Plants of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - NPS Inventory ...

Plants of Casa Grande Ruins 

National Monument 

Editor 

Steve Buckley


National Monmument 

Editor: 

Steve Buckley 

The ethnobotanical information in this book 

is included for educational purposes only. No 

plant or plant extract should be consumed unless 

you are certain of its identity and toxicity and 

of your personal potential for allergic reactions. 

Self-medication with herbal medicines is often 

unwise and wild foods should always be used with 

caution. Although every effort has been made to 

ensure accuracy and reliability, neither the author, 

the Sonoran Desert Network Inventory and 

Monitoring Program, the National Park Service, 

nor the University of Arizona are responsible for the 

actions of the reader or liable for any effects caused 

by these actions. 

This field guide is for educational use only. 

It has not been produced for commercial 

uses. Please consult the works cited page at the end 

of the book for those works consulted, for further 

reading, more complete botanical descriptions, 

further citations and credits. 

Cover Photo Credits: 

Center: 2008 NPS; Insets: Right, © 2008-2009 Patrick 

Alexander; Bottom, 2009-2010 NPS.



Introduction to Casa Grande Ruins NM 

Vegetation Mapping and Community Types 

How to Use this Guide 

Ferns 

Graminoids 

Flowering Trees & Shrubs 

Cacti 

Forbs 

Glossary 

Works Cited 

Index 

Casa Grande Ruins NM Checklist 

8 

11 

23 

35 

37 

49 

69 

73 

131 

153 

161 

165

The Flora Project 

This field guide is part of a larger body of work known as the Flora of the 

Sonoran Desert Network. The Flora Project emerged from the network’s 

vegetation mapping program, begun in 2009. Since then, we have compiled 

comprehensive floristic entries on upwards of 2,000 individual species, the 

ultimate goal being to build a comprehensive floristic database covering the 

more than 2,400 species, subspecies, and varieties of plants found in the 

national parks of the Sonoran Desert Network (SODN). These entries will 

ultimately be available as an online database and also translate directly into 

the work presented in this guide. The goal of the project is to produce (1) a 

comprehensive field guide for each SODN park unit, (2) a series of regional 

field guides tied to specific life forms, and (3) a guide to common plants for 

each SODN unit. These floras range from the small (around 160 species at 

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument) to massive (around 1,200 species in 

Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Mountain District). 

Our methodology builds upon that of inventory efforts completed in the 

late 1990s and early 2000s. The intention of the project is to conduct a more 

detailed floristic inventory while building vegetation maps for each park. 

We first combine the baseline inventory data with all historical studies, then 

proceed to a comprehensive search of all regional herbarium records. Through 

this process, we have identified more than 15,000 specimens collected since 

the creation of the national parks in the region. The herbaria search is followed 

by broad research in the phylogenetic, systematic, and ecological literature 

to sort out problematic species and genera. Finally, we scour all agency study 

records to develop a comprehensive portrait of the floristic research that has 

been undertaken in each park through the years. 

The final products of these efforts are not field guides alone, but a cross-platform 

floristic information system that is being developed for use by land managers, 

researchers, and the public. Ranging from online databases to printed field 

guides, to apps for mobile and handheld digital devices, to a range of other 

digital and print educational tools and resources, the Flora Project hopes to set 

a standard for floristic research on federal lands in the desert southwest. Plant 

species checklists for Sonoran Desert Network parks are currently available 

at http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/projects/index.php?proj=5 . 

These versions provide interactive keys that can further help in 

the identification of plants and provide links to 

other regional park species checklists. 

6 Educational use only; not for sale

National Parks of the Sonoran Desert Network 

The Sonoran Desert Network is one of 32 National Park Service inventory and 

monitoring networks nationwide that are implementing vital signs monitoring 

in order to assess the condition of park ecosystems and develop a stronger 

scientific basis for stewardship and management of natural resources across 

the National Park System. 

The Sonoran Desert Network consists of 10 units in central and southern 

Arizona and 1 unit in southwestern New Mexico. These units are characteristic 

of the upper Sonoran subdivision of the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion and the 

Apache Highlands Ecoregion, and range in size from half a square mile to 517 

square miles (147 to 133,882 hectares). 

Please visit our website for more information and a full list of our active 

research projects, available publications, and other resources: 

http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sodn 

2012 NPS

Administrative History Of Casa Grande Ruins 

On June 22, 1892, President Benjamin Harrison created Casa Grande Ruins National 

Monument by executive order, making it the first cultural or prehistoric site in the 

United States to receive federal protection. The protected structures comprise a fourstory 

Hohokam structure built during the Classic period of Hohokam habitation, 

from A.D. 1200 to 1450 (Clemensen 1992), and some 60 documented archeological 

sites surrounding it. Located on the northern edge of Coolidge, Arizona, southeast of 

Phoenix, the monument encompasses 191 hectares and is bounded by Arizona Highway 

87 to the north and east, by the Pima lateral canal to the south, and agricultural fields 

to the west. Expansion lands to be acquired by the monument in the future include the 

prospective Adamsville unit on the opposite side of Highway 87 about 7 kilometers east 

of the main unit, and several small parcels of currently agricultural land adjacent to or 

near the main unit. 

©circa 1890 C. Mindeleff

A Brief Environmental History 

of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument 

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is located in south central Arizona, in 

the Basin and Range physiographic province, where expansion of the earth’s 

crust resulted in an alternating pattern of widely separated, steep mountain 

ranges with large alluvial fans or bajadas that gradually slope to the bottoms of 

broad, flat valleys (Reichhardt 1992). About 1 km north of Casa Grande Ruins 

is the Gila River, which drains a watershed encompassing much of southern 

Arizona along with portions of southwestern New Mexico and northern 

Sonora, Mexico. The monument averages 23 cm of annual precipitation in 

a bimodal pattern: gentle winter rains from the remnants of Pacific frontal 

systems, and heavy monsoon rains in summer, caused by convection of moist 

air from the Gulf of Mexico. Summer high temperatures usually exceed 40°C 

and winters are mild, rarely below freezing, with diurnal temperature extremes 

of 20°C or more during much of the year due to the area’s extremely low 

humidity (Powell et al. 2006). 

Human history in the Casa Grande area dates back to 5500 B.C., when Archaic 

peoples hunted and gathered in the area. Subsistence agriculture was not 

practiced until well after 1000 B.C., with the introduction of maize (corn); 

beans were introduced around 350 B.C. (Clemensen 1992). Agricultural 

expansion contributed to a more sedentary population and the beginnings of 

hydraulic culture. The Hohokam people, who practiced irrigated agriculture, 

arrived in the middle Gila River Valley about 300 A.D., and flourished there 

over the next thousand years. As the population grew, canals became larger 

and more consolidated, eventually reaching 8' deep × 16' wide in some areas; 

it is believed that the Hohokam were diverting up to half of the river’s volume. 

Catastrophic flooding of the Gila River, along with several years of low flow, 

caused the Hohokam to move canal intakes further and further upstream, 

eventually reaching 18 miles from Casa Grande (Clemensen 1992). The effort 

to maintain their hydraulic systems, combined with more floods followed 

by periods of drought, brought on slow social decay that is thought to have 

contributed to Hohokam abandonment of the area around 1400 A.D. 

For the next 400 years, habitation of the area was sparse. It was not until 

after 1853, when the area became part of the United States with the Gadsden 

Purchase, that Euro-American settlement increased. Prior to widespread Euro- 

American settlement, there are accounts of massive mesquite and cottonwood 

bosques along the Gila River in the vicinity of Casa Grande, as well as extensive 

grasslands (Rea 1997). With the increasing presence of Euro-Americans came 

the increasing pressures that accompanied livestock grazing. The monument 

itself was grazed until 1934, when it was finally fenced to protect the structures. 

With the cessation of the Apache Wars in the late 1800s, many Euro-American 

settlers descended on the area, rapidly expanding agriculture in the Gila River 

Valley. Upstream from Casa Grande, at Florence, Arizona, Mormon settlers 

had begun farming after 1866. The rise of their extensive, direct-diversion 

irrigation works, followed by groundwater pumping by the 1920s, resulted in 

expansive development of agricultural land as large volumes of both surface 

Educational use only; not for sale 9

and groundwater were used (Powell et al. 2006). By 1928, the construction of 

Coolidge Dam ended the era of the Gila as a free-flowing river through the area. 

The conversion of the landscape to agriculture continued unabated, and had 

encircled the monument by 1932. 

Agriculture in the Coolidge area suffered greatly from overpumping of the water 

table, which was obvious as the water level of the park’s well dropped from 

128 feet below the surface, in the early 1940s, to more than 300 feet below the 

surface by 1956 (Clemensen 1992, Powell et al. 2006). This lowering of the water 

table, combined with a widespread mistletoe infestation, contributed to a large 

scale die-off of the Casa Grande Ruins mesquite population in the 1930s (Judd 

et al. 1971). The decade of the 1930s also saw the bulk of the development at the 

monument, with construction of the roof over the ruins in 1932 and, by the end 

of the decade, the visitor center, paths, roads, and several outbuildings. These 

are the same buildings that constitute the monument today. There has been only 

one major excavation of the ruin complexes; at that time, vegetation was scraped 

off the site entirely. Since the 1930s, little has been done to alter or manipulate 

the vegetation at Casa Grande Ruins. Today, some studies have questioned 

the negative effects of pesticide drift from neighboring agricultural land; this, 

combined with the edge effects of rapidly urbanizing Pinal and Maricopa 

counties, the continued decline of the water table, and active climate change, all 

have serious ecological implications for Casa Grande Ruins NM. 

Clemensen, A.B. 1992. A centennial history of the first prehistoric reserve: 

1892-1992. United States Department of the Interior. National Park 

Service, Washington, D.C. 

Judd, B.I., J.M. Laughlin, H.R. Guenther, and R. Handegarde. 1971. The lethal 

decline of mesquite on the Casa Grande Ruin National Monument. 

Great Basin Naturalist 31: 152-159. 

Powell, B. F, E. W. Albrecht, C. A. Schmidt, W. L. Halvorson, P. Anning, 

and K. Docherty. 2006. Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of 

Casa Grande Ruins Naitonal Monument. OFR 2005-1185. U.S. 

Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Sonoran 

Desert Research Station, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 

Reichhardt, K. 1992. Natural vegetation of Casa Grande Ruins National 

Monument, Arizona. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies 

Unit. Technical Report NPS/WRUA/NRTR-92/45. 

10 Educational use only; not for sale

Vegetation Mapping at Casa Grande Ruins 

In 2007–2008, the National Park Service, Sonoran Desert Network Inventory 

and Monitoring Program, in cooperation with the Arizona Remote Sensing 

Center (University of Arizona, Office of Arid Lands Studies), carried out 

classification and mapping of vegetation at Casa Grande Ruins National 

Monument, as part of the National Park Service–U.S. Geological Survey 

Vegetation Characterization Program. The primary objective of the program is to 

produce high–quality, standardized maps and associated data sets of vegetation 

and other land cover occurring within the parks (http://science. nature.nps. 

gov/im/inventory/veg/index.cfm). In particular, the aim of this project was to 

create a vegetation map at the National Vegetation Classification alliance level 

or finer, with a minimum mapping unit of 0.5 hectares, thematic accuracy of 

80% or better per map class, and spatial accuracy meeting U.S. National Map 

Accuracy Standards. 

Project scoping was initiated in 

October of 2007, at a multi–park 

scoping meeting held at Casa 

Grande Ruins NM. Quickbird 

satellite imagery was acquired 

on December 3, 2007, as a 

new, tasked acquisition for this 

project, covering both the main 

unit and several surrounding 

Arizona State Trust land parcels 

proposed as part of a monument 

expansion. The total project mapping area was 425 hectares, including a 100– 

m buffer zone outside monument boundaries. Image preprocessing and initial 

interpretation to the formation level were done at the Arizona Remote Sensing 

Center, University of Arizona. The draft formation–level map was produced 

through visual interpretation of the pan–sharpened imagery and heads–up 

digitizing in ArcGIS to delineate polygons. Ten formations within 44 polygons 

were identified, based on the percentages of tree, shrub, and herbaceous cover 

present. 

Field verification of the draft formation map and floristic data collection was 

conducted simultaneously during March 2008. Crews annotated boundary 

changes onto hard–copy 

maps showing imagery 

overlaid with draft polygons. 

The monument’s small size 

allowed for a census–style 

approach to each minimum 

mapping unit (polygons) 

11 

Vegetation Mapping

Vegetation Mapping 

identified. Field edits were subsequently incorporated into the digital draft 

formation map (shapefile) using ArcGIS. In addition to polygon scale data, 

25 plots measuring 20 × 50 m were sampled across both units with an aim to 

sample each of the community types identified. Plot and polygon data was 

entered into an Access database and quality checked before data analysis was 

conducted. 

In total, 42 polygons were mapped and attributed with National Vegetation 

Classification Standard alliance–level data or land–cover classes. Urbanized 

environs outside the monument boundary were assigned one of seven 

Anderson land use classes. Full descriptions found in the final report provide 

both local and regional context for each vegetation type (to the extent available 

at the time of the report). Map thematic accuracy was assessed within the total 

project area by way of a field–based census. Overall thematic map accuracy for 

the entire effort was assessed at 96%. 

While the main products of this project are the vegetation classification 

and the vegetation map database, a number of ancillary digital geographic 

information system and database products were also produced that can be 

used independently or to augment the main products. 

This field guide is designed as a companion product to the vegetation mapping 

project. It is designed as both an introduction to the floristic research that 

accompanied the vegetation mapping effort and as an introduction to the 

ecological community data that were collected and analyzed in the course 

of creating the vegetation map. For further information about the SODN 

vegetation mapping effort and a copy of any of our vegetation mapping reports, 

please visit http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sodn/vegmapping.cfm . 

12

Toward Casa Grande Community Types 

A primer 

Casa Grande Ruins NM is composed primarily of desert shrubland 

characteristic of the Lower Colorado River division of the Sonoran Desert 

(Brown et al. 1979). Natural vegetation in the study area is composed of 

shrubland dominated by creosotebush (Larrea tridentata). In some areas, 

including the bulk of the main unit and portions of the Adamsville unit, the 

composition is homogeneous, with plants generally spaced a minimum of 2–3 

m apart and no other shrub species present. In other areas, shrubs, such as 

wolfberry (Lycium exsertum), cattle saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa), triangle– 

leaf bursage, (Ambrosia deltoidea), desertbroom (Baccharis sarothroides), 

or ratany (Krameria erecta) form a portion of the dominant shrub stratum 

in association with creosote. Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) and barrel 

cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) are scattered throughout the shrubland, with the 

barrel cactus usually growing singly and the mesquite frequently in clumps of 

a few to several individuals. Perennial herbaceous vegetation is notably sparse 

in the monument, with purple threeawn grass (Aristida purpurea) and desert 

globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) found only occasionally. Although annual 

vegetation may be seasonally abundant, the ground between shrubs usually 

appears barren. Litter accumulation and humus development are minimal 

except under large trees and shrubs. In wetter areas at Adamsville, mesquite 

and foothills paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla) are abundant enough to 

constitute localized tree canopy above the shrubs, with mesquite occurring 

primarily near anthropogenic alterations to surface hydrology and paloverde 

occurring along ephemeral watercourses. Reichhardt (1992) conducted a 

vegetation classification survey in the mid–1980s, producing a baseline map 

of vegetation communities. This effort was complemented by the vascular 

plant inventory of Powell and others (2006), which established permanent 

monitoring plots and compiled a plant species list that was utilized by this field 

effort. 

13 

Vegetation Mapping


14 

Larrea tridentata 

shrubland 

This community type is composed of a creosote monoculture averaging 1.5– 

2.5 m tall and usually spaced 2–3 m apart on a flat, level landscape. In small 

depressions where runoff is concentrated, usually adjacent to roads (especially 

around the perimeter of the main unit) or archeological sites, shrubs are slightly 

taller and more closely spaced. These depressions often contain inclusions of 

one or more Velvet mesquite individuals, but these contribute less than 1% of 

total cover in this alliance type. It is notable, however, that many large velvet 

mesquite snags are scattered throughout areas in the main unit occupied by 

this type. Their decline was documented by Judd (1971). Barrel cactus is the 

only other common perennial found in this type, with individuals sparsely 

and irregularly scattered throughout, often growing underneath cresosote 

shrubs in apparent nurse relationships. Areas between shrubs are mostly 

bare soil or gravel, but may contain a variety of annual plant species during 

wet seasons. Litter is sparse and soil development poor, except directly under 

creosote shrubs, which tend to grow on low mounds of soil retained by their 

roots against strong aeolian erosive forces on the landscape. Within this 

association are two small inclusions on an old, defunct asphalt road bordering 

an old irrigation canal in the northeast corner of the main unit. Creosote still 

dominates but individuals are larger and more widely spaced than in the rest of 

the alliance. Desert broom and cattle saltbush are interspersed with creosote, 

on opposite ends of the old road. These inclusions are notable because they 

are the only place where either species is present in the eastern part of the 

Monument. Moreover, herbaceous annuals are significantly less dense in 

these inclusions. It is likely that these inclusions are the result of the altered soil 

surface in this portion of the park.

mixed shrubland 

Larrea tridentata–[Ambrosia deltoidea–Krameria erecta] 

This Alliance is composed of two main polygons bisected by U.S. Highway 

287 and a small corner area cut off by roads, all located at the Adamsville site 

(expansion lands) of Casa Grande Ruins NM. Creosote shrubs dominate 

here, as they do in most of the park, but are generally smaller and more widely 

spaced than in other areas of the park. The distinguishing characteristic of 

this shrubland is the presence of triange-leaf bursage and ratany as significant 

secondary species to creosote. Use of brackets in the type name indicates that 

these species are, in places, co–dominant but their relative abundance differs 

spatially throughout the area, ranging from absent to common. The space 

between shrubs contains a variety of annuals, primarily forbs, but is otherwise 

unvegetated. Soils contain significant gravel, but less than adjacent areas. This 

type is bisected by U.S. Highway 287, which places the polygon to the north 

slightly raised above the landscape and appears to slightly increase water 

runoff into areas within this alliance. Another indicator that this type may be 

slightly more mesic is the occasional presence of foothills paloverde. The raised 

highway may also provide increased protection from aeolian erosion which 

appears to significantly impact soils on the surrounding landscape and the 

more southern polygon. The southern polygon of this type differs in slightly 

lower density of shrubs and a more fine sandy soil, but overall composition and 

cover classes are the same. 

15 

Vegetation Mapping


16 

Larrea tridentata–Lycium fremontii 

shrubland 

This alliance exists in two areas north of the visitor center complex in the main 

unit. It is characterized by the presence of Fremont’s desert thorn (Lycium 

fremontii) as a co-dominant shrub alongside creosote. The relative abundance 

of these species may differ spatially within the type, with density of Fremont’s 

desert thorn shrubs increasing substantially in areas gathering additional 

rainfall via shallow depressions. Both species tend to grow slightly larger than 

in the adjacent creosote shrubland, with average canopy heights often 2–2.5 m, 

but total canopy cover is lower with shrubs widely spaced. Wolfberry (Lycium 

andersonii) is also present to a lesser degree. Cattle saltbush is a common 

associate, especially along the park’s northern boundary. Between shrubs, 

herbaceous annuals may be present seasonally during years with adequate 

precipitation, but bare soil predominates much of the time. Soils have higher 

silt and clay content and less gravel than surrounding areas. Litter is nearly 

absent and the soil surface has low permeability due to frequent exposure to 

intense sun, strong prevailing winds and impacts from heavy monsoon rain. 

Overall, topography is very flat, but includes several mounds and depressions 

associated with archaeological sites. Soil and plant composition suggest that 

this type exists in areas that receive a net inflow of surface runoff that is briefly 

retained in shallow pools.

mixed annual sparse shrubland 


This alliance is found immediately north of the main visitor center complex. 

This alliance is mostly devoid of perennial vegetation. Shrubs are present in 

limited numbers (


18 

Sphaeralcea ambigua 

sparse shrubland 

This alliance is found in the south–central portion of the Adamsville unit, with 

one half of the polygon surrounding an old cotton gin site. In the center of 

the northern part are the concrete remains of the cotton gin, where a single 

Prosopis velutina specimen is found. The remainder of the type is composed of 

shrubs in limited numbers (

wooded shrubland 

Parkinsonia microphylla / Larrea tridentata 

This community is found in the northern portion of the Adamsville site and 

is defined by the dendritic, ephemeral watercourses trending north toward 

the Gila River. This alliance encompasses the headwaters of the washes which 

eventually reach 0.5–2 m deep and up to 6 m wide with sandy bottoms, steep, 

rocky sides and active downcutting and headward erosion. Small trees, including 

foothills paloverde, velvet mesquite and catclaw acacia (Senegalia greggii) are 

irregularly and sparsely scattered along these channels, becoming larger and 

more frequent as the channel size increases. Shrubs within the channels are 

larger, more densely spaced and more diverse than on the adjacent uplands. 

While still dominated by shrubs from the adjacent uplands (creosote, ratany 

and triangle-leaf bursage), this association also contains the only occurrence 

of longleaf jointfir (Ephedra trifurca) in the park. The field stratum is occupied 

primarily by annual forbs, in wet seasons. The most common annuals in spring 

2008 were desert Indianwheat (Plantago ovata), and the non-natives filaree 

(Erodium cicutarium) and Asian mustard (Brassica tournefortii). The increased 

diversity, height and cover of woody and herbaceous plants in this type are an 

apparent consequence of the microenvironments created by the topography 

of the channels. These microenvironments offer increased moisture, a variety 

of slope aspects, some shelter from wind, and deeper soils not available in the 

uplands. 

19 

Vegetation Mapping


20 

Prosopis velutina / Larrea tridentata 

woodland 

This alliance exists along two agricultural fencelines to the south and east of 

the large mound and ball court at the Adamsville site. These fencelines contain 

earthen berms formed by road building and maintenance to support adjacent 

agricultural operations. These berms capture and concentrate runoff, allowing 

it to saturate the soil. The moist conditions, perhaps augmented by infiltration 

of irrigation water from south and east of the fence, results in growth of 

velvet mesquite up to 7 m tall and creosote up to 3.5 m. Herbaceous annuals 

representative of the adjacent uplands thrive here, contributing more litter 

than is typical in adjacent uplands. This alliance resembles a portion of the 

creosote shrubland along the boundary of the main unit where runoff from 

adjacent roads permits similar concentrations of larger velvet mesquite.

woodland 

Prosopis velutina 

This alliance exists only in a small patch within the 100-m study area buffer on 

the south side of the Adamsville unit, but extending south and southwest well 

beyond the buffer. The dominant feature is a cohort of young, regenerating 

velvet mesquite trees which are benefiting from runoff that enters from the 

northeast. The runoff has two sources: excess irrigation water from agricultural 

fields east of the patch and precipitation runoff from the large Adamsville 

ruin mound to the north. The runoff flows southwesterly, slowing down and 

spreading out to form a wide, shallow swale. Vegetation follows a coincident 

pattern, with the largest and densest growth concentrated in the northeast 

and gradually diminishing as it follows the swale. Associated shrubs include 

jimmyweed and saltbush. Purple threeawn grass is prominent in this type but 

rare in the remainder of the monument. Herbaceous diversity, percent cover 

and biomass are significantly higher here and include several species not found 

elsewhere in the monument, including carelessweed (Amaranthus palmeri), 

scarlet spiderling (Boerhavia coccinea) and Cuman ragweed (Ambrosia 

confertifolia). Soils are primarily silty, especially where water pools, and contain 

much more litter than adjacent uplands, but lack humus development. 

21 

Vegetation Mapping


22 

Transitional areas 

Included as part of the mapping project for Casa Grande Ruins are five 

parcels of land outside the present park boundary under the ownership of the 

Archaeological Conservancy. These lands are under consideration for park 

expansion because of their archaeological importance. All of these lands are 

former agricultural lands, having been cultivated at various times in the past. 

Immediately east of the monument are several large parcels, one adjoining the 

commercial district, and a larger one further east on the far side of the railroad 

tracks. To the northeast of the park, directly northeast of the junction of U.S. 

Highways 87 and 187 is another site that was surveyed, and still another small 

site is located 200 meters east of this site to the north of Highway 187. The 

vegetation and soils on these lands distinctly indicate that they are abandoned 

agricultural fields. The transitional-area category is used here to represent 

land upon which former activities have ceased but future use has not been 

determined, and as per Anderson (1976) all that can be determined is that a 

transition is in progress. The vegetation is dominated by agricultural weeds, 

and there is little in the way of natural vegetation colonizing these sites, partly 

because of the lack of native vegetation immediately around them. There are 

several patches of jimmyweed on three of the sites, as well as rare scatterings 

the perennial purple threeawn grass. Annual non-native forbs such as filaree, 

russian thistle (Salsola kali) and Asian mustard dominate the sites. Rare on 

these sites are isolated velvet mesquite and desert broom shrubs, and desert 

globemallow and spiderlings.

How to use this guide 

This guide is designed as a comprehensive companion volume to the 

vegetation mapping inventory for Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. 

More generally, it is an entry point to understanding basic plant systematics, 

the science that underlies the description, organization, and interpretation of 

plant diversity. Prior knowledge is neither required nor expected. The guide 

is divided into five general categories based on broad categories of plant 

lifeforms: ferns, graminoids, flowering trees and shrubs, cacti, and forbs. An 

explanation of each category appears on the first page of each section. 

Within these lifeform categories, the plants are arranged alphabetically, first by 

plant family and second by genera and species. This frontispiece contains a few 

basic floral diagrams for flowers and grasses, along with some common leaf 

shapes, flowers, and inflorescence types. A glossary is also provided to aid in 

defining technical terms. The index includes the common and scientific names 

of all plants in this guide. 

This field guide is not an effort to rewrite plant descriptions, but instead 

attempts to standardize descriptions in a way that facilitates field identification. 

It combines descriptions from floras, field guides, monographs, and the 

current scientific literature in an edited, standardized format. This work is 

intended to serve as an opening for an expanded awareness of the unique 

floristic biodiversity that the national parks conserve and preserve for future 

generations. There are thousands more plants in the ten other National Park 

units in the Sonoran Desert Network. We hope this work inspires its users 

to visit all these amazing parks and come to appreciate the vital work of the 

National Park Service in preserving these landscapes for the future. 

23 

Notes

Notes 

24 

The basics of plant systematics 

The science of plant systematics organizes plants according to their evolutionary 

relationships. In plant systematics, those relationships are characterized by the 

unique traits of groups of plants, which are aggregated into what are known as 

orders. Immediately below the order is the family, which is the organizational 

foundation of this field guide. The order is the largest organizational category 

and can consist of several to many different families. 

The family is a grouping of related plants connected by some or several 

specific characteristics. In systematics, some of these characteristics are called 

synapomorphies, or character states that developed in the ancestors of the 

family and can be found in all family members. For example, all plants in the 

Mint Family, or Lamiaceae, have opposite leaves, square stems, and ethereal 

oils that excrete the familiar minty smell. 

Below the family level, each species has a Latin genera (or genus) name (e.g., 

Prosopis), followed by what is known as the specific (i.e., species) epithet (e.g., 

velutina). This way of organizing scientific names, known as the binomial 

nomenclature system, dates to the 18th century and the Swedish naturalist 

Carl Linnaeus. Although even generally accepted Latin names sometimes 

have recognized alternatives (synonyms) and, as such, are subject to a limited 

amount of regional variation, the Latin (or scientific) names are far more stable 

than common names—which, especially relative to plants, are notoriously 

unreliable. 

The organization of plants in this guide is based on the Angiosperm Phylogeny 

Group III (APG III), which the Sonoran Desert Network staff considers to be 

the most recent and up-to-date plant systematics research. The Angiosperm 

Phylogeny Group III provides guidance for current information about 

relationships among plants and which genera are found in specific families. 

For more information, visit the Angiosperm Phylogeny poster at http://www2. 

biologie.fu-berlin.de/sysbot/poster/poster1.pdf. Further information about 

plant systematics can also be found in the Works Cited section of this guide.

Note on nomenclature 

The science of plant systematics is undergoing considerable change due to 

the rise of phylogenetics (the study of plant genetics and plant evolutionary 

history). As a consequence, name changes from the level of family down to 

genera and even species are common. 

The Flora of the Sonoran Desert Network project utilizes the Missouri 

Botanical Garden’s Tropicos system (www.tropicos.org) as the standard 

for plant nomenclature. Tropicos is the preferred standard for this guide 

because it reflects the most recent scholarship in phylogenetic systematics for 

nomenclature and organization. As noted above, the Flora Project also follows 

the APG III. In some instances, specific phylogenetic literature is used to 

distinguish a newly recognized or newly re-named species. All scientific names 

are italicized as per usage in the literature. Complete citations for the literature 

and opportunities for further investigation can be found in the works cited 

section. 

25 

Notes

Notes 

Recent systematic changes 

Botany is undergoing considerable change as a consequence of phylogenetic 

study. As mentioned, this guide is organized according to the work of the 

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III. Our treatment of the family structure is 

based on this organization because it is comprehensive and best supported by 

the literature. See the APG III website for continually updated information: 

http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/APWEB/ 

Outside of this basic structure, the Flora Project relies heavily on the systematic 

literature to guide our placement of genera within families and even species 

within genera. The following is a key to some recent and well supported 

changes along with their relevant references. For complete references, refer to 

the Works Cited page in the back of the guide. 

26 

Adoxaceae: Absorbed some genera from Caprifoliaceae 

Genera: Sambucus 

Authority: Eriksson and Donoghue 1997 

Amaranthaceae: Absorbed all of the Chenopodiaceae 

Genera: Atriplex, Bassia, Chenopodium, Dysphania, Kochia, 

Krascheninnikovia, Monolepis, Nitrophila, Salsola, Suaeda 

Authority: Muller and Borsch 2005 

Amaryllidaceae: Absorbed all of the Alliaceae and some other Liliaceae 

Genera affected: Allium, Nothoscordum, Zephyranthes 

Authority: Chase et al. 2009 

Apocynaceae: Absorbed most of the Asclepidaceae 

Genera affected: Asclepias, Funastrum, Sarcostemma 

Authority: Endress and Stevens 2001 

Asparagaceae: Absorbed all the Agavaceae, much from the Liliaceae, and 

genera that at various times were placed in Nolinaceae and Ruscaceae 

Genera affected: Agave, Yucca, Nolina, Dasylirion, 

Dichelostemma, Echeandia, Hesperocallis, Maianthemum, Milla, 

and Polygonatum. 

Authority: Chase et al. 2009 

Boraginaceae: Absorbed all of Hydrophyllaceae, but remains inconclusive 

Genera affected: Emmenanthe, Eriodictyon, Eucrypta, Nama, 

Phacelia, and Pholistoma 

Authority: Weigend 2010 

Cannabaceae: Absorbed some of the Ulmaceae 

Genera: Celtis 

Authority: Whittemore 2005 

Convolvulaceae: Absorbed Cuscutaceae 

Genera: Cuscuta 

Authority: Stefanovic et al. 2003, Stefanovic et al. 2002, 

Neyland 2001

Euphorbiaceae: No big changes or inclusions 

Genera affected: All Chamaesyce is Euphorbia 

Authority: Steinmann and Porter 2002 

Fabaceae: Lotus moved to Acmispon, Acacia disintegrated 

to Senegalia and Vachiella 

Authority: Brouillet 2008, Maslin 2003 

Malvaceae: Absorbed some of the Sterculiaceae 

Genera affected: Ayenia 

Authority: Whitlock and Hale 2011 

Montiaceae: Absorbed some of the former Portulacaceae 

Genera affected: Calandrinia, Cistanthe, Claytonia, Phemeranthus 

Authority: Nyffler and Eggli 2009 

Onagraceae: Saw considerable generic reorganization 

Genera affected: Camissonia, Camissoniopsis, Chylismia, 

Eremothera, and Oenothera 

Authority: Wagner et al. 2007 

Orobanchaceae: Absorbed some of the Scrophulariaceae 

Genera: Castilleja, Cordylanthus, Pedicularis 

Authority: Olmstead et al. 2001, Oxelman et al. 2005, 

Bennett and Matthews 2006, Tank et al. 2009 

Phrymaceae: Absorbed some of the Scrophulariaceae 

Genera: Mimulus 

Authority: Beardsley and Olmstead 2002, Olmstead et al. 2001, 

Oxelman et al. 2005 

Plantaginaceae: Absorbed some of the Scrophulariaceae 

Genera: Penstemon, Nuttallanthus, Keckiella, Maurandella, 

Sairocarpus, Schistophragma, Stemodia, and Veronica 

Authority: Olmstead et al. 2001, Albach et al. 2005, 

Oxelman et al. 2005, Wolfe et al. 2006 

Poaceae: Several changes at the generic level 

Genera: Cenchrus, Festuca, Muhlenbergia 

Authority: Chemisquy et al. 2010, Columbus and Smith 2010, 

Peterson et al. 2010 

Santalaceae: Absorbed some of the Viscaceae 

Genera: Phoradendron 

Authority: Der and Nickrent 2008 

Talinaceae: Absorbed some of the old Portulacaceae 

Genera: Talinum 

Authority: Nyffler and Eggli 2009 

27 

Notes

Notes 

28 

General flower structure 

Basic diagram of a flower with its various parts. 

©2001 Spring Lake Publishing, Used with Permission

©2007 Utah State University Press, All Rights Reserved 

Grass structures 

29 

Notes

Notes 

30 

Flower types 


©2001 Spring Lake Publishing, Used with Permission 

Inflorescences 

31 

Notes

Notes 

32 

Leaf margins 


©2001 Spring Lake Publishing, Used with Permission 

Leaf shapes 

33 

Notes

Notes 

34 

Key to non-native species boxes 

The high, medium, and low coding 

identifies the level of risk for impacting 

wildlands and natural resources. 

Impact risk level 

Eragrostis lehmanniana 

Lehmann lovegrass 

General: Tufted perennial, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent and 

geniculate at lower nodes, 45–60 cm tall; stems bent at lower nodes. Vegetative: 

Sheaths one–third to one–half the length of the internodes, open, glabrous except 

for sparse pilose apex of margins; blades involute, about 1 mm wide, 2–10 cm long, 

stiffly ascending, sometimes grossly flexuous, 5–15 cm long; ligule ciliate, 0.5–1 mm 

long; collar pilose at the margins. Inflorescence: Narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 

open, 10–15 cm long, 4–8 cm wide, rachis glabrous to slightly scabrous, branches 

ascending to slightly spreading; spikelets slightly compressed, often dark gray–green 

to straw colored, several to 12–flowered, rachilla disrticulating; glumes hyaline, 

keeled, scarcely compressed, first lanceolate 1–1.2 mm, second ovate–lanceolate 

1.4–1.6 mm long; lemmas oblong, obtuse, very little compressed or keeled; caryopsis 

ellipsoidal. Ecology: Introduced widely beginning in the 1930s, now widespread 

in grasslands and along roadsides from 3,000–4,500 ft (914–1372 m); flowers June– 

August. Notes: One of the most charismatic of the 

African introductions from earlier in the century, 

it was used extensively as an erosion control and 

range revegetation plant, but now it is changing 

fire–regimes and altering greater areas every 

year. Etymology: Eragrostis is from Greek eros, 

love and agrostis, grass, lehmanniana is named 

for German botanist Johann Georg Christian 

Lehmann (1792–1860). Synonyms: None 

© Michael Schumacher H M L 

The shaded 

box indicates 

that this species 

is non-native, 

introduced, or an 

invasive exotic. 

Contact the Sonoran 

Institute for a set of field 

identification cards for all 

invasive non-native plant 

species in the region. 

http://sonoran.org

Ferns 

Ferns may not be the first plant that comes to mind when you think of the 

Sonoran Desert. But there they are, everywhere. In patches of damp shade 

beneath overhanging rocks, tracing springs out of vertical faces of rock, 

or covering dry slopes in the oak woodlands. Some even prefer the lack of 

moisture and the full sun. Desert generally evokes images of endless hot plains 

and emptiness, not steep slopes of palo verde and brittlebush or the vibrant 

speckled color of spring in wet years. Wet years and wet places; apparent 

misnomers in the talk of deserts. But wetness abounds, from minor seeps to 

creeks to runoff to even the fleeting moisture and shade beneath rocks.In all of 

these wet places, there are ferns. 

Getting to know the ferns is one part getting to know where to find them, 

being careful not to disturb the rattlesnake sleeping under a rock. It is one part 

knowing to look for the characteristic and distinctive pinnate form, to begin 

to see in the trim fronds and hairs the evolutionary history of plants coming 

out of swamps in the Cretaceous and eventually into the age of flowering 

plants. Ferns are genuinely from a simpler time, when there were not seeds and 

flowers, but only gametophytes and spores. 

When we talk of ferns we are talking specifically about the roots (no pun 

intended) of land plants and about vasculature. The land plants all have 

vascular tissue; it is what marks their evolutionary emergence from the swamps 

and it is vascular tissue that distinguishes them from the non-vascular plants, 

such as the liverworts, hornworts, and true mosses. Vascular plants eventually 

developed the simple, spore-based reproductive systems found in ferns, which 

would later diversify into the woody plants and the seed plants. 

What distinguishes ferns from other vascular plants is that they not only have 

vascular tissue, but also reproduce by spores and were the first plants to evolve 

prototypical leaves approximately 400 million years ago. The lycophytes, one 

group of early fern relatives were so-named for their lycophylls, one of the 

earliest prototype leaf structures. This structure evolved into more specialized 

ones and eventually into the euphyll structure, an early true leaf whose 

single mid-vein and branching system of veins represented the evolutionary 

separation into an increasing variety of vascular structures. 

Ferns include a remarkable diversity of plants. Across the desert southwest 

they range from the club-mosses, such as Selaginella, to the diminutive whisk 

ferns in Psilotum, to the broad range of species in Cheilanthes and the other 

Pteridophytes, to the related but very different horsetails in Equisetum. This 

unique group of plants often requires closer attention than it receives, for ferns 

lack the showy wonder of the flowering plants. But you will nevertheless be 

amazed, so get yourself a good handlens and look a little closer. 

35 

Ferns

Pteridaceae 

Ferns 

36 

Cheilanthes wootonii 

beaded lipfern 

General: Slender, widely creeping rhizomes 

1–3 mm in diameter, densely scaly with loosely 

imbricated, oblong–ovate to lance–oblong, 

distantly denticulate, light reddish brown scales, 

2–3 mm long. Leaves: Several fronds, scattered 

7–35 cm long, noncircinate vernation, stipes 

slender 5–20 cm long, petiole dark brown, 

rounded adaxially; blade oblong–lanceolate, 

3–4 pinnate at base, 2–5 cm wide; pinnate not 

articulate, basal pair not conspicuously larger 

than adjacent pair; scales firmly attached, 

rounded to subcordate at base, ciliate. Sporangia: Few, false indusia 

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide; sori more or less 

continuous around segment margins; sporangia containing 32 spores. 

Ecology: Found on rocky slopes and along ledges from 3,000–9,500 ft (914– 

2896 m); sporulating summer–fall. Notes: This species can be distinguished 

by the leaf blades appearing glabrous adaxially, with costal scales that are only 

ciliate in the proximal half, and the brown and loosely appressed stem scales. 

Ethnobotany: Used as a life medicine and as a lotion for gunshot wounds. 

Etymology: Cheilanthes is from Greek cheilos for lip and anthos for flower, 

while wootonii is named for Elmer Otis Wooton (1865–1945), an American 

botanist and former curator of the National Herbarium. Synonyms: None 

©2004 Patrick Alexander

Graminoids 

Graminoids are herbaceous plants, meaning that they are not woody and die 

back to their roots at the end of each growing season. They share the same 

plant structures as other flowering plants, in modified form. The grasses 

notably lack the vibrant color of flowers, as well as what we might recognize as 

petals, but once pollinated, produce seed the same as other plants do. Grasses 

have reduced flowers with names like florets, spikelets, and glumes instead of 

tepals. While sedges have spikelets and achenes, their structures are different 

from grasses. Rushes are altogether different again, with reduced tepals and a 

capsule. 

Sedges have edges and rushes are round; grasses are hollow right down 

near the ground, goes a simple mnemonic taught to botany students. More 

scientifically, plants in the family Cyperaceae (sedges) have three sides and 

so have edges, while the family Juncaceae (rushes) are round, but not hollow 

like grasses. These first two families are often found in moist soils or along the 

margins of ponds and rivers, while grasses are widespread in moist and dry 

soils alike. 

