This bright member of the Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae) can be distinguished by its yellow flowers and dandelion-like leaves. It sports the common names yellow evening primrose and dandelion-like evening primrose (Oenothera flava). Easy names to remember. And flava is Latin for yellow.
This species likes to grow in wet areas, and I found it in a place that is periodially flooded. It grows throughout the western U.S.
For more information about yellow evening primrose, click here.
Today we're going to introduce a plant from a new family, the Horsetail Family (Equisetaceae). There are three species in this area, and all grow near riparian or wetland areas. This one is smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum), also known as smooth scouring rush. It's perennial and found throughout much of North America.
For more information about smooth horsetail, click here.
This is one of my favorite plants, it just looks so elegant and is easy to identify! However, its name keeps changing. I used to know this as False Solomon's Seal, but now the name is Starry False Lily of the Valley. Likewise, the scientific name has changed from Smilacina stellata to Maianthemum stellatum. Keeping up with plants can be hard work!
It's in the Lily Family (Liliaceae), so is a monocot. In this area I only see this plant in moister areas, but in other parts of the U.S. it also grows in forests.
For more information about Starry false lily of the valley (wow, what a mouthful), click here.
A common grass with distinctive long seedheads is needle and thread grass (Hesperostipa comata), previously known as Stipa comata. It is a perennial bunch grass that is commonly eaten by wildlife and livestock. It is most palatable in early spring or late summer. When the seed is ripe, it is sharp and can cause injury to animals eating it.
On the way back from a trip this morning (hence a break in posting), we had to stop for some construction. I wandered around the side of the road and found these pretty flowers that are in the Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae). Their name is pale evening primrose (Oenothera pallida). They grow about a foot high, with the flowers at the end of the stalks.
For more information about pale evening primrose, click here.
This highly desert-adapted plant is unfortunately not native, although many other species in its family are. This is halogeton or salt lover (Halogeton glomeratus), in the Goosefoot Family. It grows in disturbed areas, such as along sides of roads. It's a summer annual that can grow up to a foot high and has small white flowers later in the summer. It can poison livestock if they eat too much of it.
Here's another easy member of the Grass Family, easy because it is so widespread. This is cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an annual weed. It is a bad, bad plant, adapted to a wide variety of habitats, and no one knows how to control it.
For more information about cheatgrass, click here.
