Antelope Horns (Asclepias
asperula) Flowers: fragrant up to 1/2" wide in clusters 3" wide; followed by stout, 6" long, green pod with olive-green and pink streaks. Leaves: Dark green and narrow, with grayish stripe down midvein. Up to 6" |
Bluebells (Mertensia franciscana) Flowers: dark to pale blue, tubular. June to September. Leaves: dark green lanced shaped to 5" long. Flattened hair on upper surface. |
Coneflower - Mexican Hat (Ratibida
columnaris) Flowers: heads 1-3" with rays 1/2-3/4" yellow, yellow w/red brown base or red brown w/yellow tip. Flowers grow on long leafless stalks. Leaves: 1-6" pinnately cleft into narrow segments. |
Geranium Flowers: 1" wide; 5 petals about1/2-3/4" stamens 10; Leaves: 1 1/2-5" palmately cleft and divided into 5-7 segments.
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Fleabane (Erigeron divergens) Flowers: White, pink or lavender; 1" narrow bracts; Leaves: tufts at base 1/2-1" becoming smaller higher. |
Pink Vervain (Verbenia
ambrosifolia) Flowers corolla 1/4-1/2" wide, tublar base 1-1.5 times the length of the calyx which is glandular-hairy; Leaves 1/4-2 1/2"long pinnately divided |
Scarlet Gilia-Skyrocket (Ipomopsis
aggregata) Plant is part of the phlox family and not a
gilia. |
Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea
ambigua) Flowers: 1/2-1 1/2"; petals 5 with many stamens; Leaves: 4" wide round with 5-7shallow lobes. |
Golden Aster (Chrysopsis villosa) Flowers 1" yellow around yellow disk. Leaves: lanceolate. 1/2-1 1/4". Stem covered with rough grayish hairs. |
Common Monkeyflower (Mimulus
guttatus) Flowers: corolla 1/2"-1 1/2" often with reddish spots near opening. 2 lobes at top bent upward & 3 lower lobes bent downward. Leaves: 1/2-4", ovate, opposite and edges with sharp teeth. |
Western Monkshood (Aconitum
columbianum) Flower has 5 sepals resembling petals. |
Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)
Flowers Pink to reddish lavender, rayless, and nodding; flowerhead
surrounded by series of spiny-toothed bracts; to 2 1/2" wide. Leaves: Green,
deeply lobed, spiny, stalkless, to 8" long. |
New Mexico Vervain (Verbena
macdougalii) Flowers: spikes with ring of blue-violet symmetrical flowers. Leaves: blades to 4", opposite, toothed, ovate. |
Indian Paint Brush-Castilleja
linariaefolia Benth Actually, the flowers of this plant are not attractive but surrounding bracts and the upper leaves are highly colored. |
Sticky Aster-(Machaeranthera
bigelovii) Flower heads about 1½"
wide. Leaves 2-4" oblong with teeth on edges |
Snakeweed (Gutierrezia
sarotbrae) Flowers 1/8-1/4" with 3-7 rayflowers and 2-6 tiny disk flowers. Leaves vary from 1/4 to 2 1/2" long very narrow |
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Flowers: Long dense spikelike racemes about 1/2-3/4" broad. |
Blue Flax (Linum perenne) Flax Family. Flowers: 3/4-1 1/2"wide; petals 5 stamens 5; styles 5 longer than stamens. Leaves are 1/2-1 1/4", narrow with 1 vein. Plant grows to 32" |
Checkermallow (Sidalcea
neomexicans) Mallow Family. Flowers: Deep pink in narrow leaning sprays are 1-1 1/2". petals 5, stamens many. Leaves are up to 4" wide and nearly round. |
Sticky Cinquefoil (Potentilla
glandulosa) Rose Family. Flowers: 1/2-3/4" 5 pointed calyx lobes with smaller bracts between. 5 petals, 25-40 stamens. Leaves: pinnately compound with 5-9 ovate leaflets. Height to 20" |
Western Bistort (Polygonum
bistortoides) Buckwheat Family; Flowers: clusters 1-2" with individual flowers less than 1/4" containing 5 petal-like segments. Leaves are 4"-8" long. Plant grows to 28". |
Orange Agoseris (Agoseris
aurantiaca) Sunflower Family; Flowers: 1" with all ray type; Leaves: 2-14" some with large teeth. Grows to 24" |
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Sunflower family. Flat cluster of small white flowers at the top of a a fibrous stem. Flowers: 3-5 roundish white rays 1/8" long with 10-20 disk flowers. Leaves Up to 1 1/2" divided into fine segments. |
Canada Violet (Viola
canadensis) Flowers: about 1" white, yellow at the base, 2 upward, 3 lower and 2 at sides. Leaves 1-3", heart shaped. |
Rabbitbush (Chrysothamnus
nauseosus) Flowers: 1/4-1/2" slender without rays, bracts oriented in 5 vertical rows. Leaves: 3/4-3" |
Penstemon |
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) Pea family Flowers: 1-1 1/2" Leaves: compound with 3 broad leaflets. |
Wild Strawberry Rose Family Flowers 3/4", sepals 5, green pointed little bracts between, petals 5, stamens many. Leaves: 3 broad leathery leaflets. |
Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla
fruticosa) Rose family - Small shrub Flowers: 1" petals Leaves: 5 crowded leaflets about 1/2-3/4". Hairy and gray |
Lady's Thumb (Polygonum
persicaria) Buckwheat family. Flowers 1/16" in dense
spikes |
Shaggy mane, Shaggy ink cap (Coprinus comatus) | Slender Gaillardia (Gaillardia
Pinnatifido) Disk flowers in rounded dome to 1 1/3" |
Cosmos (Cosmos parviflorus) Flowers: 8 long sepals, with bright yellow disk flowers. Leaves linear very finely divided to 3"
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Cosmos |
Note by photographer Gerald Earl.
Most of these photos were taken in September of 2002 around Escudilla Mountain. The pictures were not taken to be a means of identifying the plants but merely as appreciation of beauty. I have tried to identify them to the best of my ability and I encourage anyone noticing mistakes on this flower page to contact me at samearl@frontiernet.net
Information and identification was gleaned primarily from The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers and The Peterson Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers.