WILD
FLOWERS
of
Zion and Bryce Canyon
NATIONAL PARKS
and
Cedar Breaks
NATIONAL MONUMENT
Text and Color Photographs by
CARL E. JEPSON
Chief Park Naturalist
and
LELAND F. ALLEN
Park Naturalist
Published and Copyright 1958
by
ZION-BRYCE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
in cooperation with the
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
UTAH
INTRODUCTION
In these areas of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument, four life zones are found extending from low elevations of near 3,600 feet to extremes of over 11,300 feet. The area within elevations from the lowest point to 4,000 feet is the Lower Sonoran Zone; above that to 7,000 feet is the Upper Sonoran Zone; from 7,000 to 8,500 feet is the Transition Zone; above that to 10,000 feet is the Canadian Zone; and from 10,000 feet to the highest point on Brian Head Peak is the Hudsonian Zone.
Native plants typical of desert, mesa and mountain grow within these extremes of elevation and include a wide variety of species. Of the three areas featured, Cedar Breaks National Monument contains the greatest variety, and frequently exhibits marvelous displays, depending on the amount of rainfall from year to year.
The purpose of this booklet is to help visitors in their enjoyment of the flowers they find along the roadways and trails—flowers they observe, appreciate and probably photograph but leave UNPICKED for the pleasure of others.
Through the mediums of color photography and color lithography one hundred and six species of wild flowers and plants most commonly seen are presented in closeup detail as an aid to identification. Brief descriptions of size, habitat, blooming period, use, economic value and other details are given.
The flowers have been arranged in a general order of families, except that occasionally, for the convenience of preparing the color plates, flowers of similar color or density have been grouped on a page although they are not in the same family nor closely related.
The Standardized Plant Names of the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature has been followed as the guide. In case of locally used common names, such has been indicated in the text.
This booklet on Wild Flowers has been produced by the Zion-Bryce Natural History Association in cooperation with the National Park Service. The Association has for its objective the fuller interpretation of the scenic, scientific, aesthetic and historic values of these National Parks, to the end that park visitors are provided with such information, audio and visual aids as will help them gain a better understanding and greater appreciation of the phenomena they find in them.
It is hoped that this brief treatise on the flora may prove helpful to many visitors in learning more about some of the important species of plant life that they may discover during their visits to the Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Credit for the photographic work goes to several individuals, all members of the interpretive staffs of these areas during the past few years. Park Naturalists Carl E. Jepson and Leland F. Allen have prepared the descriptive information given for each flower.
The printing and color processing by the Wheelwright Lithographing Company, 975 So. West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.
1. SEGOLILY MARIPOSALily Family
Calochortus nuttallii
The Segolily Mariposa was chosen as the State Flower of Utah probably because of the important use early pioneers made of the root bulbs of this plant in supplementing their meager diets during the early settlement period. The name “Sego” (pronounced see-go) is of Shoshonean origin, and this flower was sacred in Indian legend long before the arrival of Utah pioneers in 1847.
This plant is found in rather dry, rocky soils and puts on a very showy display during May and June. It is more commonly known as the Mariposa Lily in other sections of the country, but in Utah it is called the Segolily.
There are three species in color of white, pink and yellow found in the Zion Region.
Segolily Mariposa
2. YELLOW MARIPOSALily Family
Calochortus nuttallii var. aureus
Found only in the petrified forest of the Coalpits Wash section of Zion National Park, this plant is not very abundant and probably suffered from overgrazing by livestock during the settlement period before Zion became a National Park.
Mariposa in Spanish means butterfly.
This species with bright-yellow flowers is associated with a specific geologic stratum—the Petrified Forest member of the Chinle formation. It is found in great abundance in the Petrified Forest National Monument near Holbrook, Arizona.
Yellow Mariposa
3. PRAIRIE SPIDERWORTSpiderwort Family
Tradescantia occidentalis
In the sandy areas at elevations above 4,000 feet you may find this pretty, three-petaled, deep-blue flower on its slender stalk about a foot or more in height blooming early in June. The flowers bloom at night, so are not easily found except early in the mornings. The plant is fairly abundant along the Narrows Trail, the East Rim Trail and near the East Entrance Station of Zion National Park.
