Part 1

FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS

By Natt N. Dodge Drawings by Jeanne R. Janish

SOUTHWESTERN MONUMENTS ASSOCIATION POPULAR SERIES NO. 4

Globe, Arizona 1954

Copyright 1951, 1952, 1954 by the Southwestern Monuments Association

U. S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Southwestern National Monuments Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona

This booklet is published by the Southwestern Monuments Association in keeping with one of its objectives, to provide accurate and authentic information about the Southwest.

Other numbers of the Popular Series now in print are: (2) “Arizona’s National Monuments,” 1946; (3) “Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert,” in its fourth printing, 1951; (5) “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas,” 1951; (6) “Tumacacori’s Yesterdays,” 1951; (7) “Flowers of the Southwest Mountains,” 1952; and (8) “Animals of the Southwest Deserts,” April, 1954.

A Technical Series will embody results of research accomplished by the staff and friends of Southwestern National Monuments.

Notification of publications by the Association will be given upon date of release to such persons or institutions as submit their names to the Executive Secretary for this purpose.

Dale Stuart King, Executive Secretary Harry B. Boatright, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John M. Davis, General Superintendent, Southwestern National Monuments, National Park Service, Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona, Chairman Horace M. Albright, New York City. Adrey E. Borell, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Harold S. Colton, Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Emil W. Haury, Tucson, Arizona. Rev. Victor R. Stoner, Victoria, Texas. Alexander V. Wasson, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Executive Secretary and Treasurer, ex-officio

DALE STUART KING, Editor Naturalist, Southwestern National Monuments

First Edition, 5,000 copies, published April 9, 1951 Second edition, revised, of 7,500 copies, January, 1952 Third edition, revised, of 10,000 copies, March, 1954

Printed in the United States of America by Rydal Press, Santa Fe, N.M.

1. Big Bend National Park 2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park 3. Casa Grande National Monument 4. Chiricahua “ “ 5. Death Valley “ “ 6. Joshua Tree “ “ 7. Montezuma Castle “ “ 8. Organ Pipe Cactus “ “ 9. Saguaro “ “ 10. Tonto “ “ 11. Tumacacori “ “ 12. White Sands “ “ 13. Lake Mead Nat’l Recreation Area

Desert Areas of the West—this booklet deals with the common plants of three of them: (1) the Chihuahua; (2) the Sonoran; and (3) the Mojave.

Plants of the higher plateau country of from 4,500 to 7,000-feet elevation are shown and described in “Flowers of the Southwest Mesas,” companion volume to this one, by Pauline M. Patraw and Jeanne R. Janish, 1951.

Mountain zone vegetation (from the Ponderosa Pine belt, or about 7,000 feet, on up) is the subject of “Flowers of the Southwest Mountains,” the third of the triad, by Leslie P. Arnberger and Jeanne R. Janish.

FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS

By Natt N. Dodge Drawings by Jeanne R. Janish

HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET

In order that you may get full value from this booklet, it is important that you understand how to make the greatest use of it. The purpose of the booklet is double: (1) to introduce the common desert flowers to newcomers to the Southwest; and (2), to give a little background of information about the plants’ interesting habits and how they have been and are used by animals, by the native peoples, and by the settlers. Every effort has been made to present accurate, if not always complete, information.

Since there are more than 3,200 plants recorded from Arizona alone, and this booklet attempts to introduce you to the common plants of desert areas in Texas, New Mexico, and California in addition to Arizona, it is apparent that you will find an enormous number of flowers which are not included. Therefore, a painstaking effort has been made to select the commonest or most spectacular; that is, those which you will naturally stop to look at and say, “Who are you?”

For ease in identification, flowers are arranged in this booklet according to color of the flower petals. When you meet a flower to whom you would like an introduction, first note the color of its petals. Don’t jump too quickly to a conclusion, for what at first glance may seem to be pink, careful examination may prove to be lavender, violet, or purple. Once you feel reasonably sure of the color, turn to the section of the booklet in which flowers of that color are listed and examine the sketches. Find something that looks similar?

Now check the size of the plant as indicated in the sketch and text. Does the text list the flower as occurring in the particular desert area (see map on next page) where you are? Is the blossoming season correct? Do other details check? If so, the chances are that you have the right flower—or at least a close relative. Close enough, anyway, so that you may be reasonably safe in calling the flower by its common name. Of course if a botanist happens along, he may point out that you have Penstemon parryi whereas you thought you had struck up an acquaintance with Penstemon pseudospectabilis. However, it’s a penstemon, even tho’ a sister of the one you thought you were meeting. Perhaps you’ll run across a dozen other brothers and sisters before you happen onto the member of the genus common enough to be listed specifically in our Desert Who’s Who.

Certain of the desert flowers change color with age. Also, during off seasons, some of the really common flowers don’t show up in large numbers while a few of the rarer ones may take their turn at brightening up the desert. Furthermore, in a few cases such as the Oleander, the species comes in two colors, red flowers on one plant and white on another. The Bird-of-Paradise flower has yellow petals, but the rest of the flower is red, so it’s a toss-up which color you might call it. The Beavertail Cactus has magenta flowers while those of its very close relative, Engelmann’s Prickly Pear, have yellow blossoms, yet in this booklet it has been necessary to put them both on the same page in the “yellow” section.