SPECIES CONTENT - By Common Name
#	Common Name	Botanical Name	Comments	Other Common Names
1	Abert's Buckwheat	Eriogonum abertianum	A single many flowered cluster within a 'circle of bracts' at each stem tip.  In some forms the flowering stem is many branched.   Small (⅛" long) 6 petal-like pinkish or yellowish flowers in the cluster. Distinctive clusters, and flowers with 6 petal-like parts, the three inner lanceolate, the three outer almost round, and with a dull rose midvein generally found on each of these 6 parts provide helpful identification clues.  Generally broad, ovate or oblong leaves low on the stem.  Higher up leaves may be narrower, or bract-like.  The form photographed here is typically a foot or less tall.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 1200-7500'.	PLANTS db. - Abert's buckwheat.
2	Abert's Creeping Zinnia	Sanvitalia abertii	These slender plants have spreading or erect stems to 1' tall, stems sometimes many branched, small terminal heads, short yellow rays typically 2 lobed, and lanceolate to lance-linear opposite, entire (smooth edge) leaves which may or may not have short stems, slightly rough to the touch, to 2½" or so long.  While some literature cites disk flowers as yellow drying to cream a distinctive visual aspect of this flower we watch for is the greenish center of the disk flower area that we customarily see.  Watch for the short yellow rays around a greenish center and the green, opposite leaves for helpful identification clues.  One Sanvitalia species in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 4000-7500'.	PLANTS db: Abert's creeping zinnia.
3	African Daisy	Dimorphotheca sinuata	Exotic wildflower.  Brilliant colored orange and yellow flowers very easily seen.  Rays 1", sometimes dark violet at base or tip, disk flowers often purple tipped, seedlike fruits from ray and disk flowers differ in structure, both about ½" long. Brillant ray flowers and purple tipped disk flowers provide helpful identification clues.  Introduced.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 0-3000'.	Cape Marigold; PLANTS db - glandular Cape marigold.
4	Ageratina	Ageratina herbacea	These are typically seen as perennials or low shrubs, with woody crowns (and rhizomes - below the ground stems), topped with terminal panicled clusters of white, dome-shaped clusters, each to ⅜" wide, comprised of rayless, 5-lobed starlike flowers each to 1/16" wide, each with a long white stamen protruding.  Leaves are opposite and prominantely veined, leaf stems to 1" long, yellow-green to grayish, toothed to serrate-toothed, blades triangular to lancelate-ovate to ovate, 1¾" wide to 3" long.  Watch for the green to yellow or grayish leaves and clusters of rayless flowers with prominantely protruding stamens for helpful identification clues.  Botanists also watch for the below ground stems, bract characteristics like granular-hairy bracts, seed characteristics and more, especially when looking for species varieties.  Six Ageratina species in Arizona.  Native.  Subshrub/Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 5000-9000'.	PLANTS db: fragrant snakeroot.
5	Ajo Lily	Hesperocallis undulate	Perhaps the showest of Arizona's Wildflowers, this plant only appears in years when moisture and/or maybe other special needs have been met.  So in some years we get to see it, and others we don't.  While in some places it is said to reach 6' in height, plants we've seen in recent years were between 1-3' or so tall.  The species name 'undulata' especially fits the lily's basal leaves, as the photographs show.  These leaves are to about ⅝" wide, and said to be to about 20 " long, although all we've seen were probably no more than 12-15" at most.  The beautiful, fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers are to roughly 3" long, and 3" wide.  Watch for these plants, with erect stems, with up to 18 buds, and up to 4-5 open flowers on a good day, surrounded by curving basal leaves with undulating margins, in dry sandy areas to rocky hills with creosote bush scrub for helpful identification clues.  One species of Hesperocallis in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 0-2000'.	PLANTS db: desert lily.
6	Alderleaf Mountain Mahogany	Cercocarpus montanus	Found among junipers, pinyons, and pines these hardwood shrubs, to 10' tall, are particularly attractive when gone to seed and trailing long spirally twisted tails from their ½" long seeds.  At the end of a tube formed by green sepals, the petalless flowers' yellowish sepal lobes host an array of exserted stamens (protruding from flower) around the periphery with a considerably longer finely haired style exserted from center.  The thin leaves, deeply veined, upper margins toothed, wedge-shaped, grayish green, paler green underneath, are to ½" wide and 1" long.  Watch for the somewhat distinctive flowers (although similar flowers on two varieties of this species), the leaf characteristics, and if gone to seed the 3" spirally fuzzy tails atteched to the seeds for helpful identification clues.  Three Cercocarpus species in Arizona, plus two varieties of this species.  Native.  Tree/Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 4500-7000'.	true mountain mahogany.  PLANTS db: alderleaf mountain mahogany.