Indians used the entire plant for food.
Prairie Spiderwort
4. BLUEDICKSLily Family
Dichelostemma pulchellum
This bright-blue flower, on its long, slender stalk, has a number of common names, such as Wild Hyacinth, Grass Nuts and Spanish Lily. The bulb of this plant has a nutty flavor. It was gathered by the Indians and early pioneers for food in some sections of the country. It is found sparingly in good soil areas.
Bluedicks
5. PURPLESPOT FRITILLARYLily Family
Fritillaria atropurpurea
A rather rare lily sometimes called Leopard Lily or Bronze Bell. Its drooping flowers on fairly tall stems are found growing in the Sagebrush areas or in alpine meadows. As they are not very conspicuous, they are often overlooked by visitors. The petals, with their mottled effect in brown, yellow and purple spots, present a remarkable pattern of beauty when observed closely. The odor of the plant is not pleasing to humans, but is no doubt attractive to insects.
Purplespot Fritillary
6. FINELEAF YUCCALily Family
Yucca angustissima
The name “Our Lord’s Candlestick” was given to this tall, conspicuous plant of the desert by the early Spanish Padres, who were the first white men to see this region of Southern Utah. During May and June the waxy-white flowers bloom on tall stalks and soon mature into rather large seed pods.
Indians made very good use of all parts of the plant. Its fiber was used for making sandals and clothing, the seeds provided food, and the roots were used for making soap. The Navajo Indian called it Yaybi-tsa-si, which means literally “Yucca of the Gods.”
Fineleaf Yucca
7. MOUNTAIN DEATHCAMASLily Family
Zigadenus elegans
An onion-like plant with a long, loose cluster of small, creamy-white flowers. Its root is shaped much like that of the onion, but is odorless. The plant is poisonous to man and beast. Deathcamas is found mostly in meadows or wet places on the plateaus where it presents a serious danger to grazing cattle and sheep. At Cedar Breaks it blooms during July and August and is fairly common in the alpine meadows.
Mountain Deathcamas
8. WILD BUCKWHEATBuckwheat Family
Eriogonum umbellatum
Wild Buckwheat is commonly associated with Sagebrush and arid regions of the West. Many species of the genus are found blooming throughout the summer season.
The spreading branches grow close to the ground and help reduce erosion, and the yearly accumulation of leaves adds humus to the soil. The flower head at the top of single stalks, with its many-branched, dense cluster in a lacy pattern, makes a fine floral display of yellow. The flowers are important to the honey bee, and the ripened seeds are diligently sought by the chipmunks, other rodents and several birds.
Wild Buckwheat
9. GREEN EPHEDRAJointfir Family
Ephedra viridis
Not a very showy plant with its pale-green stems, very small leaves and inconspicuous flowers. It is probably of greatest interest because of the use made of the plant by early pioneers in brewing a tea, which served as a tonic for various ailments. It was commonly called Brigham Tea, Squaw Tea or, more generally, Mormon tea.
The plant is a relative of the Pines and Firs and is very able to withstand drouth. It is found fairly abundantly in the Sagebrush and Saltbush areas of the Upper Sonoran Zone.
The drug ephedrine is obtained from some of the species of Ephedra found in China.
Green Ephedra
10. FOURWING SALTBUSHGoosefoot Family
Atriplex canescens
A silvery-green, profusely branched shrub growing two to five feet high with conspicuous clusters (in late summer) of four-winged seeds about the same color as the leaves. It is very common in the Sonoran Zones and abundant in the alkaline flats of the Great Basin of Utah. In the lower portion of Zion Canyon it is abundant and often taken to be Sagebrush, which it resembles to some extent.
This plant is of value as forage for livestock, and deer feed upon it to a limited extent.
Fourwing Saltbush
11. CALYPSO ORCHIDOrchid Family
Calypso bulbosa
If you travel to the mountains early in June or July, you may be lucky enough to find this beautiful flower, the dainty Calypso or Fairy Slipper Orchid, as it blooms in the dense woods of Spruce and Pine or in the deep canyons along shady streams at elevations above 6,000 feet. The flowers grow singly on stems 4 to 6 inches high and have only one large leaf. The plant takes part of its food from decaying wood or other organic matter.