Grasses are the single most important plant family to human beings. If you had 

cereal this morning, or enjoyed bread with your sandwich, or really liked that 

corn tortilla you ate, then you have grasses to thank. In fact, a fairly limited 

number of grasses account for the majority of our food calories as a human 

family. 

Wild grasses, on the other hand, are more diverse and constitute a significant 

proportion of the biomass found in forests, woodlands, and grasslands. 

While we might easily recognize a ryegrass or a corn plant, we are less likely 

to recognize purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea) or even the highly invasive 

buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris or Pennisetum ciliare). 

Graminoids are vital to the stability of a huge percentage of the world’s surface 

area. Prior to the onset of human civilization, this family may have covered as 

much as 25% of Earth’s land area. Although we have radically altered a huge 

percentage of this land, huge reservoirs of land are still maintained in grasses. 

Sedges and rushes often indicate the presence of water, as well as health in 

riparian systems. Either way you split the culm—square, round, or hollow, 

you’ve got in your hands a hugely important example of the world’s plants. 

37 

Graminoids

Graminoids 

38

©2007 Jason E. Willand 

Aristida purpurea 

purple threeawn 

General: Erect, small, annual to perennial 

bunchgrass, elliptical stem, can be (but not often) 

branched at lower nodes, 30–60 cm tall. Vegetative: 

Blades 0.5 mm wide, 2–8 cm long, rolled, curved, 

rough, ribs indistinct, margin occasonially hairy. 

Sheath smooth, round, open. Ligule ciliate, 0.3–0.6 

mm long. Auricle none. Collar with hairy margin, 

bearded. Vernation folded. Inflorescence: Panicles 

10–25 cm long, flexuous and curving in fruit, 

weighed down. Spikelets reddish–violet. Glumes 

very unequal, first glume 6–7 mm long, second 

glume 12–15 mm. Lemma 10–11 mm to base of awns. Awn column 1–2 mm 

long, awn 3–4.5 cm long, fine and delicate, deeply colored. Ecology: Rocky or 

sandy plains and slopes, found commonly along roadsides from 1,000–7,000 

ft (305–2135 m); flowers April–October. Notes: Blades rolled, thread–like, 

curved, short collar bearded; ligule has conspicuous hairs, purple awns 2–5 cm 

long. Awns can cause abscesses to the mouths and nostrils of grazing animals 

and injury to skin when caught on fur. Provides fodder in spring before awns 

grow. Grazed by jackrabbit. Tolerates heavy use by prairie–dogs. Increases 

with grazing. Poor to fair livestock forage because of long awns, and provides 

poor cover. Etymology: Aristo is Greek for best. Purpurea is Latin for purple. 

Synonyms: None 

39 

Poaceae 

Graminoids

Poaceae 

Graminoids 

Avena fatua 

wild oat 

General: Introduced, erect, tufted annual with usually smooth, thick but 

weak culms 30–120 cm tall. Vegetative: Blades thin, flat with sparsely villous 

margins, 5–12 mm wide, 10–30 cm long; sheath open, collar margins sparsely 

villous. Ligule membranous, 2–5.5 mm long, obtuse to acute and toothed. 

Inflorescence: Panicle large with spreading and curving branches and pedicels. 

Glumes glabrous, 2–3 cm long. Lemmas pubescent and rounded on back, firm; 

lowest lemma 1.5–2 cm long with a stout, twisted and geniculate awn that is 

2.5–4 cm long. Ecology: Weed of roadsides, fields, and waste places; flowers 

March–July. Notes: Tall annual with a large panicle containing drooping 

spikelets, lemmas with geniculate awns that 

are 2.5–4 cm long. Host plant for Common 

Wood–nymph butterfly. Ethnobotany: 

The seeds were parched, ground into flour, 

boiled, pounded, eaten dry, as mush, pinole, 

and stored for later use. Etymology: Avena 

is Latin for oats, while fatua means foolish, 

insipid, or worthless. Synonyms: Avena 

fatua var. glabrata, A. fatua var. vilis 

40 

Bromus carinatus 


H M L 

California brome 

General: Tufted perennial with culms mostly 40–80 

cm tall. Vegetative: Blades flat, glabrous or sparsely 

pilose, mostly 4–8 mm broad, 1–30 cm long; closed 

sheaths, to within a few centimeters of the ligule, 

throats usually hairy; ligule membranous, glabrous 

or sparsely hairy, acute or obtuse, lacerate, 2.5–4 mm 

long. Inflorescence: Panicle generally 12–30 cm long, 

lax, open to erect with long spreading branches, lower 

branches shorter than 10 cm, 1–4 per node, ascending 

to strongly divergent or reflexed, with 1–4 spikelets 

variously distributed; glumes large but shorter than 

lowermost lemma, glabrous to pubescent, unequal to nearly equal in length, 

first glume three–nerved, second broader, five to seven nerved; lemma 

glabrous or scabrous, strongly keeled distally, uniformly pubescent on margins, 

10–16 mm long, with awn one–half to one–third as long, sometimes geniculate, 

caryopsis as thick or thicker than broad. Ecology: Found on woodland slopes 

and in forests, often in moist soil and partial shade to 9,000 ft (2743 m); flowers 

July–November. Notes: Told apart from B. catharticus by the lack of an awn in 

B. catharticus. Ethnobotany: Seeds parched, ground into flour, used also for 

mush. Etymology: Bromus is from Greek bromo, for stinking, while carinatus 

means keeled like a boat. Synonyms: Bromus carinatus var. californicus, B. 

carinatus var. carinatus, B. carinatus var. hookerianus, B. laciniatus, Ceratochloa 

carinata 

©2006 Patrick Alexander 

©2008 Keir Morse

Bromus rubens 

red brome 

General: Introduced invasive annual, 20–50 cm tall, often less on dry slopes. 

Vegetative: Lower sheaths and blades pubescent, blades 1–2 mm wide, 2–6 cm 

long, flat; sheath closed to within a few cm of ligule; ligule membranous, erose to 

lacerate, 1–2.5 mm long. Inflorescence: Panicle several–flowered, 4–8 cm long 

including awns, dense, branches short and erect; spikelets, especially the awns, 

usually dark reddish brown or purple tinged at maturity; lemma awns 1.5–2.5 

cm long, straight or curved, margin of lemma hyaline. Ecology: Widespread 

exotic that spreads on overgrazed rangeland below 7,000 ft (2134 m); flowers 

spring. Notes: Very widespread, spreads with fire and overgrazing, sheep 

will eat it but only for a short period. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: 

Bromus comes from Greek bromo 

for stinking, while rubens means red. 

Synonyms: Anisantha rubens, Bromus 

madritensis ssp. rubens, B. matritensis 

ssp. rubens 

©2006 Patrick Alexander H M L Impact risk level 


H M L Cenchrus ciliaris 

buffelgrass 

General: Wickedly invasive, introduced perennial bunchgrass with erect 

culms 10–150 cm tall, forming thick mats or tussocks with dense, usually 

stoloniferous roots. Vegetative: Sheaths scabrous, leaf blades bluish–green, 

3–30 cm long, 2–6 mm broad, papillose–hispid to occasionally hirsute; 

ciliate near the ligule; ligule densely ciliate, membranous portion very short. 

Inflorescence: Usually 5–10, cylindrical in outline, 2–14 cm long; spikelets 

clustered, surrounded by spreading bristles, slender or some flattened and 

broad, reddish–brown to purple, scabrous to plumose or ciliate, 1–1.5 cm 

long; spikelets 4–5 mm long, first glume half as long as spikelet, second glume 

and sterile lemma equal. Ecology: Found widespread in disturbed habitats, 

spreads very quickly on abandoned land below 3,000 ft (914 m); flowers July– 

October. Notes: This plant is rapidly altering the fire regime of the Sonoran 

Desert, there is enormous concern over the fate of this species. It was still being 

seeded into the 1980s, while the Mexicans have continued to seed depleted 

rangeland with this species and there is 

some discussion of a possible cold tolerant 

variety in development. Ethnobotany: 

Unknown Etymology: Pennisetum is form 

Latin penna, feather and seta, a bristle, 

while ciliare means edged with hairs. 

Synonyms: Pennisetum ciliare 


41 

Poaceae 

Graminoids

Poaceae 

Graminoids 


Cynodon dactylon 


Eragrostis lehmanniana 

42 

H M L 

Bermudagrass 

General: Perennial with stolons and rhizomes, obvious internodes that forms 

extensive mats, culms mostly creeping and stoloniferous, short internodes. 

Vegetative: Leaves 2–ranked, flat, short, narrow, usually 1–3 mm broad, ligule 

a fringe of short hairs and lateral tufts of long stiff hairs. Inflorescence: Spikes 

4–7, digitate, slender, often 2.5–6 cm, purplish to green, spikelets sessile and 

closely appressed, in two rows on narrow, triangular rachis. Ecology: Found 

everywhere, very widespread weed below 6,000 ft (1829 m). Notes: One of the 

most common introduced grasses in Arizona. In many places it has been planted 

as a pasture grass, which makes it particularly common along the Santa Cruz 

River and other waterways in southern 

Arizona. Etymology: Cynodon is 

from Greek meaning dog tooth, and 

dactylon is from Greek daktylos, finger 

or toe. Synonyms: Capriola dactylon, 

Cynodon aristiglumis, C. incompletes, 

Panicum dactylon 


H M L 

Lehmann lovegrass 

General: Tufted perennial, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent and 

geniculate at lower nodes, 45–60 cm tall; stems bent at lower nodes. Vegetative: 

Sheaths one–third to one–half the length of the internodes, open, glabrous except 

for sparse pilose apex of margins; blades involute, about 1 mm wide, 2–10 cm 

long, stiffly ascending, sometimes grossly flexuous, 5–15 cm long; ligule ciliate, 

0.5–1 mm long; collar pilose at the margins. Inflorescence: Narrowly oblong to 

lanceolate, open, 10–15 cm long, 4–8 cm wide, rachis glabrous to slightly scabrous, 

branches ascending to slightly spreading; spikelets slightly compressed, often 

dark gray–green to straw colored, several to 12–flowered, rachilla disrticulating; 

glumes hyaline, keeled, scarcely compressed, first lanceolate 1–1.2 mm, second 

ovate–lanceolate 1.4–1.6 mm long; lemmas oblong, obtuse, very little compressed 

or keeled; caryopsis ellipsoidal. Ecology: Introduced widely beginning in the 

1930s, now widespread in grasslands and along 

roadsides from 3,000–4,500 ft (914–1372 m); 

flowers June–August. Notes: One of the most 

charismatic of the African introductions from 

earlier in the century, it was used extensively 

as an erosion control and range revegetation 

plant, but now it is changing fire regimes and 

altering greater areas every year. Etymology: 

Eragrostis is from Greek eros, love and agrostis, 

grass, while lehmanniana is named for German 

botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann 

(1792–1860). Synonyms: None 


©2008 Jason E. Willand 

H M L 


smooth barley 

General: Small annual, 20–60 cm, culms geniculate at the base. Vegetative: 

Sheaths glabrous, ligules short 0.2–0.7 mm long, truncate, erose or entire, 

ciliolate; blades flat, 1.5–4 mm broad, scabrous to pilose, auricles well 

developed, 1–2.5 mm long. Inflorescence: Spikes linear–oblong, 5.5–7 cm; 

rachis disarticulating; central spikelets 16–36 mm including awns, three 

spikelets appear pedicellate; glumes 11–22 mm long, those of central spikelet 

and inner glumes of the lateral spikelets broadened 

at the base and ciliate, with 3 scabrous nerves, outer 

glumes of the lateral spikelets awn–like; lemma of 

central spikelet 6–10 mm long, fertile and glabrous. 

Ecology: Found in disturbed areas; flowers May– 

June. Notes: Common weedy annual species in the 

desert. Etymology: Hordeum is the Latin name 

for barley, while murinum means of mice, mouse– 

gray, like a mouse. Synonyms: Critesion glaucum, 

C. murinum ssp. glaucum, Hordeum glaucum, H. 

stebbinsii 

©2008 Michael L. Charters 

Festuca octoflora 

sixweeks fescue 

General: Erect annual, 15–30 cm tall. 

Vegetative: Blades 1–2 mm wide, 2–10 cm 

long; narrow, margins rolled upward. Sheath 

smooth to puberulent. Ligule 0.5 mm long. 

Vernation folded. Inflorescence: Narrow 

panicle, 2–10 cm long. Spikelets 6–8 mm long, 

5–13–flowered. 1st glume 3–4.5 mm long, 

lance–shaped, 1–nerved. 2nd glume 3–4.5 

mm long, lance–shaped, 3–nerved. Lemma 

4–5 mm long, firm, lance–shaped, smooth or 

rough–textured. Awn 3–5 mm long. Notes: 

Annual; >5 florets per spikelet. Ecology: Sterile, rocky, open ground below 

6,500 ft (1981 m) throughout the state; flowers May–July. Species has little 

forage value, with low palatability. Roots are commonly pulled from soil due 

to livestock trampling. Seeds collected in caches and eaten by mice. Provides 

poor cover for wildlife. Etymology: Vulpi is Latin for fox. Octoflora is Latin 

for 8–flowered. Synonyms: Vulpia octoflora 

Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum 

43 

Poaceae 

Graminoids

Poaceae 

Graminoids 

44 

Hordeum vulgare 


Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum 


H M L 

leporinum barley, mouse barley 

General: Introduced annual, geniculate and spreading at base, 15–50 cm tall. 

Vegetative: Blades mostly 3–8 mm broad, sparsely hispid, auriculate, auricles 

membranous, about 2 mm long; ligules short, membranous, upper sheath 

expanded, enclosing basal portion of the inflorescence. Inflorescence: Spicate 

raceme 4–8 cm long, about 1 cm broad excluding awns; lateral spikelets large, 

florets equaling or exceeding central floret; glumes of central spikelet and inner 

glumes of lateral spikelets broadened and flattened with ciliate margins; floret 

of central spikelet borne on pedicel as long as pedicels of lateral spikelets, 

its lemma, awn, and palea all shorter than those of lateral spikelets, awn of 

glumes 1.5–2.5 cm long, stiffly erect–spreading. Ecology: Weed of disturbed 

soils below 9,000 ft (2743 m); flowers April–September. Notes: Separated from 

other Hordeum murinum by stalked central floret, floret less than lateral florets, 

and lemma awn slightly less than awn of lateral floret. Ethnobotany: Unknown 

Etymology: Hordeum is the Latin name for barley, murinum means of mice, 

mouse–gray, like a mouse, while leporinum is from root lepus or leporis for a 

hare. Synonyms: Critesion murinum ssp. leporinum, Hordeum leporinum 

H M L 

common barley 

General: Introduced; large cultivated annual; erect grass up to 60–120 cm 

tall; glabrous. Vegetative: Blades flat, 5–16 mm wide; sheaths smooth; auricles 

well developed, up to 6 mm long. Ligule 0.5–1.2 mm, erose–lacerate, ciliolate. 

Inflorescence: Spike stout, up to 10 cm long (excluding the awns) with 2–6 

rowed spikelets. All 3 spikelets of the triad sessile and fertile. Glumes subequal, 

6.5–20 mm long, 3–nerved, tapering into scabrous awns. Lemmas of the 3 

spikelets subequal, faintly 5–nerved, glabrous, tapering into a long, stout, 

flattened, scabrous awns 6–16 cm long. Ecology: Widely cultivated and most 

often found as a roadside weed; flowers May–June. Notes: Large introduced 

annual; auricles well–developed up to 6 

mm long; spikes with very long awns (6– 

16 cm long) arising from fertile lemmas. 

Ethnobotany: Papago, Pomo, and 

Cocopa all used the seeds for pinole and 

flour for food. Etymology: Hordeum 

is the Latin name for barley, vulgare 

means common. Synonyms: Many, see 

Tropicos 

©2008 Luigi Rignanese


H M L 


Phalaris minor 

lesser canarygrass, littleseed canarygrass 

General: Introduced annual, culms 10–100 cm, geniculate and branching at 

base. Vegetative: Blades 3–15 cm long, 2–10 mm wide, smooth, shiny; ligules 

5–12 mm, truncate to rounded, often lacerate. Inflorescence: Panicle 1–8 

cm tall, 1–2 cm wide, dense, ovate, well exserted from the sheath at maturity, 

spikelets borne individually, not clustered; 2 florets, 

disarticulates above the glumes; glumes 4–6.5 mm 

long, 1.2–2 mm wide, keels winged distally, wings 

0.3–0.5 mm wide, irregularly dentate or crenate, 

occasionally entire, varies in panicle, lateral veins 

conspicuous, smooth. Ecology: Found growing 

in disturbed habitats generally below 3,000 ft (914 

m). Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Phalaris 

is from Greek phalaros, having a patch of white, 

crested, or phalos, shining, bright, white, and minor 

which means lesser. Synonyms: None 

©2006 James M. Andre 

Poa bigelovii 

Bigelow’s bluegrass 

General: Tufted annual, culms 15–45 cm tall, delicate 

and erect. Vegetative: Sheaths open, slightly keeled at 

bottom, broad; blades flat, soft, light green, 2–4 mm wide, 

4–12 cm long, tips boat shaped, median lines present; 

ligule membranous, acute, lacerate, 1–3 mm long. 

Inflorescence: Contracted panicle, branches strictly 

erect; spikelets broadly ovate, pale green 4.5–8 mm, with 

3–8 florets, overlapping and compressed against each 

other, spreading apart at maturity; glumes glabrous, first 

one to three nerved, second three–nerved, lemmas 3–4 

mm long, margins white hairy and membranous, base 

with dense cottony tuft or web. Ecology: Found on rocky slopes and sandy 

desert washes from 1,000–5,000 ft (305–1524 m); flowers spring. Notes: 

Contracted panicle, lemma webbed and pubescent at base are diagnostic for 

this annual grass. Etymology: Poa is classical Greek name for grass, while 

bigelovii is named for Dr. John Milton Bigelow (1804–1878) a botanist on the 

Whipple expedition. Synonyms: None 

45 

Poaceae 

Graminoids

Poaceae 

Graminoids 


Schismus arabicus 

46 

H M L 

Arabian schismus 

General: Low tufted annual, 10–20 cm tall, glabrous, erect to spreading or 

semiprostrate. Vegetative: Leaves mostly basal, blades soft, bright green, 

narrow, sheath with membranous border above, often broad and truncate at 

apex; ligule a ring of short and long hairs. Inflorescence: Compact panicle, 

many flowered 1–6 cm long; spikelets 5–7 flowered; glumes 3.5–5.5 mm, 

often tinged with purple, lemmas 1.5–2.4 mm, margin and back hairy, apex 

shallowly to deeply notched, lobes acute; palea 

shorter than lemma, usually not reaching notch; 

caryopsis shiny golden brown. Ecology: Found 

on dry open ground, often in disturbed soil below 

4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers January–May. Notes: S. 

arabicus and S. barbatus are thought to possibly 

intergrade, the only difference is in the glume size, 

and the lemmas being more hairy in S. arabicus. 

Etymology: Schismus is from Greek schismos, 

cleaving, referring to split lemma, arabicus refers to 

being Arabian in origin. Synonyms: None 

Schismus barbatus 


H M L 

common Mediterranean grass 

General: Low tufted annual, 10–20 cm tall, glabrous, erect to spreading or 

semiprostrate. Vegetative: Leaves mostly basal, blades soft, bright green, 

narrow, sheath with membranous border above, often broad and truncate at 

apex; ligule a ring of short and long hairs. Inflorescence: Compact panicle, 

many flowered 1–6 cm long; spikelets 5–7 flowered; glumes 2.5–4.5 mm long, 

acute or acuminate, five–nerved; lemma glabrous on back or with hairs on 

margin or occasionally near base, apical notch shallow or minute, palea about 

as long as lemma. Ecology: Found on dry open ground, often in disturbed 

soil below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers January–May. Notes: S. arabicus and 

S. barbatus are thought to possibly 

intergrade, the only difference is in 

the glume size, and the lemmas being 

more hairy in S. arabicus. Etymology: 

Schismus is from Greek schismos, 

cleaving, referring to split lemma, 

barbatus means barbed. Synonyms: 

Festuca barbata, Schismus calycinus 

©2001 Joe DiTomaso 

©2008 Jason E. Willand


H M L Sorghum halepense 

Johnsongrass 

General: Perennial from stout, scaly rhizomes, culms 1–2 m tall, culm nodes 

glabrous or finely pubescent. Vegetative: Sheaths glabrous, puberulent 

across the collar; ligules membranous, truncate, ciliate 1.5–3 mm long; blades 

large, flat, 4–15 mm broad, 20–50 cm long, margins white, midvein white and 

prominent. Inflorescence: Panicle usually large, densely flowered, variable, 

mostly 15–35 cm long; spikelets and pedicels more or less hirsute; sessile 

spikelets 4.5–6 mm long, glumes broad, coreaceous, nerveless and shiny 

except at tip; glumes of sessile spikelet subequal, first glume smooth and 

shiny on back, hispidulous on the margins or sometimes all over, 5–7 nerved, 

second glume glabrous, smooth and shiny below and hispidulous toward 

apex; fertile lemma membranous, usually with a twisted, once–geniculate awn 

1–1.5 mm long, this readily deciduous; pediceled spikelet staminate, awnless, 

lanceolate, usually as long or longer than the sessile one. Ecology: Common 

weed on moist roadsides, ditchbanks, cultivated fields, and wastelands below 

5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers April–November. Notes: Gnarly rhizomatous weed 

that spreads with seemingly every effort 

to control it. Best bet is to continually 

cultivate it, exhausting its rootstock; or 

burn it continually. Etymology: Sorghum 

is from Italian sorgo, for a tall cereal grass, 

and halepense refers to being of or from 

Allepo, northern Syria. Synonyms: Holcus 

halepensis, Sorghum milaceum 

©2006 Luigi Rignanese 

47 

Poaceae 

Graminoids

Graminoids 

48

Flowering Trees and Shrubs 

The best way to start thinking about the flowering plants (or angiosperms) is to 

start with the big stuff—the trees. A conventional definition is “a woody plant 

with a single trunk.” More specifically, trees are defined by the presence of a 

single main trunk that is upright, with a crown of either leaves or needles that 

fall (deciduous trees) or needles or even leaves that do not fall (evergreen). 

Think of an elm tree or a willow. 

In the Sonoran Desert region, however, trees may not have just a single stem, 

nor a definite crown. Trees in this region often have many stems growing from 

one root, giving them a downright shrubby appearance, quite unlike the singlestemmed 

pine tree, with its single, straight trunk and pointed crown on top. 

To this end, we will consider the shrubs. Conventionally, shrubs are “woody 

plants, shorter than a tree and with many stems.” Problematically, some trees 

can be shrubs and some shrubs can be trees. For our purposes, it is best to 

simply consider trees and shrubs to be the woody plants—those which persist 

long after the rains have gone in the fall, whose leaves fall, and whose trunks 

and stems remain throughout the year. Trees and shrubs are the most common 

of the common plants; their sheer size and number are what we see when we 

look at a large landscape. 

49 

Trees and Shrubs

Trees and Shrubs 

50

©2008 T. Beth Kinsey 

©2005 Steve Matson 

Atriplex canescens 

fourwing saltbush 

General: Shrub, frequently 1.5–2 m, moundlike, 

much branched and drought deciduous. Leaves: 

Alternate, simple, gray–green, entire, narrowly 

spatulate to narrowly oblong, 5 cm long or less, 

salty tasting. Flowers: Inconspicuous, tiny, 

yellow, in clusters on stem; dioecious. Fruit: 

Small seeds enclosed by 4–winged bracts, often 

1–2 cm and nearly as wide. Ecology: Found on 

sandy or gravelly soils, from desert scrub to 

pinon–juniper communities from 300–6,500 ft 

(100–2400 m) Notes: Browse for livestock, deer and antelope; seeds eaten by 

birds and rodents; very tolerant of salty soils. Ethnobotany: Seeds used for 

meal, yellow dye. Havasupai used it to make soap for hair washing and to treat 

itches and rashes. Hopi used the ashes as a substitute for baking soda. Navajo 

used it as an emetic, to treat ant bites, cough, and as a hair tonic. They also 

used it as feed for cattle, sheep and goats. Etymology: Atriplex is an old Latin 

name for this plant, canescens means covered with short gray or white hairs. 


Atriplex polycarpa 

cattle saltbush, desert saltbush 

General: Intricately branched shrub 0.5–2 m, with 

slender twigs and gray–green whitish leaves, becoming 

leafless in drought. Leaves: Small, oblong, fasciculate, 

mostly less than 1 cm long and 3 mm wide; often highly 

variable. Flowers: Dioecious with inconspicuous 

flowers in dense terminal panicles; fruiting bracts 4–6 

mm wide, somewhat orbicular to obdeltoid, often 

with 7–17 finger–like blunt teeth, often obscured by 

dense scurfy white hairs. Often with characteristic 

pink galls in the upper branches and inflorescences. 

Fruits: Utricles 2–4 mm long with dentate margins 

and, usually, tuberculate faces. Ecology: Found on 

sandy to rocky soils of flats, washes and slopes below 

3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers in various seasons. Notes: Notable for its symmetry 

and its tolerance of saline soils. Ethnobotany: Seri used the wood for fuel, in 

addition to adding the mashed leaves and twigs to water as a shampoo and for 

washing clothes. Etymology: Atriplex is old Latin name for this plant, while 

polycarpa means having many seeds or fruit. Synonyms: None 

51 

Amaranthaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Amaranthaceae–Asteraceae 


52 

Suaeda nigra 

Mohave seablite 

General: Shrubby perennial, 1.2–2 m, semi– 

hemispherical, much branched, branches spreading 

and interlacing; stems slender and brittle; herbage and 

calyces minutely and densely pubescent to sometimes 

glabrous, succulent, green to glacuous blue–green and 

often reddish purple. Leaves: Alternate, thick and 

succulent, long–shoot leaves moderately flattened 

with rounded margins, often 1–3 cm, internodes 

often more than 2 cm, short–shoot leaves terete, 

usually crowded, often 3–8 mm and beadlike; leaves, 

especially larger ones narrowed at base to short 

petiole or subsessile. Flowers: Flowering branches 

slender, paniculate; flowers 1–10 per cluster, often 

functionally unisexual; sepals succulent with membranous margins, hooded 

and unequal in size in female flowers, the fruiting calyx bilateral, often 1.3–1.6 

mm across; sepals of male flowers spreading. Stigmas usually 3, thickish and 

linear, papillose to pubescent on densely pubescent plants. Fruits: Seeds 

blackish, shiny. Ecology: Found in washes, arroyos, sometimes rocky slopes 

below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers July–September, other times possible. Notes: 

Indicator of soil salinity. Ethnobotany: Poultice was used on sores as an 

analgesic for bleeding bowels, as a ceremonial medicine, rubbed on chicken 

pox sores, and for bladder and kidney trouble. Etymology: Suaeda is an old 

Arabic name, while nigra means black, referring to the seeds. Synonyms: 

Suaeda moquinii, others, see Tropicos 

©2008 Steve Matson

2011 NPS/Steve Buckley 

Ambrosia deltoidea 

triangle bur ragweed 

General: Shrub with numerous ascending 

to erect stems 30–80 cm from a woody base; 

rounded or flat topped, dark brown branches, 

ridged, strongly resinous. Leaves: Numerous, 

mostly alternate, on petioles 5–12 mm, blades 

deltate to lance–deltate, 12–25 mm long by 5–12 

mm wide, cuneate to truncate bases, toothed 

margins, densely tomentose below, white or 

pale; above sparsely tomentulose, dark green. 

Flowers: Pistillate heads clustered, 2–3 florets, 

in terminal racemes or panicles; staminate 

heads crowded on peduncles 0.5–3 mm, more or less cup shaped involucres, 

4–8 mm in diameter, tomentulose; 12–30 florets. Fruits: Burs broadly ellipsoidal 

to globose, 3–6 mm, usually stipitate–glandular, spines 15–30, scattered, 1–3 mm, 

tips straight, sometimes uncinate, distinctly flattened. Ecology: Found in sandy 

washes, on alluvial plains, on gravelly or rocky slopes from 1,000–3,000 ft (305– 

914 m); flowers December–May. Notes: Fruiting heads resemble cockleburs, 

only the spines are strongly flattened with plane of leaves. Abundant shrub 

among Parkinsonia and Prosopis in the Sonoran desert scrub communities. This 

species is often considered the dominant bursage of the Arizona Upland, while 

A. dumosa is found in the lower Colorado and Mohavean types. A. deltoidea is 

often found on the moister margins of gullies and other surface water features, 

while A. dumosa is confined to finer and drier soils. Ethnobotany: Unknown, 

but other species in the genera have many uses. Etymology: Ambrosia is Greek 

for food of the gods, while deltoidea means triangular, like the fourth letter of 

the Greek alphabet, delta. Synonyms: Franseria deltoidea 

53 

Asteraceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Asteraceae 


54 

Ambrosia dumosa 

burrobush 

General: Much branched, rounded 

shrub 10–40 cm tall; stiff branches, 

more or less spinose, glabrate with 

age, bearing short stiff hairs when 

young, bark gray and slightly striate. 

Leaves: Alternate, on petioles 2–8 mm, 

blades elliptic to ovate, 2–3 pinnately 

lobed, both surfaces densely grayish– 

tomentose, 10–25 mm long by 8–15 mm 

wide; divisions often narrow but not 

linear, often variously shaped. Flowers: On racemose or spikelike inflorescence, 

staminate and pistillate heads intermingled, staminate heads on peduncles 

0.2–3 mm long; involucres broadly saucer–shaped, 4–5 mm wide, strigillose 

cancescent, lobes 5–8, broadly trianglular ovate; corollas puberulent, yellow. 

Fruits: Burs 4–5.5 mm long, subglobose, moderately glandular–puberulent, 2 

beaks, straight 1–1.5 mm long; spines 30–40, narrowly subulate, flattened toward 

base, 1.5–2.2 mm long, tips not hooked. Ecology: Found on dry, fine soils of 

alluvial plains and slopes below 3,000 ft (914 m); flowers February–December. 

Notes: One of the more abundant shrubs in the desert scrub. Flattened spines 

on the burs are a contrast to other species of Ambrosia. Found in much of the 

Sonoran and Mohavean deserts, scarce only where cool–season rainfall is low, 

and since warm–season rain is infrequent in its range it germinates episodically. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genera have many uses. 

Etymology: Ambrosia is Greek for food of the gods, while dumosa means 

bushy or shrubby. Synonyms: Franseria dumosa 

Baccharis sarothroides 

desert broom 

General: Woody shrubs often 2–2.5 m 

(6–8ft) with broomlike green branches, 

often nearly leafless. Twigs angled or striate– 

ridged. Leaves: Few, quickly deciduous 

leaves linear to linear–lanceolate reaching 

1–3 cm, larger leaves often minutely toothed, 

most leaves much smaller or reduced to 

scales. Flowers: Cylindroid pistillate heads 

about 1 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, erose 

to ciliate membranous, outer phyllaries 

broadly ovate, inner ones linear. Fruits: Achene, 1.5–2.7 mm, 10–ribbed, pappus 

7–11 mm. Ecology: Found in sandy–gravelly washes, watercourses, shallow 

drainages, flats, and low hills, sometimes in saline soil from 1,000–5,500 ft 

(305–1676 m); flowers September–December. Notes: Because of its evergreen 

nature often used as an ornamental, not particularly palatable to livestock 

or grazing. Ethnobotany: Infusions were used for coughs and stomach 

aches, while many stalks were tied together to make brooms and single stalks 

made arrows. Etymology: Baccharis is named for Bacchus, the god of wine, 

sarothroides means broom–like. Synonyms: None 

©1998 Larry Blakely 



©2008 Max Licher 

Encelia farinosa 

brittlebush, incienso 

General: Compact, rounded, much 

branched shrub 30–150 cm, stems 

branched distally, tomentose. Leaves: 

Cauline, ovate–acute to broadly ovate– 

lanceolate, 2–5 cm long, on petioles 

10–20 mm, blades silver or gray, apices 

obtuse or acute, faces tomentose. 

Flowers: Hemispheroidal heads on 

leafless stalks that appear paniculate, peduncles glabrous except near heads, 

more or less yellow; involucres 4–10 mm, lanceolate phyllaries, ray flowers 

about 1 cm long, 2 cm in diameter, the ray corollas large and conspicuous 1–1.5 

cm long, disc flowers yellow to brown–purple. Fruits: Cypselae 3–6 mm, with 

no pappus. Ecology: Found on dry, rocky or gravelly slopes below 3,000 ft 

(914 m); flowers November–May. Notes: A very distinctive plant with its gray– 

green leaves and bright yellow flower heads, often turns whole hillsides yellow 

in spring. Ethnobotany: Used for toothaches, for pain, the gum was chewed 

by children, used to fasten arrow points, as a waterproofing gum, and melted 

down for a varnish. Etymology: Encelia is named for Christoph Entzelt (1517– 

1583) a German naturalist, while farinosa means mealy or powdery. Synonyms: 

Encelia farinosa var. farinosa, E. farinosa var. phenicodonta, E. farinosa var. 

radicans 

Isocoma acradenia 

alkali goldenbush 

General: Erect shrub, densely branched 30–100 

cm, with mostly ascending, slender, brittle, 

woody stems; herbage glandular punctate, 

copiously resinous–glutinous, young herbage 

with sparse, short, white hairs covered in resin. 

Leaves: Oblong to oblanceolate, entire to 

toothed or lobed to shallowly parted. Flowers: 

Involucral bract an apically thickened, wartlike, 

green area bearing minute dotlike resin glands 

near tip; phyllaries linear–oblong, margins 

narrowly transparent–membranous and erose–ciliate at tip; corolla lobes 0.5– 

0.7 or occasionally 1 mm long, nearly acute, bright yellow, longer than pappus. 

Fruits: Ribbed achenes, moderately to densely pubescent, pappus of many 

coarse persistent barbellate and uneven bristles. Ecology: Found on desert 

slopes, hillsides, and plains below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers August–October. 

Notes: Told apart from other Isocoma spp. by the characteristic wartlike resin 

pocket near tip of pyllaries. Ethnobotany: Used as a poultice applied to sores, 

steeped for sore throats, and as a building material. Etymology: Isocoma is 

from the Greek meaning an equal hair–tuft, referring to flowers, acradenia is 

from Greek for pointed–glanded. Synonyms: Haplopappus acradenius 

55 

Asteraceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Asteraceae–Ephedraceae 


longleaf jointfir, Mexican tea 

General: Erect, yellowish green shrub 0.5–2 

m tall, with very fine longitudinal grooves, 

straight branches, alternate or whorled, 1.5– 

3.5 mm in diameter; angle of divergence about 

30 degrees; spinose tipped branches. Leaves: 

Persistent leaf scales, sheathing to about 

middle or above, 5–15 mm long, acuminate 

to acerose, becoming white and shredded. 

Flowers: Pollen cones sessile, staminate 

obovate, 6–10 mm long, with 8–12 whorls of 3 thin, membranous bracts; bracts 

of ovulate cones in 8–10 whorls, membranous, obovate, 10–14 mm long, sessile 

or short–pedunculate, mature bracts orbicular, 8–12 mm long, reddish brown in 

center and toward base, translucent yellowish marginally, entire. Fruits: Seed 

cones one to several at nodes, seeds tetragonal in cross section, 9–15 mm long, 

1.5–3 mm wide, equaling bracts, light brown, smooth. Ecology: Found on dry 

rocky slopes to flat sandy areas from 1,500–6,500 ft (457–1981 m); flowers late 

winter–early spring. Notes: Green twigs end in a spinose tip, unique among 

the Ephedra. Leaves and bracts in threes is helpful in separating this species. 

The plants in Ephedraceae are not well placed here. In actuality, Ephedra and 

Ephedraceae are correctly placed in a group known as the Gnetales, a relative 

of the gymnosperms and conifers. Since there is only the one species here, and 

no gymnosperms, we leave this species here for convenience. Ethnobotany: 

Used for sores, stomach troubles, kidneys and against venereal disease, often 

made into stimulant tea. Etymology: Ephedra is from Greek ephedra, used by 

Pliny for common mare’s tail, while trifurca means three–forked. Synonyms: 

None 

56 

Isocoma pluriflora 

southern goldenbush, Jimmyweed 

General: Perennial shrub, woody toward base, stems erect 

to ascending, 40–70 cm tall, hirtellous to subglabrous 

branchlets. Leaves: Linear to linear–oblanceolate, 1.5–5 

mm wide, 2–4 cm long, entire to sparsely short–dentate or 

lowermost sometimes laciniate–dentate, densely punctate– 

resinous, hispidulous along margins, thick and stiff. Flowers: 

Numerous heads, cymose, 7–15 flowered, involucres 4–5 

mm high, phyllaries lanceolate to oblong–oval, appressed, 

mostly appressed; ray flowers none. Fruits: Achene about 

2 mm long, silky–strigose; pappus bristles about 4–4.5 mm long, stramineous. 

Ecology: Found along washes, mesas, and sandy plains from 3,000–6,500 ft 

(914–1981 m); flowers June–September. Notes: Aggressive invader of depleted 

rangeland and old fields.Ethnobotany: Plant used as a lotion to heal infant’s 

navel, a poultice was applied for muscular pain, and the leaves were chewed 

for coughs. Etymology: Isocoma is from Greek meaning equal hair–tuft, 

referring to the flowers, while pluriflora means many–flowered. Synonyms: 

Haplopappus heterophyllus, H. pluriflorus, Isocoma wrightii 

Ephedra trifurca 

©2001 Al Schneider 




Calliandra eriophylla 

fairyduster 

General: Spreading shrub growing to 1 m 

high, with unarmed light gray to whitish stems. 

Young stems and twigs densely to moderately 

pubescent with short white hairs. Leaves: 

Widely spaced leaves twice–pinnate with 2–4 

pairs of pinnae, each with 7–9 (occasionally 10) 

pairs of leaflets 2–3 mm long. Generally cold 

deciduous. Flowers: Showy, dense spherical 

heads 4–5 cm in diameter. Corollas 5–6 mm long 

and inconspicuous; stamens showy, pink, rose, 

or reddish purple up to 1.5 cm long. Fruits: Linear velvety pods 5–7 mm wide 

and 3–7 cm long with thickened margins. Ecology: Grows along washes, on 

slopes and mesas, typically low and creeping, from 2,000–5,000 ft (762–1676 

m); flowers February–April, occasionally September–October. Notes: Readily 

identifiable because of its stamens. Ethnobotany: Decoction taken as a 

gynecological aid after childbirth by Yavapai. Etymology: Calliandra is from 

Greek kallos ‘beautiful’ and andra ‘stamen’, while eriophylla is from Greek 

erion ‘wool’ and phyllon ‘leaf’ referring to matted white hairs that cover the 

plant when young. Synonyms: Calliandra eriophylla var. chamaedrys, C. 

eriophylla var. eriophylla 

Parkinsonia florida 

blue paloverde 

General: Large shrubs to small trees reaching 

7–10 m tall with a well–developed trunk. Small 

straight spines borne singly at nodes. Bark of 

twigs and branches bluish green, while older 

trunks are often gray. Leaves: Leaves are pinnate 

with single pair of pinnae, with 2–4 pairs of 

obovate leaflets 4–8 mm long, darkening when 

dried. Flowers: Found in terminal racemes, 22– 

28 mm wide, calyx green to yellow–green, lobes 

reflexed; Petals bright yellow, banner with small 

orange–red spots basally. Fruits: Straw colored oblong pods 4–10 cm long 

moderately flattened, mostly indehiscent, seeds 1–6. Ecology: Generally found 

along washes, plains, and canyons, sometimes on slopes from sea level to 4,000 

ft (1219 m); flowers March–April. Notes: Larger than most other species of this 

genus. Ethnobotany: The seeds were dried and roasted before being ground 

into meal for mush or cakes. Green pods can be eaten raw, similar to edamame 

(soybean) in texture. The wood was used for carving ladles. Etymology: 

Parkinsonia is named after John Parkinson (1567–1650), florida refers to either 

free–flowering, abundant flowers or bright. Synonyms: Cercidium floridum, C. 

floridum ssp. floridum 

57 

Fabaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Fabaceae 


58 

Parkinsonia microphylla 

yellow paloverde, foothill paloverde 

General: Small tree or large shrub to 6 m tall with 

smooth green bark on all twigs and branches 

except near the base, which is gray. Leaves: Borne 

on thorn tipped stems, lacking a petiole with 1 

pair of pinnae, each 1–5 cm and with 4–8 pairs 

of leaflets, leaflets 1–3.5 mm broadly elliptic to 

broadly oblong or orbicular. Flowers: Bicolored 

with four yellow petals and one white banner, 

12–18 mm wide. Fruits: Pods, sparsely pubescent, 

tan to straw–colored 4–8 cm long, indehiscent. 

