UT, Colorado Plateau, 20060428
The Maze, many flowers etc.
Down from Overlook, up South Fork, with lots of flowers in the first major side canyon to the right, including the orchids, on up to the spring near the head of the main canyon, back just a bit and up the first side canyon to the left (going up canyon) to the spring at the head of it. From there few flowers; scramble up to Chocolate Drop ridge (where I found the Mormon Tea in bloom), and on down into the canyon and back up to the overlook. Just an over-night.
Chamaesyce fendleri?
Starting to bloom. Lots at overlook, scattered population in canyon on slopes, fair number on Choc Drop ridge.
| | GEN | | all glab, low mound, not big, peren? (some specimens have remnants of dead brs at base) |
| | LF | | 8-9x6-7+1-1.5mm, ov, acutish, rounded base, oblique, red marg, lter bel, glab |
| | STIP | | sep to joined or at least forked on one side, thread, ~0.7mm |
| | FL | | | gland | | 4, sl bilat, green, ellip-oblong to sl curved |
| gland app | | to 1x1.2mm, pink maturing white, entire and rounded to notched or even cren |
|
| | FR | | v angled, angle grooved, green except for red angles |
Assuming peren,
JM keys to
C. fendleri or
C. polycarpa. But the latter has triangular stips, style div > 50%, and wrong range.
Eriogonum inflatum
Few just starting to bloom.
| | LF | | all basal, spat, 17x20+22mm, round-renif, trunc to cord, round tip, shall wavy cren, puber bel and on petiole and cil, 1-2-veins raised bel, dk green w red veins near base ab, sl lter w yell veins bel |
| | INFL | | sev-br comp umbel, tall!, pedicel 1-1.5mm, yell, 8+ fls per umbel |
| | INVOL | | 6 lobes, appress, rounded lobes, tot 1mm high, obconic, v min puber, green, div half way |
| | TEP | | 6, yell, widely spread, lobes ~2-2.5mm, fl 6mm wide, puber outside, no st |
| | STAM | | 9, 3mm, all dir, min brown anth |
Astragalus
Well in fruit, few fls left on most plants.
| | GEN | | mound, no st, peren, all v wh tom |
| | LF | | | lflt | | ~21, 10x3.5+0mm, ellip, fold |
internodes 3-4mm, petiole 10mm |
| | INFL | | d term rac in fl and open in fr, internodes 5-6mm in fr, fl erect, fr pend and curve up, pedicel 1-1.5mm, peduncle ~40mm |
| | BAN | | 7x6mm, marg sl fold back, 8mm long, lilac-pink, white w purp veins in center, fade blue |
| | FR | | dors comp, curve up, infl, 12+ seeds, sl ridge ab, sl groove bel, v min lat comp delt beak (1-1.5mm), style and calyx and ~stam persist, 12x6+3mm, v tom, 1 chamb, 2 rosx of seeds |
| | SEED | | ~3mm, shiny glab, green |
Moving down into Cedar Mesa Sandstone finally.
Cryptantha
Well in bloom, few fr yet.
| | GEN | | peren to subshrub, prickly white bristly |
| | INFL | | long sharp white bristly and d white strig, v lfy, d clust of few fls at each node, pedicel 1.5-2mm |
| | SEP | | 5, free, 4mm in fl to 5mm in fr, delt, ~1.5mm wide, erect |
| | PET | | 5, salver, white w yell in throat, tube 4mm, limb 8mm tot, 90degprom yell apps ring throat |
| | OV | | 4 lobes around base of style |
| | FR | | 2mm, pear, round low tubercled back, forked deep lat groove inside, sepal >> fr |
Hymenoxys acaulis arizonica?
In full bloom, no fr.
| | GEN | | scapose on some but larger specimens have few reduced lvs on sometimes branched sts |
| | LF | | lin-oblance, acute, rolled up, 40x2+0mm, sp long arach (v d at base) |
| | PHYL | | 2 rows, eq, 7x2mm, delt-lance, appress, d vill-cil |
| | RAY | | ~10+, bright yell, 12x4.5mm, strap, 5 teeth, 90deg+ |
| | DISC | | yell, many, corolla 3mm |
| | OV | | 3.5mm, taper, v d long wh strig |
| | STYLE | | long groove w tuft at tip |
| | PAP | | 6-7, scar lance scale, 3.5-4mm, disc same as ray |
H&C suggests this genus (and
Gaillardia and
Helenium as close second-choices);
Taylor,
H&C, and
JM all suggest this one in particular. It doesn't match perfectly, but the picture looks spot on. There are other desert variants not covered in
H&C or
JM.
Astragalus kentrophyta
In full bloom, no fr.
| | GEN | | matted, prickly, smallish to large clumps |
| | ST | | decumb to prostrate, v d sh wh tom |
| | LF | | | lflt | | 5, 10x2+0mm, lance-ellip, sharp, d wh strig, v fold |
petiole 7mm, internode 2mm |
| | STIP | | 4mm, sheath, delt, sev veins apparent, sp tom and more cil |
| | INFL | | bractlets or lfy, pedicel ~2mm |
| | SEP | | v d wh wavy-strig, 8mm, lobes 3mm, thread, ~appress |
| | BAN | | 6x4mm, 9mm long, 60deg, sl notched, lt lilac w dker veins |
| | KEEL | | 7mm, dk purp, bluntish |
Moving into canyon bottom.
Amsonia tomentosa
In full bloom.
Penstemon eatonii
Starting to full bloom.
Poa fendleriana longiligula
Old but still green and healthy looking. Probably fruited by now.
Berberis fremontii
In full bloom everywhere.
Amelanchier utahensis
Almost done blooming, most plants w wilted fls.
Echinocereus triglochidiatus []
Starting to bloom brilliant!
Physaria acutifolia
Well into fruit, few fls left, frs fully developed. Ack! Need to take measurements to try to guess species!
Stanleya pinnata
Few just about to bloom.
Cirsium neomexicanum?
Few plants showing phyllaries already.
Shepherdia argentea?
Starting to fruit, fls pretty much done.
| | FR | | oblong, 8x6mm, round, v d tufty decid stell (looks and feels powdery) |
| | SEED | | 1, big, shiny yellish glab, round tip, taper bel |
Fendlera rupicola
In full glorious bloom, fairly scattered (though quite a lot in one side canyon to the left fairly early on just past the Choc Drops. Mostly washes and in cliff shadow high up, but even one or two scraggly ones in open.
| | ST | | jointed, v lt, ribbed, shiny glab |
| | LF | | opp, clust, lance, 15x2.5+0mm, acute, acum-wedge, strigillose (but still green) both sides, flat, no raised veins, 3 veins from base |
| | INFL | | 1, term, pedicel 5mm, red |
| | SEP | | 4, join at base, 7mm, lobes 5x2.5mm, lance, spread, sp strig |
| | PET | | 4, free, wh, v showy, clawed or spat, spread, 10x8+5mm, blade round ov w acum base, claw 1.5mm wide, pink midv outside |
| | STAM | | 8, flat, 8x2mm, white, free, lance-strap lacerate |
| | ANTH | | yell, ~3mm, dorsifix, lat slits |
| | OV | | 1, sup to semi-inf, black, glab, squat ov, shall 4 lobed, 1.5x2.5mm |
| | STYLE | | min, min puber, 1 or 4 joined at base |
| | STIG | | 4, lt yell, puber, 1.5mm |
This just doesn't want to key out!
These three milkweeds are growing rapidly and will probably bloom in a week, in the meantime here are the leaves:
Asclepias
| | LF | | opp, 120x10+3mm, lance, wedge, acute, min puber on veins and cil bel |
Asclepias
| | LF | | opp, oblong-lance, apic, v sl cord, 75x22+0mm, veins v lt, midv raised bel, green, lter bel, v sl glauc |
Asclepias
| | LF | | oblong, apic, round tip and base, 55x33+5mm, petiole 5mm wide and broadly grooved ab, v d short white tom both sides, whitish (canesc) |
Lasthenia?
Some plants in full bloom, others just starting.
| | LF | | opp, min pil, 5mm thread, apic, erect, d |
| | INFL | | 1, term, ~glab, peduncle ~40mm, few scales |
| | PHYL | | 5x0.5mm, lance-oblong, appress, d sh cil, irreg large (scribble) or glandular, 2 eq rows |
| | RAY | | 10, yell, 90deg, 6x1.5mm, round tip |
| | DISC | | yell, many, corolla 2-3mm |
| | PAP | | ~6, scale, 2.5mm, thread-acum, ray same as disc |
I would've said it was also a
Hymenoxys except I'm assured that the opposite lvs place it in another genus. It is hard to key, but
JM suggests
Lasthenia, white
H&C roundly fails.
JM certainly doesn't cover this species, and
Taylor doesn't have anything in this genus. I need to take another look at it, particularly verifying opp lvs.
Haplopappus
Some plants in full bloom, others just starting.
| | LF | | lfy, oblance, strig, 22x5+0mm, soft, ascend-spread |
| | INFL | | peduncle short (~10mm), 1, term |
| | PHYL | | 4+ imbr rows, 8x1mm, acute, appress, cyl, 6mm wide tot, min gold gland, d sh cil, sp long strig |
| | RAY | | 11, yell, 90deg, 6x2-3mm, round tip |
| | PAP | | cap bristles, white, many, 4-5mm, v simple, ray same as disc |
Beats the hell out of me.
Penstemon utahensis
In full bloom, in full sun in middle of generally otherwise barren cryptobiotic or sandy flats.
| | LF | | | basal | | lots, oblance, 35x12mm |
| caul | | few near base, opp, lance, v sl clasp, 30x6mm |
rounded tip, bluish glauc both sides, sl wavy and curled up |
| | INFL | | term, tall rac, fls spread, pedicel 5mm, glab red |
| | SEP | | 5, join 50%, wide spread, 3-3.5x2mm, glab, acute, min (scribble: serr?) broad acum, tip spread, green middle and red marg |
| | PET | | 5, salver, red, v sl bilat, tube 18x3-4mm, constrict at 30%, limb 15mm wide tot, 90deg| lobes | | 6x5mm, round, overlap a bit |
min gland-puber both sides? (hard to see) |
| | STAM | | 5, 2 long fert, 2 short fert, 1 ster| fert | | att at base of tube, incl |
| ster | | att at 40%, red glab tip |
|
| | ANTH | | spreading lobes to U-shaped, glab, pink |
| | OV | | 1, sup, 2 chambs and lobes, ov, glab, tall narr |
| | STYLE | | 1, red, glab, incl, 7-8mm |
| | STIG | | simple, as wide as style |
Didn't take all the notes I needed, but after exhaustive study of the options available, this seems the clear winner: it matches perfectly.
Lupinus pusillus
In sand. Only saw this one in bloom, potentially sev others just coming up.
| | ST | | long-bristly (petiole too) |
| | LF | | palm| lflt | | 5-6, ellip, fold, acute, glab ab, strig bel, 16x4+0mm |
petiole to 40mm |
| | STIP | | long-att to petiole, tiny sharp lobe ab (see drawing), sep |
| | INFL | | term, 5-6 fls, somewhat d, internodes 5mm, bractlets, peduncle 20mm, pedicel 2.5-3mm |
| | SEP | | top lobes ~2mm, bot lobes ~5mm, ascend pil, lobes > tube |
| | BAN | | 7-8x6mm, purp w well-defined white spot-stripe in center w dk purpisj dot-stripes |
| | KEEL | | 7-8mm, white w red sharp tip, all glab |
JM keys clearly to
L. flavoculatus but that has yellow spot and blunt keel.
H&C keys to
L. pusillus intermontanus and
L. bicolor (don't have fr) but gives insufficient description to properly verify.
Taylor suggests
L. bicolor and better
L. pusillus (supposedly most common lupine in this area); it matches both of his descriptions pretty well, but the former has sl too small fls, and the latter is more explicitly correct (as opposed to containing my specimens within acceptable range).
JM came close to keying to
L. pusillus intermontanus but balks at the peduncle > 10mm and pedicel > 1mm. I'll leave out the variant due to these discrepencies.
Phacelia
Few plants, all starting to bloom.
| | LF | | most basal, ellip-oblong, cren to pin lobed, lobes to almost halfway, 25x12.5+10mm, midv v thick and raised, midv white-pink ab, midv flattish to 2mm wide, v d sh bristly w thickened base, round both ends |
| | INFL | | 3 coiled cymes, sess |
| | SEP | | 5, free, oblong, 5x1mm, ascend gland puber |
| | PET | | 5, join, funnel, lobes spread, throat 3x4mmdk purp w distinct white throat (demarkation a little broader than throat0) |
| | STAM | | 5, v excl, 10mm, purp, glab |
| | STYLE | | sl > stam, 3 long forks, purp, glab |
Castilleja chromosa
Still in lively bloom all over.
Astragalus
Mostly in fr, few fls left.
| | LF | | | lflt | | 19-21, obov, round, wedge, 6x4+0.5mm, sl notch, glab, fold |
internodes 6-12mm, petiole 10mm, rachis groove ab |
| | STIP | | sep, broad, acum, ~4x3?mm |
| | INFL | | term, spread, few-many fls, fls erect-ascend, fr spread, pedicel 3mm, peduncle to 80mm+, internodes 4-5mm, rachis angled, glab |
| | SEP | | red-purp, oblique, 13x4x3mm, sl lat comp, ~bulge ab, lobes 3mm threads, min black strig |
| | BAN | | 16x3, v folded back, lt purp w white stripe and dk veins, 26mm long |
| | KEEL | | 21mm, blunt, dker tip |
| | FR | | stip 4mm, oblong, 2mm beak, infl, no groove or ridge, 21x8x8mm, v min scab?, green w red dust-speckling, 1 chamb (huge), 2 rows of seeds along top suture, chamb heart-shaped, tons of seeds |
Epipactis gigantea []
In full bloom and some past full.
| | LF | | to 70x30mm or narrower, lance, acute, well-spaced, spread ~45deg, barely reduced ab |
| | INFL | | long rac, to 10+ fls| bract | | small, lfy, ~30x8mm, ell |
fls sess |
| | HYP | | 14mm, ~6-ridged, curve out, broader ab |
| | SEP | | 3, eq, 15x7.5mm, yell-gr, lance, marg sl folded in, blunt-acute, spread 90deg |
| | PET | | | upper | | 2, 10x4mm, lance, 70deg, pale yellish to pink |
| lip | | ~15mm long, complex, see photo! |
|
| | STYLE | | column ~7mm w two little horns bel at tip and ellipsoid green thingy ab at end |
Both
JM and
H&C agree on this one.
Machaeranthera?
Only one plant seen in bloom.
| | LF | | alt, oblance, sharp toothed ab, apic, abruptly rounded base, sess, 45x13+0mm, min gland puber bel and sp so ab, vill-cil |
| | INFL | | 1, term, peduncle 80mm |
| | PHYL | | sev rows, imbr, sharp acute, tips spread, 11x10mm total, 11x1.5mm each, scar marg, min puber, v min if at all gland at hair-tips |
| | RAY | | 18, white, 15x4mm, ellip, min 3 toothed |
| | OV | | 3mm, cyl, min d white strig |
| | PAP | | cap bristles, straw, many, to 8mm, min ascend scab, ray same as disc |
Can't key to genus because the genera in this area are all mixed up; however,
M. seems to be more promising than others, like
Aster or
Xylorhiza.
Purshia mexicana
All are budding, this was the first flower I saw open.
| | GEN | | shrub, v brd, v fragrant |
| | LF | | 5-lobed, obov5x5+3mm, shiny dk green ab, wh tom bel, revol, d |
| | HYP | | 7x2.5mm, funnel, d clear v sh gland puber |
| | SEP | | 5, spread, ~110+deg, ov, acute, 5x3mm, sl gland hairy outside esp base, greenish |
| | PET | | 5, free, white, obov, crinkly, 10x8mm, 90deg |
| | OV | | 3, sup (but appear to be inf), 4mm, taper, v d white strig |
JM keys to a variant but measurements don't work out, so I'll leave it at the species.
Abronia fragrans
A few just starting to bloom.
| | INFL | | 25-30, v fragrant, hemisphere, umbel, fls sess |
| | PET | | tube 15mm, limb 10mm| lobes | | 5, white, frilly, notched (making it look like 10 lobes), notch halfway to lobe sinuses |
|
Fraxinus anomala
Stasrting to bloom.
Rhus trilobata
In full bloom everywhere.
Pinus edulis
P. monophylla doesn't reach this area, thank god, else I'd have no idea which it is!
Juniperus osteosperma
| | LF | | in 4's, 1.5mm wide, yell-green |
| | FR | | 8-9mm, v lt blue glauc |
Arabis
Well into fr, some fls left.
| | GEN | | ann, in sand, taproot, few br ab |
| | LF | | spat-oblance, irreg deep toothed, alt, 25x10+5mm, conspic sp big white 3-forked bristly both sides |
| | INFL | | 1, term, rac, d in fl, open in fr |
| | SEP | | 5x1mm, erect, d smaller stell, rounded tapered tips |
| | FR | | pedicel 6mm, stout, straight, d stell, 1mm beak, not tapered, rounded 4-angled, 40x1.9x1.6mm, hard and tough, 2 rows per chamb, v sl comp perp septum |
Just doesn't key worth a damn in
JM. Probably
Arabis.
Senecio multilobatus
Starting to bud.
Oenothera
At least three kinds, many starting to bud.
Swertia albomarginata?
Cool tuft of long frilly wavy lance basal lvs w conspic white marg, 1 set of 2-3 at half-stem. A v few are about to bud. Particularly well up that first right-hand side canyon.
Streptanthus
In full bloom, many frs finally.
| | GEN | | peren, in wash, taproot, br'd, tough at base |
| | LF | | 40x4+0mm, lin-ellip, thick, spread, glab, glauc, becomes irreg shall toothed when larger |
| | SEP | | 5, yellish bel and greenish ab, erect, sl bilat, purp in bud |
| | PET | | yell, blade = claw, spread 1.5-2mm ab |
| | FR | | pend, flattish, 50x1.5x1mm, 10mm beak, pedicel 2mm, glab |
Rhamnus betulifolia
I thought these were alders or something. Fls just starting to open.
| | LF | | oblong-obov, round to notched, trunc to sl cord, 45deg pin veins imp ab and v raised bel, thin, finely serr, ~70x60+10mm, ~glauc glab ab, puber bel |
| | INFL | | axillary d pan near ends, pedicel 5mm, peduncle 10mm |
| | SEP | | 5, free, ov-acum, white, ~2.5x1.5mm, spread 45deg, puber |
| | STAM | | 5, alt sep, hooded w white pet-like hoods, incl, puber |
| | OV | | inside cup-like hyp but seems to be free?, incl, 4 lobes?, style short |
Echinocereus engelmannii
One, in bloom.
Primula specuicola?
At end of left-hand side canyon that exits just down canyon from spring near end of main fork, in spring and seeps.
| | LF | | all basal, spat, blade coarsely dent about 30%, white farinose, midv huge and v raised bel, 100x20mm, petiole 5mm wide |
| | INFL | | umbel, 30+ fls, pedicel to 20mm, peduncle ~200mm or more |
| | SEP | | 5, join, erect, lance, 7x1.3mm, free for 4mm, farinose, green |
| | PET | | 5, salver| tube | | yell, 12x1.7mm, farinose |
| lobes | | obov, notch 1mm, lilac, 90deg, 8x6mm, v fragrant! |
lter around throat and yell inside |
| | STAM | | 5, incl, att 4mm up and nearly sess, opp pet lobes (v hard to tell), anth nearly basifix and yell |
| | OV | | 1, sup, 3? chamb, many seeds |
| | STYLE | | 1, incl, simple, 8mm |
Got this taxon from an old desert plant list, presumably from one of the Grand Canyon guides, which I do not have with me to verify.
Oenothera
One on Choc Drop ridge, just blooming (first I saw).
| | LF | | spat, blade, oblong, obtuse, pin toothed bel, 55x20mm, grayish, tom ab, min puber (gland?) bel, midv v r bel and lt |
| | HYP | | 60x2.5mm, red, d min gland puber, squarish, flare at top |
| | SEP | | 4, free, 25x8mm, delt, reflex, red d gland puber |
| | PET | | 4,free, obcord, white turning pink, 30-50x30-50mm, notch 10-20mm |
| | STAM | | 8, att around hyp, 15mm, white, glab| anth | | 10mm+, ~curve, yell, dorsifix, lat slit |
|
| | STYLE | | eq stam, forks ~5mm |
Salix exigua
No flowers left high up in cyn, but found some in bloom much lower down in main fork a few days later.
Salix lasiolepis?
Still in bloom.
One or two plants in full bloom (most look totally dead still). On Chocolate Drop Ridge.
| | LF | | 2 per node, 3-4mm, thread w thick persist brown base (grey bloom on many but brown marg at v base always), green turning yellowish in age |
| | MALE FL | | yell and orange cone, 3-4mm, 2-3 per node, sev funky hand-like "anthers" |
Boraginaceae
The frilly yellow guy; saw in bloom here and there uncommon in this area.
lichens
Haven't studied any of these yet.
cryptobiotic soil
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