Thoughtless picking of this flower has made it very rare and in danger of becoming extinct. Please do your part to help save the Fairy Slipper Orchid.
Calypso Orchid
12. FOUR-O’CLOCKFour-O’Clock Family
Mirabilis multiflora
Closely resembling the cultivated variety of Four-O’Clock, this plant, with its abundance of brilliant magenta-colored flowers, is one of the spectacular sights in May or early June. It is a sturdy perennial with thick, glossy-green leaves spreading low over the ground. The south-facing slopes in the Sonoran Zones are its most common habitat, but it is also found in the broken lava fields. Being a night bloomer, the flowers close during the bright daylight hours and open at about four o’clock in the afternoon. Its blooming season is generally brief, about two or three weeks, but it sometimes blooms twice in the same summer.
Four-O’Clock
13. SPRINGBEAUTYPurslane Family
Claytonia lanceolata
Found abundantly at Cedar Breaks during May and early June and also in the shady canyons of Zion in the Transition Zone. Each plant has two narrow leaves near the base, each about 2 inches long, above which are four to five practically leafless branches with a single flower at the top of each. The plant is rarely over 6 inches high; more commonly it is flat to the ground. Flowers vary in color from white to pink or sometimes the white blossoms have pink veins or stripes which tend to accentuate their beauty. Usually one of the early blooming flowers of the high plateaus, along with the Indianpotato and Buttercup.
Springbeauty
14. BITTERROOTPortulaca Family
Lewisia rediviva
This beautiful, dwarfed plant, never more than an inch or two high, is found during May mostly on the lava fields of the Transition Zone in Zion National Park. Its flower of white petals with pink veins is about 2 inches in diameter.
The Bitterroot was discovered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark expedition while passing through western Montana. It was later named Lewisia rediviva by the botanist Pursh.
The plant is of economic importance to the Northwestern Indians, who discovered that the bitter, parsnip-shaped roots possess a nutritious heart of starch, which cooking reduces to a pasty mass, palatable, at least, to Indian taste.
Bitterroot
15. MARSHMARIGOLDButtercup Family
Caltha leptosepala
A plant of the high elevations, generally above 9,000 feet, and found abundantly at Cedar Breaks, where it comes into bloom almost as soon as the first patches of bare ground appear. Coming out usually in April or May, depending on the season, Marshmarigolds are among the earliest blooming flowers of the high elevations and often carpet the alpine meadows with a spread of white blossoms.
The white sepals, that make up the showy flower, are often mistaken for petals, which are absent. The mass of anthers of the stamens give the flower its brilliant yellow center.
Marshmarigold
16. BUTTERCUPButtercup Family
Ranunculus sp.
A number of species of Buttercups bloom in these areas in early April or May on the Plateaus and later in the shady canyons. In their respective areas they are often the first flowers of Spring and are followed closely by the Springbeauties or sometimes preceded by the tiny white Indianpotato of the Parsnip Family.
A thrilling sight is to find the waxy flowers of the early Buttercups at the very edge of the receding snowbanks. The blooming season for Buttercups is very brief, as a general rule, but the different species come into bloom successively.
Buttercup
17. COLUMBINEButtercup Family
Aguilegia sp.
These beautiful flowers are well known because of their wide distribution and common use as cultivated species in flower gardens. They have conspicuously shaped petals with long, hollow spurs, which contain honey and thereby attract certain insects and especially the hummingbirds. Columbines are probably the most beautiful of the native flowers of Zion, Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks, as they bring forth very attractive displays during the summer months. The White Columbine at Cedar Breaks is extremely large.
Columbine
18. LARKSPURButtercup Family
Delphinium sp.
Larkspurs are found abundantly at Cedar Breaks during July and August in the alpine meadows of the Monument. The leaves are very similar to those of the Monkshood, but the flowers differ in color and shape. The single spur of one of the sepals is the marked feature of the Larkspur. Color and size vary greatly for the different species; but the most common variety at Cedar Breaks is 2 to 3 feet tall, and the flowers are a purplish blue.