Ecology: Abundant on bajadas, plains and hillslopes through low desert 

from 500–3,500 ft (152–1067 m); flowers April–May. Notes: This plant is very 

common in Sonoran Desert, where its leafless stems make it readily identifiable. 

Ethnobotany: The seeds were dried and roasted before being ground into 

meal for mush or cakes. Green pods can be eaten raw, similar to edamame 

(soybean) in texture. The wood was used for carving ladles. Etymology: 

Parkinsonia is named after John Parkinson (1567–1650), microphyllum refers to 

its being small–leaved. Synonyms: Cercidium microphyllum 

Prosopis glandulosa 

honey mesquite 

General: Spiny shrub or small tree to 9 m 

tall. Leaves: Composed of 8–20 pairs of 

leaflets on a single pair of pinnae (rarely 2 

pairs); linear–oblong leaflets, 15–22 mm long, 

7–9 times as long as broad and usually spaced 

5–6 mm apart; glabrous or ciliate with short, 

stiff hairs along the margins. Flowers: Small, 

greenish yellow flowers in spikelike racemes 

5–12 cm long. Fruits: Compressed pods 10–25 cm long and 1–1.5 cm wide, 

straw colored when mature. Ecology: Common in bottomlands and washes, 

on heavy soils in uplands and coarse soils of sandy flats below 5,000 ft (1524 

m); flowers in spring, rarely there is a second flowering period in late summer. 

Notes: May intergrade with P. velutina and P. articulata making it difficult to 

tell them apart. Typically, P. glandulosa can be told apart from P. velutina by the 

pinnae which are mostly 1 pair per leaf, compared to 1 or 2 pairs in P. velutina; 

leaflets are also more widely spaced in P. glandulosa. Ethnobotany: Leaves 

made into an eye wash, bark used as a urinary aid for children, the leaves were 

chewed to neutralize acid stomach, the pods were eaten raw or cooked like 

string beans, or dried and pounded into flour. Etymology: Prosopis was a 

Greek name for burdock (seemingly misnamed), glandulosa means provided 

with glands. Synonyms: None, but three different varieties exist. 


©2005 Robert Sivinski

©2011 Liz Makings 


Prosopis velutina 

velvet mesquite 

General: Common, shrub or tree, reaching 

to 17 m; with bark in dark brown, thick, long 

narrow strips. Hard, heavy, reddish–brown, 

yellow sapwood. Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 

bipinnately compound, with 1 or 2 pairs of 

pinnae each with 9–30 pairs leaflets; leaflet 4–13 

mm long, oblong, closely spaced on stalk; paired 

straight stipular spines 1–2 cm borne at nodes. 

Flowers: Greenish yellow flowers in spikelike 

racemes 5–12 cm long. Fruits: Legume 7.6–20.3 

cm long, pubescent, non–dehiscent, sweetish pulp. Ecology: Common along 

washes, in bottomlands, slopes and mesas from 3,000–5,500 ft (914–1676 m). 

Notes: Diagnostic features include: bipinnate leaf with 1 or 2 pairs of pinnae; 

stout, straight stipular spines; pubescent leaves, twigs, pods. Ethnobotany: 

Excellent fuel, charcoal, posts, novelties, cattle eat the pods, browse, honey; 

grassland invader; pods make highly edible flour. Etymology: Prosopis was 

a Greek name for burdock (seemingly misnamed), while velutina refers to 

velvet–like. Synonyms: Neltuma velutina, Prosopis articulata, P. chilensis var. 

velutina, P. juliflora, P. juliflora var. articulata, P. juliflora var. velutina 

Senegalia greggii 

catclaw acacia 

General: Native shrub or tree reaching to 6 m or 

more. Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, bipinnately 

compound; 2.5–7.6 cm long, with 2 or 3 pairs of 

pinnae, each with 4–6 pairs leaflets; pinnae 1–1.5 

mm long. Flowers: Cream colored, fragrant, 

spikes 5.1 cm long, 13 mm diameter; summer. 

Fruits: Legume 5.1–12.7 cm long, 13 mm wide, 

flat, often twisted and narrowed between 

seeds; persists into winter. Wood: Hard, heavy, 

sapwood cream to yellow; heartwood, reddish– 

brown. Ecology: Found on flats, washes, and slopes below 5,000 ft (1524 m). 

Notes: Diagnostics include: small double–compound leaves less than 7.6 cm 

long; very stout recurved solitary spines; flat twisted pod constricted between 

seeds. Ethnobotany: Disagreeable because of stout spines, tool handles, 

fuel, good honey plant, quail, ground up into a meal. Used as an astringent, 

emollient, disinfectant, antiinflammatory. Havasupai used in basket making. 

Etymology: Acacia is from Greek akakie taken from ake or akis, ‘a sharp point, 

greggii is reference to Josiah Gregg (1806–1850), a frontier trader and author 

who worked with Dr. George Engelman. Synonyms: Acacia greggii 

59 

Fabaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Krameriaceae 


Krameria erecta 

littleleaf ratany 

General: Low shrub often 0.3–0.5 m, usually 

less than 1 m across, with many short, crowded, 

spreading branches. Stems tough and woody with 

gray bark, upper branches knotty due to many 

short spur branches. Densely pubescent herbage 

and grayish with short white hairs, stems root at 

nodes. Leaves: Alternate, linear 3–9 long by .8–1.3 

mm wide, drought deciduous, sessile. Flowers: 

Showy, about 1.5 cm in diameter, solitary or in 

short racemes with leafy bracts. Sepals bright 

magenta–purple inside, white hairy outside. Filaments whitish, anthers dull 

cream colored, styles magenta–purple. Fruits: Globose and moderately 

compressed, about 6 mm wide, with spines about 3.5 mm with small barbs 

more or less evenly distributed along upper part of shaft. Ecology: Found on 

sandy, gravelly plains adjacent to mountains and rocky hills from 500–5,000 

ft (152–1524 m); flowers at various times during the year. Notes: Plant is in 

part a root parasite on other species. Palatable to both livestock and wildlife. 

Ethnobotany: Used predominantly as a red dye and as a poultice of root for 

sores. Etymology: Krameria named after Johann Georg Heinrich Kramer 

(1684–1744) and Austrian physician and botanist, while erecta means upright. 

Synonyms: Krameria glandulosa, K. imparta, K. parvifolia, K. parvifolia var. 

glandulosa, K. parvifolia var. imparata 

60 

©2008 T. Beth Kinsey

2009 NPS/Beth Fallon 

Krameria grayi 

white ratany 

General: Stiff, intricately branched and 

mounded shrubs 20-80 cm tall, young branches 

densely canescent; old stems terete, bluegreen, 

with rigid spinose tips. Leaves: Sparse, 

alternate and simple, linear to oblong, sessile, 

acute to obtuse, often apiculate, 1-3 mm wide, 

5-10 mm; occasionally completely lacking. 

Flowers: Peduncles 15-25 mm long, sericeous, 

bracts foliaceous, borne at middle of peduncle; 

sepals 5, lanceolate, acute, purple to deep redpurple, 

9-12 mm long, canescent on exposed parts; lower petals 2.5-3 mm long, 

suborbicular, often with many small tubercules on dorsal surfaces; upper 

petals 3, spatulate, 4-5 mm long, slender claws, distinct and pink to purple 

at tip, green basally; stamens 4 curved upward and inserted at base of petals. 

Fruits: Broadly ovoid to globose, densely woolly body, spines acicular, 5.5-10 

mm long, hairy below, glabrous toward apex, bearing 2-5 stout recurved barbs 

to 1 mm in terminal whorl. Ecology: Found on dry slopes along washes and on 

hillsides below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers March-September. Notes: Told apart 

from K. erecta by the blue-green cast of the old stems, the overall canescence 

of the shrub, the whorled spines at the apex of the fruit, and by the petals 

not being connate. Ethnobotany: Used as a wash for sores as a disinfectant, 

as an eye medicine, taken for pain, coughs, fevers, sore throats, for swelling, 

and the roots were boiled and ground as a dye in basket making. Etymology: 

Krameria named after Johann Georg Heinrich Kramer (1684-1744) an Austrian 

physician and botanist, while grayi is named for the American botanist Asa 

Gray. Synonyms: None 

61 

Krameriaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Polygonaceae 


62 

Eriogonum fasciculatum 

Eastern Mohave buckwheat 

General: Low spreading woody shrub, 0.5–1 

m, compact and much branched with leafy 

stems and shredding bark; stems, leaves 

and scapes canescent–pubescent. Leaves: 

Fascicled, sessile or nearly so, 3–15 mm, 

white hairy on both surfaces, canescent 

above, densely woolly below. Flowers: 

Involucres 5–toothed, 2.5 mm, densely to 

moderately white hairy; flowers white to 

pink, 3 mm, outer perianth segments densely white hairy toward base and 

along broad midrib. Fruits: Achenes 2–2.5 mm. Ecology: Found on dry rocky 

slopes from 1,000–4,500 ft (305–1372 m); flowers March–June. Notes: The 

most common shrubby Eriogonum in the region. Several varieties exist in the 

region, take a collection if identity to this level is required. Ethnobotany: Used 

for diarrhea, as an emetic, against witchcraft, for heart medicine, to help heal 

wounds, for hoarseness, for stomachaches and the wood was used to pierce 

ears. Etymology: Eriogonum is from Greek erion, wool and phyllon, leaf, 

fasciculatum is derived from Latin word for bundles. Synonyms: Eriogonum 

fasciculatum ssp. polifolium, E. fasciculatum var. revolutum, E. poliofolium 



Salix gooddingii 

Goodding’s willow 

General: Deciduous, medium to large 

sized trees to 25 m or more. Bark is thick 

and gray; split into many furrows and 

ridges. Twigs yellowish and hairy; smooth 

buds with a single conspicuous bud scale 

margin. Leaves: Leaves linear to very 

narrowly elliptical, but widest at the base, 

6–13 cm long and 0.8–1.6 cm wide; margins 

finely toothed; upper and lower surfaces 

green to yellow green and hairless. Flowers: Catkins yellowish, 2–8 cm long. 

Fruits: Short stalked and hairy capsules 3–7 mm long, containing many 

cottony seeds. Ecology: Along streams, and in canyons and wet meadows up 

to 7,500 ft (2286 m); flowers March–June. Notes: Can be distinguished by its 

lance shaped, entirely green leaves, hairy yellowish twigs and its conspicuous 

bud scale margins. A similar species S. laevigata has wider leaves, whitish leaf 

undersides and more reddish twigs. Rapid growth and resprout ability. Host 

plant for Mourning Cloak butterfly. Ethnobotany: Not a valuable commercial 

species in Arizona. Its close relative S. nigra has been harvested comercially in 

the southeast U.S. for furniture and building materials. Pima used this species 

in basket making. Etymology: Salix is the Latin name for willow, meaning ‘to 

leap or spring’, while goodingii is named after Leslie Newton Gooding (1880– 

1967), botanist and collector, one of the first to explore the southern Arizona 

area. Synonyms: None 

63 

Salicaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Solanaceae 


Lycium andersonii 

wolfberry, water jacket 

General: Thorny rounded shrub 0.5–3 m 

high with densely branched, spinose ridgid 

branches and flexuous, silvery–white to tan 

barked twigs. Leaves: Alternate or clustered, 

sessile or on petiole 1–3 mm, mostly linear 

to linear–spatulate, 1–2 mm wide, 3–16 mm 

long, rounded to acute at apex, tapers to base. 

Flowers: Pedicel 3–9 mm long, filiform; calyx 

shallowly campanulate, glabrous to sparsely 

puberulent, 1–2.5 mm long, irregularly 4–5 toothed, teeth one–fourth as long 

as tube, sparsely ciliolate, stamens equaling corolla tube or exserted 2–3 mm, 

dingy–lavender; filaments adnate to basal one–third of corolla tube, sparsely 

pilose on lower part of free portion; style about equaling stamens. Fruits: 

Berry ellipsoid to ovoid, bright orange–red, 3–9 mm, juicy, with multiple seeds. 

Ecology: Found along arid washes and arroyos, bajadas, rocky slopes, mesas 

and foothills up to 5,500 ft (1676 m); flowers February–May, rarely August– 

September. Notes: Three recognized varieties in the area: var. wrightii whose 

leaves are broadly spatulate to obovate; var. andersonii whose leaves are 3–16 

mm, linear terete to narrowly spatulate; and var. deserticola whose leaves are 20– 

35 mm, narrowly spatulate to spatulate. Some taxonomists place var. deserticola 

and var. andersonii as probably indistinct. Var. andersonii is the most widespread 

of the three species. Clarity is necessary for the genus, take a specimen and get 

identification. Similar to L. exsertum in stamens and adnate hairy filament bases, 

differs in non–pendulous flowers. Told apart from L. berlandieri by the lighter 

colored bark. Ethnobotany: Berries were eaten fresh and dried, dried for winter 

use, boiled into mush or ground into flour, or made into a drink. Etymology: 

Lycium is from Greek name Lykion used to describe a thorny tree or shrub, 

andersonii is named after Robert Clark Anderson (1908–1973) a USFS forest 

ranger or Dr. Charles Lewis Anderson (1827–1910) a physician and naturalist. 

Synonyms: None, just three varieties. 

64 

© 1998 Larry Blakely

2010 NPS/Steve Buckley 

Lycium exsertum 

Arizona desert–thorn 

General: Openly branched, sparingly armed 

shrub 1–4 m tall with densely pubescent 

twigs and dark gray or brown bark. Leaves: 

Spatulate to obovate 3–7 mm wide, 5–20 

mm long, obtuse or rounded at apex, 

densely glandular–puberulent. Flowers: 

Pedicels 3–6 mm long, recurved and flowers 

pendent, calyx tubular–campulate, 3–6 mm 

long, densely glandular–puberulent, lobes 

5, deltoid, acute, 1–1.5 mm long; whitish 

corolla, greenish or tinged with purple and 

brown, funnelform, slightly narrowed just above ovary, 8–12 mm long, glabrous 

without, lobes broadly ovate or obovate, spreading 2 mm long; filaments adnate 

to basal fifth of corolla tube, densely pilose on lower two–thirds of free part. 

Fruits: Ovoid berry, 6–8 mm long, 20–35 seeded. Ecology: Found along washes 

and flats below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers year–round, mostly January–March. 

Notes: Told apart by its densely pubescent twigs, densely glandular–pubescent 

leaves, and stamens exserted 2–5 mm. Is separated from L. andersonii by its 

larger size. The pendulous white flowers are also key. Ethnobotany: Berries 

used for food, eaten fresh, ground, dried, made into mush, and even boiled. 

Etymology: Lycium is from Greek name Lykion used to describe a thorny 

tree or shrub, exsertum means exserted or protruding out of or beyond a 

surrounding structure. Synonyms: None 

65 

Solanaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Solanaceae 


66 

Lycium fremontii 

Fremont’s desert–thorn 

General: Stout, intricately branched, compact shrub 

1–3 m tall with sparingly armed branches, spines 10–15 

mm long and densely glandular–puberulent foliage. 

Leaves: In fascicles of 3–6, spatulate, 8–35 mm long, 

2–15 mm wide, acute to rounded at apex. Flowers: 

Pedicels 4–25 mm long, densely glandular–puberulent; 

tubular calyx, 2–3 mm in diameter, 4–8 mm long at 

anthesis, 5 lobes 0.8–1.2 mm long; corolla tubular to 

funnel form, white to lavender with purplish veins, 

tube 8–15 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide at apex, glabrous 

without, 5 lobes, rotate or spreading, 2–6 mm long, 

rounded, margins sparsely ciliolate or glabrous; 

unequal stamens; filaments adnate to basal two–fifths 

of corolla tube, glabrous or sparingly pilose at base of free portion. Fruits: Ovoid 

berry 5–9 mm long, bright red to black. Ecology: Found in washes and on rocky 

hillsides below 2,500 ft (762 m); flowers most of year, especially January–March. 

Notes: Common, often in colonies, an abundant fruit producer in desert, 

differs from L. exsertum in not having pendulous flowers, stamens and styles 

less exserted, is sparingly armed, with densely glandular–pubescent leaves. Pay 

attention to the corolla margins to tell it apart from L. torreyi. Ethnobotany: 

Berries are eaten fresh and dried and eaten like raisins; mashed and made into 

beverage. Etymology: Lycium is from Greek name Lykion used to describe a 

thorny tree or shrub, fremontii is named for John C. Fremont (1813–1890) an 

American explorer. Synonyms: None 

©2008 John Marquis


Lycium torreyi 

Torrey’s wolfberry 

General: Spreading to erect shrub 1.3–5 m 

tall with heavy spines 5–10 mm long, terete, 

leafy, glabrate branches. Leaves: Elliptic 

to spatulate, short–petioled, glabrous, 

pallid leaves 1–5 cm long, 3–15 mm broad; 

notably fleshy. Flowers: Slender pedicel 

5–20 mm long, calyx shallowly to deeply 

crateriform, 2.5–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm in 

diameter at anthesis, sparsely puberulent 

but soon glabrous, 5–lobed, lobes deltoid, 

acute, one–forth to one–half as long as tube; rotate, margins densely ciliate–lanate; 

greenish–lavender to whitish; stamens about equaling lobes; filaments adnate to 

lower half of corolla tube, densely pilose on basal 1.5 mm of free portion, adjacent 

corolla tube also pilose. Fruits: Ovoid 6–10 mm long, bright red, 8–30 seeded. 

Ecology: Found in river bottoms and on alluvial flats from 1,000–3,500 ft (305– 

1067 m); flowers March–May. Notes: The berries are juicy and more sweet and 

palatable than other species. Is told apart by the terete spines, 5–10 mm long; the 

leaves are glabrous and the stamens just about equal the corolla lobes. Pay attention 

to the margins of the corolla lobes, the densely ciliate–lanate margin appears fuzzy. 

Ethnobotany: Used as a ceremonial emetic, for toothaches and chickenpox, 

the berries were eaten raw or cooked, along with several other ceremonial uses. 

Etymology: Lycium is from Greek name Lykion used to describe a thorny tree or 

shrub, while torreyi is named for the great American botanist/chemist John Torrey 

(1796–1873). Synonyms: None 

©2008 T. Beth Kinsey H M L Impact risk level 

Nicotiana glauca 

tree tobacco 

General: Common weed, originally from Bolivia and Argentina, naturalized, much 

branched shrub to small tree growing to 8 m tall. Leaves: Thick and rubbery to 20 

cm long, lance–shaped, smooth on short stalks, opposite on lower branches. Upper 

leaves lack stalks and lie on upward angle against branch. Flowers: Small, tubular, 

cream–colored, greenish white flowers form at branch ends, corolla flares at apex, 

5–cleft, unequally toothed calyx. Fruits: Capsules contain many small brown seeds, 

sticky. Ecology: Found on disturbed soils, vacant lots, roadsides, along stream 

banks, washes and drainages below 4,500 ft (1372 m); flowers March–November. 

Notes: Found through the range, escaped 

cultivar in many cases, spreads by prolific 

seeds. Ethnobotany: Plant is toxic. Contains 

anabasine, an alkaloid similar to nicotine which 

can be extracted to be used as an insecticide. 

Etymology: Nicotiana is named for Jean Nicot 

(1530–1600), the French ambassador to Portugal 

responsible for introducing tobacco to France in 

1560, glauca comes form Greek meaning bluish– 

gray, referring to leaves. Synonyms: None 

67 

Solanaceae 

Trees and Shrubs

Tamaricaceae–Zygophyllaceae 



Tamarix chinensis 


creosotebush 

General: Aromatic, much branched evergreen 

shrub up to 3.5 m, growing from at or just above 

ground. Leaves: Alternate, persistent, composite 

(2 leaflets) 13–25 mm long; elliptical, dark 

“varnished” green, strong–scented (especially 

after rain). Flowers: Yellow, showy, 7–11 mm 

long. Fruits: Five–segmented, white silky pilose. 

Ecology: Widespread and common on dry plains 

and mesas below 5,000 ft (1676 m); flowers any 

time after adequate rain. Needs minimum 12 mm 

for flowering. Notes: Most common and widespread shrub in warm deserts of 

North America, ordinarily untouched by livestock; causes dermatitis in some 

people. Diagnostics include: dark green, lustrous, paired leaves, 13 mm long; 

leaves 2–pinnate; strong “creosote” odor. Ethnobotany: Used to treat arthritis 

and allergies. As a salve it is strongly antimicrobial and a moderate sunblock. 

Etymology: Larrea is named for Bishop Juan Antonio Hernandez Perez de 

Larrea (1731–1803) in Valladolid, Spain, while tridentata means three–toothed, 

the appearance of the leaves being three–toothed. Synonyms: None 

68 

H M L 

fivestamen tamarisk 

General: Large shrub or small tree, usually glabrous throughout; to 8 m 

tall; branches slender and flexible, green. Leaves: Inconspicuous, scalelike, 

triangular–ovate, acute, tending to be scarious on margins, entire, somewhat 

keeled. Flowers: Pinkish–white to pink, usually many in an inflorescence, 

petals about 2 mm long, persistent on the fruit at maturity, filaments inserted 

between lobes of a hypogynous disk. Fruits: Capsule narrowly ovoid, 3–4 mm 

long. Ecology: Escaped cultivar found along watercourses widely below 5,000 

ft (1524 m); flowers April–August. Notes: 

Widespread, but it hybridizes with other 

species in the genera, making its taxonomy 

muddy. Ethnobotany: You can burn it, but it 

is stinky. Etymology: Tamarix comes from the 

Latin name derived from the Tamaris River in 

Spain, chinensis refers to its origin in China. 

Synonyms: Tamarix juniperina, T. pentandra 

©2007 WNMU, Zimmerman Herbarium 


Cacti 

Cactaceae 

Known for their tiny leaves, which are usually deciduous and absent, these 

plants produce spines. Their axillary buds (called areoles) are flattened and 

usually spine-producing. Each areole gives rise to leaf tissue, which constitutes 

the spines. Solitary inflorescences occur at the top of each branch. The flowers 

are bisexual (or perfect) and some have a well-developed hypanthium (a fused 

floral cup). They have numerous tepals that are spirally arranged, with the outer 

ones sepaloid and inner ones petaloid, and each flower has numerous stamens. 

The ovary is distinctly inferior (or borne below the flowers) and sunken into 

the stem tissue that bears more areoles. The ovary is comprised of two or more 

carpels (count styles to know), with one locule that has parietal placentation. 

The fruit is considered to be a berry. 

Subfamilies: 

Pereskoideae: Leaves broad, flat; no glochids; seeds black, nor aril (leaf cacti) 

Opuntioideae: Leaves small, terete; minute glochids, almost invisible to the 

naked eye, spines at the base of big ones; seeds with pale aril or winged 

Cactoideae: Leaves none or very small; no glochids; seeds black, no aril 

(the touchy feely cactuses with no glochids). 

Quick guide to the genera at and near Casa Grande Ruins NM: 

Carnegia: Large columnar cacti, many–ribbed stems and branches, crowded 

areoles bearing spines with tuft of brown felt. Flowers borne singly, often in 

crown at apex. 

Cylindropuntia: The genus of the true chollas. Taxonomists recently separated 

this out of the Opuntia, to only include those species with the jointed chain 

structure familiar to the genus. 

Echinocereus: Stem with ridges and grooves on surface, flowers produced 

within the spine bearing areoles at side of plant or slightly below apex of 

branch, length of stem 15–100 times the diameter 

Ferocactus: Simple-stemmed, ovoid to cylindric, often large. Areoles large, 

tomentose or woolly, spines large and strong, in three distinct series, ribbed. 

Escobaria: Escobaria is a small North American genus extending from the 

southwestern U.S. into northern Mexico. It is closely related to Coryphantha 

and somewhat more distantly to Mammillaria. Escobaria spp. have small, 

funnel-shaped flowers in the spring and summer. The flowers are generally 

yellow, pink, or brownish. 

Mammillaria: Solitary or few-branched, with globose, short, cylindrical 

stems with watery to milky juice. Terete or angled tubercles, areoles crowning 

tubercles, central spine or spines like radials. 

Opuntia: Stem a series of cylindroid or flat joints, areoles with glochids. 

69 

Cacti

Cacti 

70

©2009 Patrick Alexander 2008 NPS/Steve Buckley 

Carnegiea gigantea 

saguaro 

General: Upright, simple stem with 1 to several lateral 

branches to 16 m tall; branches 30–65 cm in diameter, 

ribs 12–25, obtuse, 1–3 cm high, varies with water 

availability. Spines: Aeroles 2–4 cm apart on older 

growth, crowded at apex of stem; spines on top acicular, 

yellowish brown, extending forward; central stouter 

than radials, up to 7–8 cm long, dark brown to black. 

Flowers: Nocturnal, 10–12 cm long, 5–8 cm in diameter 

when expressed; tube 1–1.5 cm long, green; throat 2.5– 

3.5 cm long; perianth segments waxy–white; filaments 

white. Fruits: Berry green tinged with red; fleshy, 6–10 

cm long, splitting irregularly. Ecology: Found on rocky 

or gravelly soils on slopes, rocky ridges, outwash fans, canyons, and benches 

from 500–3,500 ft (152–1067 m); flowers May, but rarely in August with 

rains. Notes: You know this plant; if not, you’d better learn it. Ethnobotany: 

O’odham peoples have gathered the fruits using traditional long sticks. The 

fruit has uses that range from mush to wine, jam, syrup, to even using the 

seeds for oil; the plant can be used for splints, furniture, fences and fodder. 

Etymology: Carnegeia is named for Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), while 

gigantea refers to the enormous habit. Synonyms: Cereus giganteus 

Ferocactus wislizeni 

candy barrelcactus, compass barrel cactus 

General: Barrel cactus is about as tall as wide, 

to columnar plant, ribs 20–28, not markedly 

tuberculate. Spines: Hooked central spines 

obscure the stem, central spines red, or the surface 

layer of ashy gray, 4 per areole, forming cross, not 

flattened against the stem, strongly cross–ribbed 

3–8 cm long. Radial spines ashy gray, mostly 12– 

20 per areole, spreading, curling irregularly back 

and forth, not cross–ribbed. Flowers: Yellow– 

reddish cup–shaped, perianth parts narrowly 

lanceolate, apically sharply acute and mucronate, borne on crowns of stem, 

distinct purplish middle stripe. Fruits: Yellow, barrel–shaped, flesh, covered 

by numerous almost circular, shallowly fimbriate scales. Ecology: Found on 

sandy desert soils, gravelly slopes and in grasslands from 1,000–4,500 ft (305– 

1372 m); flowers July–September. Notes: Called the compass cactus because 

it tends to lean south toward sun, species can live up to 100 years. Spines are 

said to cripple a horse unless they are treated the same day. Ethnobotany: 

The top of the cactus was lopped off and the interior pulp was crushed as a 

source of water in extreme circumstances; the seeds were parched, ground, 

and boiled into a mush; the spines were used as fish hooks by the Pima, and the 

fruit was made into a candy. Etymology: Ferocactus from Latin ferus, fierce 

and cactus referring to spines, while wislizeni is named after Frederick Adolf 

Wislizenus (1810–1889) and Army surgeon, explorer, and botanist. Synonyms: 

Echinocactus wislizeni 

71 

Cacti

Cactaceae 

Cacti 

72 

Peniocereus greggii 

nightblooming cereus, Arizona queen– 

of–the–night 

General: Slender, erect to sprawling, 

usually inconspicuous; roots large and 

turnip–shaped; stems gray–green to 

gray, simple or with 2–5 branches 40– 

120 cm tall, narrowed toward base, 4–6 

prominent ribs. Spines: Areoles 12 mm 

apart along ribs, circular to elliptic 2–5 

by 2 mm; 11–15 per areole, usually in 3 

vertical rows, abaxially 3–5 spines appressed, yellowish white throughout or 

only at tips, to 3 mm, puberulent when young; adaxial spines black, subulate, 

to 1 mm. Flowers: Nocturnal, 15–25 cm; scales of flower tubes green, tipped 

red or brown; outer tepals greenish white with brown to reddish midstripes; 

inner tepals white or lightly tinged cream or pine, lanceolate–attenuate, 

apiculate, 4–7 cm, attenuate to mucronate; stamens 2.5 cm, anthers cream– 

yellow, 2 mm; style white, 10–14 cm. Fruits: Bright red, darkening in age, 

ellipsoid, 60–90 mm by 40–50 mm. Ecology: Found under trees and among 

branches of bushes and trees in sandy or gravelly loams, on edges of washes 

and on slopes of small hills from 1,000–3,500 ft (305–1067 m); flowers spring 

and summer. Notes: Usually flowers on one or two nights in late May, June, 

or July. The perfume is remarkable. Var. transmontanus is most likely variety, 

told apart by its nearly circular areoles that are 2x2 mm, with flowers 22–25 

cm by 7–8 cm. This species is often found in nurse associations under Larrea, 

Prosopis, and Parkinsonia. Ethnobotany: Root taken as a cardiac stimulant, 

as a salve for sores, for diabetes, the flowers and fruits used for food, roots 

and stalks were eaten. Etymology: Peniocereus is from Latin cereus for 

waxy, while greggii is named for Josiah Gregg (1806–1850). Synonyms: 

Cereus greggii 


Forbs 

Forbs are non-grasslike herbaceous plants, neither woody nor persistent, 

that die back at the end of a growing season. Herbaceous plants can be either 

annual (short-lived), perennial (living longer than a single season), or biennial 

(living two years and only flowering in the second), but they will grow into 

trees or shrubs because they lack any kind of persistent woody stem. 

Forbs can take a variety of physical forms. They can be upright, tall, tiny, bushy, 

even vines. Most forbs have a consistent structure of roots and stems, leaves, 

and an inflorescence (flower-bearing part) of flowers and fruits enclosed in an 

ovary. The structures vary widely between families but tend to be similar within 

families. For example, all plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, the Pink family, 

share a common characteristic of swollen nodes with opposite leaves. 

Forbs are part of a larger grouping of plants known as the angiosperms, 

demarcated by the presence of a seed contained within an enclosed ovary. 

Flower types and structure are as diverse, occur in many different colors, and 

all sorts different numbers of petals, seeds, and even leaves. 

73 

Forbs

Forbs 

74

©2003 Michael L. Charters 

©2005 Luigi Rignanese 

Atriplex elegans 

wheelscale saltbush 

General: Annual, rarely perennial 5–45 cm tall, stems 

ascending or procumbent to erect, stramineous or 

whitish, simple or much branched at base, obtusely 

angled in age, slender or stout, scurfy to glabrate. Leaves: 

Many, subsessile or shortly petiolate; blade elliptic to 

spatulate, oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate 5–30 mm 

long by 2–8 mm wide, base cuneate to attenuate, margin 

entire or irregularly dentate, densely scurfy abaxially, 

usually green and glabrate adaxially. Flowers: Staminate flowers with 3–5 

parted perianth; pistillate flowers intermixed with staminate in small axillary 

clusters. Fruits: Bracteoles subsessile or short stipulate, orbiculate, strongly 

compressed, 2–4 m and as wide, united except at thin margin, margin dentate, 

terminal teeth often prominent, faces smooth or with appendages; seeds 

brown, 1–1.5 mm wide. Ecology: Found in alluvial soils, ditchbanks, field edges, 

roadsides, washes, generally disturbed soil below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers 

March–August. Notes: This species can be distinguished readily when fruiting 

because of the two bracts deeply toothed all around the margins that enclose 

the seed. Two varieties are recognized: var. elegans whose bracteole margin is 

dentate to incised with teeth 0.5–1 mm, found from Chihuahuan to the Sonoran 

deserts; and var. fasiculata with a finely toothed bracteole margin, 0.3–0.5 mm, 

and a strongly samaralike bracteole, found from Mohavean to the Sonoran 

deserts. Ethnobotany: Gila Pima ate as a famine food, or rarely boiled the 

plant with meat. Etymology: Atriplex is the Latin name for the plant, while 

elegans means elegant. Synonyms: None 

Chenopodium murale 

nettleleaf goosefoot 

General: Introduced, erect or 

ascending, subglabrous annual 10–80 

cm tall, bright green. Leaves: Leaf 

blades ovate to ovate–rhombic, 1.5–5 cm 

wide, 2.5–9 cm long, acute or obtuse, 

cuneate to truncate or subcordate 

at base, irregularly sinuate–dentate, 

gray scurfy farinose at least beneath 

in youth, soon glabrate, especially on 

shining upper surfaces. Flowers: In 

small axillary and terminal glomerules, farinose; calyx lobes oblong, obtuse, 

about 1 mm long, weakly carinate toward apex, incompletely enclosing fruit; 

greenish pericarp, closely adherent. Fruits: Seeds blackish, 1.2–1.4 mm wide, 

minute, devoid of dried pericarp. Ecology: Found as widespread weed of 

urban and agricultural areas below 9,000 ft (2743 m); flowers March–October, 

often other times of year. Ethnobotany: Seeds were parched, ground, and 

eaten as pinole. Etymology: Chenopodium means goose foot, murale means 

growing on walls. Synonyms: None 

75 

Amaranthaceae 

Forbs

Amaranthaceae 

Forbs 

76 

Monolepis nuttalliana 

Nuttall’s povertyweed 

General: Semisucculent annual, decumbent 

to ascending, stems 10–35 cm long, herbage 

moderately scurfy–farinose in youth, soon 

glabrate. Leaves: Triangular to lanceolate 

hastate, 3–12 mm wide, 1–6.5 cm long, on slender 

petioles 0.5–5.5 cm long, lobes divergent; upper 

leaves often entire reduced to leafy bracts. 

Flowers: Dense sessile clusters, axiallary, sepal 

obovate to spatulate, keeled, partially spreading 

at maturity, 1–2 mm long. Fruits: Utricle 1–1.4 

mm in diameter, about 0.5 mm thick, pericarp 

membranous, grayish, minutely pitted, lens– 

shaped. Ecology: Found on dry or alkaline and 

often heavy soil below 3,000 ft (914 m); flowers 

February–October. Ethnobotany: Used as a ceremonial emetic, as a poultice 

for skin abrasions, seeds were ground to make mush, pinole, the roots were 

boiled, and the greens were eaten. Etymology: Monolepis is from the Greek 

monos, one and lepis scale, while nuttalliana is named for Thomas Nuttall 

(1786–1859) an English botanist. Synonyms: None 

Salsola tragus 


H M L 

prickly Russian thistle 

General: Introduced annual; up to 100 cm; many–branched stems which 

detach at the base after fruiting; often with reddish, longitudinal striations; 

glabrous or somewhat hairy. Leaves: 8–52 mm; thread–like; rigid with maturity; 

sharp–tipped. Flowers: Solitary flowers located in leaf axils; no petals; sepals 

2.5–3 mm. Fruits: Small; Seeds shiny black, 1–2 mm wide. Ecology: Widespread 

on disturbed ground up to 8,000 ft (2440 m); throughout North America. 

Notes: Native to Eurasia. This species has many–branched stems, and the 

leaves become rigid and sharp–tipped at maturity. A tumbleweed that disperses 

its seeds as entire plant blown across the ground by the wind. Extremely weedy 

species. Responds quickly to disturbance and disperses readily. This plant is a 

very problematic invasive in North America. It is also used as cover by birds and 

small mammals. Host plant for western pygmy blue butterfly. Ethnobotany: 

Extremely tasty as cooked spinach – eat whole plant up to 5 inches tall– double 

boil to remove bitterness and only eat 

young plants. Young plants also for sheep 

and horse feed. Navajos used it to treat 

influenza and small pox. Etymology: 

Salsola– salt, pertaining to the taste and 

habitat. Tragus is ancient word for goat. 

Synonyms: S. australis, S. iberica; S. kali, 

S. pestifer; S. ruthenica 


©2005 James M. Andre



Bowlesia incana 

hoary bowlesia 

General: Delicate winter–spring annual with 

stellate hairs throughout; stems weak 4–45 

cm, slender, prostrate and dichotomously 

branching. Leaves: Simple, petioled, 

wider than long, 10–23 mm wide with 5 or 

7 broad lobes, entire to dentate. Flowers: 

Borne in simple umbels, sepals and petals 

scalelike 0.5 mm, peduncles 2–6 flowered, 

shorter than petioles, sometimes vestigal, 

inconspicuous corolla greenish white with prominent calyx teeth. Fruits: 

Sessile or nearly so, ovate, 1–1.5 mm, stellate–pubescent, turgid. Ecology: 

Found under bushes and canopies from 100–3,500 ft (31–1067 m); flowers 

January–June. Notes: Distinguished by habit, basal and opposite leaves, and its 

tendency to form extensive mat; whole plant is covered in downy, star–shaped 

hairs. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Bowlesia is named for William 

Bowles (1705–1780) an Irish naturalist, while incana means grayish or hoary. 

Synonyms: Bowlesia septentrionalis 

Funastrum cynanchoides 

Hartweg’s twinevine 

General: Stems numerous, from woody root, 

slender, herbaceous above, 1–3 m long or 

more, somewhat glaucescent. Leaves: Linear 

to lanceolate, sometimes auriculate–lobed or 

even cordate–hastate at base, 1–5 mm wide, 

2.5–6 cm long, short–petiolate, glabrous to 

puberulent. Flowers: Peduncles slender, 1–5 cm 

long, few to many flowered, pedicels 5–12 mm 

long, sparsely puberulent with spreading hairs; 

calyx lobes ovate, 1–1.5 mm long, puberulent, 

corollas purplish, 8–10 mm broad, lobes acute to slightly acuminate, sparsely 

puberulent to subglabrous without, ciliate on margins, glabrous within, corona 

ring rectanguloid, widest below middle, 0.5–0.8 mm high, free from vesicles. 

Fruits: Follicles slender 6–9 mm in diameter, attenuate at each end, 7–11 cm 

long. Ecology: Found along arroyos and in arid valleys below 5,500 ft (1676 m); 

flowers February–September. Notes: Leaves can be diagnostic for this species, 

as can its drier habitat. Ethnobotany: Plant was eaten raw, the sap secretions 

were heated over coals and eaten like gum by the Papago. Etymology: 

Funastrum is from funis, a rope, cord, or sheet and astrum, incomplete 

resemblance, while cynanchoides refers to being like the genus Cynanchum. 

Synonyms: Funastrum cynanchoides ssp. heterophyllum, F. heterophyllum, F. 

lineare, Philibertia heterophylla, Sarcostemma cynanchoides ssp. hartwegii, S. 

cynanchoides var. hartwegii 

77 

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Asparagaceae–Asteraceae 

Forbs 

78 

Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum 

bluedicks 

General: Perennial herb with large 

underground deep–seated corm (bulb), 

scape 20–80 cm tall. Leaves: Slender 2–4 

mostly shorter than scape, 2–15 mm wide, 

scaberulous margins. Flowers: Bracts 8–15 

mm long, broadly ovate, abruptly acuminate; 

slender pedicels 2–10 mm long, perianth 

deep violet–purple, rarely reddish purple 

or white, 12–18 mm long, thin tube 4–8 mm 

long, constricted at throat. Umbels are open with 2–12 flowers. Fruits: Capsule 

6–10 mm long with persistent style. Ecology: Found on dry open ridges and 

grassy plains, especially on heavier textured soils such as clays and heavy loams 

below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers February–May. Notes: Obvious plant in 

spring with its violet–colored flowers. Ethnobotany: Corms were eaten raw or 

cooked and eaten. Etymology: Dichelostemma comes from Greek dicha, bifid, 

and stemma, a garland or crown, refers to appendages on the stamens, while 

capitatum refers to the way the flowers form in a head–like cluster. Synonyms: 

Brodiaea capitata, B. pulchella, Dichelostemma lacuna–vernalis, D. pulchellum, 

D. pulchellum var. capitatum, Hookera pulchella 

Acourtia nana 

dwarf desertpeony 

General: Low perennial herb 5–30 cm tall from a 

woody, platform–like rootstock 1–5 cm below soil, 

densely covered with a thick brownish tomentum 

and bearing several to many tough woody roots 

1–2 mm in diameter on lower side; stems erect or 

ascending, simple or moderately branched, finely 

scabrous with simple and gland–tipped hairs. 

