Fabaceae (legume family)subfamily Mimosoideae
Acacia constricta Benth.subfamily Caesalpinioideae
"white thorn acacia"Native, perennial large shrubs to small trees a few meters tall, growing along washes and slopes at 2500-4000' elevation. Leaflets bipinnately compound, 4-6 pinnae, leaflets narrowly oblong in 6-12 pairs; straight, paired, stipular spines short or to >1 cm long on older branches, or occasionally absent. Inflorescences capitate, bright yellow, to >1 cm diameter, blooming May-August; pods greater than ten times longer than wide, brownish or reddish, glabrous, constricted between seeds. Observed in and along washes on the eastern bajada and west of Wildcat Peak, 1750-1850' elevation.
Acacia greggii Gray
"catclaw acacia"
Native, perennial large shrubs to small trees to 6 meters tall, growing along washes and slopes below 4500' elevation. Leaflets bipinnately compound, 1-3 pinnae, leaflets oblong; solitary, hooked, brown, internodal prickles. Inflorescences spicate, pale yellow, to >1 cm diameter and a few centimeters long, blooming April-October. Observed in and along washes on the eastern bajada and west of Wildcat Peak, 1700-1850' elevation.
Prosopis velutina (Swartz) DC.
"velvet mesquite"
Native, arboreal, to several meters tall. Bipinnately compound leaves borne in clusters or on short shoots, observed emerging mid-April, many pairs of leaflets; leaves subtended by paired stipular spines. Inflorescence spicate, pendulous, often several borne together from one shoot, blooming March-August; flowers small, yellow, fragrant, producing flattened legumes constricted between the seeds. Individuals observed on Greene Wash floodplain, lower eastern bajada, and alluvial and eolian flats to south of Wildcat Peak, generally below 1600' (east side) or 1640' (south end) elevation; plants vary greatly in size and habit; some plants at the south end with Phoradendron californicum. Younger plants more conspicuously spiny; large plants with more conspicuous short shoots.
Cercidium floridum Benth.subfamily Papilionoideae"blue palo verde"
Native, arboreal, with ascending crown to 30' tall; grows along washes, on floodplains and slopes, 500-4000' elevation. Blue-green bark and stems, leaves bipinnately compound, oblong leaflets, with a spine at each node; bright yellow, axillary flowers April-May, producing a flat pod to 3" long. Observed along two washes on the bajada, east side of the Sawtooth Mountains, ~1640' elevation, and on flats draining northwest of Wildcat Peak, ~1680' elevation.
Cercidium microphyllum (Torr.) Rose & Johnst. (see another picture)
"foothills palo verde"
Native, arboreal, with broad crown, tending to have many major branches leaning or pointing downward. Growth to 25' tall and 1' in diameter. Grows on dry, rocky hillsides and mesas, plains and deserts from 500'-4000' elevation. Bark smooth, light yellowish-green or tan on oldest portions of trunk. Light green, bipinnately compound leaves; small, narrow, elliptical leaflets vary in number and may be deciduous as to be absent. Yellow, 5-merous flower; produces cylindrical pod with narrow, pointed ends, to 3" long. Blooms March-May. In the Sawtooth Mountains and immediate vicinity, C. microphyllum is not found on the flats dominated by Larrea and Prosopis except along washes, and does not occur along Greene Wash with Tamarix; on slopes or bajada, ~1600-1750' elevation, individuals are common and along washes these are the most common trees. Stunted treed grow at higher elevations on steep, rocky slopes.
Hoffmanseggia glauca Benth.
"hog potato"
Native, perennial herbs to several centimeters tall, growing in irrigated areas below 5000' elevation. Root tuberous, leaves bipinnately compound; inflorescence terminal, racemose, flowers yellow, blooming April-September. Plants observed growing in clay on Greene Wash floodplain on the margins of clear areas in Amsinckia-dominated flats, ~1570' elevation.
Senna covesii Gray
Native, perennial herbs to few dm tall, growing on slopes at 1000-3000' elevation. Stem thickened below leaves, herbage lanate or canescent with short, appressed hairs, appearing whitish or grayish but blue-green beneath. Leaves once-pinnately compound, leaflets oblong, in 2-3 pairs. Flowers terminal, blooming April-October; pods 2-3 cm long. Observed on rocky north slope of Wildcat Peak, ~1850' elevation, with Selaginella arizonica.
Astragalus didymocarpus Hook. & Arn.Native, annual herb, growing to several centimeters tall, southern Arizona at 1000-2500' elevation. Stems semi-prostrate, strigose-puberulent; leaves pinnately compound with several pairs of leaflets, leaflets indented at apex. Inflorescence a short to capitate spike, appearing pubescent, with flowers 4-6 mm long, blooming February-April; fruit 2-celled and 2-seeded, not inflated, conspicuously transverse-ribbed. Plants not common, but most often observed on upper bajada and on rocky slopes between 1600-1700' elevation on both east and south sides of the Sawtooth Mountains.