7	Alligator Juniper	Juniperus deppeana	This single-trunk evergreen, commonly a tree, largest of the Arizona junipers, on an exception basis may reach 65' in height. The 1-2" squarish shapes in the fissures of older tree bark resembles alligator hide.  Seldom occurs in pure stands.  Trees carry male (cones) or female flowers (cones) but not both.  Seed cones to ¾" long, maturing bluish then probably to red-tan to red-brown in second year, covered with a white or pale often waxy 'bloom', dry, hard fibrous to woody consistency, nominally containing 4ea., ¼" irregularly shaped seeds.  Leaves scalelike, pointed, dense on branches, bluish-green, to 1/16" long.  Watch for the Alligator pattern in older bark and the large cones containing 4 seeds each for helpful identification clues.  Seven Juniperus species in Arizona.  Native.  Tree/Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 4500-8000'.	PLANTS db: alligator juniper.
8	Alum Root	Heuchera eastwoodiae	This central Arizona species is unique in it's genus for having hexamerous flowers (stamens 6, petals (if present) 6, sepals 6).  This genus and species have very ornamental leaves which are a nice addition to many gardens.  While seeming stemless and unbranched much of the time, when conditions are right the plant sends up flowering stalks to 20" tall.  The basal leaves are shallowly 5-lobed, to 3½" across, and leaf blades may show purple along vein paths, as well as away from the veins.  Flowers and their constituent parts are tiny and hard to view and photograph, nonetheless, a flowering plant is densly flowered and has attractive leaves and many of us find it very attractive in appearance.  Watch for the densly flowered leafless stalk and attractive leaves at the base for helpful identification clues.  Six Heuchera species in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 4500-7500'.	PLANTS db: Senator Mine alumroot.
9	American Carrot	Daucus pusillus	Relative of the cultivated carrot.  The distinctive tiny white flowers and roughly flat-top cluster provide helpful identification clues.  Two species of Daucua in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 0-4500'.	PLANTS db - American wild carrot.
10	American Dragonhead	Dracocephalum parviflorum	These annual or biennial wild North American mint plants are hairless, with erect, thick, square stems, to 2', with sharply or coarsely toothed oblong leaves.  Flowers are often in leafy, dense spikes, and the bracts subtending the flowers have large spines.  The flower corollas, in clusters of small flowers at the ends of branching stems, in whorls, each barely exserted (protruding from flower) from its calyx, may be purplish-pink or blue.  The upper lip is erect, and notched, and the 4 stamens paired.  Watch for the erect, square stems, spiny subtending bracts, coarsely toothed leaves, and small barely exserted flowers for helpful identification clues.  Because of it's small but high fat content seeds, it's reportedly being considered for commercial production of birdseed in Alaska. One Dracocephalum species in Arizona.   Native.  Herb.  Annual/Biennial/Perennial.  Elev: 3500-8500'.	PLANTS db: American dragonhead.
11	American Red Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	Exotic Wildflower.  This shrub, in fir, pine and spruce forests (like on Mt Graham where photographed), has shrubs or vines that are woody, although first year stems (canes) are vegetative, plant to 5'.  Second year stems bear flowers.  Stems, leaves and flowering portions have sharp prickles, slender, many, somewhat down-curved, often gland-tipped.  Stems are erect, sometimes just the flowering portion after the stem first trails along the ground.   Leaflets sometimes lobed, generally lanceolate, single or double serrate margins, green above, gray to white below, on flowering stems typically to 3" long, almost as wide, pinnately 3-5; sometimes 7 (leaflets).  Flowers white, to 1" wide, petals 5, sepals 5 and longer than the petals with pricklies beneath; bright red (mature) fruits follow.  Watch for the prickly foliage and characteristic flowers for helpful identification clues. Five Rubus species in Arizona.  Introduced/Native.  Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 6000-11500'.	PLANTS db: American red raspberry.
12	American Vetch	Vicia americana	This is an herbaceous plant, climbing or trailing, leafy, has weak stems, found in fir and pine forest clearings.  Has pinnately compound green leaves, having 8-12 elliptical or ovate leaflets (typical leaflets shapes and 3-6 times longer than wide).  Leaves end in a tendril.  Flowers in racemes (flowers on stalks arranged singly along plant stem), 2 to several.  Flower corolla (petals taken collectively) to 1" long, followed by a pea-like pod.  Watch for this vine-like plant with little flowers, pinnate leaves and pea-like pods for helpful identification clues.  Six Vicia species in Arizona.  Native.  Vine/Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 5000-10000'.	PLANTS db: American vetch.