Leaves: Sessile or short–petioled, leathery, pale 

green, obovate–suborbicular or suborbicular, 

2–5 cm long and nearly or quite as wide, coarsely and unequally spinulose– 

dentate, scaberulous, veins conspicuous on both surfaces. Flowers: Solitary 

heads at ends of branches on stoutish peduncles 4–10 mm long or subsessile, 

campanulate involucre about 1.5 cm high, 9–12 mm high; broadly ovate bracts 

and abruptly attenuate to lance–linear and acute to apiculate in 4–5 series, inner 

ones narrow, often purplish, slightly scarious margins and lanate–ciliate below, 

fragrant pale pink flowers 10–14 mm long, glabrous. Fruits: Linear achene 5–6 

mm long, strongly ribbed, pappus of numerous slender silky hairs 10–15 mm 

long, silvery white to tawny. Ecology: Found on mesas, arid plains, and slopes, 

usually under shrubs below 6,000 ft (1829 m); flowers March–June. Notes: 

Simple, grayish green leaves clasp the stems, are leathery and holly-like with 

rippled, spiny–toothed margins. Ethnobotany: Cottonlike material at root 

base place on a newborn’s umbilicus. Etymology: Acourtia is named for Mary 

Elizabeth Catherine Gibbes A’Court (1792–1878), nana is from Greek nannos, 

dwarf. Synonyms: Perezia nana 



©2003 Michelle Cloud Hughes 

Ambrosia psilostachya 

Cuman ragweed 

General: Colonial perennial herb arising from 

deep, creeping rhizomes; rough–pubescent; 

20–100 cm tall. Leaves: Leaves all cauline, 

opposite below but alternate above, thick and 

firm, pinnatifid with broad midstripe; 2–15 cm 

long, 1–8 cm wide. Flowers: Staminate heads 

nodding and numerous, involucre 2–3 mm high, 

moderately hispidulous, only shallowly lobed. 

Pistillate involucres 1–flowered, 4–6 mm long, 

with one set of short tubercles (or tubercles 

obsolete). Fruits: Burs obpyramidal to globose, 2–3 mm, hirsutulous, spines 1–6. 

Ecology: Disturbed places and streamsides from 4,000–7,000 ft (1300–2100 m); 

flowers July–October. Notes: The leaves generally appear narrower, firmer, less 

dissected and less petiolate than A. artemisiifolia. Species may have moderate 

forage value, seed is eaten by upland game birds, and plant is used in habitat of 

small mammal communities. Also used as nesting material and habitat by small 

mammals and non–game birds. Although species is an invader it is native and 

may be used in prairie restoration. Post-fire regeneration strategy is mostly from 

rhizomes. Ethnobotany: Cheyenne used leaves and stems to remedy painful 

digestion, as a laxative, for labor pain and as a cold treatment. Keres, Kiowa and 

Deguena tribes used stem and leaf tonic for dandruff. Plant also rolled with sage 

in Kiowa sweatlodge. Etymology: Species name from ancient word psilo for 

smooth or bare and stachy for spike-like, while ambrosia is the word depicting 

food of ancient Greek gods. Synonyms: None 

79 

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Asteraceae 

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80 

Aphanostephus ramosissimus var. humilis 

plains dozedaisy 

General: Low annual herb with several 

ascending branches 5–35 cm long from a 

rosette; herbage cinereous–puberulous. 

Leaves: Rosette of oblanceolate, 

pinnatifid leaves 6–10 mm wide, 3–6 

cm long, these soon dying and leaving 

base of stems naked; cauline leaves 

smaller, entire to pinnatifid, teeth or 

lobes acute and often faintly apiculate. 

Flowers: Heads solitary at tips of branches, peduncles 1–6 cm long, bearing 

several reduced, bract–like leaves scattered below head; involucres 5–7 mm 

high, 8–12 mm wide, bracts linear, acute to attenuate, greenish and puberulent 

along midrib, scarious and white to rosaceous along margins; ray flowers 

30–40, ligules about 1 mm wide or less, 4–6 mm long, white or often tinged 

with purple; disk corollas vary narrowly tubular, about 2 mm long, yellow. 

Fruits: Achenes broadly obconic, about 1 mm long, brownish, minutely and 

sparsely appressed–puberulent along low, rounded ribs; pappus crown barely 

discernible, microscopically erosulate–ciliolate. Ecology: Found on plains, 

along arroyos and river banks from 1,000–3,500 ft (305–1067 m); flowers 

March–October. Notes: Other species in genera stretch deep into Mexico; 

ray flowers with rounded tips help to identify this species from the other 

delicate flowers in genera such as Aster. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: 

Aphanostephus is from Greek Aphanes, inconspicuous, while ramosissimus 

means very branched. Synonyms: Aphanostephus arizonicus, A. humilis, A. 

potosinus, Leucopsidium humile 

©2008 Heike Vibrans


Arida arizonica 

arid tansyaster 

General: Annual 10–50 cm tall, much branched 

from base, moderately to rather densely 

stipitate–glandular throughout, often with 

longer nonglandular hairs at least on lower part 

of stems. Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate, 

petiolate, 5–25 mm wide, 2.5–6 cm long, coarsely 

serrate-dentate to pinnatifid, teeth and lobes 

spinose-tipped, upper leaves lance-elliptic to 

oblanceolate, 2–8 mm wide, to about 3 cm long or 

less, serrate–dentate or subpinnatifid. Flowers: 

Heads terminating branchlets, somewhat 

corymbosely arranged; hemispheric involucres, 

4–6 mm high, 5–8 mm wide at anthesis, bracts 

lance-ovate to lance-linear, green toward tips 

and outer ones along midrib also, densely glandular; ray flowers 50–80, bluepurple 

to whitish, mostly in two series; ligules 5–6 mm long; disk corollas very 

slender, about 4.5 mm long, glabrous. Fruits: Achenes terete–turbinate, finely 

striate, minutely silky-strigulose, 1.2–1.5 mm long, truncate at apex, those of 

ray flowers epappose, disk achenes with a pappus of capillary silky bristles 

1.5–2 mm long. Ecology: Found on river bottoms, sandy plains and roadsides 

from 200–2,500 ft (61–762 m); flowers February–October. Notes: Purplish 

stems, sessile leaves with prominent midrib, the way the ray flowers curl back 

into flower head all help to identify this species. Ethnobotany: Unknown 

for this species, but others in the genus have several uses. Etymology: Name 

comes from the Greek machaira, meaning sword and anthera or anthers, 

referring to the shape of the anther–tips, while arida refers to arid. Synonyms: 

Machaeranthera arida, M. ammophila, M. arizonica, M. coulter var. arida, 

Psilactis coulter 

81 

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82 

Baileya multiradiata 

desert marigold 

General: Annual or short lived perennial 

with floccose stems and leaves, stems branch 

at base, decumbent to ascending, 20–40 cm 

tall, leafy on lower portion only. Leaves: 

Basal, 3–5 cm long, spatulate, 3-lobed and 

crenate early in season, later ones deeply 3– 

cleft and lobed, all densely white–floccose; 

upper cauline leaves linear to spatulate, 

entire, 2–4 cm long. Flowers: Peduncles 

10–30 cm long, involucres 7–8 mm high, 10–15 mm broad, lanate; one head per 

stem; phyllaries 5.5–6.5 mm, linear–lanceolate 20–35; flower heads 3.5–5.3 cm 

wide including rays; rays many, bright yellow, 15–20 mm by 5–8 mm, the apex 

conspicuously 3-toothed, style branches truncate to slightly rounded at tips. 

Fruits: Achenes cylindrical-truncate, 3–4 mm long, evenly striate. Ecology: 

Found on arid plains, arroyos, outwash slopes, sandy plains and roadsides 

below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers March–October. Notes: Not always readily 

distinguishable from B. pleniradiata, but when sampled in the correct time of 

year the shape of the style is diagnostic. Ethnobotany: Rubbed under the arms 

as a deodorant, or mixed with clay and used in making adobes and in plaster. 

Etymology: Baileya is named for Jacob Whitman Bailey (1811–1857) an early 

American microscopist, multiradiata comes from the Latin for multi–radiata. 

Synonyms: Baileya multiradiata var. thurberi 

Calycoseris wrightii 

white tackstem 

General: Plant simple and erect to much 

branched with spreading–ascending branches, 

5–30 cm tall. Leaves: Lower leaves pinnately cleft 

to midrib in linear divisions, 0.5–2 mm wide and 2 

cm long, whole blade 10 cm long, central rachis 5 

mm wide or less, glabrous or essentially so, upper 

leaves linear and entire or with 1–3 subbasal 

lobes; upper one half of stems, branches, and 

involucres with glandular hairs, pale reddish, 

brownish, tack–shaped. Flowers: Involucres 

9–15 mm long at anthesis, bracts to 2.5 mm wide, acute to slightly acuminate, 

ligules white with pinkish or pinkish–brown spots or streaks on under side 

and turning purplish or reddish when dry. Fruits: Achenes about 6 mm long, 

including beak, usually 1–1.5 mm long, body of achene dark brown, shallowly 

sulcate between ribs and bearing row of low, rounded bumps; pappus bristles 

7–8 mm long. Ecology: Found on sandy plains, rocky mesas, and slopes from 

500–4,000 ft (152–1219 m); flowers from March–May. Notes: Often growing 

up through shrubs. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Calycoseris is from 

Greek kalux, cup and seris, a chicory–like genus, while wrightii is named for 

Charles Wright (1811–1885) an American botanical collector. Synonyms: None 




©2005 James M. Andre H M L Impact risk level 

Centaurea melitensis 

Maltese star–thistle, tocalote 

General: Introduced, invasive annual, 1–10 dm, gray–hairy. Leaves: Resin 

dotted, more or less scabrous, lower leaves 2–15 cm, entire to lobed, generally 0 

at flower; cauline long–decurrent. Flowers: Heads 1–few, involucre 10–15 mm, 

ovoid, more or less cobwebby or becoming glabrous; main phyllaries straw– 

colored, appendage purplish, base spine– 

fringed, central spine 5–10 mm, slender; many 

flowers; corollas 10–12 mm, equal, yellow, 

sterile corollas slender. Fruits: Achene 2.5 

mm, light brown, finely hairy, pappus bristles 

2.5–3 mm, white. Ecology: Found on waste 

ground and open sites or disturbed ground 

below 7,500 ft (2286 m); flowers May–June. 

Notes: Invasive weed often associated with 

agriculture and roads. Ethnobotany: Used 

medicinally for the kidneys. Etymology: 

Centaurea is a Latin reference to the Centaur 

Chiron, while melitensis means of or from 

Malta. Synonyms: None 

Conyza canadensis 

Canadian horseweed 

General: Native annual herb; stems simple 

below inflorescence, 50–150 cm tall; glabrous to 

spreading–hairy. Leaves: Alternate, numerous; 

basal leaves up to 10 cm long, reduced above; 

mainly oblanceolate and petiolate below, 

increasingly linear and sessile above; serrate. 

Flowers: Inflorescence terminal, open, with 

numerous flower heads; involucres 2–4 mm 

high, 3–7 mm wide; inconspicuously radiate. 

Fruits: Achene. Ecology: Disturbed soil from 

1,000–8,000 ft (305–2440 m); flowers July–October. Notes: Characterized 

by its numerous alternate, serrate leaves and its terminal, open inflorescence 

with many small flower heads. Often weedy especially in disturbed and moist 

areas. Ethnobotany: Dried parts used as astringent for face. Used by Hopi as 

a poultice of rubbed plant on temples for headaches. Used by the Navajo for 

pimples, earaches, stomachaches. Etymology: Name used by Theophrastus, 

Pliny, and Dioscorides, presumably from the Greek konops (flea). Synonyms: 

Erigeron canadensis 

83 

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84 

Diaperia verna 

spring pygmycudweed 

General: Annual, diffusely branched from 

base with leafy, decumbent branches 5–15 

cm long, these bearing small, densely 

crowded glomerules of heads nearly hidden 

by bractlike leaves. Leaves: Cauline leaves 

broadly spatulate 1.5–3.5 mm wide, 5–12 

mm long, sessile, arachnoid–tomentose. 

Flowers: Heads subglobose, 2–3 mm high, 

bracts of fertile flowers oblong, scarious 

below, densely inflexed-woolly at apex, those of sterile flowers wooly farther 

down. Fruits: Achenes 1–1.2 mm long, smooth, yellowish. Ecology: Found in 

sandy soil from 1,500–3,000 ft (457–914 m); flowers March–April. Notes: Low 

taprooted annual that is woolly all over. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: 

Verna means of spring. Synonyms: Diaperia multicaulis, Evax multicaulis, 

Filaginopsis multicaulis, Filago nivea, F. verna 


Dimorphotheca sinuata 

H M L 

glandular cape marigold 

General: Introduced, stems simple or sparingly branched from base 10–30 

cm tall. Leaves: Less than 10 cm long, lower tapered to petiole–like base; 

upper sessile, blade oblong to oblanceolate, entire to coarsely dentate, upper 

smaller, sometimes linear. Flowers: Heads 3–7 cm in diameter, involucre 

more or less bell-shaped; phyllaries 10–15 mm, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 

narrowly scarious-margined; ray flowers orange to yellow, sometimes violet 

at base or tip, ligules 2–2.5 cm; corollas 4.5–5.5 mm, yellow or orange, often 

purple–tipped. Fruits: Ray achenes 4–5 

mm; disk achenes 6–7 mm. Ecology: Found 

on roadsides, disturbed places below 3,500 

ft (1067 m); flowers March–May. Notes: 

Introduced from South Africa, thought to have 

escaped cultivation.Ethnobotany:Unknown 

Etymology: Dimorphotheca comes from the 

Greek dimorph, two forms and theke, ovary, 

while sinuata means having sinuous or wavy 

margins. Synonyms: None 

©2000 Joe DiTamaso 




Erigeron divergens 

spreading fleabane 

General: Native biennial herb; stems 

branched from base and above, 5–50 cm 

tall; spreading-hairy. Leaves: Alternate; 

basal leaves up to 5 cm long, reduced above; 

oblanceolate and long–petioled below, 

to nearly linear above; entire to slightly 

lobed. Flowers: Heads several to many on 

leafy peduncles; involucres 4–5 mm high; 

disk 7–11 mm wide; rays 75–150, 5–10 mm 

long, pale blue, pink or white; disk yellow. 

Fruits: Achenes sparsely hairy, 2–4 veined, with a double pappus of 5–12 

long, fragile bristles surrounded by short, narrow scales. Ecology: Semi-arid, 

open to lightly wooded areas from 1,000–9,000 ft (305–2743 m); flowers May– 

August. Notes: Lacks the numerous stolons of E. flagellaris; related species 

Erigeron colomexicanus (=E. divergens var. cinereus), which has leafy stolons. 

Ethnobotany: Aerial parts are sometimes used to make oil to treat pets for 

fleas (Hence the common name-fleabane). Many Erigeron spp. used similarly. 

Etymology: Name means Early Old Man, named by Theophrastus. Divergens 

is ancient word for diverging. Synonyms: Erigeron divergens var. typicus 

Eriophyllum lanosum 

white Easterbonnets 

General: Loosely floccose, spreadingly branched 

annual with slender stems 5–15 cm long, erect, 

ascending or the lowermost often decumbent. 

Leaves: Linear to narrowly oblanceolate, entire 

1–3 mm wide, 5–20 mm long, acute to apiculate at 

apex, gradually narrowing toward base. Flowers: 

Slender peduncles, 1–6 cm long, campanulate 

involucres 5–8 mm wide, 5–6 mm high, 8–11 

bracts, oblanceolate, short–acuminate, 1–1.5 

mm wide floccose; ray flowers 8–10 with white 

ligules 6 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, yellow disk corollas, 2.5–3 mm long, sparsely 

glandular–puberulent, tube about equaling throat and limb. Fruits: Achenes, 

linear–obpyramidal, 3–3.5 mm long, sparsely strigose, black; pappus of 4–5 

slender, lance–subulate, scaberulous awns about equaling corollas and about 

as many or a few more short, obtuse and whitish. Ecology: Found on arid 

mesas, gravelly slopes and washes from 1,000–3,000 ft (305–914 m); flowers 

March–April. Notes: Distinguished by its tomentose herbage, slender achenes 

and white to rosy rays. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Lanosum means 

woolly. Synonyms: Antheropeas lanosum 

85 

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sunflower 

General: Native annual herb; stems stout, erect, 

30–200 cm or more tall; rough–hairy. Leaves: 

Only the lowermost leaves opposite, otherwise 

alternate; long-petioled, ovate or even broader, 

especially below, 4–20 cm long, 3–15 cm wide, 

coarsely toothed to (less commonly) almost 

entire; rough–hairy. Flowers: Heads solitary or 

few at the ends of stems and branches; phyllaries 

ovate with a long narrow tip, more-or-less 

pubescent and ciliate-margined; disk usually 3–4 

cm wide, purplish-brown or occasionally yellow; rays 15–40 mm long, yellow; 

central receptacle bracts inconspicuously pubescent at the tips. Fruits: Achenes 

plump, glabrous or finely pubescent, with a pappus of 2 or more awns or scales. 

Ecology: Open or disturbed areas from 1,000–7,000 ft (305–2134 m); flowers 

March–October. Notes: A related species, H. petiolaris, is very similar but smaller 

and more slender in all respects, with phyllaries lanceolate and usually not ciliate 

margined, and the central receptacle scales conspicuously white bearded at the 

tip. Host plant for California patch, bordered patch, and painted lady butterflies. 

Ethnobotany: Seed is dried, ground and mixed with water to make a coffee-like 

drink. It is also ground to make sunflower seed cakes or crushed and boiled to 

make oil. The oil relieves coughs. The pith of a sunflower stalk has also been 

burned and used as a wart remover. Etymology: From ancient root helio– for 

sun loving and meros– meaning part. Synonyms: Numerous, see Tropicos 

86 

Geraea canescens 

hairy desertsunflower, desert–gold 

General: Slender annual, moderately branched, 

10–60 cm tall, hirsute-canescent and stipitateglandular 

throughout, stems and peduncles eventually 

subglabrate. Leaves: Alternate on narrowly winged 

petioles 0.5–2.5 cm long, upper ones subsessile; leaf 

blades ovate, obovate, to lance–oblong, 0.5–4 cm wide, 

1–7 cm long, acute at apex, cuneate at base, strongly 

3–nerved, dentate above middle, or smaller ones 

entire. Flowers: Few heads, solitary to paniculate, to 

5 cm in diameter; involucres 8–12 mm, unequal bracts, 

linear–lanceolate and acute or attenuate, 7–10 mm 

long, densely ciliate, long white hairs along margin 

except at tip; densely glandular on back; rays 10–15, golden yellow, 10–20 mm 

long, 6–10 mm wide, disc corollas 5–6 mm long. Fruits: Achenes 6–7 mm long, 

narrowly cuneate, silky villous, black with white margins, yellowish crown. 

Ecology: Found in sandy or gravelly soils from sea level to 4,500 ft (1372 m) 

; flowers October–May. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Geraea is from 

the Greek geraios for old, while canescens means covered in short gray or white 

hairs. Synonyms: Geraea canescens var. canescens, G. canescens var. paniculata 

Helianthus annuus 




Heterotheca subaxillaris 

camphorweed 

General: Erect annual to biennial herb 40–150 cm 

tall with striate and short–hirsute stems, moderately 

branched above. Leaves: Leaves ovate-lanceolate to 

somewhat lyrate in outline, 0.8–3.5 cm wide, 2.5–10 

cm long, at least upper cordate-clasping, serrate– 

dentate, acute to obtuse and apiculate at apex, short 

hirsute-scabrous on both sides. Flowers: Heads 

corymbosely or broadly paniculately arranged, 6–8 

mm high, 10–18 mm wide at anthesis; involucral 

bracts in several series, lance-linear to subulate, 

rather rigid, outer ones acute and apiculate, innermost attenuate and scraggly brush 

of spreading and ascending hairs on terminal part, pale greenish to stramineous 

below, tips often brownish or reddish; ray flowers 30–50, ligules about 5 mm long, 1 

mm wide, yellowish but soon turning brown; corollas 4–5 mm long. Fruits: Achenes 

of ray flowers about 3 mm long, glabrous, epappose; achenes of disk flowers about as 

long as ray achenes but more slender, densely silky-villous; pappus bristles reddishbrown, 

longer inner ones about 15 mm long. Ecology: Found along streams, ditches, 

fence–rows, and in disturbed soils from 1,000–5,500 ft (305–1676 m); flowers August– 

November. Notes: Sometimes known as camphor–weed because of the odor of 

the plant. Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, other species in this genera 

have medicinal, poisonous, and as a dermatological aid. Etymology: Heterotheca 

is from Greek heteros, different, and theke, ovary for the different achenes, while 

subaxillaris means below the axil. Synonyms: Many, see Tropicos 


Lactuca serriola 

prickly lettuce 

General: Annual herb; leafy–stemmed with milky sap. Introduced from Europe. 

Stems 30–150 cm tall; glabrous for most of length, but prickly at bottom of stem. 

Leaves: Leaves have large prickles on the midrib on the underside, and have 

finer prickles on the margins of the leaves. Leaves are sometimes lobed, and 

are clasping. Milky sap is apparent. Flowers: Numerous small heads arranged 

in a panicle or corymb. Flowers are all ligulate and perfect, yellow, often drying 

to blue. Fruits: Achenes, white pappus Ecology: Wide range, weed of fields, 

waste places, and disturbed areas, naturalized throughout much of the U.S.; 

flowers July–September. Notes: Distinguished 

by milky sap, prickles on midvein of underside 

of leaf. Differs primarily by leaves without 

prickly margins and achenes that are not 

spinulose. The inflorescence also resembles a 

spike, whereas the inflorescence of L. serriola 

is an open panicle, with spreading branches. 

Ethnobotany: Navajo use steeped plant tea 

as ceremonial emetic. Etymology: Lactuca is 

Latin for milky sap; serriola is for ranked salad 

leaves. Synonyms: L. scariola 

87 

Asteraceae 

Forbs

Asteraceae 

Forbs 

Laennecia coulteri 

conyza 

General: Annual herb; forming densely hairy 

basal rosette when young. Stems 10–100 cm tall; 

glandular or sticky hairs all over plant, hairs 

resembling spider web (arachnoid); taproot. 

Leaves: Numerous leaves, almost all cauline and 

clasping and with an oblong shape, many of them 

are irregularly toothed, especially near the base. 

Leaves become smaller and have many course 

teeth. Flowers: Corollas of the pistillate flowers 

are tubular-filiform, without a ligule. Fruits: 

Achenes, 0.5–0.8 mm long, with a very short 

neck. Ecology: Found in ditch banks, dry stream–beds and disturbed sites 

from 1,500–9,000 ft (500–2743 m); flowers September–October. Notes: Similar 

to L. schiedeana except that the achenes in L. schiedeana are 1–1.4 mm long, 

and the leaves are much less toothed. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: 

Laennecia is named for Rene Theophile Hyancinthe Laennec (1781–1826), 

coulteri is named for John Merle Coulter (1851–1928) an American botanist. 

Synonyms: Conyza coulteri 

88 

Laennecia schiedeana 

pineland marshtail 

General: Annual herb; forming densely hairy 

basal rosette when young. Stems 10–100 cm tall; 

glandular or sticky hairs all over plant, hairs 

resembling spider web (arachnoid); taproot. 

Leaves: Numerous leaves, almost all cauline and 

clasping and with an oblong shape, many of them 

irregularly toothed, especially near the base. Leaves 

become smaller and have fewer teeth toward 

the top of the stem. Flowers: Heads often rather 

numerous in a long and narrow inflorescence; 

bracts of the involucre often greenish; numerous pistillate flowers; pistillate 

corollas have a definite short ligule about 0.5 mm long, which surpasses the 

style. Fruits: Achenes, 1–1.5 mm long, with a very short neck. Ecology: Found 

in open woods and on disturbed ground from 6,500–9,000 ft (1981–2743 m); 

flowers September–October. Notes: Toothed leaves, hairy herbage, small 

flower heads; L. coulteri is found in ditchbanks, dry stream–beds and disturbed 

sites in this range. Flowers are similar to L. schiedeana, but leaves have many 

coarse teeth. Herbage is sticky–glandular but not loosely hairy or resembling 

strands of spider web (as in L. schiedeana). Also pistillate corollas without a 

ligule. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Laennecia is named fro Rene 

Theophile Hyancinthe Laennec (1781–1826). Synonyms: Conyza schiedeana, 

Erigeron schiedeanus, Leptilon integrifolium 



©1995 Br. Alfred Brousseau 


Lasthenia californica 

California goldfields 

General: Annual, simple or freely 

branched, more or less hairy, erect or 

decumbent, less than 40 cm tall. Leaves: 

Opposite, linear to oblanceolate, entire, 

0.8–7 cm long, hairy. Flowers: Involucre 

5–10 mm, bell–shaped or hemispheric; 

phyllaries 4–13 free, hairy; receptacle 

conic, rough, glabrous; ray flowers 6–13; 

ligules 5–10 mm; generally many disk 

flowers, yellow; anther tips triangular, 

style tips triangular. Fruits: Achene less 

than 3 mm, linear to club–shaped, glabrous or hairy, pappus of 1–7 narrow 

awns, wider awned scales. Ecology: Found on dry mesas, plains, and slopes 

from 1,500–4,500 ft (457–1372 m); flowers March–May. Notes: Variable species, 

slight differences in different habitats. Ethnobotany: The parched seeds 

were ground into flour and used to make mush by the Cohuilla. Etymology: 

Lasthenia is named for the Athenian girl Lasthenia, a student of Plato, while 

californica refers to California. Synonyms: Baeria chrysostoma, Lasthenia 

chrysostoma, L. hirsutula 

Logfia arizonica 

Arizona cottonrose, Arizona fluffweed 

General: Diffuse to erect herb with slender 

stems 3–9.5 cm tall, slender internodes, purplish, 

usually 0.5 mm in diameter or less. Leaves: 

Leafless between clusters of flower heads or 1 

leaf between clusters; clusters small, compact, 

axillary and terminal glomerules, subtended by 

linear, oblong or narrowly oblanceolate leaves 

1–2.2 mm wide, 3–12 mm long, acute at both 

ends, sessile, finely landate-canescent. Flowers: 

Heads ovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm high, outer bracts 

boat–shaped, silky-lanate without, glabrous and shiny within, margins hyaline– 

scarious, each one except outermost 3–6 subtending a pistillate epappose 

flower, back green beneath tangled wool, hyaline tip less than one-half as long 

as body; inner bracts paleaceous, oblong, only slightly boat-shaped, glabrous 

or nearly so, white to stramineous; central flowers 4–7, perfect, glabrous, 

about 0.12–1.4 mm long. Fruits: Achenes, smooth, about 0.6–0.8 mm long, 

pappus bristles scaberulous, white, about 1.5 mm long. Ecology: Found on 

gravelly slopes and plains, often in fine textured soils and low places from 

1,000–2,500 ft (305–762 m); flowers March–May. Notes: The taxonomy of this 

plant is under consideration. You probably know this plant as Filago arizonica. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Logfia is an anagram of the genus Filago, 

while arizonica refers to Arizona. Synonyms: Filago arizonica, Oglifa arizonica 

89 

Asteraceae 

Forbs

Asteraceae 

Forbs 

Machaeranthera tanacetifolia 

tansyleaf tansyaster 

General: Native annual herb, 0.5–4 dm tall, highly 

branched when mature; taprooted. Leaves: 

Numerous, 2–10 cm long, pinnately incised to 

tripinnatifid. Flowers: Heads terminal on the 

branches; large, showy; involucre glandular and 

sometimes puberulent, imbricate bracts in several 

series with long, loose or reflexed green tips; 12–36 

rays, blue. Fruits: Silky achenes 2.5–4 mm long. 

Ecology: Dry, open places and along streams 

and washes, lowlands from 1,000–6,000 ft (305– 

2300 m); flowers March–October. Notes: This 

plant also has characteristic pinnately incised to 

tripinnatifid leaves, sharp bracts, and blue ray 

flowers. This is a very distinct plant with very 

characteristic leaves and sharp bracts. Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, 

other species in this genus have limited use. Etymology: Name comes from the 

Greek “machaira” meaning sword and “anthera” or anther, referring to the 

shape of the anther–tips. Synonyms: Aster tanacetifolius, M. coronopifolia, M. 

parthenium 


Matricaria discoidea 

90 

H M L 

disc mayweed 

General: Introduced annual, much–branched, leafy, with ascending stems 10–30 

cm tall, sweet scented herbage, glabrous. Leaves: Leaves 2–4 cm long, twice or 

thrice pinnatifid into short, linear filiform divisions 0.5–6 mm long. Flowers: 

Numerous heads, terminating leafy branches, discoid; involucres deeply saucer 

shaped, about 3 mm high, 5–8 mm in diameter; bracts in 2–3 series, elliptic, rounded 

at apex, subequal, margins whitish and thin-scarious; receptacle narrowly 

conical, naked; disk corollas about 1.5 mm long, greenish yellow, ill defined tube 

only slightly longer than campanulate throat, with 4 broadly ovate lobes. Fruits: 

Achenes pale greenish brown, somewhat oblique, 

smooth on round back and between 4 ribs running 

full length of inner side; pappus a minute crown of 

squamellae or absent. Ecology: Found on roadsides, 

river bottoms, waste ground and disturbed areas 

below 2,500 ft (762 m); flowers February–April. 

Notes: Nicknamed pineapple weed for the smell. 

Ethnobotany: Prolific uses as medicinal, from 

gynecological aid to antidiarrheal, to cold remedy, 

to heart medicine, to use as food. Etymology: 

Matricaria comes from Latin matrix, the womb, and 

discoidea meaning without rays, discoid. Synonyms: 

Many, see Tropicos 

©2005 Louis–M. Landry 


©2008 Michelle Cloud Hughes 

Pectis papposa 

manybristle cinchweed 

General: Yellowish green annual with 

slender, spreading–ascending or procumbent, 

dichotomously branched, glabrous stems 10– 

30 cm. Leaves: Filiform or narrowly linear, 1–6 

cm long, 1–2 mm wide or less, with 2–5 pairs 

of bristles near base and conspicuous elliptical 

marginal glands. Flowers: Heads clustered in 

leafy cymes; peduncles 1–3 cm long, usually 

shorter than subtending leaves; involucres 

turbinate, 3–5 mm broad, 4.5–6 mm high; 

bracts 7–9, narrowly linear and strongly involute, strongly keeled and gibbous 

at base, obtuse and scarious–margined at apex, irregularly dotted with 3–7 

conspicuous glands, concentrated at apex; 7–9 ray flowers with yellow ligules 

1.5–2 mm wide, 4–6 mm long; disk flowers 10–15 , corollas slender, 4–5 mm long. 

Fruits: Achenes linear–clavate, black, 4–5 mm long, sparsely strigillose, pappus 

of disk achenes of 12–20 sparsely short–plumose or barbellate bristles 3–4 mm 

long or rarely reduced to a crown. Ecology: Found on sandy or gravelly soils, 

plains and mesas below 6,000 ft (1829 m); flowers June–October. Ethnobotany: 

Used as a spice, a dye, a laxative, as eye drops for snowblindness, to the seeds 

being parched, ground and eaten. Etymology: Pectis is from the Greek pecteo, 

to comb while pappose is from the Latin for, with pappus. Synonyms: None 

91 

Asteraceae 

Forbs

Asteraceae 

Forbs 

92 

Sonchus asper 


H M L 

spiny sowthistle 

General: A simple or scantily branched annual 0.3–2.5 m tall, herbage glabrous, 

peduncles and involucres with tack–shaped, glandular hairs. Leaves: Basal 

leaves oblanceolate to spatulate in outline, to 30 cm long, blades lyrately or 

rucinately pinnatifid into broadly ovate to oblong lobes and these saliently 

dentate with spinulose teeth or sometimes blades only dentate; petiole often 

equaling blade, cauline leaves similar but usually sessile, auricles to 2 cm long, 

rounded and saliently toothed. Flowers: Heads urceolate-turbinate in bud, on 

peduncles 1–10 cm long, involucres 10–16 mm long and campanulate or cylindric 

in anthesis; main bracts lance–linear, acute to attenuate, thickened along midrib 

toward base in age, glabrous or sparsely glandular–pubescent, outer bracts 

ovate, more commonly glandular, but rarely thickened; ligules 3–6 mm long, pale 

yellow, quickly withering. Fruits: Achenes ovoid 2–2.5 mm long, about 1 mm 

wide, strongly compressed, each face 3–ribbed and smooth in intervals, lateral 

margins very thin; pappus hairs 6–10 mm long, often much tangled, holding 

several achenes together in cluster. Ecology: Widespread, along roadsides, 

fields, and disturbed sites from 200–8,000 ft (61–2438 m); flowers April– 

August. Notes: Told apart from S. oleraceus by achenes, which are strongly 3–5 

ribbed on each face, thin–margined; while S. oleraceus achenes are striate and 

strongly wrinkled transversely, not thin– 

margined. Ethnobotany: Given to babies 

as a sedative, taken as a heart medicine, 

while other tribes considered this species 

a poison. Etymology: Sonchus is the 

Greek name for sowthistle, while asper 

means rough. Synonyms: Sonchus asper 

ssp. asper, S. asper ssp. glaucescens, S. 

nymanii 



Sonchus oleraceus 

common sowthistle 

General: Annual introduced herb; native to Europe; 10 cm–2 m tall; from a 

short taproot; glabrous except for an occasional spreading gland–tipped hair 

on the involucres and peduncles; milky sap. Leaves: Leaves alternate; pinnatifid 

to occasionally merely toothed; soft; the margins only weakly or scarcely 

prickly; 6–30 cm long and 1–15 cm wide; all but the lowermost prominently 

auriculate; leaves progressively less divided upwards. Flowers: Heads several 

in a corymbiform inflorescence; relatively small; 1.5–2.5 cm wide in flower; 

involucre 9–13 mm high in fruit; yellow rays; 120–150 flowers per plant. Fruits: 

Achenes 2.5–3.5 mm long; transversely rugulose and 3–5 ribbed on each face. 

Ecology: Disturbed areas, from 600–8,000 ft (185–2440m); flowers March– 

October. Notes: Two other species of Sonchus in the Intermountain West. S. 

arvensis is also native to Europe and widely introduced in North America; 

prefers fairly moist to wet soil. It is a perennial with deep-seated creeping 

roots and relatively large flowers. S. asper is an annual introduced species 

occurring in meadows, along streambanks and obviously disturbed habitats. It 

differs from S. oleraceus by having mature several nerved achenes that are not 

rugulose (mature achenes are transversly rugulose as well as several nerved in 

S. oleraceus). Ethnobotany: Young leaves are used in salads or cooked in curry 

and rice dishes. Salves are used to treat 

hemorrhoids and ulcers. Tea is used to 

treat anxiety and asthma. The milky juice 

is often used as eyewash. Etymology: 

Sonchus is the Greek name for sowthistle, 

while oleraceus means resembling garden 

herbs or vegetables used in cooking. 


93 

Asteraceae 

Forbs

Asteraceae 

Forbs 

94 

Stephanomeria pauciflora 

brownplume wirelettuce 

General: Perennial, rounded plant with much 

branched stems 30–60 cm tall; stiff, ascending or 

spreading branches, base of stems slightly woody, 

herbage glabrous, pale green. Leaves: Basal leaves 

narrowly oblong, lanceolate to linear, 3–7 cm 

long, lower ones rucinate-pinnatifid, glabrous 

or glaucous, upper leaves entire or reduced to 

scales, often with tufts of woolly hairs at base of 

blade, otherwise glabrous or glaucous. Flowers: 

Terminal heads on branches, 3–5 flowered, ligules 

flesh–colored; involucre 7–9 mm high, glabrous, phyllaries about 5, linear, obtuse. 

Fruits: Achenes longitudinally striate and often transversely rugulose, pappus 

brownish tinged, scabrous near base, plumose above to apex. Ecology: Found 

along washes, on gravelly bajadas, plains, and arid mesas from 200–7,000 ft (61– 

2134 m); flowers April–October. Notes: Delicate looking stems and tufts of woolly 

hairs at the base of blade help to identify it. Ethnobotany: Used to increase 

mother’s milk supply, the roots as a narcotic, as a life medicine, chewed as gum, 

and as a ceremonial item. Etymology: Stephanomeria is derived from Greek 

stephane, wreath or crown and meros, division, while pauciflora means with little 

foliage. Synonyms: Lygodesmia pauciflora, Ptiloria pauciflora, Stephanomeria 

cinerea, S. lygodesmoides, S. neomexicana, S. pauciflora var. parishii, S. pauciflora 

var. pauciflora 

Verbesina encelioides 

golden crownbeard 

General: Strongly taprooted annual; 20–100 

cm tall; simple when small and branched 

above or throughout when well developed; 

stem strigose to villous-puberulent. Leaves: 

Leaves all cauline; well distributed along 

stem; lower leaves opposite; others alternate, 

evident petioles; coarsely toothed to subentire; 

narrowly to broadly triangular to merely 

lance–ovate; strigose beneath; thinly strigose 

on upper surface. Flowers: Heads terminating the branches; erect on peduncles 

up to 10 cm long; phyllaries green; ligules yellow and evidently 3–toothed at the 

tip. Fruits: Achenes 5–7 mm long, thinly hairy. Ecology: Open, sandy or rocky 

places, sometimes on dunes or along roadsides from 3,000–8,500 ft (914–22591 

m); flowers April–September. Notes: Two subspecies in Arizona: Verbesina 

encelioides ssp. exauriculata and ssp. encelioides. Most of the Arizona plants are 

of ssp. exauriculata which is the dryland, more western phase and distinguished 

by petioles that are not auriculate–dilated at the base. ssp. encelioides is native 

to the Gulf Coast. It has more prominently auriculate leaves and mostly longer 

involucral bracts. Host plant for bordered patch butterfly. Ethnobotany: Hopi 

make plant tea into wash for fever or spider bites. Navajo make lotion for similar 

uses. Navajo also use liquid of strained leaves for stomach trouble. It is also a good 

luck token. Etymology: Verbesina is derived from Verbena. Synonyms: None 




©2007 Lynn Watson 

Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia 

Menzies’ common fiddleneck 

General: Erect and slender annual form with 

rough–hispid stems and foliage, 30–150 cm tall, 

or under favorable conditions frequently and 

widely branched. Leaves: Basal leaves narrowly 

oblanceolate or oblong, entire, to 20 cm long, 

gradually narrowed to a slender petioled 1–6 m 

long, upper leaves gradually reduced to linear– 

lanceolate bracts 1 cm long or less, intermediate 

ones usually lanceolate, sessile or subsessile. 

Flowers: Spike leafy-bracted at base, 5–30 cm long 

or more, tip continues to produce flowers after 

basal nutlets have matured, calyx lobes linear lanceolate, reddish-hispid, 3–5 

mm long in flower, elongating to 6–10 mm in fruit, corolla dark yellow to orange, 

7–12 mm long, rotate limb 3–6 mm wide, glabrous without, short throat narrow, 

10 nerved below stamens. Fruits: Ovoid nutlets, incurved, dorsally keeled, 

scabrous–rugose, grayish, 1.5–3 mm long. Ecology: Found on grassy hillsides, 

valleys, along washes, abundant on sandy or gravelly soil below 4,000 ft (1219 m); 

flowers March–May. Notes: Varieties of this species and this genus more broadly 

are determined by the size of the nutlets, when collecting it is critical to obtain 

flowers, fruit, AND seed. Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, other species 

in genus used for food, both seeds and young leaves eaten fresh. Etymology: 

Amsinckia named for Wilhelm Amsinck (1752–1831), while menziesii is named 

for Archibald Menzies (1754–1842) a Scottish botanist. Synonyms: Amsinckia 

intermedia, A. intermedia var. echinata, several others: see Tropicos 

Amsinckia tessellata 

bristly fiddleneck 

General: Stout, often profusely branched annual 

30–80 cm tall with coarsely hispid stems and 

herbage, hairs conspicuously pustulate at base. 

