AUGUST : tumbleweed : Salsola tragus
Scientific name: Salsola tragus L. Common names: tumbleweed, Russian thistle, tumbling thistle Photo by Max Licher. SEINet Portal Network. 2023. http//:swbiodiversity.org/seinet/index.php. Accessed on July 25. Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family) Life form: Annual plant, reproducing by seed, stems are [...]
JULY : Selection of South African succulents
July 2023 With the arrival of hot, windy summer weather in northern New Mexico, we begin to appreciate succulents and other heat-loving plants, both those from our own region and those from further afield that are adapted to our climate [...]
JUNE : blue flax : Linum spp.
Scientific name: Linum lewisii and Linum perenne Common name: blue flax Plant family: Linaceae (flax) Article by Peggy Rudberg "Primary Blue" Photo by Peggy Rudberg What could be more delightful than a field of cheerful swaying flowers matching [...]
MAY : red twig dogwood : Cornus sericea
Scientific name: Cornus sericea Common names: red twig dogwood, red osier dogwood, red osier, red brush, red willow, redstem dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, western dogwood Botanical name: Cornus sericea Family: Cornaceae Life form: Deciduous shrub By Claudia Karll Background [...]
APRIL : Apache plume : Fallugia paradoxa
Scientific name: Fallugia paradoxa Common name: Apache plume Family name: Rosaceae Article from writings of Janice Tucker (1946-2021) Every year from spring through fall in and around Santa Fe, the Apache plume returns for an encore performance with its “bloom and [...]
MARCH : ‘Hopi Red Dye’ amaranth : Amaranthus cruentus ‘Hopi Red Dye’
Scientific name: Amaranthus cruentus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ Common names: ‘Hopi Red Dye’ amaranth, amaranto komo, blood amaranth, purple amaranth, caterpillar amaranth Family name: Amaranthaceae Life form: Annual plant Occurrence in New Mexico: Cultivar Seed Production: 110 days after planting Water [...]
FEBRUARY : claret cup cactus : Echinocereus species
Scientific names: Echinocereus triglochidiatus and Echinocereus coccineus Common names: claret cup cactus Plant family: Cactaceae In Memory of Our Great Friend John (Obie) Oberhausen John "Obie" Oberhausen. Photo: Cactus Rescue Project Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/cactusrescueproject/ Tribute by Wendell S. (Woody) [...]
JANUARY : sacred datura : Datura wrightii
Scientific name: Datura wrightii Regel Common names: sacred datura, sacred thornapple, jimson weed Family: Solanaceae Article by Peggy Rudberg One of the largest wildflowers in the Southwest, the showy white flowers of the Datura wrightii can spread as wide as eight [...]
DECEMBER : ‘Moonglow’ juniper : Juniperus scopulorum ‘Moonglow’
Scientific name: Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow' Common name: Rocky Mountain juniper, cultivar 'Moonglow' Family: Cupressaceae By Claudia Karll I am writing to you today in early November from my apartment in Seattle, WA. Needless to say, the contrast with Santa Fe is [...]
NOVEMBER : ‘Zig Zag’ blue grama grass : Bouteloua × ‘Zig Zag’
Scientific name: Bouteloua × 'Zig Zag' Common name: 'Zig Zag' blue grama grass Plant family: Poaceae Article by Susan Bruneni The late David Salman described himself as “an off-the-wall plant nerd” and “a plant explorer with a gift for talking [...]
OCTOBER : pink-flower hedgehog cactus : Echinocereus fendleri
Scientific name: Echinocereus fendleri (Engelm.) Small Common names: pink-flower hedgehog cactus, Fendler's hedgehog cactus Plant family: Cactaceae (Cactus) By Monica Harmon Echinocereus fendleri in Garden, late May. A native cactus in New Mexico, pink-flower hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus fendleri) grows [...]