13	Amsonia	Amsonia palmeri	This plant, to 3' tall, has numerous, generally erect, leafy stems, milky liquid within.  Leaves appear whorled, or alternate, if there is a stem it is short, lance or oblong-lance-shaped, smooth to hairy, prominent midvein, dark green, to 2¾" long, ¼" wide.  Flowers, whitish or pale blue, typically ¼" wide and to ⅝" long, 5 overlapping lobes like cards in a 5-card poker hand overlapping, flowers appearing in terminal flat-top clusters (where the center flower blooms first), where several clusters may be stacked up by the stem top (cymose panicles), followed by a seed pod, to 4", cylindrical, split in two at maturity.  Watch in particular for the little, distinctive, 5-lobed, overlapping-lobe flowers on a leafy plant with numerous stems for helpful identification clues.  Seven Amsonia Species in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 2500-4500'.	PLANTS db: Palmer's bluestar.
14	Anderson Thornbush	Lycium andersonii	A key trait of this shrub, is a pattern of rotating spike-branches, located along main branching stems, which make this shrub thicket-like and basically inaccessible, even to most birds.  Thornbush typically snags your clothing and scratches the skin and is not something easy to walk through.  Various varieties differ in flower length, leaf thickness and size.  The plant featured here was trimmed.  Normally the overall shape of this wild thornbush is less well defined and less symmetrical in branch deployment than that pictured.  Nearly a dozen Lycium species (plus variations) in Arizona.  Native.  Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 800-5600'.	PLANTS db - water jacket.
15	Annual Bristleweed	Xanthisma texanum	Annual plant to 20", bristly all over, stems erect, branched above or at base, seen in rocky and sandy locations.  Leaves alternate, angled upward, simple, toothed, hairy, narrow, grayish-green, to 1" long; upper leaves smaller, to linear, teeth and lobes bristly-tipped.  Flowers yellow, 16-18 yellow ray flowers, flower-head to 1¼" wide, phyllaries (bracts) hairy, bracts bristly-tipped.  Watch for the plants with erect stems, yellow flowers with 16-18 petals, small angled upward grayish-green leaves, and bristly-tipped phyllaries and leaf lobes and teeth for helpful identification clues.  Four Xanthisma species in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 0-4500'.	Yellow Spiny Daisy, Slender Goldenweed.  PLANTS db: Texas sleepydaisy.
16	Annual Goldeneye	Heliomeris longifolia var. annua	This plant, stems wiry and erect, branched, throughout or higher up, leaves tending toward upper part of stem, with yellow flowerheads borne singly or in arrays, may reach 28” tall.  The yellow flowerheads with 5-15 broad ray flowers, generally curling back, 25-50 disk flowers, grows flowerhead to 1⅜” wide.  Leaves alternate or opposite, stalkless, linear, elliptic, ovate, lanceolate, or their combinations, entire (smooth edge), hairy, sometimes gland-dotted, prominent midvein, to ⅛” wide, 2½“ long.  Watch for the plentiful golden yellow flowerheads with petals curling back, sparse, narrow leaves with a prominent midvein and rolled under edges, and stem characteristics as ID clues.  Several Heliomeris species plus varations in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 2500-7000'.	Annual Goldeneye; PLANTS db. - longleaf false goldeneye.
17	Antelope Horns	Asclepias asperula	Unusual overall plant geometry, and the large (3" diameter) spherical flower clusters, helps distinguish it from other wild plants seen within 50 miles of Phoenix.  There is a cetain resemblance between the shape of the seed pods and antelope horns, and the pods are large.  Clustered flowers, to ½" wide, are greenish yellow, with maroon tinges.  Narrow leaves to 6" long, grayish stripe down midvein.  Flower followed by 6" pod with olive-green and pink streaks.  Native.  Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 3000-9000'.	PLANTS db - antelopehorns.
18	Apache Plume	Fallugia paradoxa	An attractive plant, to 6' tall, spreading fairly randomly; branches with white bark and slender; leaves bundled, evergreen in part, obvate, pinnately cleft or divided, to ¾" long.  The large, generally solitary white flowers to 2" wide, with sepals and petals alternating, plentiful stamens and pistils, followed by durable and very distinctive white to pinkish plumes with the seeds.  Differs from the similar Cliff Rose with it's larger and whiter flowers, more numerous branches at the shrub base, and very distinctive, showy plumes.  Watch for the white flowers and showy plumes for helpful identification clues.  One Fallugia species in Arizona.  Native.  Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 3500-8000'.	PLANTS db: Apache plume.
