking or vandalizing our plant life.
Through the photographs and text in this guide, we hope the plants of Arizona—the common as well as the uncommon—take on a new meaning for you.