Leaves: Linear, lanceolate, oblong or narrowly 

ovate, lower ones gradually narrowed to a short 

petiole, upper sessile, 2–10 cm long, conspicuously 

spreading–hispid. Flowers: Spikes 1–5 cm long 

in flower, elongating to 20 cm or more in fruit, 

flowering tips dense, later rather lax, calyx lobes 

3–5, often of two narrow ones and one broader, 2–3 

dentate at apex, 5–8 mm long in flower to 12 mm 

long in fruit, sparsely hispid; corona yellow or pale 

orange, 8–12 mm long, 20–nerved below stamens, limb 2–4 mm, broad. Fruits: 

Nutlets broadly ovoid, erect or slightly incurved 2.5–3.2 mm long, back flattened 

or slightly rounded. Ecology: Found on grassy slopes, valley floors, rocky to 

gravelly soil, slopes, flats, and arroyo beds below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers April– 

June. Notes: A. tessellata is told apart from A. intermedia by fewer calyx lobes, 

which are unequal in width, and the 20–nerved corolla tube base. Ethnobotany: 

The leaves and seeds were eaten raw or parched for food. Etymology: Amsinckia 

named for Wilhelm Amsinck (1752–1831), tessellata means tessellate or checkered, 

patterned like a mosaic, referring to the seed. Synonyms: None 

95 

Boraginaceae 

Forbs

Boraginaceae 

Forbs 

96 

Cryptantha angustifolia 

Panamint cryptantha 

General: Much branched herb 8–25 cm tall, 

usually with many slender, ascending or 

spreading–ascending, brownish stems sparsely 

hispidulous with slender white hairs, epidermis 

eventually exfoliating in irregular strips and 

shreds. Leaves: Linear, usually 1 mm wide or 

less, 5–30 cm long, hispidulous with white hairs 

from pustulate bases. Flowers: Inflorescence 

of numerous short scorpioid spikes, elongating 

in fruit; calyx lobes lance linear, 1–1.5 mm long 

at anthesis, hispid with stiff spreading hairs, 

white corolla about 1.5 mm long, limb 1.5–2 mm 

broad. Fruits: Nutlets, 4, heteromorphous, all 

ovoid, acute, brownish or pale gray; lateral angles rounded or rather sharp, 

ventral groove narrow above. Ecology: Found in gravelly or rocky soil on 

hillsides, along washes, and on disturbed soil below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers 

February–June. Ethnobotany: Other species in the genus used the plant for 

fatigue, coughs, against throat cancer, as sheep feed, for intestinal problems, 

and the plant was chewed for colds. Etymology: Cryptantha is from the Greek 

krypsis, meaning hiding, suppression, concealment, thus a hidden flower, 

while angustifolia means narrow foliage. Synonyms: Eremocarya angustifolia 

Cryptantha barbigera 

bearded cryptantha 

General: Erect or ascendingly branched, 10–55 

cm tall, one to several very bristly, hispid stems. 

Leaves: Lance-linear to oblong, 3–7 mm broad, 1–7 

cm long, obtuse at apex, bristly hirsute. Flowers: 

Heliocoid spikes usually geminate, rarely ternate or 

solitary, ebracteate, to 15 cm long, densely flowered; 

calyx lobes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4–10 

mm long, converging but not fused above but tips 

recurved; margins conspicuously villous with white 

hairs, midrib hirsute; corolla inconspicuous, limb 

1–2 mm broad. Fruits: Nutlets, 1–4, lance ovate, 

1.5–2.5 long, strongly warty on rounded or obscurely 

angled edges and convex back, groove narrow or broad. Ecology: Found on 

desert sands, along arroyos and on hillsides below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers 

March–June. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genus have 

uses. Etymology: Cryptantha is from the Greek krypsis, meaning hiding, 

suppression, concealment, thus a hidden flower, while barbigera means 

bearded. Synonyms: None 



©2008 T. Beth Kinsey ©2007 Patrick Alexander 

Emmenanthe penduliflora 

whisperingbells 

General: Simple to much branched plants 10– 

50 cm tall, heavy–scented, stipitate–glandular 

puberulence throughout. Leaves: Oblong, 

5–20 mm broad, 3–8 cm long, pinnatifid with 

narrowly deltoid to oblong, entire or dentate 

lobes, decurrent at base to short winged, 

clasping petiole. Flowers: Cymes several to 

many, pedicels filiform, 6–15 mm long or longer 

in fruit, recurved, villous and stipitate glandular; 

sepals ovate–lanceolate, 6–10 mm long, 2–3 mm 

wide, corolla 8–12 mm long, 5–10 mm wide, orbicular lobes 1–2 mm long, 

sparsely puberulent along and below midvein of each lobe; yellow. Fruits: 

Capsule 8–10 mm long, thin walled, sparsely villous and glandular. Ecology: 

Found on gravelly or rocky soil on slopes, along streams, usually under bushes 

below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers March–May. Notes: Often found in burned 

areas; makes whispering sound with persistent dry corollas. Ethnobotany: No 

known uses. Etymology: Emmenanthe is from the Greek emmeno, to bide and 

anthose flower, refers to the blossom not falling as it fades, while penduliflora 

means pendant flower. Synonyms: None 

Eucrypta micrantha 

dainty desert hideseed 

General: Small, dainty annual, glandular–viscid, 

with stalked glandular hairs intermixed with non– 

glandular hairs. Stems often 5–23 cm, slender, 

erect to ascending, sometimes spreading on 

large plants or when shaded. Leaves: Pinnatifid, 

1.5–5 cm by 0.5–2.6 cm. Flowers: Calyx usually 

divided about halfway up or more to base, with 

stalked glandular and non–glandular hairs; not 

spreading open at maturing, revealing only the 

tip of the capsule; corolla lobes white, pale violet, 

or lavender, throat yellow with yellow nectarines and often nectar filled in 

the morning. Fruits: Capsule, splitting, but the 2 carpels not falling free, the 

halves obovoid, obtusely pointed at tip. Ecology: Widespread, often in shade 

of shrubs, dies out as soil dries out from 4,000 ft (1219 m) and lower; flowers 

February–May. Notes: Grows particularly well in years of abundant moisture, 

can form small mats, often in shade where ground has slightly more moisture. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Eucrypta is from Greek eu, well or true 

and crypta, secret, alluding to hidden inner seeds, while micrantha means 

small–flowered. Synonyms: None 

97 

Borraginaceae 

Forbs

Boraginaceae 

Forbs 

salt heliotrope 

General: Perennial or rarely annuals, 

glabrous, semisucculent to succulent, 

bluish glaucous, 10–100 cm tall. Leaves: 

Leaves nearly sessile, mostly 2.5–7.5 cm, 

lanceolate to oblanceolate to obovate, 

3–10 mm wide, to 6 cm long; acute to 

rounded at apex, fleshy, glabrous and 

glaucous, often purplish in age. Flowers: 

Terminal helicoid spikes, sometimes in 

3s or 4s, tightly scorpoid at tip in youth; corollas 2–25 mm wide, white with 

yellow center fading purplish, inconspicuous.Fruits: Depressed globose, 

1.5–2 mm high, 2–2.5 mm wide, ovoid nutlets, rounded and smooth to faintly 

rugulose on back. Ecology: Found in marshy soil, alkaline or saline soils, often 

along wetlands below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers most of the year. Notes: Found 

in any wetter soils, even in irrigated areas. Ethnobotany: Seeds were made into 

mush, used for diarrhea, as a diuretic, as an emetic, a decoction gargled for sore 

throat, pulverized roots applied to sores and wounds, for venereal disease, and 

as a remedy for measles. Etymology: Heliotropium comes from Greek helios, 

sun and trope, turning, while curvassicum refers to Curacao, the island in the 

Dutch West Indies. Synonyms: None 

98 

Heliotropium curvassavicum 

Lappula occidentalis 

flatspine stickseed 

General: Native annual; puberulent or 

shortly hirsute throughout herbage; 10–80 

cm tall; often with many branches above the 

middle. Leaves: Numerous leaves; blades 

linear to oblong; upper blades sessile, 1–2 mm 

long; lower blades petioled and longer, up to 

6 cm; petioles 1–2 mm long; basal leaves often 

deciduous. Flowers: Inconspicuous corolla; 

white to light blue or ochroleucous. Fruits: 

Marginal prickles of the nutlets in a single row; prickles often swollen and 

confluent toward the base, forming a cupulate border to the nutlet. Ecology: 

Dry to moderately moist, sunny, usually disturbed sites, roadsides, overgrazed 

areas; widely distributed to 8,500 ft (2590 m); flowers March–September. 

Notes: This may not be a showy plant but it makes itself known by attaching its 

many distinctive seeds to the socks of passers by. Two varieties of L. occidentalis 

are found in Arizona: var. cupulata is mainly found in the southwestern US and 

var. redowskii is found throughout the range. L. squarrosa has nutlets with 

marginal prickles in at least 2 rows and prickles are slender, not confluent at 

the base as in L. occidentalis. Ethnobotany: Navajo make poultice for insect 

bites and other skin irritations. Etymology: Lappula is from ancient root lappa 

meaning a bur, while occidentalis means of the west. Synonyms: L. redowskii, 

L. texana 

©2001 Jeff Abbas 


©2008 T. Beth Kinsey ©2005 Naomi Fraga 

Nama demissa 

purple mat 

General: Prostrate, diffusely branching 

annuals, fine to coarse, generally mealy 

glandular, 3–20 cm. Leaves: Confined to 

compact clusters at tips of branches; blades 

obovate to spatulate or linear–spatulate, 2–7 

mm wide, 1–2.5 cm long, narrowed to petiole 

equal to blade, strigose and hirsute. Flowers: 

Subsessile in terminal, few–flowered cymes 

in axils of branches; lance linear calyx lobes, 

2–3 mm long, glutinous and densely hirsute; funnelform-campanulate corolla 

bright lavender–pink, lobes ovate, 2 mm long. Fruits: Ovoid capsule 3–2.5 

mm long, hirsutulous. Ecology: Found mostly among chaparral on rocky 

slopes and along arroyos below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers April–July. Notes: 

Generally forming a a dense mat. Ethnobotany: Seeds pounded in a mortar 

and boiled into mush. Etymology: Nama comes from the Greek nama for 

spring or stream, while demissum means hanging down. Synonyms: None 

Nama hispida 

bristly nama 

General: First flowering as rosettes, 

often developing stems 5–30 cm, erect to 

ascending or spreading with age. Larger 

stem hairs 1–1.2 mm, dense, bristly, straight. 

Leaves: Narrowly spatulate 1.5–4.6 cm, 

gradually narrowed to a winged petioled, 

the upper leaves smaller, sessile. Flowers: 

Corollas lavender, 13–15 mm, 2 styles, 

distinct to base, calyx divided nearly to base. 

Fruits: Superior ovary, nutlets, ellipsoid-ovoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, about twice as 

long as wide, yellowish. Ecology: Widespread on gravelly, rocky and sandy 

soils from 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers from February–June. Notes: N. hispidum 

is identifiable by larger more robust habit, usually thicker stems, stouter and 

stiffer hairs, especially on stems. Ethnobotany: Used by the Navajo as a lotion 

for spider or tarantula bites. Etymology: Nama comes from the Greek nama for 

spring or stream, while hispidum means rough with bristly hairs. Synonyms: 

Nama hispidum var. mentzelii, N. hispidum var. revolutum, N. hispidum var. 

spathulatum 

99 

Boragainaceae 

Forbs

Boragainaceae 

Forbs 

Pectocarya heterocarpa 

chuckwalla combseed 

General: Stems prostrate to procumbent, several from 

base, 5–25 cm long, stigulose with finer hairs than most 

species. Leaves: Linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 

0.5–1.2 mm wide, 5–25 mm long, strigulose. Flowers: 

Small, about 2 mm long, sepals elliptic-lanceolate or 

linear lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long at anthesis, corolla 

white. Fruits: Two broadly margined nutlets, margins 

lacerate toothed and deltoid teeth tipped with uncinate 

hairs, other 2 nutlets unmargined and somewhat 

reflexed, tuft of uncinate hairs distally. Ecology: 

Found on arid, gravelly, sandy slopes, in valleys and 

washes and in disturbed areas below 5,000 ft (1524 

m); flowers February–May. Notes: Ethnobotany: 

Unknown Etymology: Pectocarya from the Greek pectos, combed and karua, 

nut, while heterocarpa is from Greek heteros, different and karphos, a chip of 

wood, splinter, nail. Synonyms: Pectocarya penicillata var. heterocarpa 

Pectocarya penicillata 

sleeping combseed 

General: Stems prostrate to procumbent, several 

from base, slender, 5–25 cm long, cinereous-strigose. 

Leaves: Filiform to linear or spatulate, 0.3–2 mm 

wide, 1–3 cm long, strigose. Flowers: Small, sepals 

elliptic-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long 

at anthesis, to 2.5 mm long in fruit, strigose; corolla 

white, about 2 mm long. Fruits: Nutlets all alike, 

oblong, divaricate, straight or very slightly inflexed at 

tip, 0.5–0.8 mm broad, 1.6–2.5 mm long, cartilaginous 

margin upturned to incurved along length of body, 

unarmed on this portion, nearly entire, or undulate, 

rounded distal end bearing a tuft of crowded 

uncinate bristles. Ecology: Found on sandy or gravelly soil below 3,000 ft 

(2134 m); flowers February=May. Notes: Differs from P. heterocarpa by being 

smaller, with thicker hairs. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Pectocarya 

is from the Greek pectos, combed and karua, nut, while penicillata means 

having a tuft of hair like a paintbrush. Synonyms: Cynoglossum penicillatum, 

Pectocarya linearis var. penicillata 

100 


©2008 Keir Morse

©2008 Aaron Schusteff 


Pectocarya platycarpa 

broadfruit combseed 

General: Annual with slender stems, 

stiff and prostrate to spreadingascending, 

10–20 cm long, cinereousstrigulose. 

Leaves: Linear to linearoblanceoate, 

0.5–1.8 mm broad, 1–3.5 

cm long, strigose. Flowers: Pedicels 

slender, 1–2 mm long, sepals 2.5–3 

mm long, body linear or oblong or 

spatulate–oblong, 0.6–1 mm wide, 

2.5–3 mm long, 3 of them usually 

conspicuously margined with a broad, deeply lacerate wing that is glabrous 

within, teeth coarse, broadly deltoid, pallid, tipped with short uncinate 

bristles shorter than width of supporting margin. Fruits: Four nutlets, fourth 

if different, with narrower, more dissected wing and closely puberulent body. 

Ecology: Found on arid gravelly benches, hillsides, and mesas below 5,000 

ft (1524 m); flowers February–April. Notes: Closely related to P. penicillata, 

so similar features, different scales. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: 

Pectocarya is from Greek pectos, combed and karua, nut, platycarpa means 

broad–nutted, with broad fruits. Synonyms: Pectocarya gracilis var. platycarpa, 

P. linearis var. platycarpa 

Phacelia crenulata 

cleftleaf wildheliotrope 

General: Annual, pungent, allergenic, 

stems 10–40 (up to 80) cm tall, erect, openly 

branched, stems and leaves with copious 

stalked glands as well as non–glandular 

hispid hairs, glands are yellow to orange 

and odiferous. Leaves: Oblong in outline, 

2–12 cm, reduced upwards, mildly to deeply 

lobed, with crenate lobes. Lower sinuses 

quite deep, upper sinuses becoming shallow. 

Lower leaves petiolate, cauline leaves becoming sessile. Leaves bearing 

numerous stalked glands as well as hispid hairs. Flowers: Inflorescence of 

dense terminal and lateral scorpioid cymes. Cymes several to many flowered. 

Corolla showy, blue to purple to lavender to occasionally white basally. Stamens 

conspicuously exserted and with yellow anthers. Fruits: Globose capsule with 

4 seeds. Ecology: Dry, gravelly hillsides and flats, sandy and clay soils from 

3,500–7,000 ft (1065–2135 m); flowers April–September. Notes: Positive field 

identification of Phacelia is quite difficult as specific delimitations usually rely 

on seed morphology. Ethnobotany: Keres make root tea for sore throat and 

into rub for swellings. Etymology: Phacelia from Greek phacelo– for bundle; 

crenulata from crenata for toothed margins. Synonyms: P. corrugata 

101 

Boraginaceae 

Forbs

Boraginaceae 

Forbs 

Phacelia distans 

distant phacelia, caterpillar phacelia 

General: Annual forb 15–45 cm, erect and simple 

to much branched and spreading to procumbent; 

herbage moderately sticky and often scabrous 

with conspicuous white hairs, sometimes with 

swollen white bases and also sessile glands, 

golden when fresh; stems leafy, semisucculent 

and relatively stout. Leaves: Usually relatively 

thin and fernlike, 6–17 cm, 1 or 2 times 

pinnatifid, segments pinnately lobed or toothed 

to pinnatifid. Flowers: Cymes helicoids, calyx 

lobes enlarging moderately in fruit, reaching 6 mm; corollas 8–9.5 mm, pale 

violet to blue, the lobes spreading; stamens usually not or scarcely exserted. 

Fruits: Seeds 4 or fewer around 2 mm, red–brown, narrowly ovoid, pitted, the 

back convex, the ventral side angled and convex. Ecology: Found under bushes 

along washes and along sandy–gravelly washes and bajadas and less often rocky 

slopes from 1,000–4,000 ft (305–1219 m); flowers from February–May. Notes: 

Delicate foliage and bright–blue flowers are indicative of this species, plants 

often disappearing quickly along with soil moisture. Ethnobotany: Leaves 

were steamed and eaten as greens by Kawaiisu. Etymology: Phacelia from 

Greek phacelo– for bundle, distans means separated, apart, widely–spaced in 

reference to the long, exserted stamens. Synonyms: Phacelia cinerea, P. distans 

var. australis 

102 



Plagiobothrys arizonicus 

lipstick weed, Arizona popcornflower 

General: Annual herb with 1 to several stems 

from base, these usually simple, erect, ascending 

or slightly decumbent, 10–30 cm long, hispid 

herbage with slender spreading hairs 1–2.5 

mm long; sparsely puberulent with tangled, 

mostly appressed, delicate hairs among bases 

of spreading hairs, stems, roots, and leaves, 

particularly midribs, which are distinctively 

purplish–red. Leaves: Lanceolate to linearoblanceolate, 

1.5–5 mm broad, 1–6 cm long, basal 

ones gradually narrowed to slender base, acute to obtuse at apex, strigose 

and with some spreading hairs, not noticeably pustulate. Flowers: Spikes 

compact at anthesis, elongated and lax in fruit, to 15 cm long, naked or few 

bracteate toward base; calyx lobes ovate, distinct about one–half way to base, 

densely tawny–hirsute; calyx 3–4 mm long in fruit, at length circumscissile, 

lobes equal; corolla 2 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad, white. Fruits: Nutlets usually 

2, sometimes fewer, ovoid, short–acute, 1.5–2 mm long, transversely rugulose, 

reticulate dorsal and lateral keels. Ecology: Found on arid sandy hillsides and 

plains below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers February–May. Notes: Lipstick red leaf 

midribs and margins are tell–tale for this species. Ethnobotany: Red coating 

on outside leaves and lower stems used as a red pigment to paint the body 

and face. Etymology: Plagiobothrys is derived from Greek plagios, oblique or 

placed sideways, and bothros, a pit or scar, arizonicus is named for Arizona. 


103 

Boraginaceae 

Forbs

Brassicaceae 

Forbs 

Brassica tournefortii 

Asian mustard, wild turnip 

General: Introduced exotic, coarse winter annual with well–developed 

taproot, stems simple to many–branched above, flowering branches 

spreading, 30–120 cm; lower part of plant hirsute with coarse, rough white 

hairs, especially lower leaf surfaces, veins and margins. Leaves: Basal rosette 

15–30 cm, petioled, pinnatifid with the terminal lobe usually largest, or leaves 

of stunted plants often obovate and merely toothed; stem leaves reduced 

upwards. Flowers: Sepals 3.5–4 mm, pale, almost translucent, drab purple– 

brown, slightly swollen basally; petals, stamens, and stigma pale yellow; petals 

6–8 mm, corolla bilaterally symmetrical. Fruits: Silique on pedicel 12–16 mm, 

spreading; silique linear, terete, 2.1–2.4 mm wide, 3.7–6 cm long with well– 

developed beak 11–14 mm; finely netted inside. 

Ecology: Found in open, sandy soils, waste 

ground and disturbed sites below 3,000 ft (914 

m); flowers January–June. Notes: One of the 

most widespread exotics in the region. Think 

daikon radish in appearance, only with a 

much smaller root. Ethnobotany: Unknown 

Etymology: Brassica is the Latin name for 

cabbage, tournefortii is named for Joseph 

Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708). Synonyms: 

Brassica tournefortii var. sisymbrioides 

Descurainia pinnata 

western tansymustard 

General: Native annual herb; stems 10–70 cm tall, 

usually branched, sparsely to densely pubescent. 

Leaves: Lower leaves mostly bipinnate and upper 

leaves pinnate; leaflets usually pinnatifid, pubescent 

like the stem. Flowers: Racemes terminal; flowers 

with pedicels 3–20 mm long, spreading; petals 2–3 

mm long, white to yellow. Fruits: Siliques 4–20 mm 

long, more or less club–shaped; seeds numerous, in 

two rows. Ecology: Found on a variety of soils and 

conditions from 3,000–7,000 ft (914–2134 m); flowers 

April–August. Notes: Distinguished from other 

Descurainia by some of the siliques (at least) having seeds in two rows (vs. in 

one row in D. sophia) and the lower leaves bipinnate (vs. once pinnate in D. 

obtusa). Toxic to livestock, although lightly consumed by mule deer in winter 

and spring. Rodents and lagomorphs graze on it, while it is larval food for 

several butterflies. Host plant for spring white, checkered white, pearly marble, 

and Sara orangetip butterflies. Ethnobotany: Edible greens and seeds. Tansy 

mustard appears in clan names and migration tales as an important plant. 

Etymology: Named for French physician Franscois Descourain. Pinnat means 

feathered or winged. Synonyms: None 

104 


H M L 


©2003 Michael Charters


Descurainia sophia 

herb sophia 

General: Exotic annual herb, naturalized from Europe; stems 25–75 cm tall, 

branched, stellate pubescent. Leaves: Leaves 2 or 3 times pinnate, 2–9 cm 

long, the ultimate divisions linear. Flowers: Racemes terminal; flowers with 

pedicels 8–15 mm long; sepals 2 mm long; petals greenish–yellow, about as 

long as the sepals. Fruits: Siliques linear, 1–3 cm long, often curved, loosely 

ascending; seeds numerous, 10–20 in each locule. Ecology: Found on open and 

disturbed ground from 3,000–7,500 ft (914–2285 m); flowers April–June. Notes: 

Distinguished from other Descurainia by some of the siliques (at least) having 

seeds in one row (vs. in two rows in D. pinnata); leaves bipinnate to tripinnate; 

siliques larger (10–30 mm long). Species is often found in dry and disturbed areas. 

Species may be dominant on sites due to large seed crops. This attribute may 

increase browse potential. Species is rapidly 

killed by fire but will re–establish quickly due 

to large seed crops. Toxic to livestock, and is 

larval food for several butterflies. Host plant 

for checkered White and Becker’s White 

butterflies. Ethnobotany: Edible greens and 

seeds. Tansy mustard appears in clan names 

and migration tales as an important plant. 

Etymology: Commemorating Francois 

Descourain, famous French physician. 

Sophia translates to wisdom. Synonyms: 

Sophia sophia, Sisysibrium sophia 


H M L 


Lepidium lasiocarpum 

shaggyfruit pepperweed 

General: Annual from 5–20 cm, larger 

plants much–branched, herbage with simple, 

spreading, white, rather thick hairs less 

than 0.4 mm. Leaves: Alternate, basal rosette 

2.5–6 cm, oblanceolate leaves, quickly 

withering as stems develop; stem leaves 

smaller, oblanceolate, variable, withering 

as plant matures. Flowers: Racemes 2–10 

cm, numerous and often crowded on larger 

plants, pedicels conspicuously flattened, glabrous or pubescent; flowers bisexual, 

sepals 4, less than 1 mm, wide margins, petals white, 6 stamens, superior 

ovary, quickly deciduous. Fruits: Orbicular and flattened, 2–celled pod, 2–3 

mm across, with tiny notch at apex, gelatinous when wetted. Ecology: Found 

on playas, washes, arroyos, beaches, saline soils, roadsides and other disturbed 

areas below 6,500 ft (1981 m); flowers February–May. Ethnobotany: Plant 

used as a disinfectant, seeds were gathered and ground, parched, eaten in a 

variety of ways. Etymology: Lepidium is from Greek lepidion, meaning little 

scale, a reference to the shape of the fruits, lasiocarpum means having woolly 

seeds or fruits. Synonyms: None 

105 

Brassicaceae 

Forbs

Brassicaceae 

Forbs 

Physaria gordonii 

Gordon’s bladderpod 

General: Densely stellate-canescent annual 

with several to many decumbent stems 10– 

30 cm long. Leaves: Basal leaves narrowly 

oblanceolate to spatulate, entire to slightly 

repand (rarely lyrate), 1.5–3.5 cm long, acute 

at apex, gradually narrows to slender petiole 

nearly equal to blade; numerous cauline 

leaves, 1–3 cm long, linear to narrowly 

oblanceolate, entire or faintly wavy. 

Flowers: Racemes compact in flower, elongating later; stout pedicels, slightly 

recurved, 7–10 mm long; petals yellow, narrowly obovate, claw slightly dialated 

basally. Fruits: Pod globose and glabrous, 3.5–4 mm diameter on a tip 0.5–0.8 

mm long. Ecology: Found on sandy plains, mountain slopes and mesas below 

5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers February–June. Notes: This is widespread in the 

desert and some years has truly remarkable blooms. Ethnobotany: Unknown 

for this species, however, other species have wide medicinal and ceremonial 

uses. Etymology: Lesquerella is named for Leo Lesquereaux (1805–1889) an 

American botanist, and gordonii is named for Alexander Gordon (c. 1795?) an 

English horticulturalist and nurseryman. Synonyms: None 

Physaria tenella 

Moapa bladderpod 

General: Annual, sparsely to densely stellate 

pubescent with some simple hairs, finely 

glandular; stems slender 15–60 cm tall, 

decumbent to erect, often branched in larger 

plants; clambers through small shrubs. Leaves: 

Narrowly elliptic to obovate, entire to wavy, or 

shallowly or sometimes coarsely toothed; other 

stems leaves elliptic to linear, entire and sessile 

above. Flowers: Racemes 9–20 cm, flowers 

widely spaced, bright yellow, showy, 9–10 mm 

wide; petals 8–10 mm. Fruits: Fruiting pedicels 

S-shaped, often 15–18 mm; globose fruit 3.5–4.8 

mm wide. Ecology: Found on sandy and rocky 

soils in washes and on slopes below 4,000 ft 

(1219 m); flowers February–March. Notes: L. tenella is told apart from L. 

gordonii by the stellate hairs of the ovary and fruits, and by the margined 

seeds. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Lesquerella is named for Leo 

Lesquereaux (1805–1889), an American botanist, while tenella is Latin for quite 

delicate, dainty. Synonyms: Physaria tenella 

106 



©2007 Patrick Alexander H M L Impact risk level 

Sisymbrium irio 

London rocket 

General: Erect annual, strict or branching from above base, glabrous or sparsely 

pubescent on part of herbage and pedicels. Leaves: Petioled, pinnatifid, 

larger ones 7–20 cm, blades thin. Flowers: Flowering stems usually branched, 

sepals green, petals, filaments, and anthers yellow; petals 3–4 mm, slender, 

spreading pedicels 5–14 mm. Fruits: Siliques linear, slender, 0.5–0.6 or rarely 

1 mm in diameter, 2–5 cm long, curving upward. Ecology: Fairly widespread 

weed of all disturbed areas below 4,500 ft (1372 m); flowers February–May. 

Notes: Introduced from Europe, this 

is an abundant weed. Ethnobotany: 

Used by the Pima as food, as seeds were 

parched and made into pinole, while 

leaves were eaten raw and boiled or fried. 

Etymology: Sisymbrium is from a Greek 

name for some plants of the mustard 

family, irio is a reference to an old kind of 

cress. Synonyms: Norta irio 

107 

Brassicaceae 

Forbs

Cucurbitaceae 

Forbs 

Cucurbita digitata 

fingerleaf gourd 

General: Perennial prostrate vine with deep 

root, slender branches distantly run, but rarely 

climb; slender stems, glabrous, ribbed, whitish– 

pustulate with flat oval trichomes on anges, 

tendrils shot–petiolate, 3–5 parted, branches 

gland tipped. Leaves: Leaves 5–cleft nearly 

to base of blade, lobes 4–10 cm long, linear– 

lanceolate to linear–oblanceolate, variably 

sublobed, green, bearing conic trichomes above 

and below, sometimes paler below; stout petioles, ribbed, shorter than lobes, 

muricate and hispid. Flowers: Calyx cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 4–6 

cm long, sparsely hispid, tube 2.5–3 cm long, lobes subulate, 3–5 mm long, 

corolla sparsely hispid, bright yellow. Fruits: Globose, vivid dark green with 10 

narrow stripes and variably speckled. Ecology: Found mostly in sandy alluvial 

soil of washes and valleys or on dry plains and mesas below 5,000 ft (1524 m); 

flowers June–October. Notes: Smell it, if it smells terrible you’ll know it is the 

coyote gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima), rather than this species. Ethnobotany: 

The Gila Pima roasted the seeds and ate them. Etymology: Cucurbita is the 

Latin name for gourd, digitata means lobed like fingers. Synonyms: None 

108 


©2007 Lara Hartley 


Euphorbia albomarginata 

whitemargin sandmat 

General: Perennial herb with glabrous and often 

glaucous herbage; stems prostrate and freely 

branched, sometimes creeping below ground and 

rooting at the nodes, 5–40 cm long; mat forming. 

Leaves: Leaf blades orbicular to oblong, entire, 

3–8 mm long; stipules united into a membranous, 

white scale with entire or lacerate margins. 

Flowers: Cyathia solitary at the nodes, with 1 

female and 15–30 male flowers; glands oblong, 

dark brown, 0.5–1 mm long, petaloid appendages 

consipicuous, white, entire or subcrenate. Fruits: 

Capsule ovoid, 2 mm long, acutely angled and 

glabrous; seeds 4–sided, oblong, whitish, 1–2 

mm long. Ecology: Open, sandy or gravelly dry places up through the pinon– 

juniper zone from 1,000–7,000 ft (305–2134 m); flowers April–September. 

Notes: Distinctively marked from other species in our range by the prominent 

interpetiolar stipules. Ethnobotany: Diegueno brew plant into tea to treat 

sores. Shoshoni and Kawaitsu use leaves and flowers for snakebite. Keres treat 

eye problems by rub from plant. Navajo use slow tea from whole plant for colds 

or stomachaches. Etymology: Euphorbia is named for Euphorbus, which 

derives from eu, good, and phorbe, meaning well–fed, while albomarginata 

refers to white margins. Synonyms: Chamaesyce albomarginata 

Euphorbia capitellata 

head sandmat 

General: Perennial with ascending to erect, 

slender stems 3–40 cm long, 0.5–1.5 mm 

diameter; from slender woody taproot; 

herbage puberulent to glabrous. Leaves: 

Ovate to linear-lanceolate, 4–25 mm long, 

puberulent to glabrous, gray–green, markedly 

asymmetrical basally, acute to obtuse at apex, 

serrate along lower margin, entire on upper, 

less commonly alike on both margins. Flowers: Cyathia rarely solitary, usually 

in cymose glomerules, peduncles 0.5–3 mm long, involucres campanulate to 

obconic, 1.3–1.7 mm in diameter, hairy on inside of narrowly triangular lobes, 

these exceeding glands; glands orbicular to transversely oval, 0.2–0.5 mm wide, 

stipitate; appendages entire, white or pinkish. Fruits: Capsule 1.3–1.9 mm long, 

seeds quadrangular in cross section, ovate vertically; back wrinkled with small 

irregular, transverse depressions. Ecology: Found on hillsides, in washes and 

on dry sites from 1,500–5,000 ft (457–1524 m); flowers March–October. Notes: 

The ovate leaves with only half–serrate margins and more or less puberulent to 

villous capsules help to identify this species. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other 

species in the genera have multiple uses. Etymology: Euphorbia is named for 

Euphorbus, which derives from eu, good, and phorbe, meaning well–fed, while 

capitellata means having a small head. Synonyms: Chamaesyce pycnanthema, 

Chamaesyce capitellata, Euphorbia pycnanthema 

109 

Euphorbiaceae 

Forbs

Euphorbiaceae 

Forbs 

Euphorbia micromera 

Sonoran sandmat 

General: Prostrate, glabrous to 

puberulent annual with stems 2–25 cm 

long and internodes extremely variable 

in length. Leaves: Petioles 0.5 mm 

slender, leaf blades 1.5–7 mm long, ovate 

to oblong, base oblique in larger leaves, 

rounded in smaller ones, glabrous to 

sparsely puberulent, margins entire. 

Flowers: Pubescent to glabrate peduncles 

1.2 mm long; campanulate involucres, slightly constricted above, about 1 mm 

long, crispate-hirsutulous without, or less commonly glabrous, lobes minute, 

deltoid, about equaling glands; glands 0.12–0.25 mm wide, dotlike, rounded or 

sometimes oval, maroon, without appendages; rarely appendages represented 

by minute white margin. Fruits: Globular capsule, 3–angled, 1.2–1.4 mm long, 

puberulent to glabrous. Ecology: Found on flats, washes, bajadas, and hillsides 

from 500–5,000 ft (152–1524 m); flowers throughout the year. Notes: Very 

similar to E. polycarpa, consult more detailed flora if uncertain. E. polycarpa 

is found in more specifically desert habitats. Ethnobotany: Unknown for this 

species, other species in genera have medicinal use. Etymology: Euphorbia 

is named for Euphorbus, which derives from eu, good, and phorbe, meaning 

well–fed, while micromera means having a small number of parts. Synonyms: 

Chamaesyce micromera 

Euphorbia polycarpa 

smallseed sandmat 

General: Prostrate or erect perennial herb from 

slender woody taproot, herbage and capsules 

glabrous or hairy; much branched to 25 cm tall. 

Leaves: Orbicular to lance–oblong, oblique 

at base, 1–10 mm long petioles 1–2 mm long; 

stipules deltoid, 0.3–0.5 mm long, ventral ones 

united, usually ciliate–margined. Flowers: 

Involucres campanulate, 1–1.5 mm wide, lobes 

narrowly to attenuately deltoid, about equaling 

the narrow, transversely oblong glands, dark 

maroon, latter 0.5–0.7 mm long, conspicuous appendages present, white to 

reddish, equaling or slightly exceeding glands, entire to crentate; bracteoles 

opposite each gland; staminate flowers 15–32 in each cyathium. Fruits: Seeds 

0.8–1 mm, fairly smooth but dull. Ecology: Found on desert slopes and washes 

from 500–3,000 ft (152–914 m); flowers year round. Notes: Stems markedly 

zig–zag. Ethnobotany: Poultice of the plant is applied to scorpion and snake 

bites, roots chewed to promote vomit and loosen bowels for stomach trouble. 

Etymology: Euphorbia is named for Euphorbus, which derives from eu, 

good, and phorbe, meaning well–fed, polycarpa means having many seeds or 

fruit. Synonyms: Chamaesyce polycarpa var. hirtella, Euphorbia polycarpa, E. 

polycarpa var. hirtella 

110 





Acmispon humistratus 

foothill deervetch 

General: Annual forb with erect, ascending, 

or decumbent stems 0.5–20 cm long, whole 

plant is densely villous with white to slightly 

tawny, soft hairs. Leaves: Petioles short, 

rarely over 5 mm long, rachises of leaves 

flattened, 5–8 mm long, leaflets 3–5, broadly 

elliptic to obovate, 2–6 mm wide, 4–15 mm 

long, cuneate at base, acute to rounded 

at apex. Flowers: Subsessile, solitary or 

in paris in axils of leaves, calyx tube 2–2.5 mm long, yellow tinged with red 

or rose. Fruits: Pods 2–3 mm wide, 5–10 mm long densely villous. Ecology: 

Found on dry gravelly slopes and sandy flats from 5,000 ft (1524 m) and below; 

flowers March–June. Notes: Notable for its low ground loving habit and its 

tiny flowers. Recent stuides place Lotus in Acmispon (Brouillet, 2008), but for 

ease we refrain from that designation here. Ethnobotany: Infusion of plant 

taken and used as a wash by women in labor by Karok (CA). Etymology: Lotus 

from the Greek and originally applied to a fruit said to make those who tasted 

it forget their homes, while humistratus means low layer. Synonyms: Lotus 

humistratus, Hosackia brachycarpa 

Acmispon strigosus 

strigose bird’s foot trefoil 

General: Prostrate or decumbent annual 

with several spreading branches 5–35 cm 

long, sparsely strigose but only youngest 

parts cinereous; stems essentially glabrate 

or nearly so. Leaves: Rachis of leaves 3–8 

mm long, leaflets 5–7 or rarely only 3, 

broadly obovate, cuneate at base, retuse 

or truncate–rounded at apex, 1–5 mm 

wide, 3–10 mm long. Flowers: Peduncles 

slender, equaling or slightly exceeding leaves, 1–2 flowered; bracts unifoliolate 

or reduced to a gland; calyx tube narrowly campanulate, 1.5–2.5 mm long, 

teeth triangular–subulate to lanceolate, 1–2 mm long; corolla 4–5 mm long, 

yellow, tinged with rose or drying rose. Fruits: Pods 2–2.5 mm wide, 1–2 cm 

long, nearly straight or gently curved upward toward apex, strigose; seeds pale 

buff or light green or mottled with purplish brown. Ecology: Found on sandy 

or gravelly soil below 3,000 ft (914 m); flowers February–May. Notes: The 

thickish, slightly succulent leaves are one feature to pay attention to. Recent 

studies place Lotus in Acmispon (Brouillet, 2008), but for ease we refrain from 

that designation here. Ethnobotany: Used for greens. Etymology: Lotus 

is from the Greek and is originally applied to a fruit said to make those who 

tasted it forget their homes, strigosus means covered in straight, flat–lying hairs. 

Synonyms: Lotus strigosus, Hosackia tomentella, Lotus intricatus, L. tomentellus 

111 

Fabaceae 

Forbs

Fabaceae 

Forbs 

Astragalus didymocarpus 

dwarf white milkvetch 

General: Annual, generally slender, minutely 

grayish strigose stems, prostrate to erect, 3–30 cm. 

Leaves: Leaflets 9–17, 2–14 mm each, linear to 

oblanceolate, tips notched; 0.8–7.5 cm. Flowers: 

Inflorescence head–like, flowers 5–30, less than 9 

mm, erect or ascending. Fruits: Ascending, included 

in calyx, 2–4 mm, 2 mm wide, spheric, 2 lobed in 

cross-section; minutely strigose, rarely glabrous, 

coarsely wrinkled, drying stiffly papery. Ecology: 

Found on open sites, gravelly to sandy soils from 

1,000–2,500 ft (305–762 m); flowers February– 

April. Notes: An inconspicuous plant, differentiated 

from all other Astragalus spp. by the hard sharp transverse ridges of the 

small pods. Ethnobotany: Astragalus spp. used medicinally for chest cough, 

colds. Etymology: Astragalus is from Greek astragalos meaning ankle bone 

and is an early name applied to the genus because of the shape of the seeds, 

didymocarpus means with fruit in pairs. Synonyms: None 

Lupinus sparsiflorus 

Coulter’s lupine, Mohave lupine 

General: Annual 20–40 cm, shortappressed 

and long spreading hairy stems. 

Leaves: Petiole 3–4 cm, leaflets 7–11, 15–30 

mm, 2–4 mm wide, linear to oblanceoate, 

upper surface hairy at least near margins. 

Flowers: Spiraled raceme, 15–20 cm tall, 

sometimes appearing more or less wide, 

linear to oblanceoate, upper surface hairy at 

least near margins; flowers 10–12 mm, calyx 

3–6 mm, lips equal, upper lip deeply lobed; petals generally blue, drying darker, 

banner spot whitish becoming magenta, lower margins of keel ciliate near claw. 