Astragalus nuttallianus DC.
Native, annual herbs, semi-prostrate to erect, to several centimeters tall; favoring dry plains and slopes below 4000' elevation, throughout Arizona. Herbage strigose-puberulent, leaflets several, pubescent above; inflorescence few-flowered, terminal, on long, axillary peduncles. Flowers less than 10 mm long, strongly keeled, calyx teeth >2/3 as long as the tube; blooming February-May, producing a flat, 2-celled linear fruit to 20 mm long. Individuals ubiquitous on alluvial flats and lower bajada, ~1600-1750' elevation, occasionally among rocks; occurring with other low herbs, e.g., Lotus strigosus var. tomentellus, Euphorbia sp., Pectocarya platycarpa.
Lotus salsuginosus Greene
Native, spring annual, prostrate herbs, growing on dry hillsides below 3000' elevation. Leaves pinnately compound with 3 or more leaflets, leaflets ovate, herbage strigose or (as with Sawtooth Mountains specimen) approaching glabrous. Inflorescence axillary, stalked, with yellow flowers less than 7 mm long, blooming February-May; fruit linear with short, moderately curved beak. Few plants observed in gravelly wash in eastern foothills of Sawtooth Mountains, ~1650' elevation.
Lotus strigosus var. tomentellus Greene
"hairy lotus"
Native, herbaceous annual, prostrate and creeping, to 10"; grows in sandy deserts below 3000' elevation. Leaves pinnately compound, green, pubescent; leaflets thick, linear. Minute, yellow, zygomorphic flowers solitary, blooming March-May; fruit a slender legume. Common with other low-growing herbs on alluvial surfaces, particularly on the east side of the Sawtooth Mountains and south slope of Wildcat Peak, ~1600-1700' elevation.
Lupinus bicolor Lindl.
Native (disputed), annual/biennial, recorded in south-central Arizona counties including Pinal County, growing at 2500-4500' elevation. Herbage villous-hirsute, leaves (5?)-palmately compound, leaflets 2-3 mm wide and acutish. Inflorescence surpassing the foliage, flowering March-May; flowers 4-7 mm long, corolla violet-blue and white, the keel not ciliate; pod 3-5 seeded. First observance a dried plant from alluvial/sandy flats west of Wildcat Peak, ~1620' elevation, in September 1998.
Lupinus concinnus Agardh.
"bajada lupine"
Native, herbaceous, perennial; growth to 6", generally prostrate. Grows on sandy desert flats and bajadas below 5000' elevation. Grayish-green, densely pubescent leaves, palmately compound with usually 7 to 9 linear leaflets. Corolla pale purplish-blue, zygomorphic. Indeterminate inflorescences, blooms March-May. Observed only on sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak, blooming March-April, fruiting April-May.
Lupinus sparsiflorus Benth.
"Coulter's lupine"
Native, herbaceous, perennial; growth to 16". Grows on desert slopes and mesas below 3000' elevation. Dark green leaves, palmately compound with 5 to 9 linear leaflets, glabrous or minutely pubescent. Corolla blue to violet, zygomorphic; banner petal with white to yellow at center. Indeterminate inflorescence, blooms January-May; fruit a stout, beaked legume. Observed blooming February-May, fruiting late March-April, widely distributed on eastern bajada and along washes, ~1600-1750' elevation.
Marina parryi Torr. & Gray.
Native, xeriphytic, perennial, suffrutescent herb, growing in southern Arizona below 4000' elevation. Stems prostrate, leaves odd-pinnately compound, leaflets numerous and indented at apex, dark green, glandular-punctate beneath. Inflorescence a many-flowered, terminal raceme; corolla purple and white, blooming March-June. Plants growing on grassy, rocky slopes in Sawtooth Mountains. Observed occasionally in eastern foothills and commonly on west side of Wildcat Peak, ~1700-1750' elevation.
Melilotus indicus (L.) All.
"sour clover"
Non-native, annual herbs growing in irrigated areas in southern Arizona. Stems semi-prostrate to erect, caulescent, leaves tri-pinnately compound and leaflets minutely dentate. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, with small (<2.5 mm), yellow flowers blooming April-September. Plants growing on edges of sandy areas and under shrubs on Greene Wash floodplain, ~1570' elevation.
Olneya tesota Gray (another picture)
"ironwood"
Native, arboreal, evergreen, with broad crown; growth to 30' tall and 1.5' in diameter. Grows along desert washes and in canyons, generally below 2500' elevation. Trunk gray on young individuals, becoming dark and fissured with age. Leaves bluish green, pinnately compound, leaflets oblong; paired spines at base of each leaf. Flowers pink-purple-white, zygomorphic; produce brown, canescent legume to 2.5" long. Blooms May-June. Grows interspersed with Cercidium microphyllum and the less common C. floridum along washes on the bajada flanking the Sawtooth Mountains, ~1650-1700' elevation.
