Southwest Colorado Wildflowers

Identify a plantï¿½ ï¿½Wildflower appï¿½ï¿½ï¿½Learn about plantsï¿½ï¿½ï¿½Biographies of naturalists ï¿½ï¿½Glossaryï¿½ï¿½ï¿½Recent additionsï¿½ï¿½ï¿½Site contents

WILDFLOWERS, FERNS,ï¿½& TREES of
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, & Utah
Welcome to my website for the identificationï¿½and appreciation ofï¿½mountain and desert flora.
ï¿½Please feel free to email me your comments and questions. Al Schneider

FOR AN ALPHABETICAL LIST WITH DATA & PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL SPECIES ON THIS WEBSITE.
From the three choices immediately below, indicate how you want your results displayed. Click to read more about plant names.
Scientific species name ï¿½ï¿½ Common species name ï¿½ï¿½ Scientific family name
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CLICK IF YOU WANT TO IDENTIFY A PLANT.
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CLICK TO SEARCH THIS WEBSITE BY TRAIL, PLANT PART, LOCATION, ETC.
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CLICK FOR DETAILS ABOUT ANY SPECIES OR TO COMPARE SEVERAL SPECIES.
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½_____________________________ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

TO IDENTIFY A PLANT
OR TO BROWSE PLANTS WITH PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTICS,
SELECT PLANT CHARACTERISTICS BELOW

1) If you would like to identify a plant, select its characteristics below and click "Submit".

Notes:
A) When you try to identify a light blue, light pink, or white flower, search each of the three colors.
B) If you are still unsuccessful in your attempt to identify a white flower, skip the "Flower Color", because you may have one of a number of blue-flowering (sometimes red, rarely any other color) species that has rare white variants which may not be listed under "white flowers" in the key below.
C) When fall weather is unusually warm and moist, some spring-flowering species may flower again.

2) If you would like to browse plants with particular characteristics, select the characteristics below and click "Submit". For example, to see species that are wildflowers, yellow, flowering in July, growing in the alpine, and found in rocky areas, select each characteristic below and click "Submit". You will get a list of all the species on this website that fit the characteristics you selected.

ï¿½Plant Type
Tree Shrub: woody, ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ shorter than tree, ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ several stems Fern & related: ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ spores, noï¿½flowers, ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ no seeds Wildflower Cactus:ï¿½often with spines,ï¿½succulent stemsï¿½ Vine Skip category
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ï¿½Flower Color
Yellow White Red, Pink Orange Blue, Purple Green, Brown Skip category

ï¿½Flowering Month
January February March April May June July August September October November December Skip category

ï¿½Elevation
Alpine ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ (Above 11,500') Subalpine ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ (10,000'-11,500') Montane ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½(8,000'-10,000') Foothills ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ (6,500'-8,000') Semi-desert, ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Prairie ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½(4,000'-6,500') Skip category

ï¿½Habitat

Woodlands, dry or moist
Shrublands or grasslands
Meadows, openings,ï¿½tundra
Rocky areas, scree
Wetlands, seeps, springs
Streams, streamsides
Ponds
Disturbed areas, roadsides
Skip category

or continue choosing characteristics below.

Click to start a new search.

Leaf Position

Alternateï¿½

Opposite ï¿½

Basal ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Basal, horizontal

Whorledï¿½ï¿½ Whorled

Spiraledï¿½

Bundledï¿½ Bundled

Plant does not produce leaves or the leaves are miniscule

Skip category

Leaf Type

Simple: The leaf blade is not divided into separate leaflets.

ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Simple ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ Simple ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ Simple

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Compound: The leaf blade is divided into separate leaflets.ï¿½The first, second, and last photos below show several leaves divided into leaflets. The other photos show just one leaf divided into leaflets.

ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Compound pinnate ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½

Skip category

or continue choosing characteristics below.

Click ï¿½ ï¿½ to start a new search.

Leaf Blade Margin

Margin entire: not toothed, lobed, or divided.ï¿½

Entire margin ï¿½ï¿½ Entire

Entire ï¿½ ï¿½ Entire ï¿½ , wavy-edged is considered entire

Margin toothed, lobed, or divided.