Fruits: Pods 1–2 cm, 5 mm wide, coarsely hairy. Ecology: Found in washes 

and in sandy areas below 4,500 ft (1372 m); flowers March–May. Notes: 

Common in spring with favorable rains, when vigorous they are semisucculent. 

Ethnobotany: No known uses. Etymology: Lupinus comes from Latin for 

wolf, sparsiflorus means sparsely flowered. Synonyms: None 

112 



©2004 Carol W. Witham H M L Impact risk level 

H M L 


Melilotus indicus 

annual yellow sweetclover 

General: Erect annual to 1 m tall with glabrous herbage or leaves and 

inflorescences sparsely appressed–pubescent when young, stipules subulate 

or narrowly lanceolate, 3–8 mm long. Leaves: Slender petioles to 5 cm long, 

leaflets cuneate–oblong to obovate, 3–12 mm wide, 1–2.5 cm long, obtuse, 

rounded or truncate, denticulate. Flowers: Peduncles surpass subtending 

leaves, racemes numerous, 2–10 cm long, about 5 mm in diameter; flowers 

2.5 mm long, calyx half as long, its teeth triangular, sparsely ciliolate, pealike, 

petals yellow. Fruits: Ovoid pods 2–2.5 mm 

long, reticulate, glabrous, usually 1–seeded. 

Ecology: Occasional along roadsides, ditches, 

in fields, and in disturbed areas; flowers April– 

September. Notes: Widespread introduced 

ruderal. Ethnobotany: Used as a bed bug 

repellant, as a strong laxative, and for games. 

Etymology: Melilotus is from Greek meli, 

honey and lotos, a leguminous plant, while 

indicus refers to India. Synonyms: Melilotus 

indica 


Medicago polymorpha 

burclover 

General: Decumbent annual with numerous spreading branches to 80 cm 

long, glabrous stems and foliage, whitish stipules, asymmetrically ovatelanceolate 

to 1 cm long, bearing several slender teeth 2–3 mm long. Leaves: 

Petioles 1–2 cm long, leaflets obovate to obcordate or suborbicular, 5–13 mm 

wide, 10–15 mm long, broadly cuneate to obtuse at base, dentate almost to base. 

Flowers: Peduncles 2–5 flowered, 2 cm long or less, calyx about 5 mm long, 

petals yellow, only slightly exceeding calyx. Fruits: Pods to 1 cm in diameter, 

tightly coiled into 2–3 spirals, reticulate on sides, 

margins keeled and keel armed on each side by a 

row of curved or hooked prickles 2–3 mm long. 

Ecology: Widely established, occasional in waste 

areas, old fields; flowers March–June. Notes: 

Introduced from Europe, widely naturalized at 

present. Ethnobotany: Seeds parched, ground to 

make mush; leaves eaten for forage. Etymology: 

Medicago derived from medike, or medick, the 

Greek name for alfalfa, while polymorpha means 

many forms, or variable. Synonyms: Numerous, 

see Tropicos 

113 

Fabaceae 

Forbs

Geraniaceae 

Forbs 


Erodium cicutarium 

Erodium texanum 

Texas stork’s bill 

General: Winter spring ephemeral, stems 

reaching 25 cm, but usually shorter and stemless. 

Herbage with small, coarse white hairs, not 

glandular. Leaves: Blades 9–21 mm, ovate to 

heart–shaped or rounded in outline, usually 3– 

lobed or parted, margins toothed, petioles 10–42 

mm. Flowers: Umbels 2–3 flowered, petals pink 

to purple, readily falling, longer than the sepals; 

fruiting sepals 5.5–9 mm. Fruits: Beak of fruit 

3.2–5 cm long. Ecology: Widespread, mostly at 

lower elevations on sandy or fine textured soils, 

sometimes among rocks from 1,000–5,000 ft (305–1524 m); flowers February– 

April. Notes: Common as E. cicutarium, but easily distinguishable by the 

flowers. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Erodium is Greek for heron, 

which comes from the bill–like fruit, texanum refers to Texas. Synonyms: None 

114 

H M L 

redstem stork’s bill 

General: Annual herb; thought to be introduced from Europe, naturalized 

throughout U.S.; herbage glandular-villous; stems are erect initially becoming 

prostrate, few to several, often reddish with swollen nodes; slender taproot. 

Leaves: Pinnately and finely dissected; blade bipinnatifid (twice pinnately 

cleft), lance-shaped stipules. Flowers: Usually 2–5 flowered umbel, glandularpubescent; 

rose–lavender, pink, or lilac petals; often spotted; mature stylar 

column exserted. Fruits: With beak of fruit 2.7–3.8 cm. Ecology: In disturbed, 

often dry places from 2,500–8,000 ft (762–2438 m); naturalized throughout 

the West and much of the U.S.; flowers February–July. Notes: Glandularpubescent 

annuals of disturbed areas, 20–50 mm long stylar column, pink 

or lavender petals, finely dissected leaves. Told apart from E. texanum by its 

leaves which are simple and 3–lobed, plants are also without glands. Seasonal 

forage for rodents, desert tortoise, big game animals, and livestock. Seeds eaten 

by upland gamebirds, songbirds, and rodents. Plant is sensitive to pollution. 

Low intensity burns may allow plant survival. 

Ethnobotany: Costanoan make cold leaf tea 

to treat typhoid fever. Navajo use plant to 

disinfect and treat bobcat and mountain lion 

bites. Zuni make chewed leaf poultice for 

sores and rashes. Navajo also use it to treat 

excessive menstruation. Etymology: Erodium 

is Greek for heron, which comes from the bill– 

like fruit. Cicut means pertaining to hemlock. 



©2008 Lara Hartley


©2006 Pedro Tenorio Lezama 

Salvia columbariae 

chia 

General: Annual with one to several erect, 

naked, peduncle-like stems 10–60 cm tall. 

Leaves: Basal leaves, blades 5–15 cm long, 

1–2 pinnatifid into toothed or irregularly 

incised divisions, cinereous-tomentose, 

petioles equal blade; 1–4 nodes above base 

also bearing somewhat reduced leaves, 

plant cinereous with short recurved hairs, 

purplish. Flowers: In capitate verticils 2–4 

cm in diameter, subtended by suborbicular, green to purplish, awn tipped 

bracts 6–14 mm long, sparsely ciliate along margins; calyx 8–10 mm long, 

upper lip of oblique orifice about three times as long as lower; corolla blue, 

10–13 mm long, upper lip erose-denticulate and shallowly cleft, erect. Fruits: 

Nutlets 2–2.22 mm long. Ecology: Found on sandy, gravelly, or rarely clay soil 

on slopes, common in sandy washes below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers March– 

July. Notes: Distinctive capitate verticils and blue flowers help to identify this 

plant. Ethnobotany: Poultice of seed used for infections, to cleanse eyes, for 

fevers, for irritation and inflammation; the seeds are edible, and can be used 

to make a beverage, to render water palatable by removing alkalines; also used 

for pinole and mush to eat. Etymology: Salvia comes from Latin salveo, or I 

am well, while columbariae is a reference to Columbian, or of western North 

America. Synonyms: None 

Teucrium cubense ssp. densum 

small coastal germander 

General: Small annual, several stems 20–50 cm tall, 

branching, pubescent with white curly hairs. Leaves: 

Broadly lobed near base and to middle of stem, 3–5 

lobed, nearly to midrib, upper leaves 3–parted, 1.5– 

3.5 cm long; irregularly and shallowly toothed toward 

apex. Flowers: Slender pedicels, sparsely pubescent 

4–12 mm long; campanulate calyx 5–6 mm long, teeth 

lance–subulate, about equal; corolla 7–15 mm long, 

white often with purple lines or spots at base of lobes, 

pubescent without, tube 1–2 mm long, lower lip 5–8 

mm long. Fruits: Nutlets 2.5 mm, high reticulately 

ridged and spreading–puberulent. Ecology: Found 

in sandy or silty soil along arroyos, washes or stream 

banks below 4,000 ft (1219 m); flowers March–May. Ethnobotany: No known 

uses. Etymology: Teucrium, perhaps from the Greek teukrion, for Teucer, an 

ancestor of the Trojans, while cubense means of or from Cuba. Synonyms: 

Teucrium cubense ssp. depressum, T. depressum 

115 

Lamiaceae 

Forbs

Loasaceae 

Forbs 

Mentzelia multiflora 

Adonis blazingstar 

General: Perennial to 80 cm tall, usually 

producing branches along the entire length. 

Leaves: Narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 

occasionally oblanceolate, to 15 cm long, 

to 3 cm wide, sessile, margins toothed to 

lobed, sometimes pinnatifid, sometimes 

approaching entire in very narrow leaves; 

upper leaves commonly with broad, 

clasping bases and sometimes with clasping 

basal lobes. Flowers: Pedicellate, subtended by 0–2 linear-lanceolate entire or 

few–toothed to lobed bracts, these sometimes fused to ovary; petals yellow, 

rarely nearly white, 9–23 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, with trichomes at apex only; 

staminodia 5, occasionally more or fewer, slightly smaller than petals; outer 

several whorls of stamens with broadened filaments; style 10–14 mm long; 

stigmatic papillae forming a slight tuft. Fruits: Cylindric capsule, sometimes 

broadly so, mostly 10–20 mm long, sometimes shorter when depauperate. 

Ecology: Widespread, without specific soil preferences, commonly on sand 

or gravel bars from 100–7,500 ft (30–2286 m); flowers March–October. Notes: 

Considered to be a very plastic species, it is morphologically variable and often 

polymorphic. Hybridizes with other species in the genus. Two varieties exist in 

the region: var. integra and var. multiflora, if further clarity is necessary beyond 

the species level, it is advisable to collect a specimen to do so. Ethnobotany: 

Taken as a diuretic, as a tuberculosis remedy, an emetic, the seeds were eaten, 

as a ceremonial offering, a dermatological aid, a gastrointestinal aid, and as an 

eyewash. Etymology: Mentzelia named for Christian Mentzel (1622–1701), a 

17th century German botanist, botanical author and physician, while multiflora 

means many–flowered. Synonyms: None, but two varieties have several 

116 


©2011 Anthony Mendoza 

H M L 


Malva parviflora 

cheeseweed mallow 

General: Introduced, trailing or ascending herb, slightly pubescent to glabrate. 

Leaves: Orbicular or reniform, 2–7 cm long, crenate, undulate, or 5–7 lobed. 

Flowers: 1–4 in leaf axils, short–pedicellate, calyx 3–4 mm long, accrescent 

to 7–8 mm in fruit, petals lavender or white, 4–5 mm long. Fruits: Nearly 

glabrous, mericarps around 10, rugose or wrinkled dorsally and winged at 

the angle between the dorsal and lateral walls. Ecology: Found on roadsides 

and in fields, disturbed ground and urban habitats from 1,000–7,000 ft (305– 

2134 m); flowers most of the year. Notes: Similar to the other weed species 

Malva neglecta, which is generally found at higher elevations, but can also be 

told apart by the pedicels being shorter than the calyx in M. parviflora, along 

with shorter petals, and fewer mericarps. 

Ethnobotany: Decoction of leaves used as a 

rinse for dandruff and to soften hair, used for 

enema and bath for babies with fevers, and for 

swelling, sores, or boils. Etymology: Malva is 

the Latin name for mallow taken from Greek 

malache, referring to the leaves; parviflora is 

from Greek parvus, small and flora, flower, 

hence small–flowered. Synonyms: None 


Sphaeralcea ambigua 

desert globemallow 

General: Perennial subshrub, erect 50–100 cm 

tall, grayish pubescent. Leaves: Blades 15–50 

mm, triangular, weakly three-lobed, green or 

yellowish green, three-veined, base wedge 

shaped, truncate, cordate, crenate and wavy 

margin. Flowers: Open long branched panicle, 

petals orange, 2–3 cm, white anthers. Fruits: 

Mericarps 9–13, less than 6 mm, 3.5 mm wide, 

truncate-cylindric, dehiscent. Ecology: Found 

on dry, rocky slopes, and along sandy washes 

below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers throughout the year. Notes: Most xerophytic 

of the Sphaeralcea, stems woody below and very numerous, one of the largest 

flowered species, with petals reaching 3 cm, and leaves extending along the 

stalk. Ethnobotany: Used medicinally for upset stomach, as an antirheumatic, 

as a cathartic, for colds, as birth control, for venereal diseases, as a poultice for 

swellings and sores, and as an eyewash. Etymology: Sphaeralcea is from Greek 

sphaira, a globe, and alcea, a related genus, while ambigua means doubtful, or 

of uncertain identity. Synonyms: None 

117 

Malvaceae 

Forbs

Malvaceae 

Forbs 

Sphaeralcea coulteri 

Coulter’s globemallow 

General: Slender annual, sprawling to erect, 

5–60 cm; hairs few, long, soft, with well 

developed taproot. Leaves: Usually greenish, 

ovate to orbicular, 15–45 mm, wider than long, 

triangular or cordate, thin, lobes 3–5 coarsely 

toothed. Flowers: Generally raceme-like, 

flowers clustered in axils, tip generally leafy; 

pedicel longer than calyx, petals 8–15 mm, 

salmon–orange, anthers yellow. Fruits: 

Mericarps one seeded, about as long as wide, 

2–2.7 mm, dehiscent section smaller than body. Ecology: Found on desert 

flats, in sandy or fine textured soils, and along arroyos below 2,500 ft (762 m); 

flowers January–May. Notes: One of the more common spring wildflowers, 

often carpeting large areas. Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, many 

other uses for other plants in the genus. Etymology: Sphaeralcea is from 

Greek sphaira, a globe, and alcea, a related genus, while coulteri is named for 

Dr. Thomas coulter (1793–1843) an Irish botanist who was the first to collect 

in Arizona. Synonyms: None 

Sphaeralcea emoryi 

Emory’s globemallow 

General: Perennial, stems several, canescent, to 

1 m or taller; stems erect to floppy and curving. 

Leaves: Leaves broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, 

somewhat cordate at base, angulate to 3–parted 

or 3–cleft, crenate or dentate on margins, 2–9 

cm long. Flowers: Three or more per node, in 

many–flowered interrupted raceme, pedicels 

shorter than sepals; calyx 5–10 mm, densely 

stellate–tomentose, lobes acute to acuminate; 

petals grenadine–pink to pale red–orange, 10–20 

mm long. Fruits: Mericarps 2–or–3 seeded, 2.7–4.3 mm, longer than wide, 

dehiscent section about as large as the body. Ecology: Found in sandy or loamy 

soil, sandy plains or waste places below 3,000 ft (914 m); flowers April–June. 

Notes: Big ovate leaves, 3–cleft, helps to identify this species. Ethnobotany: 

Taken as a decoction of root for diarrhea by Pima. Etymology: Sphaeralcea 

is from Greek sphaira, a globe, and alcea, a related genus, while emoryi is 

named for Maj. William Hemsley Emory (1811–1887) Director of the Mexican 

Boundary Survey. Synonyms: Many, see Tropicos 

118 




Sphaeralcea laxa 

caliche globemallow 

General: Perennial from a woody crown, stout 

taproot, stems erect to 1 m tall, densely stellate– 

tomentose with short–rayed, white hairs; stipules 

filiform, 35 mm long, caducuous. Leaves: On 

slender petioles 0.5–3 cm long, leaf blades ovate 

to deltoid, truncate to deeply cordate at base, 

acute to obtuse at apex, crentate to coarsely 

dentate, 8–50 mm long, nearly as wide, green 

above with stellate hairs mildly interlacing, paler 

beneath. Flowers: Inflorescence is lax, few 

flowered panicle, pedicels 2–5 mm long in flower, to 1.5 cm in fruit, densely 

tomentulose, calyx stellate-tomentulose; filiform bracteoles, 3–5 mm long, 

often dark red; petals grenadine, 10–18 mm long. Fruits: Truncate ovoid 

mericarp, 5–6 mm high, 5–9 mm wide; seeds 1–3, copiously puberulent. 

Ecology: Found on caliche soils in the open from 2,000–6,000 ft (610–1829 

m); flowers March–November. Notes: Variable species, from thin, bright– 

green, shallowly lobed leaves to thick, whitish–tomentose, deeply dissected 

leaves; open, relatively few flowered inflorescence and dark–purple anthers are 

distinctive. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but others in the genus have many uses. 

Etymology: Sphaeralcea is from Greek sphaira, a globe, and alcea, a related 

genus, while laxa means growing loosely. Synonyms: None 

Sphaeralcea orcuttii 

Carrizo Creek globemallow 

General: Erect annual or biennial to 120 cm tall, densely stellate–tomentulose 

with yellowish canescent, 12–20 rayed hairs; stipules lance–subulate, 5–7 mm 

long, caducous. Leaves: Stout petioles, 1–3 cm long, leaf blades deltoid–ovate, 

2–4 cm wide, 3–6 cm long, shallowly three-lobed near base with rounded lobes, 

subcordate to truncate, irregularly crenulate on margins, rugose or nearly 

plane, moderately to densely stellate–tomentulose on both surfaces, canescent. 

Flowers: Inflorescence narrow, many flowered, glomerate thyrse or elongate 

lower branches racemose; pedicels 5 mm long, some subsessile, calyx densely 

stellate–puberulent, 4.5–6.5 mm long at anthesis; lobes ovate, acuminate, 3–4 

mm long, petals orange to flame–scarlet, 8–12 mm long. Fruits: Hemispherical, 

usually 3 mm high, 4–6 mm in diameter prominently reticulate–fenestrate. 

Ecology: Found on sandy desert flats and rocky slopes below 1,000 ft (305 m); 

flowers March–May. Notes: Plant notable for being annual or biennial, with 

tall, wandlike stems and many small flowers. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but 

other species in this genus have many uses. Etymology: Sphaeralcea is from 

Greek sphaira, a globe, and alcea, a related genus, while orcuttii is named for 

Charles Russell Orcutt (1864–1929). Synonyms: None 

119 

Malvaceae 

Forbs

Nyctaginaceae–Onagraceae 

Forbs 

Boerhavia coccinea 

scarlet spiderling 

General: Decumbent or prostrate perennial, 

branching from base with many stout stems 30– 

140 cm long, viscid-pubescent and sometimes 

glandular–hirsute below, more or less glandular 

above, occasionally glabrate. Leaves: Opposite, 

2–6 cm long, ovate–orbicular to oblong, rounded 

to acute at apex, green above, pale below, with 

a brown–punctate margin, glabrous to hirsute, 

often viscid. Flowers: Cymose, much branched, 

branches slender, glandular-pubescent, flowers 

in heads on slender peduncles, bracts minute, lanceolate; perianth purplish 

red, 2 mm long; stamens 1–3, barely exserted. Fruits: Obovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm 

long, densely glandular–puberulent with dark, blunt, usually gland–tipped 

hairs. Ecology: Found in sandy soil along drainages, washes, roadsides, 

disturbed areas below 7,000 ft (2134 m); flowers April–November. Notes: This 

plant tends to take over areas, so it is identifiable often by the large patches. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Boerhavia is for Hermann Boerhaave 

(1663–1738) a Dutch botanist, while coccinea means scarlet or bright, deep 

pink. Synonyms: None 

Chylismia claviformis ssp. peeblesii 

Peebles’ browneyes 

General: Small annual with stems several, erect or 

ascending, unbranched from base 15–50 cm tall; 

covered in translucent glandular hairs 0.1 mm, sparse 

to moderately dense, appressed; strigose new growth 

to glabrate older stems. Leaves: Thick, chiefly basal, 

simple and irregularly dentate to deeply pinnatifid; 

drying dark green or dark bluish green, 0.6–3 cm wide, 

2–8 cm long; basal leaves often withering by time of 

flowering and fruiting. Flowers: Raceme to 25 cm 

long, only a few flowers open at a time, vespertine; 

sepals with caudate or apiculate tips project from end 

of sepal, or tips absent; petals white, pink with age, 

drying pale purple, obovate to nearly orbicular. Fruits: 

Capsule clavate over 2 mm in diameter, 12–30 mm long, curved, ascending; on 

pedicel 8–25 mm long. Ecology: Found in washes and open desert, especially in 

sandy soils below 3,500 ft (1067 m); flowers March–June. Notes: Type specimen 

collected near Casa Grande. Ethnobotany: Leaves were used as greens. 

Etymology: Chylismia is a new name and of uncertain orgin, while claviformis is 

from Latin for club–shaped, a reference to the capsules. Synonyms: Camissonia 

claviformis ssp. peeblesii, Oenothera claviformis ssp. peeblesii, O. claviformis 

var. peeblesii 

120 


©2007 Lara Hartley


Oenothera caespitosa 

tufted evening primrose 

General: Taprooted perennial, acaulescent 

or nearly so, to 30 cm; becoming loosely 

colonial by spreading roots emerging from 

stout taproot; herbage mostly peuberulent 

or villous-hirsute especially on leaf margins, 

occasionally glabrous. Leaves: Long petiole, 

lanceolate to elliptic, crowded on the very 

short stem and forming a basal cluster, mostly 

3–30 cm long, including petiole, 0.5–4 cm 

wide, variously entire to often dentate or raggedly pinnatifid. Flowers: Borne 

singly in axils, sessile or on a stout pedicel up to 3 cm long, mostly erect in bud, 

self–incompatible, nectariferous and sweet scented, adapted to pollination by 

hawkmoths, ephemeral, opening near or shortly after sunset and wilting the 

next day; 4 large sepals, mostly 2–4.5 cm long, reflexed at anthesis; 4 petals white, 

turning pink or pinkish to rose–purple in age or in drying, mostly 2–5 cm long. 

Fruits: Capsule more or less erect and forming clumps at the base of the plant, 

lance–ovoid or elliptic–ovoid to sub–cylindric, mostly 2.5–5 cm long and up to 

1 cm thick; numerous seeds. Ecology: Found in a wide range of habitats from 

3,000–7,500 ft (914–2286 m); flowers April–September. Notes: Acaulescent 

or almost so, tufted, leaves basal and long petioled, elliptic, toothed, margins 

densely pubescent, flowers large and white. Numerous subspecies found in 

the region, probably a good plant to collect. Ethnobotany: Used for healing, 

for ceremonies, as a gynecological aid, and for sores. Etymology: Oenothera is 

from Greek oinos, wine and thera, to imbibe, caespitosa means having a densely 

clumped, tufted or cushion–like growth form. Synonyms: None 

121 

Onagraceae 

Forbs

Onagraceae–Orobanchaceae 

Forbs 

Oenothera primiveris 

desert evening–primrose 

General: Annual in basal rosette, nearly 

stemless or often developing stout leafy 

stems 10–20 cm; thick taproot; dense 

pubescence of spreading papillate–based 

white hairs. Leaves: Blades 5–27 cm, larger 

ones 3.5–7 cm wide, mostly pinnatifid 

into toothed or rounded lobes, narrowed 

to long, winged petiole expanded at very 

base. Flowers: Yellow, petals 3.5–5.5 cm, 

notched at apex; opening at dusk closing the following morning. Fruits: Ovary 

and capsule densely hairy with spreading white hairs; capsules 3–4.5 cm long 

by 6.5–7.5 mm wide at base, thick and woody, upright, straight, four-angled, 

tapering to conspicuously narrowed tip. Ecology: Found on sand flats, playas, 

gravelly–sandy washes, common but not very abundant below 4,500 ft (1372 

m); flowers March–May. Notes: Plants are easy to know by their caespitose 

habit, yellow flowers and pinnatifid leaves. Ethnobotany: Dried flowers used 

for ceremonies and poultice applied to swellings. Etymology: Oenothera is 

from Greek oinos, wine and thera, to imbibe. Synonyms: None 

Castilleja exserta 

exserted Indian paintbrush 

General: Stems simple to diffusely branched 

from near base and closely ascending 10–40 

cm tall, villous–pubescent. Leaves: Sessile 

1–5 cm long, parted into few or many linear 

or filiform divisions 1–12 mm long or lower 

ones entire, linear, villous–pubescent with 

shining, white, spreading hairs. Flowers: 

Spikes 2–20 cm long, dense, bracts 10–20 

mm long, central portion lanceolate, 2–4 

pairs of linear or filiform divisions palmately 

or pectinate–ascendingly disposed, upper 

lobes crimson to purple, conspicuously 

pilose with shining white hairs at base; 

calyces 12–20 mm long, four-lobed to middle or slightly below, lobes resemble 

bracts in shape and color; corolla 12–30 mm long crimson, lower lip purple, 

crimson, pink, yellow or white, usually purple tipped with yellow, 3–5 mm 

wide, 3–7 mm long; bilabiate. Fruits: Ovoid capsule 8–15 mm long. Ecology: 

Found on grassy valley floors and hillsides from 1,500–4,500 ft (457–1372 m); 

flowers March–May. Notes: Sometimes this species can be found covering 

large areas. One subspecies found in our area, ssp. exserta. Ethnobotany: 

Unknown for this species, many other species have medicinal or food uses. 

Etymology: Castilleja is for the Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo (1744– 

1793), while exserta means exserted or protruding out or beyond surrounding 

structure. Synonyms: Orthocarpus purpurascens 

122 


2009 NPS


©2005 Al Schneider 

Argemone pleiacantha 

southwestern pricklypoppy 

General: Stems purplish, rather closely 

to sparingly prickly throughout. Leaves: 

Prickly mainly on vein, less so above, 

essentially smooth between the veins; 

lower and middle cauline leaves lobed 

one–half to five–sixths to the midrib, the 

lobes one to two times as wide, the margin 

angular at the apex, the sinuses and lobes 

subequal in width, uppermost leaves either 

not clasping or subclasping. Flowers: Buds subspherical to obovate; calyx with 

few to many perpendicular prickles per sepal, the sepal horn 6–10 mm long, 

flattened or angular in cross–section when fresh, the apical prickle usually 

flattened and indurated at its base; petals white, stamens 150 or more. Fruits: 

Ovate to elliptic capsule, sparsely to closely prickly. Ecology: Found on dry 

gravelly soil, foothills and mountain valleys from 2,500–7,500 ft (762–2286 

m); flowers April. Notes: Two subspecies found in the region ssp. pleiacantha 

and ssp. ambigua, ssp. pleiacantha is much more prickly than ssp. ambigua. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, but many other uses for species in 

this genus. Etymology: Argemone from Greek argemos, a white spot (cataract) 

on the eye, what it was supposed to cure, pleiacantha is from Greek pleios, 

many, more than one and akantha, thorn. Synonyms: None 

Corydalis curvisiliqua ssp. occidentalis 

curvepod fumewort 

General: Erect or prostrate forb, stems simple or branching 

from taproots from 2–35 cm tall. Leaves: Compound 

leaves, glacous blade with 3 orders of leaflets and lobes, 

ultimate lobes elliptic, 1.5 times or more longer than wide, 

margins incised. Flowers: Inflorescence not exceeding 

leaves; flowers 13–16 mm long, spurs 4–5 mm long, erect in 

bud, then spreading; pedicels 1–5 mm long, sepals 1–3 mm 

long, petals 14–18 mm long, yellow. Fruits: Capsule 12–20 

mm long, usually cuved, erect; seeds with marginal rings. 

Ecology: Found on loose, often dry soil from 2,500–4,000 

ft (762–1219 m); flowers April–June. Notes: Told apart by 

erect fruit with margin ring and inflorescence exceeding 

leaves. Ethnobotany: Used as a rheumatic remedy, 

for stomach and as a lotion for backache. Etymology: 

Corydalis is from Latin, corydalus for crested or tufted lark, while curvisiliqua 

is from curvi for curved, and siliqua, for the narrow many seeded capsule 

from the mustards. Synonyms: Capnoides montanum, Corydalis aurea ssp. 

occidentalis, C. aurea var. occidentalis, C. montana 

123 

Papaveraceae 

Forbs

Papaveraceae–Plantaginaceae 

Forbs 

Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana 

California poppy 

General: Annual with leaves forming rosette, 

stems mainly scapose. Leaves: Mainly 3–15 

cm long, segments oblong, mostly 1 mm 

wide, faintly glaucous, glabrous, flabelliform 

dissected blade usually one–third as long as 

petiole or less. Flowers: Calyptra broadly 

ovoid–undulate, mostly 1 mm wide or 

less, petals flabelliform–obovate 1.5–3.5 

cm long, yellow to deep orange or rarely 

white tinged with pink. Fruits: Capsule 4–6 cm long, longitudinally ridged, 

the grooves glaucous. Ecology: Found on sandy or gravelly soil, widespread 

below 4,500 ft (1372 m); flowers February–May. Notes: Closely related to E. 

californica but it is smaller, more scapose, probably always annual plant and in 

having a narrower, sometimes nearly obsolete, outer rim of the hypanthium. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, other species in the genera widely 

used medicinally. Etymology: Eschscholzia is named for Dr. Johan Friedrich 

Gustav von Eschscholtz (1793–1831) a Latvian or Estonian surgeon and 

botanist, while californica refers to California, and mexicana refers to Mexico. 

Synonyms: Eschscholzia californica 

Plantago ovata 

desert Indianwheat 

General: Highly variable annual to 40 cm 

tall, with well developed, slender taproot; 

herbage, stems, densely pubescent with 

loose woolly and silky silvery–white hairs. 

Leaves: Usually no distinct petiole, blades 

linear to linear–lanceolate, 1.5–15 cm long, 

0.2–0.9 cm wide, attenuate at base, acute at 

apex, sparsely to densely villous, obscurely 

three–veined, margins entire. Flowers: 

Peduncle 1.5–29 cm long, villous, with hairs spreading at right angles from 

stem; spike 0.5–5.5 cm long; bracts broadly ovate, 1.6–3 mm long, broadly 

scarious–margined; midvein densely villous; corolla lobes spreading or 

reflexed, broadly ovate, 1.8–2.4 mm long, membranous–papery and brown. 

Fruits: Capsule breaking at or slightly below middle. Ecology: Found in wide 

ranging habitats in desert, ubiquitous from 200–6,500 ft (61–1981 m); flowers 

from March–May. Notes: Can be confused with P. patagonica by virtue of their 

both being common desert annuals with similar looking leaves, but they can be 

separated by size and shape of floral bracts. 1.6–3 mm long and broadly ovate 

in P. ovata vs. 2–16 mm long and linear triangular to subulate. Ethnobotany: 

Taken for diarrhea, used as fodder, and the seeds were eaten. Etymology: 

Plantago translates to foot–sole in reference to leaf habit on ground, ovata 

refers to the ovate leaves. Synonyms: Many, see Tropicos 

124 





Eriastrum diffusum 

miniature woollystar 

General: Annual 3–35 cm tall, erect and simple 

to diffusely branching. Leaves: Subglabrous to 

sparsely woolly, entire or with 1–2 pairs of lobes 

near the base of the rachis, 1–3 cm long. Flowers: 

Calyx 6–7 mm long, corolla actinomorphic, 

narrowly funnelform to slightly zygomorphic, 

throat white to yellow, lobes white to pale blue 

or bluish lavender, tube and throat 4–7 mm 

long, slightly longer that the calyx tube, lobes 

3–5 mm long, stamens inserted on throat near 

sinuses, less than corolla lobes, filaments unequal in length, pistil 5–7 mm long. 

Fruits: Capsule 2–4 mm long Ecology: Found in open sites, desert shrublands, 

sagebrush, and piñon–juniper woodland from 500–5,500 ft (457–1676 m); 

flowers February–June. Notes: Distinguished by its shorter corolla lobes. 

Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, others in genera have medicinal use. 

Etymology: Eriastrum is form Green erion, for wool and astrum, star, meaning 

woolly with starlike flowers, while diffusum means diffuse. Synonyms: 

Eriastrum diffusum ssp. jonesii 

Gilia scopulorum 

rock gilia 

General: Erect annual, 10–30 cm tall, stems simple 

to paniculately branched from base, pubescent 

with straight, translucent hairs, often gland– 

tipped, becoming shorter and more glandular in 

inflorescence. Leaves: Lower 3–9 cm, 5–20 mm broad, 

coarsely toothed or incised or pinnately divided, lobes 

pinnatifid, ultimate divisions often acute, pubescence 

same as on stems; upper sessile, shorter, fewer 

divisions, uppermost 2–5 mm, three toothed. Flowers: 

Paniculately branched with many flowers borne singly 

on glandular pedicels of variable lengths, longer than 

1 cm; glandular calyx, 3–4.3 mm long, enlarging with 

maturing capsule, calyx lobes needle–shaped, half as long as calyx tube; 

funnelform corolla 10–14.5 mm long, tube white, yellow or pale violet, narrow 

1.4–3.4 mm long. Fruits: Ovoid capsule, subglobular, 4.5–5.5 mm long, 

dehiscent from top to bottom between 3 valves. Ecology: Found along desert 

washes and on dry, rocky slopes below 2,500 ft (762 m); flowers March–May. 

Notes: The pubescence of the plant, along with the length of the corolla tube 

can assist in the identification of this species. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but 

other species in genera have many uses. Etymology: Gilia is named for Filippo 

Luigi Gilii (1756–1821) an Italian naturalist, while scopulorum means growing 

on cliffs. Synonyms: None 

125 

Polemoniaceae 

Forbs

Polygonaceae 

Forbs 


Polygonum argyrocoleon 

126 

H M L 

silversheath knotweed 

General: Erect annual 10–60 cm high with simple or moderately branched, 

finely striate stems. Leaves: Elliptic-lanceolate to oblong, or oblanceolate, 5–20 

mm long, 1.5–5 mm wide, acute or rarely obtuse, cuneate at base, glabrous. 

Stipule sheath 3–6 mm long, lacerate, hyaline to faintly rosaceous. Flowers: In 

1–6–flowered axillary fascicles, pedicels 1–4 mm long, calyx 1.5–2 mm long, 

oblong, greenish with white or pinkish margins, erect, surpassed by achene, 

8 stamens, 3 style branches. Fruits: Trigonous achene, 2.2–2.5 mm long, 

minutely granular-striate, dark brown, dull. Ecology: Found on roadsides and 

in disturbed habitats from 100–3,500 ft (30–1067 m); flowers April–October. 

Notes: Plant resembles P. ramosissimum 

but the inflorescences are more 

spicate. Naturalized from central Asia. 

Ethnobotany: Seeds were parched, 

ground, and eaten by the Cocopa. 

Etymology: Polygonum is derived from 

Greek polys, many, and gonu, knee or 

joint, while argyrocoleon means silvery 

and is from the Greek work koleos 

meaning sheath. Synonyms: None 


Polygonum aviculare 

H M L 

prostrate knotweed 

General: Introduced prostrate or decumbent annual (rarely biennial) with 

blue–green, striate, wiry stems 10–50 cm long. Leaves: Lanceolate, oblong, or 

oblanceolate, 5–20 mm long, 1.5–5 mm wide, acute or rarely obtuse, cuneate 

at base, glabrous; stipule sheath 3–6 mm long, more or less lacerate, faintly 

rosaceous. Flowers: In axillary fascicles with 1–6 flowers, on pedicels 1–4 

mm long, calyx lobes 1.5–2 mm long, oblong, greenish with white or pinkish 

margins, erect, surpassed by tip of achene. Fruits: Achene trigonous, 2.2–2.6 

mm long, minutely granular–striate, dark brown. Ecology: Found in disturbed 

areas from 1,000–8,000 ft (305–2438 m); 

flowers April–October. Ethnobotany: 

Ingested for painful urination, for 

pain, diarrhea, for swollen parts, and 

to prevent abortion. Etymology: 

Polygonum is derived from Greek polys, 

many, and gonu, knee or goint, aviculare 

means relating to small birds. Synonyms: 

Polygonum aviculare var. vegetum, P. 

heterophyllum, P. monspeliense 

© SEINet 

©2008 Keir Morse



Delphinium parishii 

desert larkspur 

General: Perennial with erect stems, 1–several, 

30–60 cm, base reddish sometimes, glabrous 

and glaucous or minutely and sparsely 

puberulent, arising from a woody rootstock. 

Leaves: Scattered on lower third of stem, blades 

pentagonal, 3–5 parted, 3–5 cm broad, divisions 

narrowly to broadly cuneate, toothed or again 

cleft into narrow often linear lobes, usually 

glabrous but sometimes sparsely puberulent. 

Flowers: Racemes 10–40 flowered, cylindric, 

ascending pedicels 1–2 cm long, sepals dark blue to pale lavender, pink or white, 

6–10 mm long, finely puberulent without, lateral sepals reflexed or spreading; 

spurs decurved, ascending about 20–45 degrees above the horizontal, 7–15 mm 

long; lower petal blades elevated, exposing stamens, blue or white to pink, 

usually matching sepal color, 3–6 mm, with clefts 1–3 mm; hairs near base of 

cleft, centered, or on inner lobes, white. Fruits: Follicles 9–21 mm long, 2–4 

times longer than wide, glabrous to puberulent. Ecology: Found on rocky 

hillsides or along washes below 12,000 ft (3658 m); flowers April–June. Notes: 

One subspecies in Arizona, ssp. parishii. Told apart by the reflexed lateral 

sepals, which are bright to more or less sky blue. This is the most xerophytic 

of the larkspurs in North America. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species 

in the genera have uses. Etymology: Delphinium is Discorides’ name for 

dolphin–head, while parishii is named for the brothers Samuel Bonsall Parish 

(1838–1928) and William Fletcher Parish (1840–1918) both botanical collectors 

who lived in San Bernadino, California. Synonyms: None, but for ssp. parishii: 

Delphinium amabile, D. amabile ssp. apachense, D. amabile ssp. clarianum, D. 

apachense 

Delphinium scaposum 

tall mountain larkspur 

General: Native perennial; stems leafless; 

20–50 cm tall; glabrous. Leaves: Leaves 

mostly basal, occasional reduced stem 

leaves; 3–5 divisions; divisions lobed; 2–3 cm 

wide. Flowers: Raceme 5–15 flowers; sepals 

5, petal–like, 10–15mm, blue; petals 4 in 2 

unequal pairs, white; spur as long as sepals, 

bronze tipped. Fruits: Follicles 10–20 mm 

long, glabrous; seeds dark brown. Ecology: 

Exposed rocky areas from 1,500–8,500 ft (460–2590m); flowers March–June. 

Notes: Distinguished from other Delphinium by more or less leafless stems and 

flowers with blue sepals and white petals. Ethnobotany: Hopi use as emetic 

in Po–wa–mu ceremony. Also used as after birth wash. Navajo make blue dye 

from flower. Etymology: Delphinium is Discorides’ name for dolphin–head. 

Scaposum is ancient word referring to leafless stems. Synonyms: D. andersonii 

var. scaposum 

127 

Ranunculaceae 

Forbs

Resedaceae–Santalaceae 

Forbs 

Oligomeris linifolia 

lineleaf whitepuff 

General: Erect and strictly or profusely branched 

from base, 5–40 cm tall. Leaves: Linear, 1–3.5 cm 

long, in fascicles, fleshy, glaucous or green. Flowers: 

Densely flowered spikes, bracted, 1–10 cm long, 

terminal; greenish flowers 1–1.5 mm, petals white or 

greenish white, 1 mm long, oblanceolate or oblong, 

entire or faintly lobed. Fruits: Capsule four-lobed, 

four-beaked, 1.5–2 mm wide, broader than high. 

Ecology: Found on sandy, sometimes saline soil of 

desert flats and along margins of washes below 2,500 

ft (762 m); flowers March–June. Ethnobotany: No 

known uses. Etymology: Oligomeris is from Greek oligos, a few and meris, 

part or parts, while linifolia means linear–leaved. Synonyms: None 

Phoradendron californicum 

mesquite mistletoe 

General: Branches arching to drooping, often 

forming much branched masses in desert trees, 

especially legumes. Stems terete, at first silvery– 

green pubescent with minute, appressed 

scalelike hairs, soon glabrous and green to 

reddish green. Leaves: Closely appressed 

to stem, 1–2.5 mm, at first green or yellow– 

green and quickly drying as persistent scales 

or remaining green only at base. Flowers: 

Dioecious or occasionally monoecious. 

Fragrant, calyx thick, fleshy, and yellow–green. Anthers short and yellow. 

Fruits: Globose, 4.5–5.5 mm when fresh, the fresh pulp viscid and translucent 

white, salmon colored on exposed surfaces and whitish to yellow–white when 

not exposed to sunlight. Explosive dehiscence. Ecology: Found on host 

plants through southwest; flowers December–February. Notes: Flowering 

and fruiting non–seasonally, birds love this species and help to spread. 

