Fendlerbush (Cliff Fendlerbush; False Mockorange)

Fendlera rupicola

Family: Saxifragaceae – Saxifrage Family

Shrubs; 3' to 7' (1 to 2 m) tall

Leaves: deciduous; opposite; simple; entire; 0.36” to 1.2” (9 to 30 mm) long, 0.08” to 0.28” (2 to 7 mm) wide

Flowers: 4 white clawed petals; 4 sepals; 8 stamens; 4 styles; perfect; petals 0.52” to 0.8” (13 to 20 mm) long

Pollinators: other genera in this family are pollinated by insects

Fruits: capsule

Blooms in Arches National Park: April, May

Habitat in Arches National Park: desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities

Location seen: across Hwy. 191 from Visitor Center, Panorama Bluffs, Fiery Furnace, Devils Garden, outside Arches National Park in upper Mill creek, outside Arches National Park on Hwy. 128

Other: The genus name, “Fendlera”, honors Augustus Wilhelm Fendler (1813-1883), a Prussian botanist who collected plant specimens in North America, Central America, South America, Prussia and Trinidad. Many of his American Southwest specimens were collected for botanist Asa Gray. The species name, “rupicola”, means “growing on rocks” and describes the plant's habit of growing in rocky areas.