Margin not entire ï¿½ Margin not entire 1

ï¿½
Simple ï¿½ Compound pinnate

Skip category

Leaf Blade Shape

Leaf blade longer than wide. Various shapesï¿½in outline.

Long ï¿½ ï¿½ Long ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Long ï¿½ ï¿½ Long ï¿½ ï¿½

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Leaf blade about as long as wide. Blade close to round in outline. Each photograph in the second row below shows just one leaf, one compound leaf, i.e., a leaf divided into leaflets. The overall shape of each whole leaf is round.

Round ï¿½ Round ï¿½ Round

Round ï¿½ Compound Round

ï¿½ ï¿½
Skip category

or continue choosing characteristics below.

Click ï¿½ ï¿½ to start a new search.

Flower Shapes by Familyï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ Skip this "Flower Shape" category.

ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ I do not see my flower shape below. Show me all others.

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Apiaceae (aka Umbelliferae) (Parsley Family)

ï¿½ Conioselinum scopulorum (Hemlock Parsley) ï¿½ Cymopterus lemmonii (Mountain Parsley)

ï¿½

Asteraceae (aka Compositae) (Sunflower Family)

Asteraceae has the greatest number of species of any family in our area (and in many parts of the world), so to get you closer to identifying your mystery species in this family, I have added two further characteristics choices just for Asteraceae.

1) What is the growth form of your Asteraceae species?
Plants grow with many stems emanating from a single point. Shrub-like, either woody or not woody.

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Plants grow with a loose or tight mass of basal leaves; stems of flower heads arise from different locations in the mass.

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Plants grow singly, although there may be dozens of individual plants near each other.

Skip the above Asteraceae growth form category.

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2) What is the flower head type of your Asteraceae species?
In the six photographs below, what appears to be a single Asteraceae flower is actually a grouping of many tiny flowers into one flower head. These flower heads come in three flavors.

Flower heads have ray and disk flowers. The outer circle consists of ray flowers, each with one elongated ray-like petal (the flattened yellow or lavender appendage shown below) and an inner disk of tiny, tightly packed tubular flowers that do not have rays.

ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½

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Flower heads have only ray flowers.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½

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ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ Flower heads have only disk flowers.

ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½
ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ Skip the above Asteraceae flower head category.
ï¿½

Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family)

Cryptantha minima (Little Cat's Eye)

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Mertensia franciscana (Franciscan Bluebells)

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Brassicaceae (aka Cruciferae) (Mustard Family)

Dimorphocarpa wislizenii (Spectacle Pod) ï¿½ Descurainia incana (Mountain Tansy Mustard)

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Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)

Cerastium arvense (Mouse-ear Chickweed) ï¿½ Silene acaulis (Moss Campion)

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Fabaceae (aka Leguminosae) (Pea Family)

Astragalus flava (White Milk Vetch) ï¿½ Trifolium parryi (Parry's Trifolium)

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Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)ï¿½

Oenothera coronopifolia (Cut-leaf Evening Primrose ï¿½ Epilobium ciliatum (Fringed Willowherb)

ï¿½

Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family)

Orobanche fasciculata (Bundled Broomrape) ï¿½ Pedicularis parryi (Parry's Alpine Lousewort) ï¿½ Casilleja linariifolia (Wyoming Paintbrush)

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Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family)

Penstemon cyanocaulis (Blue-stemmed Penstemon) ï¿½ Bessya alpina (Alpine Kitten Tails)

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Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)

Ipomopsis aggregata (Scarlet Gilia) ï¿½ Phlox condensata (Alpine Phlox)

Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family)

Eriogonum cernuum (Nodding Buckwheat) ï¿½ Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower) ï¿½ Persicaria amphibia (Water Smartweed)

Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family) ï¿½

Ranunculus glaberrimus (Sagebrush Buttercup) ï¿½ Aquilegia micrantha (Alcove Columbine) ï¿½ Delephinium barbeyi (Barbey's Delphinium)

ï¿½ ï¿½
Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Potentilla rubricaulis (Red-stemmed Cinquefoil) ï¿½ Cratageus sp (Hawthorn) ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

I do not see my flower shape.
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Show me allï¿½other flower shapes.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½Click ï¿½ ï¿½ to start a new search.ï¿½ï¿½

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Another Way to Search This Site

The search box below allows you to search this site for any word or phrase, such as,
a trail or park name, location, botanist's name, plant part, or alternate common name.

