Wildflowers At 70 MPH: Arizona's Botanical Rainbow

...scratching that Jack Kerouac itch alone a grand adventure, our trip across the southwestern U.S. was a gluttonous voyage of wildflowers, nearly culminating with the Composites of Arizona. But we weren’t finished. We still had to roll up our pants legs and wade through a botanical rainbow. In addition to all those members of the sunflower family, spread along the interstate like piles of sunshine, we were treated to the bluish blooms of Silverstem Lupine (Lupinus argenteus), rosy Purple Loco (Oxytropis lambertii), orange-scarlet Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), violet-blue Many-flowered Gilia (Ipomopsis multiflora or Gilia multiflora), bright red Skyrocket (Ipomopsis aggregata or Gilia aggregata), purple New Mexican Vervain (Verbena macdougalii) and reddish-orange Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)...

Silverstem Lupine and Purple Loco are both members of the Pea Family (Leguminosae), the family resemblance obvious in the banner, wings and keel of their flowers.

The flowers of Silverstem Lupine are up to 1/2” long, and bloom in terminal clusters. Its trough-like leaves are dark green on top with short hairs, while the underside is lighter green and hairy. They are palmately divided into 7 to 9 leaflets. The plant, which grows to 2’, occurs in clearings in coniferous forests at elevations between 7,000 and 10,000’. Its seeds are eaten by birds.

The white to rosy to purple flowers of Purple Loco are up to 1” long, and blossom in a raceme held above the leaves. The up to 12” long leaves are silky-haired, silvery, and pinnately compound, with 7 to 17 leaflets. The entire plant grows up to 16”, and it has a tap root that can bury itself as deep as 8’.

Also known by such names as Lambert’s Crazyweed and Rocky Mountain Locoweed, Purple Loco is toxic to livestock, addictive and often fatal. It can be found on the plains and in ponderosa forest clearings, at elevations from 5,000 to 8,000’.

Desert Globemallow, a member of the Mallow Family (Malvaceae), has been known by such names as Sore-eye Poppy, Desert Hollyhock, Apricot Mallow and Plantas Muy Malas. Plantas Muy Malas means “very bad plants”, and Sore-eye Poppy refers to the star-shaped leaf hairs, which are an eye irritant. It grows to 40”, and blooms year-round, each plant establishing its own time.

Desert Globemallow can be found along roadsides, banks of sandy washes, and fllats, all below 3,500’ It is the most drought-tolerant of all globemallows, and is browsed by bighorn and domesticated sheep, as well as goats.

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