Krameriaceae (ratany family)Krameria erecta Rose & Painter"white ratany"
Native, perennial, woody shrubs to <1 m high, growing below 4000' elevation. Herbage densely pubescent, trichomes simple, soft, not closely appressed; stems reddish, leaves longer, not as dense, and more often not fascicled as in K. parvifolia. Inflorescence and flower as K. parvifolia, upper petals distinct to base, blooming April-September; spines on fruit with one whorl of barbs at apex only (cf. K. parvifolia). Observed on rocky and alluvial surfaces north and west of Wildcat Peak, ~1700-1800' elevation. Both species observed south and west of Wildcat Peak, but K. erecta not yet observed east of the range where K. parvifolia is common.
Krameria grayi Willd. ex Schult.
"ratany"
Native, perennial, woody shrubs, partly parasitic on roots of other plants. Growth to <1 m, generally in dry desert foothills and mesas from 500-5000' elevation. Stems light gray, leaves reddish but appearing grayish with canescent surfaces, 6-12 mm long; shrub appears bluish-green. Leaves short, narrow, simple, alternate, sometimes densely arranged. Flower dark pink, zygomorphic, solitary, blooming April-October; produces a bur-like, globular pod with barbs distributed irregularly along the axis of the spines (cf. K. erecta). Common on sandy flats and bajada, generally sandy or gravelly to rocky where found in the Sawtooth Mountains, ~1650-1850' elevation.
Geraniaceae (geranium family)Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Her."filaree"
Non-native, herbaceous annual, trailing stems to 15"; grows on desert flats, mesas, hillsides below 7000' elevation. Bipinnately divided leaves in dense rosette, short stem with runners, herbage glandular-pubescent. Flowers solitary, pink, petals usually less than 6 mm long, blooming February-July; long, slender fruit with persistent styles that recoil spirally on drying and dispersal. Common on alluvial flats south of Wildcat Peak and lower bajada on east side of Sawtooth Mountains; few individuals in higher areas, and E. texanum the more common one in these areas.
Erodium texanum Gray
"wild geranium"
Native, annual herbs, prostrate with stems to several centimeters long, growing on plains at 1000-4500' elevation. Leaves palmately lobed and lobes serrate, dark green with reddish tinge, herbage variously appressed-pubescent (not glandular). Flowers blooming February-April, petals fugacious, typically more than 6 mm long; fruit as in E. cicutarium. Plants observed on alluvial flats and bajada on south and east sides of Sawtooth Mountains, growing interspersed with E. cicutarium at lower elevations but becoming the more common one (never abundant) on upper bajada; flowers not observed, but fruit present on most plants.
Zygophyllaceae (caltrop family)Kallstroemia californica (Wats.) VailNative, annual herb growing in southern Arizona in sandy soil below 7000' elevation. Stems prostrate, trailing or climbing, with herbage sparsely pubescent; leaves pinnately compound with 4-7 pairs of leaflets. Flowers solitary, axillary, on long peduncles, flowering May-October; petals <6 mm long, yellow. Calyx falling before maturity of fruit, beak of fruit <3 mm long, glabrous; pronounced tubercles on dorsal face of seeds. Observed with Proboscidea altheaefolia on and among Opuntia macrocentra, and along shallow washes, on sandy flats southwest of Wildcat Peak, ~1640' elevation.
Kallstroemia grandiflora Torr. (another picture)
"summer poppy"
Native, annual, growing in Arizona at elevations below 5000'. Stem semi-prostrate, herbage hispid-hirsute; leaves opposite, even-pinnately compound. Flower 5-merous, sepals persistent; petals orange with red at base, 15-30 mm long, blooming February-September. Fruit globose, 10-ribbed, with persistent beak 8-11 mm long. Growing among Larrea along washes on eastern bajada and foothills, commonly along shallow washes and on sandy flats southwest of Wildcat Peak, and in the eastern Tat Momoli valley, ~1620-1750' elevation.
Larrea divaricata Cav. subsp. tridentata (DC.) Felger & C.H. Lowe
"creosote bush"
Native, woody, evergreen shrub; many-branched, growth to 10'. Grows on dry plains and mesas below 4500' elevation. Old stems dark, young stems tend to be lighter gray. Yellowish-green to dark green leaves pinnately divided into two near-leaflets, often resinous or sticky. Flowers yellow, 5-merous; produces a cluster of pubescent seeds. Solitary inflorescence, blooms March-April and November-December. The dominant vegetation on flats and bajada flanking the Sawtooth Mountains, interspersed with Lycium and young Prosopis on flats south of the range; persists with elevation at lower densities among other shrub taxa, grows on substrates ranging from sandy to rocky and flat to steep, ~1570-2100' elevation.
