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 [...]

Scientific Name:  Dalea purpurea Prairie purple clover flower close up (Dalea purpurea). Photo by Janice Tucker Common name: purple prairie clover Plant Family:  Fabaceae (bean) Article and photos by Janice Tucker The color purple arrived on the scene when [...]

Scientific name: Anemopsis californica Synonyms: A. californica var. subglabra Close-up of bloom, stem and leaves of yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica) at Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve by Janice Tucker. Common names: lizard’s tail, yerba mansa Family: Saururaceae (common name: Lizard’s tail) [...]

For this month's "Plant of the Month" article, we'll be taking a closer look at a fascinating community of organisms that are living closely with plants throughout the ecosystem, however often overlooked - lichens. The following article describes how all [...]

Scientific name: Amelanchier utahensis Common name: Utah serviceberry Plant Family:  Rosaceae - rose Text by Janice Tucker. Photographs by Janice Tucker, Tony Frates and David Salman A. Utahensis in Salt lake County Utah courtesy of SEINet Arizona New Mexico [...]

Scientific name: Zinnia grandiflora Synonym: Crassina grandiflora Common names: prairie zinnia, golden eye, plains zinnia, little golden zinnia, Rocky Mountain zinnia, yellow zinnia Family: Asteraceae (Compositae) Article by Jeanne Gozigian Zinnia grandiflora flower (Photo credit: Janice Tucker) We recently moved [...]

Scientific classification (Division): Bryophyta Common name: Mosses Article by Susan Bruneni Scientific Name: Warnstorfia exannulata (Schimp.) LoeskePhotographer: Biopix: JC Schou. Bryophyte, is the traditional name for any nonvascular seedless plant—namely, any of the mosses (division Bryophyta), hornworts (division [...]

Scientific Name:  Stanleya pinnata Common Name:  prince’s plume, desert prince’s plume Plant Family:  Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae)/mustard Text by Janice Tucker Photos:  Al Schneider, Carl Troy, Janice Tucker Photo © Al Schneider swcoloradowildflowers.com Nature is tough. Since the beginning [...]

Scientific name: Oryzopsis hymenoides Synonyms: Achnatherum hymenoides, Stipa hymenoides Common names: Indian ricegrass, mountain ricegrass, arroz indio in Spanish, Indian millet Family: Poaceae *FYI: There is an ongoing debate among taxonomists as to which is the accepted scientific name. Time will tell. by Jeanne Gozigian Indian [...]

Scientific name: Allium macropetalum Common name: Desert onion, wild onion Family: Amaryllidaceae (formerly classified as Liliaceae) Article by Susan Bruneni Allium macropetalum by Al Schneider. Semi-desert. Openings. Spring.BLM lands south of Bloomfield, New Mexico, April 23, 2007. © Al Schneider [...]

Scientific name: Helianthus maximiliani Common name: Maximilian sunflower Family: Asteraceae / Compositae - aster/composite Plant Zones 3 - 9 Text by Janice Tucker.  Photos by Janice Tucker and Sonny Tucker Maximillian sunflower in full bloom (Photo: Janice Tucker) [...]