Listed here is a portion of Zion's many plant species. To help you identify Zion's plants, the naturalist staff recommends beginning with the following books, available at the Visitor Centers:

Wildflowers of Zion National Park, S. L. Welsh

Plants of Zion National Park, R. Nelson (reference copy only)

Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts, J. E. Bowers

 

Birch Family

Black/Water birch

Elm Family

Hackberry

Juniper Family

Arizona cypress
Utah juniper
Rocky Mountain juniper

Maple Family

Bigtooth maple
Boxelder

Oak or Beech Family

Gambel oak
Shrub live oak
Wavyleaf oak

Olive Family

Singleleaf ash
Desert/Velvet ash

Paradise Tree Family

Tree of heaven

Pea Family

New Mexico locust
Black locust

Pine Family

White fir
Piņon
Single-leaf piņon
Ponderosa pine
Douglas fir

Rose Family

Apple tree
Pear tree

Tamarix Family

Tamarisk

Willow Family

Fremont cottonwood
Quaking aspen
Willow (11)

 

Agave Family

Datil yucca
Utah yucca

Barberry Family

Creeping mahonia
or Oregon grape

Buckwheat Family

Golden eriogonum

Cashew/Sumac Family

Squawbush
Poison ivy

Composite Family

Old man sagebrush
Big sagebrush
Waterwillow (2)
Rabbitbrush (5)
Broom/Snakeweed
Bush encelia

Dogwood Family

Red-osier dogwood

Goosefoot Family

Four-wing saltbush

Grape Family

Canyon grape

Heath Family

Manzanita (2)

Honeysuckle Family

Elderberry (2)
Snowberry (3)

Joint-Fir Family

Mormon tea (3)

Mint Family

Desert sage

Mustard Family

Prince’s Plume

Oleaster Family

Russian olive
Roundleaf buffaloberry

 

Bellflower Family

Cardinal flower

Borage Family

Yellow forget-me-not
Golden cryptanth (10 other)
Puccoon (3)

Buckwheat Family

Slickrock sulfurflower
Zion desert trumpet
White-flowered
Thompson eriogonum
Wild rhubarb

Buttercup Family

Golden columbine
Western columbine
Larkspur (3)
Sand buttercup (6 other)

Cactus Family

Purple torch
Hedgehog cactus
Claret cup (2)
Utah beavertail
Cholla (2)
Engelmann prickly pear
Cliff prickly pear
Prickly pear (5)

Caper Family

Yellow beeplant

Cattail Family

Cattail (2)

Composite Family

Western yarrow
Pussy toes (4)
Tansy aster (2)
Glaucous aster
Siskiyou aster (3 other)
Desert marigold (2)
Arrowleaf balsamroot
Arizona thistle
New Mexico thistle
Utah thistle (5 other)
Utah daisy
Zion daisy (12 other)
Sunflower (6)
Goldenaster (3)
Broom senecio (6 other)
Goldenrod (6)
Wirelettuce (3)
Goatsbeard (2)

Duckweed Family

Duckweed

Evening-Primose Family

Yellow day primrose
White tufted evening
primrose
Pale evening-primrose
Hummingbird trumpet

Figwort Family

Early paintbrush
Giant red paintbrush
Wyoming paintbrush
Slickrock paintbrush
Scarlet monkeyflower (6 other)
Eaton penstemon
Low penstemon
Jones penstemon
Royal penstemon
Palmer penstemon
Utah penstemon (10 other)
Flannel mullein

Flax Family

Lewis/Blue flax (2 other)

Four O’clock Family

Fragrant sand verbena
Colorado four o’clock

Gentian Family

Elkweed
Whitemargin gentian

Geranium Family

Filaree
Wild geranium

Goosefoot Family

Russian thistle

Gourd Family

Wild or Coyote gourd

Lily Family

Tapertip onion
Patis onion
Benstem mariposa
Sego lily
Bluedicks
Death camas (2)
False solomon-seal (2)

Madder Family

Bedstraw (7)
Madder

Mallow Family

Globemallow (4)

Milkweed Family

Butterfly milkweed (4 other)

Mistletoe Family

Juniper mistletoe

Mustard Family

Rockcress (4)
Chorispora
Zion draba (4 other)
Western wallflower
Watercress
Twinpod (3)

Orchid Family

Giant helleborine

Orpine Family

Stonecrop (2)

Pea Family

Stinking milkvetch
Zion milkvetch (21 other)
Zion sweetpea (2 other)
Deerclover (6)
Lupine (8)
Thompson peteria
Sweet-clover (2)
Utah clover (3 other)
Vetch (2)

Phlox Family

Skyrocket or Scarlet gilia
Arizona skyrocket
Nuttall gilia
Desert/Mountain phlox
Zion Canyon phlox

Pink Family

Sandwort (4)
Common chickweed

Pondweed Family

Leafy pondweed

Potato Family

Sacred datura
Groundcherry (2)
Nightshade (4)

Primose Family

Zion shooting star

Purslane Family

Spring beauty
Bitterroot (2)
Miners lettuce

Rose Family

Rockmat/Rockspiraea

Saxifrage Family

Alumroot
Woodland star (2)

Spiderwort Family

Spiderwort

Spurge Family

Whitemargin spurge

Violet Family

Wanderer violet (2 other)

Waterleaf Family

Phacelia (11)
Scorpion weed

 

Grass Family

Big bluestem
Purple/ Red three-awn
Side-oats grama (4 other)
Cheatgrass
Jones reedgrass
Fescue (5)
Needle and thread
grass
Indian ricegrass

Rush Family

Rush (8)

Sedge Family

Sedge (12)
Bulrush (6)

Fern Family

Maidenhair fern (2)

Scouring Rush Family

Meadow horsetail
Scouring rush (3)


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