Simaroubaceae (simarouba family)Castela emoryi (A. Gray) Moran & Felger"crucifixion thorn"
Native, woody shrub, growth to 12'. Grows on desert plains from 500'-2000' elevation; uncommon, usually solitary where found in Sawtooth Mountains. Gray-green, rigid twigs terminating in thorns; leafless. Flowers yellow-green, plants dioecious. Inflorescence single or compound-racemose, blooms June-July. One male individual observed near Greene Wash; several individuals observed in a few clusters near each other on the eastern bajada, including at least one female plant with at least two seasons of fruit persisting on stems, all between ~1570-1650' elevation.
Malpighiaceae (malpighia family)Janusia gracilis GrayNative, perennial, woody vines growing autonomously or on other shrubs on dry, rocky slopes at 1000-5000' elevation. Stems slender, twining, tangled; leaves opposite, both stems and leaves with both simple and forked trichomes. Flowers solitary, axillary, blooming April-October; calyx lobes 5 with oil glands at base, petals 5, yellow, clawed. Fruit a 2- or (rarely) 3-part samara. Plants observed growing on shrubs of Trixis californica and Lycium berlandieri, and as small, autonomous shrubs on rocky outcrops on lower slopes surrounding Wildcat Peak, ~1680-1750' elevation, and in eastern foothills ~1800' elevation. Fruits observed on Sawtooth Mountains plants most commonly 3-part, rarely 2.
Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)Ditaxis lanceolata (Benth.) Pax & HoffmannNative, perennial, growing on dry, rocky slopes from 350-3000' elevation. Small, suffrutescent, freely-branching shrub to <1 m tall, main stem seldom more than 3 mm diameter. Leaves petioled, lanceolate-linear, densely pubescent and appearing silvery with fine, sharp hairs which will persist in the skin. Uncommon, but observed growing on rocky outcrops south and west of Wildcat Peak, ~1700-1800' elevation.
Ditaxis neomexicana (Muell. Arg.) Heller
Native, annual, herbaceous, growing at 1000-4000' elevation throughout Arizona. Stems caulescent, many from base; leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-elliptic, serrulate, with sharp, stinging trichomes, simple or forked. Plant monoecious, flowers in axillary, bracteate racemes, blooming February-September; fruit 3-lobed. Observed growing on rocky slopes in the eastern foothills, in gravelly washes on the eastern bajada, and on rocky outcrops south of Wildcat Peak, generally ~1680-1800' elevation.
Euphorbia abramsiana Wheeler
Native, mat-forming annual, growing at 150-3000' elevation. Plants low, spreading, herbage glabrous; leaves opposite, lanceolate, serrulate, asymmetric at base, often with red along midvein; stipules white, longitudinally dissected, not united. Glands of the cyathia unappendaged, circular; cyathia axillary, plants flowering August-November. Capsule glabrous, less than 2 mm long, widest at the middle; seeds light colored, minute, with prominent transverse ridges. Observed ubiquitously on east side of Sawtooth Mountains, bajada to foothills and along washes to ~1750' elevation.
Euphorbia albomarginata Torr. & Gray
"rattlesnake weed"
Native, mat-forming perennials, generally at 1000-6000' elevation on clay and loam flats. Stems fragile, reddish, with milky sap, glabrous; stems trailing and nodes often rooting. Leaves opposite, elliptical to ovate or orbicular, green but occasionally with red on margins or in center; stipules united into a single, membranous scale. Inflorescences cyathia with 12 or more staminate flowers, styles bifid; involucral glands with conspicuous, white, petaloid appendages. Blooming February-October; fruit a 3-valved capsule, less than 3 mm long. Growing in bare areas on Greene Wash floodplain and on the eastern bajada below ~1650' elevation.
Euphorbia arizonica Engelm.
Native, perennial, with slender taproot, growing in southern Arizona at 1000-4000’ elevation. Leaves opposite, symmetric, without stipules; herbage pilose with simple, viscid-glandular hairs. Glands of the urceolate involucre with broad petaloid appendages, flowering February-October. Staminate flowers 5-12; capsule with glandular hairs, seeds pale and sharply angled. Growing on rocky west slope of Wildcat Peak, ~2000’ elevation.
Euphorbia florida Engelm.
Native, annual, growing at 2000-5000' in southern Arizona. Stems erect-spreading, branching dichtomously, with milky sap; leaves opposite, linear, 3-6 cm long, perbulent beneath and remotely serrulate. Glands of cyathia with petaloid appendages, becoming reddish; capsule glabrous, roundly 3-lobed, 2-2.5 mm long. Growing on rocky slopes in eastern and western valleys to ~1750' elevation, and commonly on sandy flats southwest of Wildcat Peak at ~1640' elevation.
Euphorbia parryi Engelm.
Native, annual, growing in sandy soil at 1500-5500' elevation. Stems erect, herbage glabrous throughout, terminal branches not capillary; leaves linear, entire, opposite, symmetric, less than 3 cm long. Glands of the involucre appendaged, the appendages not fading red, staminate flowers numerous in the cyathia; capsule glabrous, roundly 3-lobed, 2.5 mm long, seeds smooth. Observed growing from groundcover of Allionia on sandy flats west of Wildcat Peak, ~1620' elevation.