Larkspur
19. MONKSHOODButtercup Family
Aconitum columbianum
Found abundantly at Cedar Breaks in the more open forested areas where there is partial shade and plenty of moisture. The purple Monkshood rank almost as high as their cousins the Columbines and Larkspurs in charm and beauty, with a quaintness and individuality all their own. The flower features a modified sepal shaped like a hood or helmet that protects the stamens. Extracts from the thick, turnip-shaped root are used medicinally in the treatment of certain heart diseases.
Monkshood
20. WESTERN BANEBERRYButtercup Family
Actaea arguta
This plant may be found in the shady forest of good moisture. It is about one to two feet tall with handsome leaves but rather inconspicuous heads of creamy-white flowers. The conspicuous bright-red or waxy-white berries about the size of peas in a dense cluster make a very attractive display in late summer. The berries are somewhat poisonous, hence the name Baneberry.
Baneberry
21. SAND BUTTERCUPButtercup Family
Ranunculus juniperinus
One of the very early blooming plants in Zion in the Transition or Upper Sonoran Zone, which often appears from mid-February to April, in bare sandy places among the Junipers and Pinyons, is the Sand Buttercup. Along the trail to the Canyon Overlook above the Great Arch is perhaps the best place to find this plant in Zion.
The flowers, a pinkish white, are found on short stems or spreading branches close to the ground. As the plants are rather small and not very showy, it takes careful searching to find them.
Sand Buttercup
22. OREGON GRAPEBarberry Family
Berberis repens
Because of its hollylike leaves, this dwarf shrub is sometimes called the Holly Grape, but it is more commonly known as the Oregon Grape. A rather prostrate growth form accounts for a third common name; namely, Creeping Barberry.
This plant is found sparingly scattered over the areas and is probably more abundant in Zion than in Bryce Canyon or Cedar Breaks. The fruit looks very much like a cluster of grapes and is often gathered for the making of jellies or wine. The woody stems were used by the Indians in making a yellow dye.
The plants are helpful in holding the soil, as they spread close to the ground.
Oregon Grape
23. FREMONT BARBERRYBarberry Family
Berberis fremontii
This rather tall shrub of the Sonoran Zones puts on a remarkable display in April and May with its bright yellow flowers. It is most commonly seen along the highway leading to Zion National Park from the west.
Since the plant is a secondary host of the Blackstem Rust of cereals, it is not cultivated as an ornamental shrub.
Indians used the wood of this shrub for various implements or tools. They utilized the root, which contains berberine, for a tonic, and they also made from it a brilliant-yellow dye.
Fremont Barberry
24. ELK THISTLESunflower Family
Cirsium foliosum
This Thistle is widely scattered in these areas but is not very abundant. It is a stout plant, 2 to 3 feet tall, with large, prickly leaves. Its freshly budding flowers in deep pink are very attractive during the early summer. Hummingbirds and numerous insects gather food from its colorful flower head made up of many individual flowers. Some Thistles are very obnoxious and detrimental to agriculture.
Elk Thistle
25. CONEFLOWERSunflower Family
Rudbeckia occidentalis
At Cedar Breaks and in the high elevations of Zion and Bryce Canyon you can find this rank-growing plant in fair abundance. Its thimblelike, dark-brown flower head has numerous, inconspicuously small, yellow flowers that come out progressively up the cone from its base. The dark-brown cones, towering above the foliage of the plant, make a spectacular display against the deep-blue sky. The ripened seeds are very much sought after by rodents and numerous birds.
Coneflower
26. DESERT PRINCESPLUMEMustard Family
Stanleya pinnata
During the months of May and June this very conspicuous plant in Zion Canyon and throughout the Sonoran Zones may be found sending up its tall spikes of lemon-yellow flowers. On the same stalk can be found the ripened and opened seed pods (siliques), fresh-blooming flowers and unopened buds all at the same time. It has tall, stout stems, rather woody at the base, and differs from many plants in that it is tolerant of soils containing gypsum.
Desert Princesplume
27. STONECROPStonecrop Family
Sedum stenopetalum
Found mostly in very dry, rocky soil, these small plants, with smooth, fleshy leaves and starry-yellow flowers, are fairly conspicuous as they bloom during the early summer months. These plants have the ability to store up moisture in their fleshy leaves and stems. They are, therefore, well adapted to withstanding long periods of drouth. The plants are sometimes gathered for treatment of certain ailments.
