The wide open lands of Wupatki National Monument may seem barren to those more familiar with lush forests and prairie grasslands but this area does support a large number of plants which are well-adapted to the semi-arid environment. The gray-green foliage which characterizes much of the landscape absorbs less heat than the dark green leaves found in wetter and cooler areas. Many of the leaves are small to reduce water loss; others have a thick waxy coating. Succulent plants store water in their leaves or in their stems. Desert plants have either extensive shallow root systems that quickly absorb the occasional rainfall or very deep roots that tap water sources far below the soil surface. Thank you for helping us protect these fragile resources by leaving all natural materials where you find them. NPS Commonly Seen Plant Species of Wupatki(Click on the species name for a profile of each plant) Trees: One-seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma) Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) NPS Shrubs and Sub-shrubs: NPS Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha) Whipple Cholla (Cylindropuntia whipplei) Pink-flower Hedgehog (Echinocereus fendleri) NPS Desert Dandilion (Malacothrix torreyi) Red-Dome Blanketflower (Gaillardia pinnatifida) Green-stem Paperflower (Psilostrophe sparsiflora) Rocky Mountain Zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora) Hoary Tansyaster (Dieteria canescens var. ambigua) Arizona Skeleton Plant (Lygodesmia grandiflora var. arizonica) Yellow-Spine Thistle (Cirsium ochrocentrum) Rose-Heath (Chaetopappa ericoides) Red-Whisker Clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra) Notch-Leaf Scorpion-Weed (Phacelia welshii) Whole-Leaf Indian Paintbrush (Castelleja integra) Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) Small-Leaf Globemallow (Sphaeralcea parvifolia) Broad-Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias latifolia) Coulter's Wrinklefruit (Clerodendrum coulteri) Western Tansy-Mustard (Descurainia pinnata) Desert Tobacco (Nicotiana obtusifolia) Silver-Leaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) Freckled Milk-Vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. palans) White-Stem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis) Mock Vervain (Glandularia bipinnatifida) NPS Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) Black Grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) Needle-andThread grass (Hesperostipa comata) Alkali Sacaton (Sporobolus airoides) Indian Rice Grass (Achnatherum hymenoides) Purple Three-awn (Aristida pupurea var. fendleriana) Squirreltail (Elymus elymoides subs. brevifolius) Bush Muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri) Fluff Grass (Dasyochloa pulchella) |
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Last updated: September 17, 2020