Euphorbia polycarpa Benth
Native, perennial, prostrate to semi-erect herb with stems to several centimeters long, growing at 500-3000' elevation. Stems reddish, not rooting at nodes; leaves opposite, elliptical to ovate, generally green or with reddish tinge, stipules not united. Inflorescences cyathia, urcinate, solitary-axillary or terminal; appendages of involucral glands narrow, inconspicuous. Blooming year-round; fruit a 3-valved capsule, less than 2 mm long. Observed growing in bare areas on Greene Wash floodplain, in bajada washes, and on sandy flats and rocky areas south of Wildcat Peak, generally below ~1700' elevation.
Euphorbia trachysperma Engelm.
Native to southern Arizona and Sonora (Mexico), very rare, growing at 300-4000' elevation. Erect but weak-stemmed, herbage glabrous. Leaves opposite, symmetric, lanceolate-oblong, remotely serrulate; stipules well-developed, not united, with a gland at the major nodes. Glands of involucre minutely if at all appendaged, capsules glabrous, 3.1-3.3 mm long, seeds quadrangular. Observed along a wash south of Wildcat Peak, ~1600' elevation.
Malvaceae (mallow family)
Abutilon incanum (Link) SweetNative, perennial, loosely-branched, suffrutescent or shrubby, growing on dry slopes at 1000-4000' elevation. Stems light, slender; leaves cordate, petioled, dentate, canescent with short stellate hairs. Solitary, axillary flowers, perianth yellow with red spot at bases of petals, involucel none; fruit a cylindrical schizocarp with 2 or more ovules per locule. Plants observed to ~1 m tall, growing at intervals on rocky outcrops and rocky bajada west and north of Wildcat Peak, ~1800-1850' elevation.
Malva parviflora L.
"common malva"
Non-native, herbaceous annuals or biennials of varying habit, throughout southern Arizona. Leaves orbicular or reniform with serrate-dentate margins, herbage stellate-pubescent to glabrous. Flowers axillary on short pedicels, petals whitish or pinkish, style branches filiform, blooming March-September; fruit a discoidal, many-carpellate schizocarp. Small plants common marginal to clearings on Greene Wash floodplain, ~1570' elevation; also observed as a large plant with one major, flowering stem and dense basal rosette of shorter stems growing at the base of a cliff with Sphaeralcea ambigua and Hyptis emoryi at ~1800' elevation in the eastern foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains.
Malvella sagittifolia (Gray) Fryxell
Native, perennial, growing in heavy or saline soils at 1000-6000' elevation. Stems prostrate, trailing or viny, herbage and calyx with peltate (lepidote) scales. Leaves palmately 3-lobed or hastate, 3-5 times longer than wide. Flowers solitary, axillary, on decurved peduncles, flowering year-round but particularly March-October. Involucel absent, calyx synsepalous at base and hirsute on inner surface; petals whitish to pale yellow, 15 mm long. Fruit a schizocarp with 7-8 mericarps, coat inflated and reticulate. Observed along a wash south of Wildcat Peak, ~1600' elevation, with schizocarp of 6 mericarps.
Sphaeralcea ambigua Gray
"desert globe mallow"
var. rosacea with lavender or pink flowers. Native, herbaceous perennial, growth to dm. Grows in sandy washes and flats to 3500' elevation. Simple, alternate, palmately 3-lobed leaves with convolute to scalloped edges; stellate trichomes cover both surfaces. Flowers 5-merous, imbricate, typically orange but variable. Indeterminate inflorescences; blooms year-round. Solitary but large and many-branched individuals observed in three locations: base of cliff at ~1800' elevation, and along two gravelly washes in the eastern foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains at ~1700'; numerous large individuals observed on west-facing rocky slope in eastern foothills valley, ~1800' elevation.
Sphaeralcea coulteri Wats.
Native, annual herbs to many centimeters tall, growing in sandy soil below 2500' elevation in southern Arizona. Herbage stellate-pubescent, yellow-green to grayish, stems simple or few-branched, caulescent; leaves shallowly palmately 3-lobed with lobes serrate-dentate or crenate. Flowers axillary or terminal-racemose, corolla orange, blooming January-May. Observed growing on Greene Wash floodplain, lower bajada, and on both alluvial and eolian sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak, generally between 1570-1650' elevation; not ubiquitous, but tend to grow in diffuse patches and typically with grasses or smaller herbs, occasionally on bare ground.
Sterculiaceae (chocolate family)Ayenia filiformis Wats.Native, perennial undershrubs, growing on dry, rocky slopes at 2000-4000' elevation. Stems decumbent, dark green, herbage with simple, forked, and stellate trichomes; leaves dark green, simple, ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, serrate, with small, brown stipules. Inflorescences axillary, blooming March-October; staminal column elongate, funnelform, petals adnate to column and with long, filiform, dorsal appendages. Ovary and fruit distinctly stipitate, green, brittle, 5-celled with one ovule per locule. Small, few-stemmed individual observed with Selaginella under a shrub on rocky ridge north of Wildcat Peak, ~1850' elevation.