Stonecrop
28. PRICKLYPOPPYPoppy Family
Argemone platyceras
You can find this plant, with its large, white flowers, most frequently along the road cuts or in abandoned fields where it has taken over as a weed. Its showy display is most abundant during midsummer or in July and August. The large, white flower, with its conspicuous yellow center, is sometimes called “The Cowboy’s Fried Egg.” The prickly leaves and stems account for another common name, Thistlepoppy. The plants are drought resistant and unpalatable to livestock. The seeds contain a narcotic drug more potent than opium.
Pricklypoppy
29. ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEEPLANTCaper Family
Cleome serrulata
Along the roadsides of Southern Utah near these areas of Zion, Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks you may find this pleasing floral display of orchid or purple presented by fields of the Rocky Mountain Beeplant.
It is probably an exotic that has been brought in during recent years. Because of the unpleasant odor of crushed herbage, this plant is sometimes called skunk weed. The flowers are an important source of honey, and the seeds are eaten by a number of birds, especially the doves.
Rocky Mountain Beeplant
30. YELLOW SPIDERFLOWERCaper Family
Cleome lutea
The plants of this genus are often called Beeplants. There are two species of Spiderflower in these areas. Yellow Spiderflower is not quite as common as the purplish-pink species commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Beeplant.
Both species are conspicuous roadside flowers in June and July. Although they are important sources of honey, they are not very sweet scented to humans. No doubt the odor helps attract insects to the flowers.
Yellow Spiderflower
31. ELDERHoneysuckle Family
Sambucus racemosa
This red-berried Elder is found the most abundantly at Cedar Breaks. It is also common along the highways through forested areas of the region.
The clusters of small white flowers that come on usually in June or July give way to bright-red berries in August and present a most attractive display.
Most Elders are edible and are eaten by birds and rodents. Some people gather the berries for wines and jellies. This species, however, is considered poisonous, and cases of poisoning have been reported from eating the berries, flowers, roots and bark.
The stalks of some Elders are pithy and fairly easily hollowed out. Indians used the stalks for making flutes.
Elder
32. LITTLELEAF MOUNTAINMAHOGANYRose Family
Cercocarpus intricatus
This low-growing shrub is fairly important as winter browse for deer and other browsing animals. The leathery leaves are evergreen, rather narrow, pointed at both ends and curled backwards from the sides. The flowers are very small and inconspicuous, but the fruits, with their long plumes, present an interesting display. The dead wood of this shrub is very useful to campers, as it burns with extremely hot flame and gives off very little smoke.
Littleleaf Mountainmahagony
33. STANSBURY CLIFFROSERose Family
Cowania stansburiana
In Zion this shrub is usually found at elevations above 4,000 feet, and it generally grows to be 6 to 8 feet high. During May and June its creamy-white flowers are suggestive of the Wild Rose. The habitat of the Cliffrose is the warm, dry slopes among the Pinyon and Juniper. Its twigs and evergreen leaves are browsed extensively by deer and other animals. The fragrance of this plant in bloom is remarkable and reminds one of Orange blossoms. The fruits are achenes and have pale, silky-haired tails 2 or more inches in length, which at times are very showy.
Stansbury Cliffrose
34. ANTELOPE BITTERBRUSHRose Family
Purshia tridentata
This shrub looks much like the Cliffrose, except for size. It is lower growing, has smaller pale-yellow flowers and its fruits are not plumed. The stubby, fan-shaped leaves are three pointed like those of the Big Sagebrush.
Bitterbrush is found most commonly on the warm, dry slopes above 4,000 feet, where it provides valuable year-round browse for deer and other animals. It is also known as Antelopebrush and Quininebush.
Antelope Bitterbrush
35. BLACKBRUSHRose Family
Colegyne ramosissima
A member of the Rose Family found mostly in the Sonoran Zones of Zion National Park. Several plants may be seen near the South Entrance Station. It is well named, as it has a burned and dead appearance during much of the year; however in late April and May it puts out minute grey-green leaves and creamy-yellow flowers made up of four sepals and no petals. The stamens are numerous. The Cliffrose, Bitterbrush and Mountain-mahogany are closely related to the Blackbrush.
