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Petroglyphs were carved into rock walls by Fremont and Ancestral Puebloams. Found throughout the park, the most accessible petroglyph panel is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east of the visitor center on Utah State Highway 24. More...

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Capitol Reef

National Park Utah

Explore This Park

Park Tools

Plants

Plants

Harriman's Yucca (Yucca harrimaniae) has bell-shaped cream colored flowers that grow 14-30 inches above the leaves. American Indians used the plant fibers to make rope.

Ferron Milkvetch (Astragalus musiniensis) is a common endemic species found in the Colorado Plateau. It is found at low elevations in the park, in mixed desert scrub, salt desert, and pinyon juniper woodlands.

Yellow Catspaw (Crptantha flava) is common throughout the park and typically found on hillsides and barren clay soils. It is associated with saltbrush scrub, mixed desert scrub, and pinyon juniper woodland communities.

Claretcup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) is found throughout the park in sandy to clay soils on upland benches and occasionally in canyon bottoms. It is associated with mixed desert scrub and pinyon juniper woodland communities.

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) are common in the central and southern portions of the park. Indian paintbrushes are root parasitic, meaning they attach their roots to the roots of other plants and take nutrients.

Mountain Pepperplant (Lepidium montanum) is found in dry, sandy to rocky soils on hills and benches in desert scrub, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper woodland communities. It is common throughout the park and has seeds that taste like black pepper.

Naked Stem Sunrays (Enceliopsis nudicaulis) grow in clay soils, mixed desert scrub, and pinyon juniper communities. It is common along Highway 24 east of the visitor center and the scenic drive.

Silvery Townsendia (Townsendia incana) is associated with dry, sandy or clay soils on hills and benches in desert scrub, saltbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper woodland communities.

Utah Penstemon (Penstemon utahensis) is found in sandy soils on canyon bottoms, hills, or benches in mixed desert scrub, blackbrush, and pinyon juniper woodlands. It is common in the central and southern parts of the park.

Yellow Eye Catspaw (Cryptantha flavoculata) is found in saltbrush scrub, mixed desert scrub, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities. It is common throughout the park and typically found on hillsides and uplands.

Showy Four O'Clock (Mirabilis multiflora) is found in mixed desert scrub and pinyon juniper woodland communities throughout the park. It was commonly used for medicinal purposes by American Indians.

Common Globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) is found in mixed desert scrub, sagebrush, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities in wash bottoms and uplands. It was used by Navajo Indians to heal wounds, stop bleeding, and treat colds.

Central Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) is associated with mixed desert scrub, sagebrush, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities. It is common in sandy to rocky soils, especially along the Cohab Canyon Trail.

Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) is common throughout the park and has a fibrous bark that becomes shredded with age.

Pinyon (Pinus edulis) has yellowish brown bark that grays with age. American Indians used the sticky resin as a glue and waterproofing agent.

Roundleaf Buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia) is an evergreen shrub endemic to the Colorado Plateau. Settlers cooked the berries to make a sauce for buffalo steaks, giving the plant the name "buffaloberry".

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