Tamaricaceae (tamarix family)Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karsten"Athel tamarisk"
Non-native, trees to >10 m tall and 60 cm diameter, evergreen. Overall form ponderous, inner branches dense, new growth drooping; leaves sheathing, minute. Flowers 5-merous but tree seldom flowering, perianth caducous. Large individuals growing periodically along Greene Wash on east side of Sawtooth Mountains, and an individual observed and photographed growing in bottom of groundwater depletion subsidence crack, ~1570' elevation, on eastern bajada.
Tamarix pentandra Pallas
"salt cedar"
Non-native, evergreen, large shrubs or small trees, to several meters tall, generally restricted to riparian areas below 5000' elevation. Branches slender, covered in small, imbricate, scale-like leaves, older portions gray and bare. Perfect, reduced flowers on slender, terminal spikes, blooming March-August. Trees of varying size at intervals along Greene Wash bordering the Sawtooth Mountains on the northeast.
Loasaceae (stick-leaf family)Mentzelia albicaulis Dougl."Venus blazing star"
Native, annual herb; growth to 30 cm or more tall, favoring sandy soil on plains and along washes below 7000' elevation. Stems pinkish-tan, becoming whitish; leaves pinnately divided but irregularly so such that some lobes may alternate; leaf surfaces scabrous. Calyx connate, forming a tube; petals yellow, 5-merous, not more than 8 mm long; fruit an elongate capsule. Blooms February-(May)-August. Observed on sandy flats, in eastern foothills, and along washes, ~1620-1700' elevation.
Mentzelia involucrata Wats.
"white-bracted stick leaf"
Native, perennial herb, growth to dm, many-branched from base and somewhat from individual stems, stems whitish and becoming rigid; flowers solitary, axillary, light yellow, cylindric to funnelform from calyx tube, subtended by whitish bracts with green, deeply serrate or lobed margins; fruit an apically-dehiscent capsule with numerous, greenish-brown seeds. Two plants observed growing at base of a cliff in eastern foothills of Sawtooth Mountains, ~1800' elevation.
Echinocereus engelmannii (Parry) Rümpler
"hedgehog cactus"
Native, succulent perennial to <50 cm tall, growing below 5000' elevation.
Stems cylindrical, ribbed, with areoles arranged on ribs; spines variable,
2-6 from center of areole. Flowers arising from above areoles, funnelform
to subcampanulate, day-blooming, February-May. Plants occur in all areas
of the Sawtooth Mountains above ~1600' elevation, tending to be widely
spaced; typically colonial, clusters occasionally of dozens of stems and
up to 40 cm tall. Spines white, yellowish, or brownish; plants or colonies
may appear yellow or red from a distance depending on spine color.
Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose (see other pictures: 1, 2)
"Arizona barrel cactus"
Native, succulent perennial to 6-1/2' tall, cylindrical with up to 25
ribs and 2' in diameter; grows on sandy desert and gravelly or rocky slopes
at 1000-4500' elevation. Areoles arranged along ribs, consisting of 3 pairs
of stiff, ribbed spines and several bristle-like spines radiating from
center and one long, hooked spine projecting outward from the center. Perianth
yellow to red at crown of stem, blooming July-September; fruit yellow,
spineless, with persistent perianth. Plants observed in all areas, but
most common on eastern bajada and higher rocky slopes; observed with binoculars
on top of cliffy peaks to 2400' elevation.
Mammillaria grahamii Engelm.
"fishhook cactus"
Native, succulent perennial, growing in gravel or rocks and under shrubs
below 4500' elevation; observed growing to 1' high; stem typically simple,
cylindrical, but may be colonial from base or supporting numerous buds
near stem apex. Tuberosities arranged in rows, each with an areole of many
radiating, white spines and 1-3 dark, hooked spines from the center. Perianth
pink, stigma green, blooming April-August; fruit club-shaped, red, from
between tuberosities. Individuals observed in all areas in rocks; less
common to absent on bajada and sandy areas and then usually under small
shrubs or on vegetation-stabilized islands in eolian sand.
Opuntia acanthocarpa Engelm. & Bigel.
"buckhorn cholla"
Native, succulent perennial, growth shrubby to small-tree-like, to a
few meters tall; growing at 500-3500' elevation in southern Arizona. Many-branched
with short trunk not well developed, habit somewhat disorganized; cylindric
joints to 2.5 cm diameter, pronounced tubercles with numerous spines per
areole. Blooming in spring, flowers of several colors, stigma yellow; fruit
dry, spiny, contracted at base, not persistent on plant. Occurs commonly
on sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak and upper eastern bajada in Sawtooth
Mountains, particularly on rocky slopes. Red, yellow, orange, and violet
perianth color morphs observed.
Opuntia arbuscula Engelm.