Blackbrush
36. BUSH CINQUEFOILRose Family
Potentilla fruticosa
Found most commonly at Cedar Breaks, this member of the Rose Family puts on a very showy display for a brief period of the summer, generally in July or earlier at lower elevations. It is a shrub commonly 2 to 3 feet high with leaves that are five-parted, hence the name Cinquefoil. The shrub is often dotted all over with rose-like flowers, about an inch across, with clear-yellow petals and deeper yellow anthers. The plant is common in the mountains, across the continent, up to altitudes of 10,000 feet or more.
Bush Cinquefoil
37. PRAIRIESMOKERose Family
Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
This graceful plant, with its nodding, bell-shaped, pink-colored flowers, is found fairly abundantly in the alpine meadows of Cedar Breaks National Monument.
The plant has a number of common names such as: China Bells, Oldman-Whiskers, and Grandfather’s-beard. The silvery, plumose tails of the fruit present an attractive display, especially as the sun’s rays light the waving plumes in late afternoon or early morning.
Prairiesmoke plants are considered good forage for several animals, and the bumblebees gather its pollen for honey.
Prairiesmoke
38. WILD ROSERose Family
Rosa sp.
There are two species of the Wild Rose in Zion and two other species in Bryce Canyon, three of which are found at Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Wild Roses are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere and are too familiar to need much description. The flowers are fairly fragrant and have bright-pink petals with a large cluster of yellow stamens. The fruit of the rose, shaped like a small apple, turns a deep-red color late in the season and adds beauty to this plant during autumn.
Wild Rose
39. SERVICEBERRYRose Family
Amelanchier alnifolia
One of the very early blooming shrubs or small trees in Zion Canyon, and often seen in March or April as conspicuous white masses on the canyon walls among the Pinyon and Juniper trees, is the Serviceberry.
The white flowers occur in clusters and look much like a fruit tree in bloom. The berry is shaped like a very small apple, insipid to the taste, but nevertheless used extensively by the Indians and early settlers for food. The plant has a variety of common names, including the following: Juneberry, Shadbush, Saskatoon, Sarviceberry and Pigeonberry.
Serviceberry
40. CHOKECHERRYRose Family
Prunus virginiana
Chokecherry bushes or small trees are fairly common at elevations around 6,000 feet in these areas. Early in May, and sometimes even earlier, the white and fragrant blossoms present a pleasing sight. In July or August the ripened cherries supply food for humans, many birds and small animals.
The first autumn colors are often the Chokecherry leaves as they turn scarlet, brown and red.
These shrubs are browsed heavily by cattle and some by deer, especially if other forage is scarce.
Chokecherry
41. HONEY MESQUITEPea Family
Prosopis juliflora
A low-growing tree of the Lower Sonoran Zone. Uncommon in Zion but fairly abundant in the desert area adjacent to the park. In early spring during March and April bright-green leaves cover the tree, and often it is laden with catkinlike clusters of greenish-yellow flowers, which attract myriads of insects including the honey bees.
The wood of this tree was used extensively by early settlers for fuel, building corrals and in making furniture and utensils. The fruit of the Mesquite, resembling a string bean, is used for food by many animals. Indians also made wide use of it by grinding the beans into a meal called “Pinole.”
Honey Mesquite
42. LUPINEPea Family
Lupinus sp.
There are so many varieties of Lupine that it is most difficult to identify the numerous species. In this area they are found abundantly on the high plateaus, being especially plentiful at Cedar Breaks, where they fill whole meadows with a mass of blue color in midsummer.
The Lupines range in color from pale pink to deep purple, with some white, cream or yellow, but most of them are blue. Like other plants of the Pea Family, Lupines add nitrogen to the soil and thereby improve the land on which they grow. The seeds of a few species contain alkaloids which are poisonous to livestock, especially sheep.
Lupine
43. LOCOPea Family
Astragalus sp.