Ethnobotany: Decoction of the berries was taken as purge by the Pima. It 

was used for washing sores, for stomachaches, boiled, dried and stored for 

food. Etymology: Phoradendron is from Greek phor, a thief and dendron, 

tree—hence tree thief because of its parasitism, while californicum refers to 

California. Synonyms: Phoradendron californicum var. distans, P. californicum 

var. leucocarpum 

128 


2009 NPS/Beth Fallon

©2006 Patrick Alexander ©2008 T. Beth Kinsey 

Nicotiana obtusifolia 

desert tobacco 

General: Erect, simple and branched 

biennial or perennial 20–90 cm tall, 

glandular–pubescent throughout. Leaves: 

Lower leaves petiolate, oblanceolate or 

spatulate, 1–4 cm wide, 5–15 cm long, 

tapering gradually to winged petiole; upper 

leaves lanceolate to oblong–ovate, sessile, 

auriculate. Flowers: Laxly paniculate– 

racemose, pedicels 5–10 mm long, calyx 

campanulate–ovoid, 3–4 mm wide, 7–10 mm long, teeth lance-triangular, 3–5 

mm long, about equaling mature capsule; corolla white, tubular, 12–18 mm 

long, constricted at orifice, limb 8–10 mm broad. Fruits: Two-valved capsule, 

seeds dark reddish brown. Ecology: Found in sandy soil and along washes 

below 6,000 ft (1829 m); flowers year–round. Notes: The glandular hairs and 

beautiful long white corolla help to identify this plant. Ethnobotany: Used for 

cuts, bruises, earaches, as chew, smoked, used widely as a ceremonial, and for 

protection. Etymology: Nicotiana is named for Jean Nicot (1530–1600), the 

French ambassador to Portugal responsible for introducing tobacco to France 

in 1560, obtusifolia means obtuse or blunt leaved. Synonyms: Nicotiana 

trigonophylla 

Physalis acutifolia 

sharpleaf groundcherry 

General: Erect or ascending annual 10– 

100 cm tall with strongly angled, much 

branched stems and sparingly pubescent 

to subglabrous foliage. Leaves: Slender 

petioles 1.5–5 cm long, lanceolate, 6–35 

mm wide, 2.5–8 cm long, deeply sinuatetoothed, 

cuneate at base, acute, attenuate 

at apex, margins finely ciliate. Flowers: 

Pedicels 5–20 mm long, finely puberulent 

at anthesis, campanulate calyx, scarcely 

angular, 3–5 mm long with narrowly deltoid lobes, rotate corolla 12–20 mm 

diameter, whitish or light yellow with deeper yellow center; greenish anthers, 

linear, 3–4.5 mm long. Fruits: Ovoid globose berry 1.5–2.5 cm long. Ecology: 

Found on roadsides, fields, ditches from 100–4,000 ft (30–1219 m); flowers 

April–September. Notes: Smaller, low growing habit help identify this species. 

Ethnobotany: Fruit eaten primarily by children as a snack food by the Gila 

River Pima; eaten raw, cooked into sauces, preserves and jams, dried and stored 

as food. Etymology: Physalis from Greek physallis, a bladder or bubble, due 

to inflated calyx, while acutifolia means pointed leaves. Synonyms: Physalis 

wrightii 

129 

Solanaceae 

Forbs

Zygophyllaceae 

Forbs 


Tribulus terrestris 

130 

H M L 

puncturevine 

General: Prostrate annual herb with diffusely branching stems 10–80 cm 

long; herbage sparsely silky strigose throughout or upper surfaces of leaflets 

nearly glabrous; stipules subulate, 2–3 mm long. Leaves: Each 2–5 cm long, 

with 3–9 pairs of elliptic or oblong leaflets 3–13 mm long, oblique, acute to 

obtuse at apex; leaflets of the lower pair unequal in size. Flowers: Peduncles 

axillary to the shorter of the pair of leaves and exceeded by subtending leaf; 

sepals narrowly lance–ovate, 3–3.5 mm long, caducous; petals pale yellow, 4–5 

mm long. Fruits: Exclusive of spines, 15–18 mm broad, breaking into 5 spiny 

nutlets, each with 2 larger spines, after separation the vicious tacklike nutlets 

land with the larger spines upward. 

Ecology: Introduced and abundant in 

cultivated areas, along roads, disturbed 

sites; flowers July–October. Notes: 

Introduced and weedy where established. 

Ethnobotany: Used by the Navajo as 

a ceremonial medicine. Etymology: 

Tribulus is Latin for three–pointed, a 

caltrop, while terrestris in Latin means 

on land. Synonyms: None 


A 

Abaxial: the side away from the axis 

Acaulescent: stemless 

Accumbent: a term referring to seeds in which the embryonic root is wrapped 

around and lies along the edges of the two cotylodons (compare incumbent) 

Acerose: needle-shaped 

Achene: a small, dry, one-seeded, indehiscent fruit (i.e. one that does not split 

open), deriving from a one-chambered ovary, typical of the Asteraceae 

Acicular: needle-shaped, as applied to some kinds of foliage 

Acorn: hard, dry, indehiscent with a single large seed and a cupule 

Actinomorphic: radially symmetrical 

Aculeate: pointed or prickly 

Acuminate: tapering gradually to a pointed apex with more or less concave sides 

along the tip 

Acute: tapering to a sharp-pointed apex with more or less straight sides along 

the tip 

Acyclic: with the floral parts arranged spirally rather than in whorls 

Adaxial: the side toward the axis 

Adenophorous: gland-bearing 

Adherent: two or more organs appearing to be fused but actually separable 

Adnate: grown together, used only to describe unlike parts (compare connate) 

Adventitious: occurring in unusual or unexpected locations such as roots on 

aerial stems or buds on leaves. Also meaning: out of the usual place, introduced 

but not yet naturalized 

Aestivation: the arrangement of floral parts in a bud 

Aggregate: densely clustered 

Albumen: the nutritive tissue in a seed 

Alkaline: soils that contain high amounts of various salts of potassium and/or 

sodium, as well as other soluble minerals, and are basic rather than acidic with a 

pH greater than 7.0 

Allelopathy: a characteristic of some plants according to which chemical 

compounds are produced that inhibit the growth of other plants in the immediate 

vicinity 

Allopatric: occupying different geographic regions 

Alternate: a leaf arrangement along the axis in which the leaves are not opposite 

to each other or whorled 

Alveolate: Honeycombed, with pits separated by thin, ridged partitions 

Ament: an inflorescence consisting of a dense spike or raceme or apetalous, 

unisexual flowers, another name for a catkin 

Ammophilous: sand-loving 

Amplexicaul: describing a sessile leaf that has its base completely surrounding 

the stem 

Anandrous: without stamens 

Ananthous: without flowers 

Androecium: a collective term for the stamens of a flower (compare 

gynoecium) 

Androgynous: having staminate and pistillate flowers in the same inflorescence 

Anemophilous: wind-pollinated 

Angled: sided, as in the shape of stems or fruits 

Angular: having sharp angles or corners, generally used in reference to structures 

such as stems to contrast them with rounded stems 

131 

Glossary

Glossary 

Annual: a plant that completes its life cycle from the its germination as a seed to 

the production of new seeds in a single year and then dies 

Anterior: on the front side away from the axis 

Anther: the pollen-bearing portion of a stamen 

Anthesis: time during which the flower is open 

Antrorse: pointing forward or upward (compare retrorse) 

Aperturate: with one or more openings or apertures 

Apetalous: lacking petals 

Apex: the tip of a plant part 

Aphyllous: without leaves 

Apiculate: ending in an abrupt slender tip which is not stiff 

Applanate: flattened 

Appressed: lying flat against or nearly parallel to, as leaves on a stem or hairs on 

a leaf 

Arborescent: approaching the size and habit of a tree 

Arcuate: arching or curved like a bow 

Areole: a raised area on a cactus from which spines develop 

Aristate: with an awn or stiff bristle, typically at the apex 

Armed: provided with prickles, spines or thorns 

Ascending: growing obliquely upward 

Asymmetrical: not divided into like and/or equal parts 

Attenuate: gradually narrowing to a tip or base 

Auricle: a small earlike lobe or appendage 

Auriculate: having earlike appendages 

Autophilous: self-pollinated 

Awn: a slender, stiff terminal bristle attached at its base to another structure or 

organ such as a leaf or grass stem 

Axil: the upper angle formed between two structures or organs, such as a leaf and 

the stem from which it grows 

Axillary: borne or carried in the axil 

Axis: the main stem 

B 

Banner: the upper petal of a pea flower 

Barbed: with a backward-facing tip 

Barbellate: with short, stiff hairs or barbs 

Basal: at or near the base, often describing leaves and where they attach 

Basifixed: attached by the base (compare dorsifixed, versatile) 

Beak: a firm, pointed terminal appendage 

Berry: a fleshy, indehiscent fruit in which the seeds are not encased in a stone and 

are typically more than one 

Biennial: a plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, usually growing 

vegetation in the first year and producing flowers and seeds in the second, then 

dying 

Bifurcate: divided into two forks or branches 

Bilabiate: two-lipped 

Bipinnate: twice pinnately compound 

Bipinnatifid: two times pinnately cleft 

Bisexual: having both stamens and pistils 

Bladdery: thin-walled and inflated 

Blade: the expanded terminal portion of a leaf, petal or other structure, i.e. that 

portion of the leaf that does not include the stalk 

132

Bloom: a white, powderlike coating sometimes found on a leaf or stem surface 

Bole: the trunk or stem of a tree 

Brackish: a mixture of salt and fresh water, somewhat saline 

Bract: a modified leaf which may be reduced in size or different in other 

characteristics from the foliage leaves and which usually subtends a flower or an 

inflorescence 

Bracteole: a small bract, often secondary in nature, a bractlet 

Bristle: a stiff hair, usually erect or curving away from its attachment point 

Bud: a developing leaf, stem or flower 

Bulb: an underground plant part derived from a shoot that is enclosed in 

numerous overlapping thickened leafy scales whose purpose is to store food 

Bundle scar: scar left on a twig by the vascular bundles when a leaf falls 

Bur: a prickly or spiny seed or fruit 

Burl: a woody swelling where the stem joins the roots 

C 

Caducous: falling off very early compared to similar structures in other plants 

Caespitose (Cespitose): having a densely clumped, tufted or cushion-like growth 

form with the flowers extending above the clump 

Callus: a hardened or thickened area at the point of attachment 

Calyptra: a hood or lid 

Calyx: the outer whorl of the perianth, composed of the sepals, usually but not 

always green, which enclose other flower parts in bud 

Campanulate: bell-shaped 

Canescent: with gray or white short hairs, often having a hoary appearance 

Capillary: very slender and hairlike 

Capitate: in a globular or head-shaped cluster 

Capsule: a dry, generally many-seeded fruit divided into two or more seed 

compartments that dehisces or splits open longitudinally with the line of 

dehiscence either through the locule (loculicidal) or through the septa 

(septicidal), or, less commonly, through pores (poricidal) or around the 

circumference (circumscissile) 

Carnose: with a fleshy texture 

Carpel: a simple pistil, or a single unit of a compound pistil, the ovule-bearing 

portion of a flower 

Caruncle: a protuberance or appendage near the hilum of seed 

Caryopsis: the grain or fruit of grasses 

Catkin: a spikelike, often pendulous, inflorescence of petalless unisexual flowers, 

either staminate or pistillate 

Caudate: bearing a tail or slender tail-like appendage 

Caudex: the persistent, often woody base of an otherwise annual herbaceous 

stem 

Cauline: attached to or referring to the stem, as opposed to ‘basal’, often used to 

describe leaf position 

Ceraceous: waxy in texture or appearance 

Cernuous: drooping or nodding 

Chaff: thin scales or bracts subtending individual flowers in many species of the 

Asteraceae 

Chaparral: an area characterized by dense, leathery-leaved, evergreen shrubs 

Chartaceous: with a papery texture, usually not green 

Cilia: marginal hairs 

133 

Glossary

Glossary 

Ciliate: with a row of fine hairs along the margin of a structure such as a leaf 

Ciliolate: with a marginal fringe of minute hairs 

Cinereous: ash-colored, light-gray due to a covering of short hairs 

Circumboreal: distributed around the globe at northern latitudes 

Circumsessile: dehiscing along a transverse circular line around the fruit or 

anther, so that the top separates or falls off like a lid 

Clasping: having the lower edges of a leaf blade partly surrounding the stem 

Clavate: club-shaped, gradually thickened or widened toward the apex 

Claw: the narrow, basal stalklike portion of some sepals and petals 

Cleft: deeply cut, usually more than one-half the distance from the margin to the 

midrib or base 

Cleistogamous: flowers which self-fertilize without opening 

Collar: found in grasses, the outer side of the leaf at the junction of the sheath 

and blade 

Colleter: a glandular hair 

Column: a structure formed by the union of staminal filaments 

Coma: a tuft of hairs, often at the tip of seeds 

Complete: describing flowers that contain petals, sepals, pistils and stamens 

Compound: made up of two or more similar parts, as in a leaf which has leaflets 

Compressed: flattened 

Concolor: of uniform color 

Conduplicate: folded together lengthwise with the upper surface within, as the 

leaves of many grasses 

Cone: a dense cluster of sporophylls on an axis 

Confluent: running together or blending of one part into another 

Connate: Describing similar structures that are joined or grown together 

(compare adnate) 

Connivent: converging, but not actually fused or united 

Contracted: narrowed or shortened as opposed to open or spreading 

Convergent: meeting together, as leaf veins which come together at the apex 

Convex: rounded or curved outward on the surface 

Convolute: rolled up longitudinally, with one edge inside the other and the upper 

surface on the inside (compare revolute, involute) 

Coppice: a thicket of bushes or small trees; sprouts arising from a stump 

Cordate: heart-shaped 

Coriaceous (Coreaceous): leathery in texture 

Corm: an enlarged underground structure of stem tissue and thin scales 

Corneous: horny 

Corniculate: having little horns or hornlike appendages 

Corolla: the inner whorl of the perianth, between the calyx and the stamens, a 

collective term for the petals of a flower 

Corolla tube: the hollow, cylindric portion of a corolla of united petals 

Corona: petal-like or crown-like structures between the petals and stamens in 

some flowers 

Coroniform: crown-shaped 

Corrugated: wrinkled, folded 

Corymb: a broad, flat-topped inflorescence in which the flower stalks arise from 

different points on the main stem and the marginal flowers are the first to open 

(compare cyme) 

Costa (pl. costae): a rib or prominent mid-vein 

Cotyledon: a primary leaf of the embryo; a seed leaf 

Crenate: with shallow roundish or bluntish teeth on the margin, scalloped 

134

Crenulate: similar to crenate, but with smaller, rounded teeth 

Crisped: curled on the margin like a strip of bacon 

Cristate: with a terminal tuft or crest 

Crosier: the curled top of a young fern frond 

Cruciform: cross-shaped 

Crustaceous: dry and brittle 

Cucullate: hooded or hood-shaped 

Culm: a hollow or pithy slender stem such as is found in the grasses and sedges 

Cultivar: a form of a plant derived from cultivation 

Cuneate: wedge-shaped, with the narrow part at the point of attachment 

Cupule: a cup-shaped involucre, as in an acorn 

Cuspidate: tipped with an abrupt short, sharp, firm point (compare mucronate) 

Cuticle: the waxy layer on the surface of a leaf or stem 

Cyathiform: cup-shaped 

Cyathium: the specialized inflorescence characteristic of the Euphorbiaceae, 

consisting of a flower-like, cup-shaped involucre which carries the several true 

flowers within 

Cyme: a broad, flat-topped inflorescence in which the central flower is the first to 

open (compare corymb) 

Cymose: with flowers in a cyme 

Cypselae: dry, single-seeded, indehiscent fruit with an adnate calyx, essentially 

an achene 

D 

Deca-: a prefix meaning ten 

Decompound: more than once-compound, the leaflets again divided 

Decumbent: prostrate at the base but ascending at the end 

Decurrent: adnate to the petiole or stem and extending downward, as a leaf base 

that extends downward along the stem (compare surcurrent) 

Decussate: arranged in pairs along the stem with each pair at right angles to the 

one above and below 

Deflexed: Bent downward or backward 

Defoliation: the shedding of leaves 

Dehiscent: opening spontaneously when ripe to discharge the seed content 

(compare indehiscent) 

Deltoid: broadly triangular in shape 

Dendritic: with a branching patter similar to that in a tree, describes a hair type 

Dense: congested, describing the disposition of flowers in an inflorescence 

(compare open) 

Dentate: with sharp, outward-pointing teeth on the margin 

Depauperate: starved or stunted, describing small plants or plant communities 

that are growing under unfavorable conditions 

Determinate: describes an inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms 

first, thereby halting further elongation of the flowering stem (compare 

indeterminate) 

Dextrorse: turned to the right or spirally arranged to the right (compare 

sinistrorse) 

Di-: prefix meaning two or twice 

Diadelphous: stamens united into two, often unequal, sets by their filaments 

Diandrous: having two stamens 

Dichasium: a cymose inflorescence in which each axis produces two opposite or 

135 

Glossary

Glossary 

subopposite lateral axes 

Dichotomous: branching regularly and repeatedly in pairs 

Diclinous: with the stamens and pistils in separate flowers, imperfect 

Dicotyledon: a plant having two seed leaves, one of the two major divisions of 

flowering plants (compare monocotyledon) 

Didymous: twinned, being in pairs 

Didynamous: with two pairs of stamens of unequal length 

Diffuse: looosely branching or spreading 

Digitate: radiating from a common point, having a fingered shape, i.e. a shape 

like an open hand 

Digynous: having two pistils 

Dimorphic: having two forms 

Dioecious: having staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants (compare 

monoecious) 

Diploid: with two full sets of chromosomes in each cell 

Disarticulating: separating at maturity at a joint 

Disciform: having a flowering head that contains both filiform and disk 

flowers, referring to members of the Asteraceae 

Discoid: having only disk flowers, referring to flower heads in the Asteraceae 

Disjunct: separated from the main distribution of the population 

Disk: the central portion of composite flowers, made up of a cluster of disk 

flowers 

Dissected: finely cut or divided into many, narrow segments 

Distal: the end opposite the point of attachment, away from the axis (compare 

proximal) 

Distichous: two-ranked, that is with leaves on opposute sides of a stem and 

in the same plane 

Distinct: having separate, like parts, those not at all joined to each other, often 

describing the petals on a flower (compare united) 

Disturbed: referring to habitats that have been impacted by the actions of 

people 

Dithecal anthers: anthers lacking septi between the loculi, so there are only 

two anther cells 

Diurnal: growing in the daytime 

Divaricate: widely diverging or spreading apart 

Divergent: diverging or spreading 

Divided: cut deeply, nearly or completely to the midrib 

Dolabriform: ax-shaped or cleaver-shaped; pick-shaped; attached at some 

point other than the base, usually near the middle 

Dorsal: referring to the back or outer surface 

Dorsifixed: attached at the back (compare basifixed, versatile) 

Drooping: erect or spreading at the base, then bending downwards 

Drupe: a fleshy indehiscent fruit enclosing a nut or hard stone containing 

generally a single seed such as a peach or cherry 

E 

E-: prefix usually meaning without, from, or away 

Echinate: prickly 

Ecotone: transition zone between two adjoining communities 

Ecotype: those individuals adapted to a specific environment or set of 

conditions 

136

Edaphic: due to, or pertaining to, the soil 

Elater: structures attached to spores to aid in dispersal 

Elliptic: broadest near the middle and tapering gradually to both ends 

Elongate: stretched out, many times longer than broad 

Emarginate: with a shallow notch at the apex 

Endemic: confined to a limited geographic area 

Endocarp: the inner layer of the pericarp, which is the wall of the ripened ovary 

or fruit (compare mesocarp, exocarp) 

Endogenous: growing from, or originating from within 

Ensiform: sword-shaped, as applied to a leaf 

Entire: describing a leaf that has a continuous, unbroken margin with no teeth 

or lobes 

Entomophilous: insect-pollinated 

Ephemeral: describes a plant or flower that lasts for only a short time or blooms 

only occasionaly when conditions are right 

Epi-: meaning upon 

Epicalyx: an involucre which resembles an outer calyx 

Epigynous: with stamens, pistils, and sepals attached to the top of the ovary 

(compare hypogynous) 

Epipetalous: attached to the petals 

Episepalous: attached to the sepals 

Equilateral: with sides of equal shape and length 

Equitant: overlapping or straddling in two ranks, as in Iris 

Erose: having an irregular margin as if it has been gnawed 

Erosulate: more or less erose 

Escapee: a plant escaped from cultivation that now reproduces on its own 

Esculent: edible 

Estipulate: without stipules 

Evanescent: fleeting, lasting for only a short time 

Even-pinnate: a pinnately-compound leaf ending in a pair of leaflets (compare 

odd-pinnate) 

Excurrent: extending beyond the apex, as the midrib in some leaves 

Exfoliating: peeling off in thin layers or flakes 

Exocarp: the outer layer of the pericarp of a fruit (compare endocarp, 

mesocarp) 

Exotic: not native, introduced from another area 

Exserted: projected from or extending beyond, as stamens from a flower 

Extant: still surviving, not completely extinct 

Extirpated: destroyed or no longer surviving in the area being referred to, but 

may survive outside of that area 

Extrorse: turned or opening outward away from the axis (compare introrse) 

Exudate: a substance exuded or secreted from a plant 

F 

Falcate: scimitar- or sickle-shaped 

Farinose: covered with a mealy or whitish powdery substance 

Fascicle: a small cluster or bundle, a fairly common leaf arrangement 

Faveolate: honeycombed or pitted: alveolate 

Fenestrate: with small slits or areas thinned so as to be translucent 

Ferruginous: rust-colored 

Fertile: having the capacity to produce fruit, having a pistil 

Fetid: with an offensive odor, stinking 

137 

Glossary

Glossary 

Fibril: a delicate fiber or hair 

Filament: the basal, sterile portion of a stamen below the anthers 

Filiform: (1) threadlike; (2) a type of flower in the Asteraceae which is pistillate 

and has a very slender, tubular corolla 

Fimbriate: having fringed margins 

Fistulose: hollow like a tube or pipe 

Flaccid: soft and weak, limp 

Flagellate: with long, slender runners 

Flange: a projecting rim or edge 

Fleshy: thick and pulpy, succulent 

Flexuose or flexuous: with curves or bends, somewhat zigzagged 

Floccose: bearing tufts of long, soft, tangled hairs 

Floret: a small individual flower in a flower head 

Fluted: with furrows or grooves 

Foliar: pertaining to the leaves, leaf-like 

Foliolate: of or pertaining to, or having leaflets 

Follicle: a dry, many-seeded fruit derived composed of a single carpel and 

opening along one side only like a milkweed pod 

Forb: a non-grasslike herbaceous plant 

Fringed: with hairs or bristles along the margin 

Frond: a fern leaf 

Fructiferous: fruit-bearing 

Frutescent: shrubby or bushy in the sense of being woody 

Fugacious: falling or withering early; ephemeral 

Fulvous: dull yellowish-brown or yellowish-gray, tawny 

Funiculus: the stalk connecting the ovule to the placenta, the stalk of a seed 

Funnelform: gradually widening upwards, as in the flowers of morning glory 

Furcate: forked 

Fuscous: dark grayish-brown, dusky 

Fusiform: spindle-shaped, thickest in the middle and drawn out at both ends 

G 

Galbulus: a cone of Cupressus 

Gall: an abnormal growth on a plant that is caused by insects 

Geniculate: bent abruptly like a knee or a stove pipe 

Gibbous: swollen or enlarged on one side, ventricose 

Glabrate: becoming glabrous in age 

Glabrous: smooth, without hairs 

Gland: a depression or protuberance that exists for the purpose of secreting 

Glandular: producing tiny globules of sticky or oily substance 

Glans: a dry dehiscent fruit borne in a cupule, such as the acorn 

Glaucescent: slightly glaucous 

Glaucous: covered with a thin, light-colored waxy or powdery bloom 

Globose: globe-shaped, spherical 

Glochids: barbed bristles on cacti 

Glomerate: crowded, congested or compactly clustered 

Glume: in grasses, the bracts (generally two) that form the lowermost parts of 

the spikelet 

Glutinous: having a sticky surface 

Gracile: slender and graceful 

Grain: the fruit of grasses 

Gregarious: growing in groups or colonies 

138

Gynobase: an elongation or enlargement of the receptacle that supports the 

carpels or nutlets, as in many species of the Boraginaceae 

Gynoecium: a collective term for the pistils of a flower (compare androecium) 

H 

Habit: the overall appearance of a plant 

Halophyte: a plant that can tolerate an abnormal amount of salt in the soil 

Haploid: with a single full set of choromosomes in each cell 

Hastate: spear- or arrowhead-shaped with the basal lobes facing outward 

Haustorium: a specialized root-like organ used by parasitic plants to draw 

nourishment from host plants (Phoradendron) 

Head: a dense cluster of sessile or subsessile flowers, found in Asteraceae 

Helicoid: coiled spirally like a spring or a snail shell 

Heliotropic: the movement of plant parts in response to a light source 

Hemiparasite: a plant that derives its energy both from parasitism and from 

photosynthesis 

Herbaceous: fleshy-stemmed, not woody 

Heteromorphic: of one or more kind or form 

Heterostylous: having different kinds of style (and stamen) lengths 

Hexa-: a prefix meaning six 

Hibernal: flowering or appearing in the winter 

Hilum: a scar on a seed indicating its point of attachment 

Hip: a fleshy, berry-like fruit, as in some members of the Rosaceae 

Hirsute: pubescent with stiff, coarse hairs 

Hirsutulous: pubescent with very small, coarse, stiff hairs 

Hispid: rough-haired with firm, stiff hairs 

Hoary: covered with white or gray, short, fine hairs 

Holosericeous: covered with fine, silky hairs 

Homomorphic: all of the same kind or form 

Hood: a hollow, arched covering, found in Asclepias 

Hooked: abruptly curved at the tip 

Host: a plant providing nourishment to a parasite 

Humifuse: spreading along or over the ground 

Humistrate: lying on the ground 

Hyaline: thin, translucent or transparent 

Hydrophytic: adapted to growing in water 

Hypanthium: a cup-shaped enlargement of the receptacle, creation by the fusion 

of sepals, petals and stamens 

Hypogynous: with stamens, petals and sepals attached below the ovary (compare 

epigynous) 

I 

Imbricate: overlapping, like shingles on a roof 

Imparipinnate: odd-pinnate, unequally pinnate 

Imperfect: describes a flower that has stamens or pistils but not both 

Implicate: twisted together, intertwined 

Incised: cut, often deeply, usually irregularly, but seldom as much as one-half the 

distance to the midrib or base 

Incumbent: a term referring to seeds in which the embronic root is wrapped 

around and lies adjacent to the back of one of the two cotylodons (compare 

accumbent) 

Indehiscent: not opening by itself, said of a seed pod (compare dehiscent) 

Indeterminate: describes an inflorescence in which the outer or lower flowers 

139 

Glossary

Glossary 

bloom first, allowing an indefinite elongation of the flowering stem (compare 

determinate) 

Indigenous: native to an area 

Induplicate: with petals or sepals edge to edge along their entire length, the 

margins rolled inward 

Indurate: hardened and/or stiffened 

Indusium: a scale-like outgrowth on a fern leaf which forms a covering for 

the sporangia 

Inferior ovary: one that is situated below the point of attachment of the sepals 

and petals, and possibly below the point of attachment of all other flower parts 

and embedded in the floral stem 

Inflexed: turned abruptly or bent inwards 

Inflorescence: the flowering portion of a plant 

Infra-: a prefix meaning below or beneath 

Infraspecific: below the species level 

Infundibular: funnel-shaped 

Innate: borne at the apex 

Inserted: attached to or growing out of 

Integument: the covering of the ovule which will become the seed coat 

Inter-: a prefix meaning between or among 

Internode: the portion of a stem between two successive nodes 

Interrupted: not continuous, with gaps 

Introrse: turned or opening inward toward the axis as an anther toward the 

center of a flower (compare extrorse) 

Invaginated: sheathed, folded 

Involucel: a secondary involucre as in the Apiaceae 

Involucre: a set of bracts subtending a flower or an inflorescence 

Involute: with both edges inrolled toward the midnerve on the upper surface 

(compare revolute) 

Irregular: describes a flower that is not radially symmetric, the similar parts of 

which are unequal in size or form 

J 

Joint: the point on a plant stem from which a leaf or leaf-bud grows, more 

commonly termed a node 

Jugate: with parts in pairs 

Junciform: rush-like in appearance 

K 

Keel: the two lower petals of most pea flowers, united or partially joined to 

form a structure similar to the keel of a boat 

Knee: a joint or articulate, as in grass 

Krummholz: literally crooked forest, low wind-contorted forest that can be 

found at timberline 

L 

Labellum: lip, an exceptional petal found in some flowers, like Orchidaceae 

Labiate: lipped 

Lacerate: irregularly cut or cleft 

Laciniate: cut into slender lobes 

Lacustrine: growing around lakes 

140

Laevigate: lustrous, shining 

Lamella: erect scale inserted on the petal in some corollas and forming part of 

the corona 

Laminar: thin, flat, and expanded, as the blade of a leaf (laminar stamens) 

Lanate: with long tangled wooly hairs 

Lanceolate: significantly longer than wide and widest below the middle, gradually 

tapering toward the apex 

Lanulose: with very short hairs, minutely downy or wooly 

Lateral: borne at or on the side of 

Latex: a milky sap 

Latifoliate: with broad leaves 

Leaflet: one segment of a compound leaf 

Legume: a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel and usually opening 

along two lines of dehiscence like a pea pod 

Lemma: in grasses, the lower and usually larger of the two bracts of the floret 

Lenticel: Raised, corky , lens-shaped area on the surface of a young stem. 

Lepidote: covered with small scurfy scales 

Liana: a herbaceous or woody, usually perennial, climbing vine that roots in the 

ground and is characteristic especially of tropical forests 

Ligneous: woody 

Ligule: strap-shaped organ, membranous appendage arising from inner surface 

of leaf at the junction with the leaf sheath in many grasses and some sedges 

Ligulate: (1) Describing a floral head in the Asteraceae that contains only ray 

flowers, or ligules; (2) strap-shaped 

Limb: the upper, expanded portion of a corolla which has fused petals 

Linear: long and narrow with sides that are parallel or nearly so 

Lingulate: tongue-shaped 

Lip: one of the two projections or segments of an irregular, two-lipped corolla 

or calyx 

Littoral: growing along the shore 

Livid: pale grayish-blue 

Lobate: in the form of a lobe, lobed 

Lobe: usually a rounded segment of an organ 

Lobed: more or less deeply cut but not as far as the midrib 

Lobulate: with small lobes 

Locule: a cavity of the ovary which contains the ovules 

Loculicidal: said of a capsule, longitudinally dehiscent through the ovary wall at 

or near the center of each chamber or locule (compare poricidal, septicidal) 

Lodicule: paired, rudimentary scales at the base of the ovary in grass flowers 

Loment: a legume which is constricted between the seeds 

Lunate: crescent-shaped 

Lurid: pale brown to yellowish-brown 

Lustrous: shiny or glossy 

Lyrate: lyre-shaped, pinnatifid with the terminal segment large and rounded and 

the lower lobes increasingly smaller toward the base 

M 

Machaerantheroid: having involucral bracts with recurved tips 

Macro-: prefix meaning large or long 

Macrophyllous: having large leaves 

Maculate: spotted or blotched 

141 

Glossary

Glossary 

Malvaceous: mallow-like 

Mammilate: with nipple-like protuberances 

Manicate: with a thick, interwoven pubescence 

Margin: the edge, as of a leaf blade 

Marginate: distinctly margined 

Mealy: describing a surface that is covered with minute, usually rounded 

particles 

Medial: of the middle, situated in the middle 

Mega-: prefix meaning large 

Membranous: thin, flexible and more or less translucent, like a membrane 

Meristem: undifferentiated, actively dividing tissues at the growing tips of 

shoots and roots 

-merous: a suffix utilized to indicate the number of parts or divisions in a 

particular structure or organ, as in 4-merous or 4-parted 

Mesic: describes a habitat that is generally moist throughout the growing 

season (compare xeric) 

Meso-: prefix meaning middle 

Mesocarp: the middle layer of the pericarp of a fruit (compare endocarp, 

exocarp) 

Mesophytic: adapted to growing under medium or average conditions, 

especially relating to water supply 

Micro-: prefix meaning small 

Microphyllous: bearing small leaves 

Midnerve: the central nerve 

Midrib: the main or central rib or vein of a leaf, a midvein 

Monadelphous: having stamens with filaments united in a single group, 

bundle or tube 

Mono-: prefix meaning one 

Monocarpic: flowering and bearing fruit only once and then dying, the term 

may be applied to perennials, biennials, or annuals 

Monochasium: a type of cymose inflorescence with only a single main axis 

Monocotyledon: a plant having only one seed-leaf (compare dicotyledon) 

Monoecious: having both male and female flowers on the same plant (compare 

dioecious) 

Monotypic: describing a genus that contains only a single species 

Montane: of or pertaining to, or growing in, the mountains 

Mucilaginous: slimy and moist 

Mucro: a short, sharp, abrupt point, usually at the tip of a leaf or other organ 

Mucronate: having a short projection at the tip, as of a leaf 

Mucronulate: tipped with a very small mucro 

Multi-: prefix meaning many 

Multifid: cleft into very many narrow lobes or segments 

Multiflorus: many-flowered 

Multifoliate: bearing many leaves 

Muricate: rounded or roughened with short, hard or warty points 

Mycorrhizal: having a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and the root 

of a plant 

N 

Nacreous: having a pearly luster 

142

Naked: lacking hairs, structures or appendages, as in a flower lacking a perianth 

Nascent: in the process of being formed 

Nebulose: indistinct, as in a fine, diffuse inflorescence 

Nectariferous: with nectar 

Nectary: a plant part that secretes nectar, a sweet liquid that attracts bees, insects 

and birds 

Needle: a slender, needle-shaped leaf 

Nerve: a prominent, simple vein or rib of a leaf or other organ 

Net-veined: in the form of a network, reticulate 

Netted: same as reticulated, in the form or pattern of a network 

Neuter: lacking a pistil or stamens 

Nidulent: lying within a cavity, embedded within a pulp 

Nitid: lustrous, shining 

Nocturnal: functioning at night, as in flowers which open at night 

Nodding: hanging down 

Node: a point on a stem where leaves or branches originate 

Numerous: eleven or more, same as ‘many’ 

Nut: a dry, usually one-seeded, indehiscent fruit with a hard-walled exterior 

Nutlet: a small nut or one of the sections of the mature ovary of some members 

of the Boraginaceae, Verbenaceae or Lamiaceae 

O 

Ob-: prefix signifying inversion or reversal of normal direction 

Obcordate: inversely heart-shaped, attached at the point 

Oblanceolate: inversely lanceolate 

Oblate: spheroidal and flattened at the poles 

Obligate: restricted to particular conditions or circumstances 

Oblique: with sides unequal, usually describing the base of a leaf 

Oblong: two to four times longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, but 

broader than ‘linear’ 

Obovate: inversely ovate 

Obovoid: inversely ovoid, with the attachment at the narrower end 

Obtuse: blunt or rounded at the apex 

Obverse: describing a leaf that is narrower at the base than at the apex 

Obvolute: a vernation in which two leaves are overlapping in the bud in such a 

manner that one-half of each is external and the other half is internal, i.e. each 

leaf both overlaps the next and is in turn overlapped by the one before 

Ochroleucous: yellowish-white; cream-colored 

Ocrea: a sheath around the stem derived from the leaf stipules, primarily used in 

the Polygonaceae 

Octo-: prefix meaning eight 

Odd-pinnate: describing a pinnately-compound leaf with a single terminal 

leaflet (compare even-pinnate) 

Open: uncongested, usually describing the organization of flowers in an 

inflorescence (compare dense) 

Opposite: describing leaves that are situated in pairs at each node along an axis 

Orbicular: circular 

Oval: broadly elliptic, the width over half the length 

Ovary: the basal portion of a pistil where female germ cells develop into seeds 

after germination 

Ovate: egg-shaped, wider below the middle 

143 

Glossary

Glossary 

Ovoid: an egg-shaped solid 

Ovule: the structure that develops into the seed inside the ovary 

P 

Palate: an appendage or raised area on the lower lip of the corolla which 

partially blocks the throat 

Palea: in grasses, the upper and generally smaller of the two bracts of the 

floret 

Pallid: pale 

Palmate: radiating from a single point like the spreading fingers of an 

outstretched hand 

Palmate-pinnate: with the primary leaflets palmately arranged and the 

secondary leaflets pinnately arranged 

Palmatifid: palmately cleft or lobed 

Palustrine: same as paludose 

Pandurate: fiddle-shaped 

Panicle: a compound inflorescence in which the branches are racemose and 

the flowers are pedicelled on the branches 

Papilla: short, rounded nipple-like bump or projection 

Pappose: pappus-bearing 

Pappus: collectively, the bristles, hairs or scales at the apex of an achene in the 

Asteraceae 

Parasite: a plant which derives most or all of its food from another organisim 

to which it attaches itself 

Parietal: attached to the wall of the ovary instead of the axis 

Paripinnate: even pinnate, lacking a terminal leaflet 

Parted: lobed or cut in over half-way and often very close to the base or 

midrib 

Pectinate: describing a pinnatifid leaf whose segments are narrow and 

arranged like the teeth of a comb 

Pedicel: the stalk of a single flower that is part of an inflorescence 

Peduncle: the stalk of a flower cluster, or of a solitary flower not associated 

with others in an inflorescence 

Pellucid: transparent or translucent 

Peltate: a type of leaf having its petiole attached to the center of the lower 

surface of the blade 

Pendent: hanging downward or drooping 

Penicillate: with a tuft a short hairs at the end, like a brush 

Penta-: prefix meaning five 

Pepo: a fleshy, indehiscent fruit with a hard, more or less thickened rind and a 

single many-seeded locule, characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae 

Perennial: a plant living for more than two years 

Perfect: containing both stamens and pistils 

Perfoliate: the stem apparently piercing the leaf or surrounded by basally 

joined opposite leaves 

Perianth: a collective term for the calyx and corolla 

Pericarp: the outer wall of mature fruit 

Perigynous: situated around but not attached to the ovary directly, describing 

a flower whose stamens and pistils are joined to the calyx tube and the ovary 

is superior 

144

Pernicious: harmful, destructive, or deadly in nature 

Persistent: remaining attached after the usual time of falling 

Petal: a single segment of a divided corolla 

Petaloid: having the appearance of a petal 

Petiole: the stalk of a leaf 

Petiolule: the stalk of a leaflet of a compound leaf 

Phloem: the food conducting tissue of vascular plants, bark 

Phyllary: one of the bracts below the flowerhead in the Asteraceae 

Pilose: having long, soft, straight hairs 

Pilosulose: bearing minute, long, soft, straight hairs 

Pinnate: with separate segments which are arranged feather-like on either side 

of a common axis 

Pinnatifid: so deeply cleft or cut as to appear pinnate 

Piriform: pear-shaped 

Pistil: the central reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of ovary, style and 

stigma 

Pistillate: a female flower that has two or more pistils but no functional 

stamens 

Pith: the spongy central tissue in some stems and roots 

Plane: with a flat surface 

Planoconvex: flat on one side and rounded on the other 

Plumose: appearing plumelike or feathery from fine hairs that line two sides 

of a central axis 

Pod: any dry, dehiscent fruit, especially a legume or follicle 

Pollinum: a mass of waxy pollen grains, in Asclepias and Orchidaceae 

Poly-: prefix meaning many 

Polyandrous: with many stamens 

Polyanthous: with many flowers 

Polycephalous: with many flower heads 

Polygamous: having both unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant 

Polyploid: with three or more complete sets of chromosomes in each cell 

Pome: a fleshy indehiscent fruit derived from an inferior, compound ovary 

and consisting of a modified floral tube surrounding a core with several seeds, 

such as an apple 

Poricidal: opening by pores, like a poppy capsule (compare loculicidal, 

septicidal) 

Posterior: on the side next to the axis (compare anterior) 