"pencil cholla"
Native, succulent perennial; growth tree-like with short, well-developed
trunk, to 9' tall; grows on sand and gravel at 1000-3000' elevation. Joints
2-6" long and 1/4-1/2" diameter, smooth and spineless or with 1 to a few
long spines per areole, spines variegated. Perianth green, yellow, or reddish-brown,
blooming May-June; fruit green and tinged with purple or red, spineless.
Numerous large individuals are observed in several stands in the sandy
flats and colluvium south of Wildcat Peak below 1700' elevation; fewer
individuals observed in eastern foothills of Sawtooth Mountains, typically
in or along washes, smaller, and not in large groups.
Opuntia bigelovii Engelm.
"teddy bear cholla"
Native, succulent perennial, growing to a few meters tall on warm mountain
slopes, generally below 3000' elevation in southern Arizona. Trunk well-developed,
dark with dense, persistent spines; joints cylindric, 3-5 cm diameter,
tubercles pronounced, densely covered with yellow-white, sheathed spines,
many from each areole. Flowers yellowish-white or -green, blooming February-May;
fruit fleshy with numerous bristle-like spines. Common on rocky, south-facing
slopes and ridge-tops in eastern foothills and especially on rocky south
and west slopes of Wildcat Peak, above ~1700' elevation.
Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck (see other pictures: 1, 2)
"prickly pear"
Native, succulent perennial, growing to 1.5 m tall, generally at 1000-6500'
elevation. Stems erect, joints ascending, flattened and orbicular-obovate;
spines generally paired or 3, deflexed, from all areoles. Flowers yellow,
stigma green and many-branched, blooming April-June; fruit fleshy. Common
in sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak and in eastern foothills of Sawtooth
Mountains, especially on north-facing slopes. Both all-yellow and red-streaked
yellow flowers observed and photographed.
Opuntia fulgida Engelm.
"chain-fruit cholla"
Native, succulent perennial; grows on desert flats at 1000-3000' elevation.
Trees with well-developed trunk and several major branches, 3-12' tall;
joints to 2" diameter with pronounced tubercles and dense, sheathed spines.
Perianth pink or white, blooming June-July; fruit green, spineless, chaining
at branch tips. Plants grow on sandy flats and bajada on south and east
sides of Sawtooth Mountains, giving way to O. bigelovii on higher
(>1700' elevation), steeper, and rockier slopes; many very large individuals
are observed in lower areas.
"desert Christmas cactus"
Native, succulent perennial. Growth usually prostrate, to 3' tall with
trunk not well developed; grows in washes and on slopes or desert flats
at 1000-4000' elevation. Joints 1/4-3/8" diameter, generally without pronounced
tubercles, main stems to 16" long with branches much shorter; spines single
or absent, glochids conspicuous. Perianth greenish-yellow, blooming May-June;
fruit globose, red, persistent. Observed in rocky areas and under shrubs
at the south end of the Sawtooth Mountains and along washes on the upper
bajada on the eastern side of the range.
Opuntia macrocentra Englem.
"purple (long-spined) prickly pear"
Formerly listed as a variety of O. violacea. Native, succulent perennial;
many-branched with short trunk; joints green with reddish-purple pigment,
orbicular and 4-8" in diameter. Spines solitary per areole, dark, concentrated
near and at tips of joints, 2-7" long. Perianth yellow with red center;
fruit red, persistent. Many individuals scattered on sandy flats and rocky
knolls southwest of Wildcat Peak at 1620-1640' elevation.
Opuntia parishii Orcutt.
"devil cholla"
Native, perennial succulent; mat-forming, growth to 12" tall, branching
at ground level. Joints cylindric but widening upward (clavate); tubercles
conspicuous and elongate with many stout, white or gray spines per areole
spreading in all directions. Perianth yellow to reddish, flowering in June;
fruit yellow and spiny with deep apical cup and persistent perianth. These
cacti are observed only on the sandy flats to the south and west of Wildcat
Peak in the upper (southern) Tat Momoli valley. The colonies stabilize
sand and foster cryptogamic lichens; burrowing animals make their homes
in the mounds formed by O. stanlyi colonies, and numerous annuals
(including often abundant Lesquerella gordoni) grow interspersed
with these cacti on the mounds.
Opuntia spinosior (Engelm.) Tourney
"cane cholla"
Native, succulent perennial; grows on rocks, slopes, grassland at 1000-5000'
elevation. Growth 3-8' tall with short trunk; joints 5-12" long and 5/8-7/8"
diameter, more or less whorled at branch tips; tubercles prominent with
10-20 spines radiating from areoles. Perianth typically purple but may
be red or yellow; produces yellow, spineless fruit. One large individual
observed growing in the sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak at ~1620' elevation.
Two clusters of tiny joints were observed growing ~1 mile and ~1-1/2 miles
north of the large individual, both on the lower west slope of Wildcat
Peak, ~1700' elevation; these are believed to be juvenile O. spinosior
cacti.