This very large genus of plants ranges from the hottest parts of the desert to high mountain peaks and far to the North. More than a dozen species are found in the Zion Region.
Some of the species contain a poisonous constituent causing, the often fatal, loco disease of livestock, particularly in horses.
Loco is a Spanish word meaning “Crazy.” Other species known as Poisonvetch, prefer soils rich in selenium, and take up enough of that toxic mineral to make them poisonous to livestock, especially sheep. The harmless species are called Milkvetch.
Nearly all the species are colorful and spectacular when in blossom, but some of them have a rank, disagreeable odor.
Loco
44. POISONVETCHPea Family
Astragalus sabulonum
This showy species of Astragalus is locally called Rattleweed because, when it is in fruit, its large, bladder-like, thin-walled pods become very brittle and give a distinct rattling sound when shaken. The pods are about one and a half inches long and heavily mottled reddish-brown in color.
The genus of Astragalus has been divided into three groups: Loco, Milkvetch and Poisonvetch. The species poisonous to livestock are commonly called Loco Weeds.
Poisonvetch
45. NEW MEXICO LOCUSTPea Family
Robinia neomexicana
This shrub or small tree is fairly common in Zion Canyon. It was probably brought in by the early settlers. Its large, showy flower grows in clusters at the ends of slender branches. The blooming season is during May and June.
The tree is very thorny and has the habit of sprouting from roots or stumps and of forming dense thickets which are valuable in controlling erosion. The foliage serves as food for browsing animals, especially the deer.
New Mexico Locust
46. DESERTBEAUTY DALEAPea Family
Dalea johnsoni
Sometimes confused with the Desert Sage or more commonly called the Purple Sage, which it resembles to some extent, this small shrub with light-gray bark, small, gray-green leaves and terminal spikes of brilliant-purple flowers is one of the most pleasing sights in early summer.
In Zion it is found mostly in the Coalpits Wash and Shunes Creek areas and blooms generally during May. Desertbeauty is a close relative of the “Smoke Tree” of the Desert.
Desertbeauty Dalea
47. FREMONT GERANIUMGeranium Family
Geranium fremontii
This beautiful, midsummer-blooming plant, growing about two feet high, is common on the plateaus and in the cool canyons.
The pink, veined petals, deeply lobed leaves and characteristic geranium odor help identify this plant. Some species have white flowers, but they are not common in this area. The flowers are perfect with five sepals, five petals, and five to ten stamens. The fruit is a long capsule and has given rise to the common name Cranesbill.
Cultivated Geraniums are really Pelargoniums from South Africa.
Fremont Geranium
48. ALFILERIAGeranium Family
Erodium cicutarium
This low-growing plant, spreading close to the ground, with its finely divided leaves and small, starry-pink flowers, puts on a remarkable display in the open meadows of the large canyons. It is one of the earliest blooming species in Zion Canyon, and in seasons of abundant rain it often presents the appearance of a pale-purple lawn.
On ripening, the seed capsules split open and shoot out the seeds—each with a tiny hook in its nose and a tail with successive tight coils like a corkscrew. The seed is apparently screwed into the ground by alternating moisture and dryness which winds and unwinds the seed plume.
Alfileria
49. LEWIS FLAXFlax Family
Linum lewisii
Here in Zion during May and June, growing along the trails on the plateaus and in cool canyons, you will find the beautiful and delicate blue flowers of the Wild Flax. The flower is nearly an inch across and has five sepals and five petals borne at the top of a slender stem having narrow leaves. At Bryce Canyon this plant is more abundant than at Zion or Cedar Breaks.
Wild Flax was named in honor of Captain Meriwether Lewis, who first discovered it, near the continental divide, during the famed Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-1806.
Lewis Flax
50. CREOSOTEBUSHCaltrop Family
Larrea tridentata
Probably the most characteristic shrub of the arid valleys and mesas of the Southwest is the Creosotebush, which is sometimes erroneously called Greasewood.
At times this plant fills the air with a peculiar pungent aroma that gives rise to the common name Creosotebush. Mexicans call it “Hediondilla” the (Little Bad Smeller.)
A sticky resin on the leaves is used as a poultice for bruises and sores. A resinous gum or lac deposited by scale insects on the branches is used by the Indians as a cement for fixing arrow points and mending of pottery.
