Plant of the Month

Genus: Cosmos Common name: cosmos Family: Asteraceae Life form: Herbaceous perennial plants or annual plants (depending on species) Article by Peggy Bush The word cosmos evokes stunning images of nebula and galaxies. Translated from the Greek kosmos as "order" or [...]

Scientific name: Arctostaphylos × coloradensis 'Panchito' Common name: 'Panchito' manzanita Family: Ericaceae (Heath) Distribution: Cultivar discovered in Colorado Hardiness: USDA Zones 4b -8 Life form: Shrub/sub-shrub Article by Eva Maria Räpple Description Arctostaphylos × coloradensis 'Panchito'. Photo: Cristina Salvador Little pink-white [...]

Scientific name: Pistacia chinensis Bunge Common name: Chinese pistache Family: Anacardiaceae (Sumac family) By Cheryl Fossum Graham The Chinese pistache is native to central and western China and Taiwan. It is a member of the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It [...]

Scientific name: Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C.Lawson Large center cone is from Pinus sabiniana. The two bottom are from ponderosas, the left one is fresh off the tree, just fell as the author was hiking by this fall, [...]

Scientific name: Verbascum thapsus L. Common name: mullein, common mullein, wooly mullein, barbasco Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) Verbascum thapsus flowers. Photo credit: Suzanne CadwellCC BY-NC 4.0. N.C. Cooperative Extension. Native distribution:  Eurasia, North Africa Habitat: Disturbed areas, plains, hillsides, [...]

Scientific name: Vernonia missurica Raf. Common name: Missouri ironweed Plant family: Asteraceae By Linda Churchill Among the many attractive flowering plants of autumn, Missouri ironweed stands out. Intense purple flowers grace the top of this stately plant in late summer [...]

Scientific name: Liatris punctata Common name: dotted blazing star, dotted gayfeather Plant Family: Asteraceae (Aster) By Monica Harmon One way to get to know dotted blazing star is by an encounter in its habitat. This might be on the prairie [...]

Scientific name: Salsola tragus L. Common names: tumbleweed, Russian thistle, tumbling thistle Photo by Max Licher. SEINet Portal Network. 2023. http//:swbiodiversity.org/seinet/index.php. Accessed on July 25. Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family) Life form: Annual plant, reproducing by seed, stems are [...]

July 2023 With the arrival of hot, windy summer weather in northern New Mexico, we begin to appreciate succulents and other heat-loving plants, both those from our own region and those from further afield that are adapted to our climate [...]

Scientific name: Linum lewisii and Linum perenne Common name: blue flax Plant family: Linaceae (flax) Article by Peggy Rudberg "Primary Blue" Photo by Peggy Rudberg What could be more delightful than a field of cheerful swaying flowers matching [...]

Scientific name: Cornus sericea Common names:  red twig dogwood, red osier dogwood, red osier, red brush, red willow, redstem dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, western dogwood Botanical name: Cornus sericea Family: Cornaceae Life form: Deciduous shrub By Claudia Karll Background [...]