Praemorse: terminating abruptly, as if bitten off 

Prehensile: adapted for grasping, as in a tendril 

Prickle: a superficial, sharp-pointed outgrowth of the bark or epidermis 

Procumbent: lying flat or trailing but not rooting at the nodes 

Prostrate: lying flat 

Proximal: nearest the axis or base (compare distal) 

Prurient: causing itching 

Ptero-: prefix meaning winged 

Pterocarpous: with winged fruits 

Puberulence: fine, short hairs 

Puberulent: minutely pubescent 

Pubescent: covered with short, soft hairs 

Pulvinus: a swelling or enlargement at the base of a petiole or petiolule 

Punctate: dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or colored dots 

145 

Glossary

Glossary 

Puncticulate: minutely punctate 

Punctiform: reduced to a point 

Pungent: tipped with a sharp, rigid point 

Pustulose: with small blisters or pustules, often at the base of a hair 

Pyrene: the stone or pit of a drupe or drupelet 

Pyriform: pear-shaped 

Pyxis: a circumscissile capsule, the top coming off as a lid 

Q 

Quadrate: square, rectangular 

Quadri-: prefix meaning four 

Quilled: with tubular florets, especially in cases whre the florets are typically 

ligulate, as in some Asteraceae 

Quinate: with five nearly similar structures from a common point 

Quinque-: prefix meaning five 

R 

Raceme: an elongate, unbranched inflorescence with pedicelled flowers on 

the main stem 

Racemose: raceme-like or bearing racemes 

Rachilla: a small rachis, in particular the axis of a grass spikelet 

Rachis: the main stalk of a flower cluster or of a compound leaf, also that part 

of a fern frond stem that bears the leaflets 

Radical: belonging to or proceeding from the root 

Radiate: describing a flower head in the Asteraceae that contains both ray and 

disk flowers 

Radicant: rooting from the stem 

Radicle: part of the plant embryo which will develop into the primary root 

Ramose: with many branches, branching 

Rank: a vertical row usually of leaves or bracts that can be either opposite or 

alternate 

Ray: strap-like portion of a ligulate flower in Asteraceae 

Receptacle: the expanded apex of a flower stalk which bears the floral organs, 

either such structures as individual petals, sepals etc., or entire flowers in headlike 

inflorescences such as is typical of the Asteraceae 

Recumbent: leaning or reposing upon the ground 

Recurved: curved backwards or outwards 

Reflexed: abruptly bent or curved downward 

Regular: describes a flower with petals or sepals all of equal size and shape, i.e. 

radially symmetrical or capable of being divided into mirror images on either 

side of any plane that passes through the center 

Reniform: kidney-shaped or rounded with a notch at the base 

Repand: with an undulating margin, less strongly wavy than ‘sinuate’ 

Replum: partition or septum between the two valves or compartments of 

silicles or siliques in the Brassicaceae 

Resupinate: upside down due to twisting of the pedicel 

Reticulate: having a netted pattern 

Retrorse: bent backward or downward, reflexed (compare antrorse) 

Retuse: having a rounded apex with a shallow notch 

Revolute: having the margins inrolled toward the underside (compare 

convolute, involute) 

146

Rhizomatous: rhizome-like, with rhizomes 

Rhizome: an underground stem capable of producing new stems or plants at its 

nodes 

Rhombic: with the shape of a diamond 

Rosette: a cluster of leaves in a circular arrangement at the base of a plant, often 

called the basal rosette 

Rostrum: a beak-like structure 

Rotate: a rotate corolla is wheel-shaped with a short tube and a wide horizontally 

flaring limb 

Ruderal: growing in disturbed habitats, weedy 

Rudiment: an imperfectly developed organ, a vestige 

Rufous: reddish-brown 

Rugose: wrinkled 

Rugulose: slightly wrinkled 

Rucinate: sharply pinnatifid or cleft, the segments directed downward 

Runner: a slender stolon or prostrate stem rooting at the nodes or at the tip 

S 

Saccate: with a sac, or in the shape of a sac 

Sagittate: arrowhead-shaped, with two retrorse basal lobes 

Salient: projecting outward 

Salverform: with a slender tube abruptly expanded into a rotate limb 

Samara: dry fruit with wings that do not open when mature, as in maple trees 

Sanguineous: blood-red 

Saponaceous: soapy 

Saprophytic: deriving food from dead or decaying organic material in the soil 

and usually lacking in chlorophyll 

Scaberulent: slightly scabrous 

Scabrous: rough to the touch 

Scale: a greatly reduced leaf or other outgrowth on a plant surface 

Scape: a leafless flowering stem arising directly from the ground 

Scapose: with flowers borne on a scape 

Scarify: to roughen, score or scrape the hard, outer coating of a seed to assist in 

the absorption of moisture before germination, a process that many desert wash 

seeds require 

Scarious: thin, dry, membranous and more or less translucent 

Schizocarp: a dry, indehiscent fruit which splits into separate one-seeded 

segments (carpels) at maturity 

Scissile: splitting easily 

Sclerphyllous: with stiff, firm leaves 

Scobina: the zigzag rachilla of some grass spikelets 

Scorpioid: describing a coiled inflorescence 

Scurfy: covered with small scale-like or bran-like particles or projections 

Secund: borne from only one side of an axis 

Semi-: prefix meaning half 

Sepal: a single segment of a divided calyx 

Septicidal: said of a capsule, longitudinally dehiscent through the ovary wall at or 

near the center of each septa, preserving each locule as an intact entity (compare 

loculicidal, poricidal) 

Septum: any kind of a partition, specifically the wall between chambers in a 

compound ovary 

Seriate: arranged in rows or series 

147 

Glossary

Glossary 

Sericeous: covered with long, soft, straight, appressed hairs giving a silky 

appearance 

Serpentine: refers to soils that are low in calcium and high in magnesium and 

iron, derived from greenish or gray-green rocks that are essentially magnesium 

silicate, other characteristics of which are a high nickel and chromium content, 

and a low content of nutrients such as nitrogen 

Serrate: having sharp, forward-pointing teeth on the margin 

Serrulate: serrate with very small teeth 

Sessile: attached directly and without a petiole, pedicel or other type of stalk, 

said of either leaves or flowers 

Setaceous: bristle-like, with bristles 

Sheath: leafy, tubular structure on a sedge or grass that envelops the stem 

Shrub: a small, woody plant with several stems 

Silicle: fruit similar to a silique, but much shorter, not much longer than wide 

Silique: a type of capsule found in the Brassicaceae, either half of which peels 

away from a central, transparent, dividing membrane 

Simple: a leaf that has one part, not subdivided into leaflets 

Sinuate: strongly or deeply wavy, usually referring to a leaf margin 

Sinuous: of a wavy or serpentine form 

Sinus: the space or division, usually on a leaf, between two lobes or teeth 

Sori: clusters of spore sacs on a fern frond (singular: sorus) 

Sp: abbreviation for ‘species’ 

Spadix: a floral spike or head in which the flowers are borne on a fleshy axis 

Spathe: a large bract or pair of bracts subtending and usually partially enclosing 

an inflorescence 

Spatulate: spoon-shaped, gradually widening to a rounded apex 

Specific epithet: second part of a scientific name which identifies the species 

Spicate: arranged in a spike 

Spike: an elongated, unbranched inflorescence with sessile or nearly-sessile 

flowers 

Spikelet: in grasses, the smallest aggregation of florets plus any subtending 

glumes 

Spine: sharp-pointed rigid structure, usually a highly modified leaf or stipule 

Spinose: having a stiff and tough acuminate tip 

Spinulose: bearing very small spines 

Sporangium: a spore-case or sac in which spores are produced in a fern 

Spore: a reproductive cell resulting from meiotic cell division in a sprangium, 

representing the first cell of the gametophyte generation 

Spp: abbreviation for the plural of ‘species’ 

Spray: a slender shoot or granch with its leaves, flowers, or fruits 

Spur: a hollow extension of a petal or sepal such as characterizes the larkspurs, 

and which often produces nectar 

Squarrose: having spreading, recurved tips 

Ssp: abbreviation for ‘subspecies’ 

Stamen: the male or pollen-bearing organ of a flower, composed of filament 

and anthers 

Staminate: describing a male flower that contains one or more stamens but 

no functional pistils 

Staminode: a sterile stamen or other nonfunctional structure occupying the 

position and having the overall appearance of a stamen 

Standard: also called a banner, this is the upper petal or segment of a 

papilionaceous flower 

148

Stellate: starlike, with radiating branches and often referring to the pattern of 

hairs on the surface of a leaf 

Stem: the main upward-growing axis of a plant which bears the leaves and 

flowers 

Stigma: the terminal portion of a pistil, which receives the pollen 

Stipe: that portion of a fern frond below the rachis, i.e. below where the leaflets 

are attached 

Stipitate: borne on a stipe or stalk 

Stipule: an appendage at the base of a petiole, usually in pairs 

Stolon: an elongated horizontal shoot above or below the ground, rooting at 

the nodes or apex 

Stomate: a small pore or opening on the surface of a leaf through which 

gaseous exchange takes place, i.e. the diffusion of carbon dioxide, oxygen and 

water vapor 

Stone: the hard, woody endocarp enclosing the seed of a drupe 

Stramineus: straw-colored 

Strap-shaped: elongated and flat 

Striate: with fine longitudinal lines or ridges 

Strigose: covered with rough, stiff, sharp hairs that are more or less parallel to 

a particular surface 

Strobilus: a cone-like cluster of sporophylls on an axis, a cone 

Style: the narrowed portion of a pistil between and connecting the ovary and 

the stigma 

Sauveolent: fragrant 

Sub-: prefix meaning under, slightly, somewhat or almost 

Suber: cork 

Suberose: corky in texture 

Subshrub: a suffrutescent perennial plant 

Subspecies: a group of plants within a species that has consistent, repeating, 

genetic and structural distinctions 

Subtend: to occupy a position below and adjacent to 

Subulate: awl-shaped 

Succulent: fleshy, juicy and thickened 

Sucker: a shoot originating from below ground 

Suffrutescent: somewhat shrubby, slightly woody at the base 

Sulcate: with longitudinal grooves or furrows 

Summer annual: plant with seeds germinating in spring or early summer and 

completing flowering and fruiting in late summer or early fall (compare winter 

annual) 

Superior ovary: one that is located above the perianth and free of it 

Surcurrent: extending upward from the point of insertion, as a leaf base that 

extends up along the stem 

Surficial: growing near the ground, or spread over the surface of the ground 

Suture: a junction or seam of union, or a line of dehiscence 

Swale: a depression or shallow hollow in the ground, typically moist 

Sympatric: growing together with, or having the same range as 

Sympetalous: having the petals more or less united 

Syn-: prefix meaning united 

Synandrous: with united anthers 

Synoecious: having male and female flowers in the same flowerhead 

Synsepalous: having the sepals more or less united 

149 

Glossary

Glossary 

T 

Taproot: the primary root continuing the axis of the plant downward often 

quite deeply into the ground 

Taxon: any group of plants occupying a particular hierarchical category, such 

as genus or species 

Tendril: a slender portion of a leaf or stem, modified for twining 

Tepal: a collective term for sepals and petals, used when they cannot be easily 

differentiated 

Terete: round in cross-section, cylindrical 

Terminal: at the end of the branch or stem 

Ternate: in three’s, as a leaf which is divided into three leaflets 

Tetra-: prefix meaning four 

Thallus: a plant body which is not obviously differentiated into stems, roots, 

and leaves 

Theca: a pollen sac or cell of the anther 

Thorn: a short, stiff, sharp-pointed branch 

Three-ranked: in three vertical ranks or rows around an axis 

Throat: in some corollas with fused petals, the point of juncture between the 

tube and limb, a somewhat difficult point to distinguish 

Thryse: a compact, cylindrical, or ovate panicle with an interderminate main 

axis and cymose subaxes 

Tiller: in grasses the young vegetative shoots 

Tomentose: wooly, with long, soft, matted hairs 

Toothed: having small lobes or points along the margin (as on a leaf) 

Transpiration: emission of water vapor from the leaves 

Transverse: at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of a structure 

Tri-: prefix meaning three 

Triad: a cluster of three, as spikelets of Hordeum or Hilaria 

Triandrous: having three stamens 

Trichome: a hair-like outgrowth from the epidermis 

Trichotomous: three-forked 

Trifid: three-cleft to about the middle 

Trifoliate: having three leaves 

Trifoliolate: having three leaflets 

Tripinnate: thrice divided 

Tripinnatifid: thrice pinnately cleft 

Tropism: the turning of a plant part such as a leaf in response to some external 

stimuli 

Truncate: with a base or apex appearing as if cut straight across 

Tube: the lower or narrower portion of a corolla or calyx 

Tuber: a short, thickened underground stem which bears numerous buds 

Tubercle: a knoblike projection 

Tufted: in a dense cluster 

Tumescent: somewhat tumid, swelling 

Turbinate: shaped like a top or inverted cone 

Turgid: swollen, expanded or inflated 

Twining: climbing by coiling around some support 

Two-ranked: in vertical ranks or rows on opposite sides of an axis (compare, 

distichous) 

150

U 

Umbel: a flat-topped or convex inflorescence with the pedicels arising more 

or less form a common point, like the struts of an umbrella 

Umbellulate: in the form of or having the appearance of an umbel 

Unarmed: lacking thorns or prickles 

Uncinate: hooked near the apex or having the form of a hook 

Unctuous: greasy, oily 

Undulate: wavy 

Uni-: prefix meaning one 

Unilocular: having only a single locule in the ovary 

Uniseriate: arranged in one row or series 

Unisexual: bearing either stamens or pistils but not both 

United: describes petals that are fused together 

Urceolate: urn-shaped or pitcher-like, contracted at the mouth 

Utricle: a small, thin-walled, single-seeded, bladdery-inflated fruit 

Uva: a grape-like berry formed from a superior ovary 

V 

Vaginate: provided with or surrounded by a sheath 

Valvate: opening by valves or provided with valves 

Valve: one of the parts or segments into which a dehiscent fruit splits 

Varicose: swollen or enlarged in places 

Variegated: having a variety of colors 

Vascular: containing both xylem, the principal water and mineral-conducting 

tissue, and phloem, food conducting tissue 

Vein: the vascular portion of a leaf 

Velutinous: velvety 

Venation: the arrangement of veins in a leaf 

Ventral: on the inner or axis side of an organ or the upper surface of a leaf 

Ventricose: inflated or swollen unequally on one side 

Vermicular: worm-shaped or wormlike, or of worm-eaten appearance 

Vernation: the arrangement of leaves within a bud 

Versatile: referring to an anther which attaches at or near its middle and is 

able to turn freely on its support (compare basifixed, dorsifixed) 

Verticil: an arrangement of similar parts around a central axis or point of 

attachment, a whorl 

Verticillate: same as ‘whorled’ 

Vesicle: a bladder or cavity 

Vespertine: opening or functioning in the evening 

Villous: with fine, long, unmatted hairs 

Vine: a plant with the stem not self-supporting, but climbing or trailing on 

some support 

Virgate: wand-like, straight, slender, and erect 

Viscid: sticky or greasy 

Vitreous: transparent 

W 

Wanting: absent, lacking, nonexistent 

Weed: a troublesome or aggressive plant that intrudes where it is not wanted, 

especially a plant that vigorously colonizes disturbed areas 

Whorl: a circle of three or more structures radiating outward from the same 

node 

151 

Glossary

Glossary 

Wing: a thin, paperlike flat margin bordering or extending from a seed capsule, 

stem or flower 

Winter annual: plant with seeds germinating in late summer or fall and 

completing flowering and fruiting in spring or summer (compare summer 

annual) 

Woolly: having soft, woollike hairs 

X 

X: a symbol which when placed before a specific epithet indicates a hybrid of 

two species 

Xeric: pertaining to arid or desert conditions, implying a minimal water supply 

throughout most of the year (compare mesic) 

Xero-: prefix meaning dry 

Xerophytic: adapted to dry or arid conditions, places where fresh water is 

scarce or where water absorption is difficult due to an excess of dissolved salts 

Xylem: the water-conducting tissue of vascular plants 

Xylocarp: a hard, woody fruit such as the coconut 

Z 

Zygomorphic: with inequality in the size or form of similar parts, specifically 

bilaterally symmetric and capable of being bisected into equal mirror-image 

halves along one plane only 

152

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Botany is an aggregative science and it is impossible to write a field guide 

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guide are to be considered edited because they are compilations of other 

descriptions. In compiling entries, multiple sources were used to get the best 

description for field identification. In most cases, language was used that is 

directly from the work of others. The frequency in which editorial choices 

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Notes on the photography 

The photography in this field guide is drawn from a number of different 

sources. The decision to utilize photographs that are under copyright was 

made with the understanding that this guide an educational, non–commercial 

tool for resource managers, educators, researchers, and the public. In the spirit 

of this non–commerical use, the decision to utilize copyrighted material was 

made according to the fair–use provision of United States copyright law. Under 

the fair–use provision, all copyright holders have been notified and permission 

requested where appropriate, permissions are noted with the image. The 

images in this field guide have been scaled to 300 dpi to assure the quality of the 

images for printing. Most of the images are smaller than 500 × 500 pixels. All 

photographs under copyright have been properly attributed with the photo’s 

author and year. Many thanks to the photographers and publishers willing to 

allow reproduction of this work. 

Large online sources for photos used in this volume: 

Alexander, Patrick. 2003–2011. Polyploid.net. 

http://www.polyploid.net/plants.html 

Charters, Michael L. 2002–2009. Wildflowers and Other Plants of Southern 

California. http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants 

Kinsey, T. Beth. 2003–2008. Wildflowers of Tucson. 

(Subsequently Wildflowers of Southeastern Arizona) 

http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/ 

Western New Mexico University, Zimmerman Herbarium. 2007. 

Vascular plants of the Gila Wilderness. 

http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/index.html 

159 

Works Cited

Works Cited 

Web resources 

The single best online resource for collections information in Arizona is the 

Southwest Environmental Information Network. This website is a digital 

archival project of all the herbariums in Arizona with a searchable database, 

plant photos, descriptions, and distribution data. 

http://seinet.asu.edu/seinet/index.php 

SEINet is also an online repository for NPS checklists from this and other 

public lands in the region. All these lists are associated with all known 

collections found on NPS lands and include photographs and interactive keys 

to help identify plants. Visit the NPS Flora page at: 

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/projects/index.php?proj=5 

Plant etymology information is drawn from: 

Charters, Michael L. 2003-2008 California Plant Names. 

http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/index2.html 

Most ethnobotanical information is drawn from: 

Moerman, Daniel. 2003. Native American Ethnobotany. 

http://herb.umd.umich.edu/ 

eFloras is the portal to the online Flora of North America. The site is also a link 

to many other useful floras. 

http://www.efloras.org 

Nomenclature and synonymy come from these sources: 

Tropicos: http://www.tropicos.org 

The Plant List: http://www.theplantlist.org 

Integrated Taxonomic Information System: http://www.itis.gov 

USDA Plants DB: http://plants.usda.gov 

160

A 

Acacia greggii 59 

Acmispon humistratus 111 

Acmispon strigosus 111 

Acourtia nana 78 

Adonis blazingstar 116 

alkali goldenbush 55 

Ambrosia deltoidea 53 

Ambrosia dumosa 54 

Ambrosia psilostachya 79 

Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia 95 

Amsinckia tessellata 95 

annual yellow sweetclover 113 

Antheropeas lanosum 85 

Aphanostephus ramosissimus var. humilis 80 

Arabian schismus 46 

Argemone pleiacantha 123 

Arida arizonica 81 

arid tansyaster 81 

Aristida purpurea 39 

Arizona cottonrose 89 

Arizona desert-thorn 65 

Arizona fluffweed 89 

Arizona popcornflower 103 

Arizona queen-of-the-night 72 

Asian mustard 104 

Astragalus didymocarpus 112 

Atriplex canescens 51 

Atriplex elegans 75 

Atriplex polycarpa 51 

Avena fatua 40 

B 

Baccharis sarothroides 54 

Baileya multiradiata 82 

beaded lipfern 36 

bearded cryptantha 96 

Bermudagrass 42 

Bigelow’s bluegrass 45 

bluedicks 78 

blue paloverde 57 

Boerhavia coccinea 120 

Bowlesia incana 77 

Brassica tournefortii 104 

bristly fiddleneck 95 

bristly nama 99 

brittlebush 55 

broadfruit combseed 101 

Bromus carinatus 40 

Bromus rubens 41 

brownplume wirelettuce 94 

buffelgrass 41 

burclover 113 

burrobush 54 

C 

caliche globemallow 119 

California brome 40 

California goldfields 89 

California poppy 124 

Calliandra eriophylla 57 

Calycoseris wrightii 82 

camphorweed 87 

Canadian horseweed 83 

candy barrelcactus 71 

Carnegiea gigantea 71 

Carrizo Creek globemallow 119 

Castilleja exserta 122 

catclaw acacia 59 

caterpillar phacelia 102 

cattle saltbush 51 

Cenchrus ciliaris 41 

Centaurea melitensis 83 

cheeseweed mallow 117 

Cheilanthes wootonii 36 

Chenopodium murale 75 

chia 115 

chuckwalla combseed 100 

Chylismia claviformis ssp. peeblesii 120 

cleftleaf wildheliotrope 101 

common barley 44 

common Mediterranean grass 46 

common sowthistle 93 

compass barrel cactus 71 

conyza 88 

Conyza canadensis 83 

Corydalis curvisiliqua ssp. occidentalis 123 

Coulter’s globemallow 118 

Coulter’s lupine 112 

creosote bush 68 

Cryptantha angustifolia 96 

Cryptantha barbigera 96 

Cucurbita digitata 108 

Cuman ragweed 79 

curvepod fumewort 123 

Cynodon dactylon 42 

D 

dainty desert hideseed 97 

Delphinium parishii 127 

Delphinium scaposum 127 

Descurainia pinnata 104 

Descurainia sophia 105 

desert broom 54 

desert evening-primrose 122 

desert globemallow 117 

desert Indianwheat 124 

desert larkspur 127 

desert marigold 82 

desert saltbush 51 

desert tobacco 129 

Diaperia verna 84 

Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum 78 

Dimorphotheca sinuata 84 

disc mayweed 90 

distant phacelia 102 

dwarf desertpeony 78 

dwarf white milkvetch 112 

161 

Index

Index 

E 

Eastern Mohave buckwheat 62 

Emmenanthe penduliflora 97 

Emory’s globemallow 118 

Encelia farinosa 55 

Ephedra trifurca 56 

Eragrostis lehmanniana , 34 

Eriastrum diffusum 125 

Erigeron divergens 85 

Eriogonum fasciculatum 62 

Eriophyllum lanosum 85 

Erodium cicutarium 114 

Erodium texanum 114 

Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana 124 

Eucrypta micrantha 97 

Euphorbia albomarginata 109 

Euphorbia capitellata 109 

Euphorbia micromera 110 

Euphorbia polycarpa 110 

exserted Indian paintbrush 122 

F 

fairyduster 57 

Ferocactus wislizeni 71 

Festuca octoflora 43 

fingerleaf gourd 108 

fivestamen tamarisk 68 

flatspine stickseed 98 

foothill deervetch 111 

foothill paloverde 58 

fourwing saltbush 51 

Fremont’s desert-thorn 66 

Funastrum cynanchoides 77 

G 

Geraea canescens 86 

Gilia scopulorum 125 

glandular cape marigold 84 

golden crownbeard 94 

Goodding’s willow 63 

Gordon’s bladderpod 106 

H 

Hartweg’s twinevine 77 

head sandmat 109 

Helianthus annuus 86 

Heliotropium curvassavicum 98 

herb sophia 105 

Heterotheca subaxillaris 87 

hoary bowlesia 77 

honey mesquite 58 

Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum 43 

Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum 44 

Hordeum vulgare 44 

I 

incienso 55 

162 

Isocoma acradenia 55 

Isocoma pluriflora 56 

J 

Jimmyweed 56 

Johnsongrass 47 

K 

Krameria erecta 60, 61 

L 

Lactuca serriola 87 

Laennecia coulteri 88 

Laennecia schiedeana 88 

Lappula occidentalis 98 

Larrea tridentata 68 

Lasthenia californica 89 

Lehmann lovegrass , 34 

Lepidium lasiocarpum 105 

leporinum barley 44 

lesser canarygrass 45 

lineleaf whitepuff 128 

lipstick weed 103 

littleleaf ratany 60 

littleseed canarygrass 45 

Logfia arizonica 89 

London rocket 107 

longleaf jointfir 56 

Lupinus sparsiflorus 112 

Lycium andersonii 64 

Lycium exsertum 65 

Lycium fremontii 66 

Lycium torreyi 67 

M 

Machaeranthera arida 81 

Machaeranthera tanacetifolia 90 

Maltese star-thistle 83 

Malva parviflora 117 

manybristle cinchweed 91 

Matricaria discoidea 90 

Medicago polymorpha 113 

Melilotus indicus 113 

Mentzelia multiflora 116 

Menzies’ common fiddleneck 95 

mesquite mistletoe 128 

Mexican tea 56 

miniature woollystar 125 

Moapa bladderpod 106 

Mohave lupine 112 

Mohave seablite 52 

Monolepis nuttalliana 76 

mouse barley 44 

N 

Nama demissa 99 

Nama hispida 99

nettleleaf goosefoot 75 

Nicotiana glauca 67 

Nicotiana obtusifolia 129 

nightblooming cereus 72 

Nuttall’s povertyweed 76 

O 

Oenothera caespitosa 121 

Oenothera primiveris 122 

Oligomeris linifolia 128 

P 

Panamint cryptantha 96 

Parkinsonia florida 57 

Parkinsonia microphylla 58 

Pectis papposa 91 

Pectocarya heterocarpa 100 

Pectocarya penicillata 100 

Pectocarya platycarpa 101 

Peebles’ browneyes 120 

Peniocereus greggii 72 

Pennisetum ciliare 41 

Phacelia crenulata 101 

Phacelia distans 102 

Phalaris minor 45 

Phoradendron californicum 128 

Physalis acutifolia 129 

Physaria gordonii 106 

Physaria tenella 106 

pineland marshtail 88 

Plagiobothrys arizonicus 103 

plains dozedaisy 80 

Plantago ovata 124 

Poa bigelovii 45 

Polygonum argyrocoleon 126 

Polygonum aviculare 126 

prickly lettuce 87 

prickly Russian thistle 76 

Prosopis glandulosa 58 

Prosopis velutina 59 

prostrate knotweed 126 

puncturevine 130 

purple mat 99 

purple threeawn 39 

R 

red brome 41 

redstem stork’s bill 114 

rock gilia 125 

S 

saguaro 71 

Salix gooddingii 63 

Salsola tragus 76 

salt heliotrope 98 

Salvia columbariae 115 

scarlet spiderling 120 

Schismus arabicus 46 

Schismus barbatus 46 

Senegalia greggii 59 

shaggyfruit pepperweed 105 

sharpleaf groundcherry 129 

silversheath knotweed 126 

Sisymbrium irio 107 

sixweeks fescue 43 

sleeping combseed 100 

small coastal germander 115 

smallseed sandmat 110 

smooth barley 43 

Sonchus asper 92 

Sonchus oleraceus 93 

Sonoran sandmat 110 

Sorghum halepense 47 

southern goldenbush 56 

southwestern pricklypoppy 123 

Sphaeralcea ambigua 117 

Sphaeralcea coulteri 118 

Sphaeralcea emoryi 118 

Sphaeralcea laxa 119 

Sphaeralcea orcuttii 119 

spiny sowthistle 92 

spreading fleabane 85 

spring pygmycudweed 84 

Stephanomeria pauciflora 94 

strigose bird’s foot trefoil 111 

Suaeda nigra 52 

sunflower 86 

T 

tall mountain larkspur 127 

Tamarix chinensis 68 

tansyleaf tansyaster 90 

Teucrium cubense ssp. densum 115 

Texas stork’s bill 114 

tocalote 83 

Torrey wolfberry 67 

tree tobacco 67 

triangle bur ragweed 53 

Tribulus terrestris 130 

tufted evening primrose 121 

V 

velvet mesquite 59 

Verbesina encelioides 94 

Verbesina encelioides ssp. exauriculata 94 

Vulpia octoflora 43 

W 

water jacket 64 

western tansymustard 104 

wheelscale saltbush 75 

whisperingbells 97 

white Easterbonnets 85 

whitemargin sandmat 109 

white ratany 61 

white tackstem 82 

wild oat 40 

163 

Index

Index 

wild turnip 104 

wolfberry 64 

Y 

yellow paloverde 58 

164

Casa Grande Ruins NM Plant Checklist 

This park checklist is part of the Flora of the Sonoran Desert Network, a project 

of the Vegetation Mapping program at the Sonoran Desert Network (http://science. 

nature.nps.gov/im/units/sodn). 

This checklist has been derived from baseline inventory data, herbarium records, 

the phylogenetic and ecological literature, and agency study records. All non-native 

species are in bold. Voucher status codes: X = voucher in regional herbaria, O = 

observed in park, U = unconfirmed 

Amaranthaceae 

Voucher 

Status 

Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt. fourwing saltbush X 

Atriplex elegans (Moq.) D. Dietr. wheelscale saltbush X 

Atriplex polycarpa (Torr.) S. Watson cattle saltbush U 

Chenopodium murale Linnaeus nettleleaf goosefoot X 

Monolepis nuttalliana 

(J.A. Schultes) Greene 

Nuttall’s povertyweed X 

Salsola tragus Linnaeus prickly Russian thistle X 

Suaeda nigra (Raf.) J.F. Macbr. Mojave seablite X 

Apiaceae 

Bowlesia incana Ruiz & Pavon hoary bowlesia X 

Apocynaceae 

Funastrum cynanchoides fringed twinevine X 

(Decne.) Schlechter 

Nerium oleander Linnaeus (not treated) oleander O 

Asparagaceae 

Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum bluedicks X 

(Benth.) Wood 

Asteraceae 

Acourtia nana dwarf desertpeony X 

(A. Gray) Reveal & King 

Ambrosia deltoidea (Torr.) Payne triangle burr ragweed U 

Ambrosia dumosa (A. Gray) Payne burrobush U 

Ambrosia psilostachya DC. Cuman ragweed O 

Aphanostephus ramosissimus var. humilis plains dozedaisy X 

Arida arizonica arid tansyaster X 

(R. C. Jackson & R. R. Johnson) D. R. Morgan & R. Hartmann 

Baccharis sarothroides A. Gray desertbroom X 

Baileya multiradiata desert marigold X 

Harvey & A. Gray ex A. Gray 

Calycoseris wrightii A. Gray white tackstem X 

Centaurea melitensis Linnaeus Maltese star-thistle U 

Conyza canadensis (Linnaeus) Cronq. Canadian horseweed U 

Diaperia verna Raf. spring pygmycudweed X 

Dimorphotheca sinuata DC. glandular cape marigold U 

Encelia farinosa A. Gray ex Torr. brittlebush X 

Erigeron divergens Torr. & A. Gray spreading fleabane X 

Eriophyllum lanosum (A. Gray) Rydb. white easterbonnets X 

165 

Casa Grande Ruins Checklist

Casa Grande Ruins Checklist 

Geraea canescens Torr. & A. Gray hairy desertsunflower X 

Helianthus annuus Linnaeus common sunflower X 

Heterotheca subaxillaris camphorweed X 

(Lam.) Britt. & Rusby 

Isocoma acradenia (Greene) Greene alkali goldenbush X 

Isocoma pluriflora southern goldenbush, Jimmyweed U 

(Torr. & A. Gray) Greene 

Lactuca serriola Linnaeus prickly lettuce U 

Laennecia coulteri (A. Gray) Nesom conyza X 

Laennecia schiedeana (Less.) Nesom pineland marshtail X 

Lasthenia californica DC. ex Lindl. California goldfields X 

Logfia arizonica (A. Gray) Holub Arizona cottonrose X 

Machaeranthera tanacetifolia tanseyleaf tansyaster X 

(Kunth) Nees 

Matricaria discoidea DC. disc mayweed X 

Pectis papposa Harvey & A. Gray manybristle chinchweed X 

Sonchus asper (Linnaeus) Hill spiny sowthistle X 

Sonchus oleraceus Linnaeus common sowthistle X 

Stephanomeria pauciflora brownplume wirelettuce X 

(Torr.) A. Nelson 

Verbesina encelioides golden crownbeard X 

(Cav.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex A. Gray 

Verbesina encelioides ssp. exauriculata golden crownbeard X 

(Cav.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex A. Gray 

Boraginaceae 

Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia common fiddleneck X 

(Lehm.) A. Nelson & J.F. Macbr. 

Amsinckia tessellata A. Gray bristly fiddleneck X 

Cryptantha angustifolia (Torr.) Greene Panamint cryptantha X 

Cryptantha barbigera (A. Gray) Greene bearded cryptantha X 

Emmenanthe penduliflora Benth. whisperingbells X 

Eucrypta micrantha (Torr.) Heller dainty desert hideseed X 

Heliotropium curassavicum Linnaeus salt heliotrope X 

Lappula occidentalis (S. Watson) Greene flatspine stickseed X 

Nama demissa A. Gray purplemat X 

Nama hispida A. Gray bristly nama X 

Pectocarya heterocarpa chuckwalla combseed X 

(I.M. Johnston) I.M. Johnston 

Pectocarya platycarpa broadfruit combseed X 

(Munz & Johnston) Munz & Johnston 

Phacelia crenulata Torr. ex S. Watson cleftleaf wildheliotrope X 

Phacelia distans Benth. distant phacelia X 

Plagiobothrys arizonicus Arizona popcornflower X 

(A. Gray) Greene ex A. Gray 

Brassicaceae 

Brassica tournefortii Gouan Asian mustard X 

Descurainia pinnata (Walt.) Britt. western tansymustard X 

Descurainia sophia herb sophia U 

(Linnaeus) Webb ex Prantl 

Lepidium lasiocarpum Nutt. shaggyfruit pepperweed X 

Physaria gordonii gordon bladderpod X 

(A. Gray) O’Kane & Al’Shehbaz 

166

Physaria tenella Moapa bladderpod X 

(A. Gray) O’Kane & Al’Shehbaz 

Sisymbrium irio Linnaeus London rocket X 

Cactaceae 

Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose saguaro O 

Ferocactus wislizeni candy barrelcactus X 

(Engelm.) Britt. & Rose 

Peniocereus greggii (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose nightblooming cereus U 

Cucurbitaceae 

Cucurbita digitata A. Gray fingerleaf gourd X 

Ephedraceae 

Ephedra trifurca Torr. ex S. Watson longleaf jointfir U 

Euphorbiaceae 

Euphorbia albomarginata whitemargin sandmat X 

(Torr. & A. Gray) Small 

Euphorbia capitellata (Engelm.) Millsp. head sandmat X 

Euphorbia micromera Sonoran sandmat X 

(Boiss. ex Engelm.) Wooton & Standl. 

Euphorbia polycarpa smallseed sandmat X 

(Benth.) Millsp. ex Parish 

Fabaceae 

Acmispon humistratus foothill deervetch X 

(Benth.) D.D. Sokoloff 

Acmispon strigosus strigose bird’s-foot trefoil X 

(Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) Brouillet 

Astragalus didymocarpus Hook. & Arn. dwarf white milkvetch X 

Calliandra eriophylla Benth. fairyduster X 

Canavalia ensiformis (not treated) wonderbean X 

(Linnaeus) DC. 

Lupinus sparsiflorus Benth. Coulter’s lupine X 

Medicago polymorpha Linnaeus burclover X 

Melilotus indicus (Linnaeus) All. annual yellow sweetclover X 

Parkinsonia florida blue paloverde U 

(Benth. ex A. Gray) S. Watson 

Parkinsonia microphylla Torr. yellow paloverde X 

Prosopis glandulosa Torr. honey mesquite U 

Prosopis velutina Wooton velvet mesquite O 

Senegalia greggii catclaw acacia X 

(A. Gray) Britton & Rose 

Geraniaceae 

Erodium cicutarium redstem stork’s bill X 

(Linnaeus) L’Hér. ex Ait. 

Erodium texanum A. Gray Texas stork’s bill X 

Krameriaceae 

Krameria erecta Willd. ex J.A. Schultes littleleaf ratany U 

Krameria grayi Rose & Painter white ratany X 

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Lamiaceae 

Salvia columbariae Benth. chia X 

Teucrium cubense ssp. densum(Jacq.) Jeps. small coastal germander X 

Loasaceae 

Mentzelia multiflora (Nutt.) A. Gray Adonis blazingstar X 

Malvaceae 

Malva parviflora Linnaeus cheeseweed mallow X 

Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray desert globemallow X 

Sphaeralcea coulteri (S. Watson) A. Gray Coulter’s globemallow X 

Sphaeralcea emoryi Torr. ex A. Gray Emory’s globemallow X 

Sphaeralcea laxa Wooton & Standl. caliche globemallow U 

Sphaeralcea orcuttii Rose Carrizo Creek globemallow U 

Nyctaginaceae 

Boerhavia coccinea P. Mill. scarlet spiderling U 

Onagraceae 

Chylismia claviformis ssp. peeblesii Peebles’ browneyes X 

(Munz) W.L. Wagner & Hoch 

Oenothera caespitosa ssp. marginata tufted evening-primrose X 

(Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) Munz 

Oenothera primiveris A. Gray desert evening-primrose X 

Orobanchaceae 

Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta exserted Indian paintbrush X 

Papaveraceae 

Argemone pleiacantha ssp. pleiacantha southwestern pricklypoppy X 

Corydalis curvisiliqua ssp. occidentalis scrambled eggs X 

Engelm. 

Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana California poppy X 

(Greene) C. Clark 

Plantaginaceae 

Plantago ovata Forsk. wesert Indianwheat X 

Poaceae 

Aristida purpurea Nutt. purple threeawn X 

Avena fatua Linnaeus wild oat U 

Bromus carinatus Hook. & Arn. California brome X 

Bromus rubens Linnaeus red brome X 

Cenchrus ciliaris Linnaeus buffelgrass U 

Cynodon dactylon (Linnaeus) Pers. Bermudagrass X 

Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees Lehmann lovegrass U 

Festuca octoflora Walter sixweeks fescue X 

Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum smooth barley X 

(Steud.) Tzvelev 

Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum lepor barley X 

(Link) Arcang. 

Hordeum vulgare Linnaeus common barley U 

Phalaris minor Retzius littleseed canarygrass X 

Poa bigelovii Vasey & Scribn. Bigelow’s bluegrass X 

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Schismus arabicus Nees Arabian schismus X 

Schismus barbatus common Mediterranean grass X 

(Loefl. ex Linnaeus) Thellung 

Sorghum halepense (Linnaeus) Pers. Johnsongrass U 

Polemoniaceae 

Eriastrum diffusum (A. Gray) Mason miniature woollystar X 

Gilia scopulorum M.E. Jones rock gilia X 

Polygonaceae 

Eriogonum fasciculatum Benth eastern Mojave buckwheat X 

Polygonum argyrocoleon Steud. ex Kunze silversheath knotweed X 

Polygonum aviculare Linnaeus prostrate knotweed U 

Pteridaceae 

Cheilanthes wootonii Maxon beaded lipfern X 

Ranunculaceae 

Delphinium parishii ssp. parishii A. Gray Parish’s larkspur X 

Delphinium scaposum Greene tall mountain larkspur X 

Resedaceae 

Oligomeris linifolia (Vahl) J.F. Macbr. lineleaf whitepuff X 

Salicaceae 

Salix gooddingii Ball Goodding’s willow X 

Santalaceae 

Phoradendron californicum Nutt. mesquite mistletoe X 

Solanaceae 

Lycium andersonii A. Gray water jacket O 

Lycium exsertum A. Gray Arizona desert-thorn X 

Lycium fremontii A. Gray Fremont’s desert-thorn X 

Lycium torreyi A. Gray squawthorn X 

Nicotiana glauca Graham tree tobacco X 

Nicotiana obtusifolia Mertens & Galeotti desert tobacco X 

Physalis acutifolia (Miers) Sandw. sharpleaf groundcherry X 

Tamaricaceae 

Tamarix chinensis Lour. fivestamen tamarisk X 

Zygophyllaceae 

Larrea tridentata creosote bush X 

(Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Coville 

Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus puncturevine O 

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Photo Credits: Lower right © 2008 John Marquis, all others © 2008 T. Beth Kinsey,

Plants of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - NPS Inventory ...

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