If your search has more than one word, for example, "Lake Hope Trail", enclose the words in quotation marks. Otherwise you will retrieve entries for each word as well as for the phrase.

NOTE: To search by plant name, flower color, month of flowering, habitat, elevation, etc., you will find it faster and easier to use the search tools at the top of the page.

The "index", "sitemap", and "advanced" give you three additional ways of searching this website.

index sitemap advanced

site search by freefind

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WEBSITE CONTENTS

Click for photographs & plant information recently added to this website.

Introduction

Searching and browsing

Keys to photographs & descriptions

Learning about plants:ï¿½

ï¿½ 1) Plant names

ï¿½ 2) a) How to identify plantsï¿½
ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ b) Plant identification workshopï¿½
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ c) Plant familiesï¿½& characteristics

ï¿½ 3) How to photograph plants

ï¿½ 4) Best wildflower times

ï¿½ 5) Guided wildflower walks

ï¿½ 6) Picking & collecting flowers

ï¿½ 7) Wildflower hotlinesï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½ 8) Scientific & common names
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½List of plant name changes

ï¿½ 9) Biographies of naturalists

10) Noxious weedsï¿½ï¿½

11) Wildflower slide shows
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ A)ï¿½Canyons of the Ancients
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ B) Charles Parry's Plants

12) Plant lists and keys

13) Glossary

14) Wildflower books & apps

Links

About this website's author, credits, & copyright

	Photographs of the mountains & canyons we roamed for wildflowers
	Betty's quiltsï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ &ï¿½ï¿½ Betty's beading

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Click for information about Al Schneider, this website's author and for technical details, copyright, etc.

This website is given free space on the servers of the
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory of Gothic, Colorado.

ï¿½
I deeply appreciate this assistance from RMBL
and their commitment to keeping swcoloradowildflowers.com
online for many years into the future when I am no longer able to.

If you are so inclined, please send a donation to RMBL
and indicate that it is for the perpetuation of this website.

The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory advances the scientific understanding of nature
that promotes informed stewardship of the Earth.
Founded in 1928 as an independent field station with no institutional affiliation,
the Lab hosts one of the largest gatherings of field biologists from institutions across the world.
Internationally recognized research has been carried out at all levels of organization from gene to ecosystem,
and Lab scientists have produced thousands of publications.
Paul Ehrlich considers RMBL, "the finest biological research station in the world".

Click for a video about RMBL.

Click for a second video about RMBL.

Click for statistics about RMBL's impact.

My thanks also to Michelle and Jeff Fink who generously hosted this website for ten years.

And thanks to Steve Sullivan, patient paragon programmer who created
the plant identification searchable database near the top of this page. Click for Steve's great botanical website.

The North American Rock Garden Society granted this website the 2021 Edgar T. Wherry Award,
which the Society indicates, "was established in 1973... [and] is given from time to time to a person
who has made an outstanding contribution in the dissemination of botanical and/or horticultural information about native North American plants.
The works must be scientifically sound, but may be written for popular readership and do not have to be specifically about rock garden plants.
Generally, the award recognizes a body of work or a lifetime of literary effort rather than a single work".

This website is updated almost every day.
The site has been visited over 3 million times since its inception in February, 2001.
I hope you enjoy your visit with the plants of the Four Corners states.
Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Photographs, written material, design, and all other aspects of this website are
ï¿½ Al Schneider.
No photographs, graphics, or text in this website may be used for any purposeï¿½ --ï¿½
personal, not-for-profit, governmental, or commercialï¿½ --
without the permission of Al Schneider.ï¿½
ï¿½
Email Alï¿½ or phone (970-882-4647) for permission and commercial prices.

Proceeds from the sale of Al's photographs pay for this website.

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