Onagraceae (evening primrose family)Camissonia boothii (Douglas) P.H. Raven subsp. condensata (Munz) P.H. RavenNative, annual. Dried stems with capsules found on sandy/alluvial flats in eastern Tat Momoli Valley near south end of range, ~1620' elevation.
Camissonia californica (Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray) Raven
Native, annual, to 180 cm tall; grows on open, brushy hillsides and washes, generally in loose soil, below 4000' elevation. Stems thick, fleshy, hollow, bluish green and glaucous to green or tinged reddish; leaves in a basal rosette, irregularly pinnatifid, drying and falling. Sepals 4-8 mm long, petals 6-14 mm long with or without red flecking at base; capsules 6-11 cm long, subterete to quadrangular, deflexed. Observed on rocky slopes in eastern foothills and bajadas around the Sawtooth Mountains, ~1700' elevation; red flecking observed on inner bases of corolla lobes. Caterpillars of the genus Hyles observed on and devouring immature capsules of these plants.
Camissonia clavaeformis peeblesii (Munz.) Raven
Native, annual herb, scapose with basal rosette of spatulate to spoon-like, serrate to dentate leaves; grows to 5-60 cm tall. Inflorescence terminal, indeterminate, scorpioid-corymbose; blooms March-May. Grows on flat, sandy plains with Prosopis, Carnegiea, Larrea, Ambrosia dumosa throughout southwestern Arizona at 400-2000' elevation. Subspecies designation gradational with ssp. aurantiaca and ssp. rubescens, hybridizes with C. brevipes; the ssp. peeblesii with white (v. yellow) flowers and only glandular-puberulent (v. strigillose) calyx lobes. Observed on sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak, ~1620' elevation, blooming at dusk and fading by mid-morning.
Gaura parviflora Dougl.
Native, biennial herb, growing in disturbed areas at 1000-6000' elevation. Stem caulescent, glabrous, few-branched; leaves elliptical, entire. Inflorescence terminal, spicate-racemose; flowers small, red, 4-merous, slightly zygomorphic, blooming March-June (-October). Plants uncommon, one ~1.5 m tall individual growing on bank of Greene Wash, ~1,570' elevation.
Oenothera arizonica Munz.
(from O. avita Torr. & Frém.) Native, annual herb, growing on flats at 500-2500' elevation. Large rosette with several trailing stems from center, leaves regularly pinnatifid (cf. O. deltoides). Flowers white, diurnal, stigma 4-lobed, blooming February-May; fruit an elongate, cylindric capsule. One large plant growing in open area on Greene Wash floodplain~1570' elevation. Beetles observed crawling on reproductive structures and devouring petals.
Oenothera primiveris Gray
"bottle evening primrose"
Native, annual herb, growing in dry, open areas below 4500' elevation; plants generally widely spaced, among other low herbs or alone. Basal rosette of pinnately-lobed to -divided leaves with prominent midvein. Flowers solitary-axillary, ephemeral in evening and morning, usually one at a time on an individual plant. Corolla yellow, actinomorphic of 4, heart-shaped petals. Conspicuous 4-lobed stigma. Blooms mid-February through May. Observed on the lower eastern bajada, <1650' elevation, and abundantly on the sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak, ~1620' elevation.
Apiaceae (carrot family)Ammoselinum giganteum Coult. & RoseNative, annual herbs to 20-30 cm tall, growing from near Phoenix to near Eloy. Stems slender, caulescent, leaves thrice-pinnately dissected with lobes linear. Inflorescences compound umbels, axillary and terminal, subtended by few involucral leaves; flowers minute, white, blooming in March. Fruit oblong, 3-5 mm long, covered with callose teeth, seed face concave. Plants ubiquitous on bajadas and common on sandy flats south of Wildcat Peak. Observed on bajada, sandy flats, and in foothills, ~1580-1750' elevation.
Bowlesia incana Ruiz & Pavon
Native, annual, prostrate herbs, growing densely under shrubs and along washes at 1000-3500' elevation. Herbage puberulent with stellate trichomes, stems dichotomous, leaves palmately lobed. Contracted, axillary, simple umbels of obscure flowers, followed by clustered fruits. Observed under shrubs on sandy flats, growing on a rocky outcrop, and along washes on eastern bajada of Sawtooth Mountains, ~1620' elevation.
Fouquieriaceae (ocotillo family)Fouquieria splendens Engelm. (another picture)"ocotillo"
Native, perennial shrub, growth to 20'; desert habitat, especially rocky slopes below 5000' elevation. Numerous "wand-like" stems branching from stout base, occasionally ramifying; simple, oblong leaves in fascicles at nodes subtended by single spines, alternating around stem. Flowers red, in terminal spicate or paniculate racemes, funnelform, with colorful bracts, blooming March-June. Observed commonly on mid-upper bajada and rocky slopes above ~1600' elevation, not on alluvial or sandy flats.
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