Scientific name: Lobelia cardinalis Common name: cardinal flower Family: Campanulaceae Article by Jeanne Gozigian When I first started volunteering as a docent at the Leonora Curtin Natural History Area (now the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, LCWP) outside of Santa Fe [...]

Scientific name: Prunus pumila var. besseyi Common name: western sand cherry Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family) Article by Susan Bruneni The western sand cherry, Prunus pumila var. besseyi, is native to Central and Western United States, and Central and Western Canada. [...]

Scientific name:  Penstemon strictus Common names:  Rocky Mountain penstemon, Rocky Mountain beardtongue, beardtongue Family scientific name:  Plantaginaceae Family common name:  plantain Article and photos by Janice Tucker Summer will soon come calling to Northern New Mexico, bringing with it a [...]

Scientific name: Baileya multiradiata Common names: desert marigold, showy desert marigold, paper daisy, desert Baileya Family:  Asteraceae Article by Jeanne Gozigian The one thing that you can be absolutely sure of in researching location and blooming periods of wildflowers, is [...]

Scientific Name: Krascheninnikovia ceratoides subsp. lanata Common names: winterfat, winter sage, white sage, lamb's tail Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth) Article by Susan Bruneni SEINet Portal Network. 2019. Photo by Max Licher (CC BY-SA 3.0). Winterfat is just what its [...]

Scientific name: Sphaeralcea species Common name: globemallow Family:  Malvaceae -mal-VAY-see-eee. Common name: mallow Genus:  Sphaeralcea - sfeer-AL-see-uh. Common name: globemallow Species featured:  Sphaeralcea angustifolia - an-gus-tee-FOH-lee-uh. Common name: narrowleaf globemallow  Sphaeralcea coccinea - kok-SIN-ee-uh.  Common name: scarlet globemallow  Sphaeralcea fendleri  - [...]

Scientific name: Proboscidea parviflora Common names: doubleclaw, devil’s claw, unicorn plant Family: Pedaliaceae (Sesame family, formerly Martyniaceae) Article by Jeanne Gozigian There is nothing that I love better than a good mystery!  Curled up in my comfy recliner chair and covered with [...]

Scientific name: Muhlenbergia asperifolia Common name: alkali muhly Family: Poaceae Article by Susan Bruneni Muhlenbergia asperifolia (Photo by Janice Tucker) Visitors to Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve always marvel at the late summer and early fall color. This year many were displaying [...]

Scientific name: Sempervivum species, Sempervivum tectorum  (sem-per-VEE-vum tek-TOR-um) Common names: hen and chicks, houseleek,  devil’s beard, Thor’s beard, thunder plant, healing blade and numerous others Family:  Crassulaceae -  stonecrop  (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ee) by Janice Tucker Hen and chicks at Santa Fe Botanical [...]

Scientific name: Agave parryi Common names: Parry’s agave, mescal agave Family: Asparagaceae, sub-family Agavoideae Photo by Jeanne Gozigian. Also mentioned: American century plant (Agave americana), monument plant (Frasera speciosa) Article by Jeanne Gozigian Look up in the sky!  It’s a bird, [...]

Scientific name: Yucca faxoniana Common name: Faxon yucca Plant family: Asparagaceae Article by Susan Bruneni Photos by Patrick Alexander, Botanist, Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District Office Yucca faxoniana in flower. Photo by Patrick Alexander, Botanist, Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District [...]