19	Arizona Blue-Eyes	Evolvulus arizonicus	The flat, round, ½" wide bright-blue/sky blue flowers, with a white ring around the center tube, are very easy to spot against the predominately brown/gray desert background, and provide helpful identification clues.  Leaves narrowly to broadly lanceolate, to 1" long.  Native.  Herb.  Perennial.  Elev: 2900-6000'.	PLANTS db - Wild dwarf morning-glory.
20	Arizona Caltrops	Kallstroemia grandiflora	These sprawling plants have opposite, pinnately compound leaves.  Their brilliant "poppy-sized" 5 petal flower heads, with maroon in their centers, with the petals forming a bowl, and compound leaves provide helpful identification clues.  The 5 petals, grayish green very hairy compound leaves and later booming period help distinguish it from the Mexican Gold Poppy which has 4 petals.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 0-5000'.	Orange Caltrop, Mexican Poppy; PLANTS db - Arizona poppy.
21	Arizona Centaury	Centaurium calycosum	This specie's flowers present a very distinctive pink color, one difficult to confuse with other 5-petal flowers within a convenient day trip of Phoenix.  Stems are simple or branched at the base, said to reach 28" but we've never seen over 2' if that high.  Found in damp areas and streambeds, often within a dozen feet of open water, this species is variable in leaf width and the flower petal geometry (petals may be skinny, wide, long, short).  Stems typically to 2', variably shaped leaves; flowers with 5 petals, to ¼" (we've seen them considerably longer), generally more than 6 pairs of opposite, hairless leaves, to 2", and may have leaf stems and form a basal rosette.  Watch for the bright pink flowerheads in moist areas and steambeds for helpful identification clues.  Three Centaurium in Arizona.  Native.  Herb.  Annual/Biennial.  Elev: 150-6000'.	Buckley’s Centaury.  PLANTS db: Arizona centaury.
22	Arizona Cudweed	Pseudognaphalium arizonicum	Clustered, whitish gray, slender headed, rayless flowers, to ¼" long, tipped with yellowish brown.  Woolly grayish leaves pointing upward on stem, with margins curled under.  Leaves linear and alternate, to 1" in length.  The rayless flower clusters and upward pointing woolly leaves provide helpful identification clues.  Stems are woolly.  Native.  Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 4800-7500'.	PLANTS db. - Arizona cudweed.
23	Arizona Cypress	Cupressus arizonica	An evergreen tree, to 75' tall, more often, half that.  There are two Arizona varieties.  The variety photographed, with age, and due to its exfoliating bark, develops a cherry-red to brown to gray smooth bark.  More southern-southeastern species retain rough bark.  Leaves appear dusty-, green- to gray-, to blue-green; may have a bloom; glandular, at times sparsely to densely resin-covered.  Seed cones spheric to ovoid, often woody, hard; scales with a peak at center; dull gray to brown, opening upon maturation; cone to about 1" thick, remaining on tree after reaching maturity, for years.  Watch for the smooth exfoliating bark, and large woody-looking cones for helpful identification clues.  One Cupressus species in Arizona.  Native.  Tree.  Perennial.  Elev: 2500-6500'.	PLANTS db: smooth Arizona cypress.
24	Arizona Fiesta Flower	Pholistoma auritum var. arizonicum	Arizona Fiesta Flower was previously known as Small-Flowered Eucrypta in some earlier books.  Has small bell-shaped blue-lavender flowers in loose clusters at ends of slender, prickly, fragile stems.  5 united petals, flower heads to ½" wide.  Leaves lancelolate or oblong, 5-13 lobed, lobes may have a few teeth.  Stems 1-2' long, with curved hairs. The flower geometry and color, and 10-narrow lobed calyx, with long hairy pointy lobes right behind the bell-shaped flower, alternately bent backward or forward provide helpful identification clues. Native.  Vine/Herb.  Annual.  Elev: 0-3000'.	PLANTS db. - Arizona fiestaflower.
25	Arizona Honeysuckle	Lonicera arizonica	Another distinctive species, with shrubby plants, to 3'; stems erect, trailing or twining; with single red to purplish flowers, grouped in whorls above two joined leaves, or whorls crowded together in a spike of sorts.  Flowers red to purplish on the outside, orange inside; lips 2, and not longer than ¼ the tube length; stamens deep within the tube; flowers followed by red berry clusters.  Leaves fringed with little hairs, to 3" long, joined together in pairs under flower whorls, oval, opposite, bluish-green above, lighter underneath.  Watch for the flower whorls above a pair of joined leaves for helpful identification clues.  Six Lonicera species in Arizona.  Native.  Vine/Shrub.  Perennial.  Elev: 6000-9000'.	PLANTS db: Arizona honeysuckle.