Creosotebush
51. WHITEMARGIN EUPHORBIASpurge Family
Euphorbia albomarginata
This low-growing plant with abundant small, round or oval leaves and tiny white flowers is commonly called Carpetweed because of the manner in which it spreads over the ground.
Found mostly in the dry sandy soils, this plant serves as an excellent soil binder and is very helpful in preventing erosion.
The milky juice of this species is considered toxic and may cause dermatitis in susceptible persons. It is also known as Rattlesnake Feed and popularly supposed to be efficacious in treating snake bite.
Whitemargin Euphorbia
52. SCARLET GLOBEMALLOWMallow Family
Sphaeralcea coccinea
Very commonly found along the roadsides and especially prominent in the campgrounds or other disturbed areas. This member of the Mallow Family presents a lovely coral-red display as early as May, and it continues blooming throughout much of the summer.
Cotton belongs to this large and important family, which also contains such ornamental plants as the Hollyhock. Extensive fields of this flower present brilliant displays of orange.
Scarlet Globemallow
53. DESERT GLOBEMALLOWMallow Family
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Found most commonly along the roads and trails, this member of the Mallow Family is known by a variety of common names such as: Rose of Sharon, False Mallow and Wild Hollyhock. It generally blooms in late summer, especially in the Cedar Breaks region. The plants sometimes grow to be 4 to 5 feet tall and have a great profusion of pink-colored flowers, really a very colorful and attractive display.
Desert Globemallow
54. FIREWEEDEvening-primrose Family
Epilobium angustifolium
This tall, willowy plant, called Fireweed, is frequently the first plant to come in after a forest fire. Its colorful bloom gives new life to the blackened ground. Fireweed is one of the world’s most widely disseminated wild flowers, being found throughout much of northern North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Its seeds are scattered by the wind. In these areas it is found mostly on the high plateaus.
Fireweed
55. WOODLAND PINEDROPSIndian Pipe Family
Pterospora andromedea
In the rich soil of the Ponderosa Pine forest of the high plateaus you may occasionally see this peculiar plant called Pinedrops. It has a single reddish-brown stalk (no green parts at all) about a foot or two high, apparently without leaves (they are mere scales), and numerous round or bell-shaped blossoms or seed pods hanging from short stems. The stalk is generally sticky with a material much like the pitch of the pine trees. It is a parasite that lives on the roots of pine trees.
Woodland Pinedrops
56. YELLOW VIOLETViolet Family
Viola praemorsa
There are five different species of Violets in Zion, two of them with yellow flowers and the others with white or purple. They are found blooming in May or June on the high plateaus or sometimes later in the wet meadows of Cedar Breaks or in shady canyons. Violets are closely related to the cultivated Pansies. The flowers are irregular, as one petal has a saclike spur which contains nectar. They have five sepals, five petals and five stamens. This species is found most commonly in the shady forest, while the purple and white species are more common in the very moist and cool areas of the shady canyons.
Yellow Violet
57. DESERT BLAZINGSTARLoasa Family
Mentzelia multiflora
Blazingstars, sometimes called “Stickleaf” because of their rough, hairy leaves, are plants well suited to the drought conditions of this area, as they adapt well to dry, rocky soil. They are often found in roadside cuts or other newly disturbed soils and are found blooming usually in July and August. They are conspicuous with their yellow flowers consisting of five long petals and a large number of stamens almost as long as the petals that attract the eye as they blaze forth in the bright sunlight of midsummer. These plants are found mostly in the Transition Zone.
Desert Blazingstar
58. A HEDGEHOG CACTUSCactus Family
Echinocereus coccineus
This family is well represented in Zion, where ten prominent species are found, six of which are illustrated in this booklet. This species is sometimes called the Cucumber Cactus. It is found blooming in bright-red clumps as early as April or on occasion in March when the winters are not severe. Its favorite habitat appears to be the rocky slopes of the lava fields below 5,000 feet.
As cactus flowers mature into fruit, they form bulb-like bodies called tunas. The fruits of this species are about an inch or more in diameter and serve as important food for many rodents.
A Hedgehog Cactus