Wildflowers
NPS Common Name: Showy Four O'Clock Scientific Name: Mirabilis multiflora Size (height): Up to 36 in (91 cm) tall Habitat: Mixed desert scrub, pinyon juniper woodlands; often grows in the shade of a tree. Flowering Season: May-July Range: Utah, western US Location in park: Widespread in the park; can be seen along the Hickman Bridge trail, in Grand Wash, and in Capitol Gorge. Description: Showy four o'clock is a sprawling perennial that can spread to 36 in (91 cm) wide. It has bright green, egg-shaped leaves with magenta flowers that open in the afternoon. Native Americans used these flowers for medicinal purposes. 
NPS Common Name: Ferron Milkvetch Scientific Name: Astragalus musiniensis Size (height): 1-5 in (2.5-12.7 cm) Habitat: Mixed desert scrub, salt desert, pinyon juniper woodlands Flowering Season: April-May Range: Occurs only in south-central Utah Location in park: Found throughout the lower elevations of the park. Description: Ferron milkvetch is a fairly common perennial herb, endemic to the Colorado Plateau. It is a stemless plant with short, silvery hair. It has compound leaves that are elliptical shaped up to 5 in (12.7 cm) long and pink or purple flowers. 
NPS Common Name: Yellow Catspaw Scientific Name: Cryptantha flava Size (height): 5-15 in (12.7-38.1 cm) Habitat: Saltbush scrub, mixed desert scrub, pinyon juniper woodlands Flowering Season: April-July Range: Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona Location in park: Common throughout the park, typically on hillsides and uplands of clay soils. It can be seen along the Scenic Drive, the Hickman Bridge trail, in Grand Wash, and in Capitol Gorge. Description: Yellow catspaw is a perennial herb with numerous stems and narrow leaves covered with stiff hairs on the underside. It has yellow flowers that grow in narrow clusters 2-8 in (5.1-20.3 cm) long. Cryptantha, the genus name, means "hidden flower". 
NPS Common Names: Foothill or Common Indian Paintbrush Scientific Name: Castilleja chromosa Size (height): 4-22 in (10.2-55.9 cm) Habitat: Sandy soils in sagebrush and pinyon juniper woodlands Flowering Season: April-June Range: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming, British Columbia Location in park: Common in the central and southern areas of the park including along the Notom road, in Cohab Canyon, Grand Wash, and Capitol Gorge. Description: Indian paintbrush is a perennial herb with grayish-green stems covered with small hairs. It has brilliant red to orange floral bracts, each with five narrow lobes. Indian paintbrushes are partial root parasites, attaching their roots to roots of other plants and taking nutrients from their host. Sagebrush is a typical host plant. 
NPS Common Name: Utah Penstemon Scientific Name: Penstemon utahensis Size (height): 6-24 in (15.2-61 cm) Habitat: Sandy soils in mixed desert scrub, blackbrush, and pinyon juniper communities. Flowering Season: April-June Range: Utah, Nevada, California Location in park: Common in the central and southern portions of the park including the Hickman Bridge trail, the south end of the Scenic Drive, in Grand Wash, and in Capitol Gorge. Description: The Utah penstemon is a perennial herb with tall, erect stems and thick lance-shaped leaves. Basal leaves are larger and more numerous than the upper leaves. Its tubular flowers are bright red to red-pink colored and grow in an elongated spike. 
NPS Common Name: Naked Stem Sunrays Scientific Name: Enceliopsis nudicaulis Size (height): up to 20 in (50.8 cm) Habitat: Clay or gypsiferous soils in blackbrush, mixed desert scrub, and pinyon juniper communities. Flowering Season: mid-April -July Range: Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California Location in park: Common in the central portion of the park especially along the Scenic Drive and along Highway 24 west of the visitor center. Description: Naked stem sunray is a perennial herb with long, gray-green stems that each support a solitary yellow flower head about 2 in (5 cm) wide. The leaves, which are all basal, are round to oval shaped and up to 3 in (7.6 cm) long and equally wide. The species name, nudicaulis, refers to the long bare stems on this plant. 
NPS Common Name: Mountain Pepperplant Scientific Name: Lepidium montanum Size (height): 3-40 in (7.6-101.2 cm) Habitat: Sandy to rocky soils in desert scrub, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper communities. Flowering Season: May-September Range: Southern Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado Location in park: Common throughout the park including the Hickman Bridge trail, in Grand Wash, and in Capitol Gorge. Description: Mountain pepperplant is a bushy herbaceous perennial with many branches growing from a woody rootstalk. The stems are often covered with fine hairs. It has numerous, tiny, sweet-scented white flowers at the top of the branches. The seeds taste like black pepper. 
NPS Common Name: Silvery Townsendia Scientific Name: Townsendia incana Size (height): 1-2 in (2.5-12.7 cm) tall Habitat: Sandy or clay soils in desert scrub, saltbush, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper communities. Flowering Season: April-July Range: Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada Location in park: Common throughout the park including the Cathedral District, the Hickman Bridge trail, Grand Wash, and Capitol Gorge. Description: Silvery townsendia is a perennial herb with a well-developed root system that typically grows in a low, rounded clump up to 8-10 in (20.3-25.4 cm) wide. The stems are covered with white hairs. The leaves are grayish green and lance shaped. This plant is in the sunflower family. The disk flowers (i.e., center) are yellow while the ray flowers (i.e., petals) are white on the upper surface and pinkish on the underside. |
Did You Know?
Metal bars supporting telephone lines were installed in Capitol Gorge in 1911 providing telephone service to the ranching community east of Capitol Reef National Park. State Highway 24 was an unpaved road through Capitol Gorge until 1962, when it was re-routed along the Fremont River and paved.