Wildflowers, Pink Pg 4

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Prairie Smoke -or- Old Man's Whiskers -or- Torch Flower -or- Pink Plumes (Erythrocoma triflora), family Rosaceae (Rose). Synonym: Geum triflorum. This is one wild looking flower, we love their distinctive appearance. It is the only species in the genus Erythrocoma according to Colorado Flora Eastern Slope by Weber and Wittmann. The USDA Plant Database places this perennial forb/herb in the genus Geum. These unique plants are threatened in New York and Michigan. The plants are native to North America amoung others.
USES: Per the Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium website the roots of these plants have been effectively used as a stimulant/tonic after childbirth.
The seed heads of these plants are stunning. Click for more photographs of the flowers and seed heads. Plant location: Cottonwood Pass (Granby area) Colorado on May 27, 2009. Their preferred habitats are full sun; dry to moderate moisture; prairies, woods; in sandy, loamy soil. Bloom season: April through June.
Darkthroat Shooting Star -or- Few-flower shooting star -or- Western Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum), family Primulaceae (Primrose). It was fun seeing this 'new' shooting star. The hike was fun too, easy and short - perfect for a quick outing before working later in the day. The flowers of this perennial herb are mostly pink or purple. Colors vary on conditions and soil content as is often the case in the plant world. Not an uncommon flower, but a fun looking one with it's spear shaped blooms. They are native to North America. We have seen white shooting star plants offered offered for sale for cultivated gardens. Ironically the growth zones do not include many of the locations of the native wildflower varieties.
USES: Native Americans do not recount records of edible uses for this species but the plants did have different places in their culture: Thompson: Flower used as a pattern for beadwork on gloves, moccasins, vests and jackets. Okanagan-Colville: Flowers mashed and smeared on arrows to color them pink. Blackfoot: Cooled infusion of leaves used for eye drops. Infusion of leaves gargled, especially by children, for cankers.
There are four subspecies of Darkthroat Shooting Star: cusikii, macrocarpum, monanthum, and pulchellum. Although not uncommon, the species is restricted from collection in the state of Arizona.
FunFact: The name of the genus derives from ancient Greek's belief that primrose were under the protection of the 12 major Gods of their culture.
See our other shooting star Jeffery's Shooting Star, on this site.
Plant location: Seen on May 16, 2010 on a hike in Meyer Open Space, Colorado, the Lodgepole Loop Trail - GPS coordinates: N39°32.658 W105°16.456 – Elevation: 7920' The plants are found in mostly the western half of the United States: AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY. Bloom season: April through August. Growth zones in Colorado are from foothills to subalpine. Weber describes this species habitat as 'along streams and by springs, from shaded canyons up into spruce-fir forest.
Tumbleweed -or- Russian Thistle -or- Russian Cactus (Salsola tragus), family Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot). Flowers that sting! Well not exactly but the plants have lots of prickles. These plants are very good at spreading their seeds. The plants dry into a somewhat round ball which is blown over huge areas, scattering it's seeds. Another name for the plant is Witch Wind. Plant location: Seen September 14, 2009 in Mesa Verde Colorado. GPS coordinates: N37°11.918 W108°28.951 - Elevation 7118'. Bloom season: In Arizona the bloom is recorded in March through April with the flowers starting out yellow and turning more pink as time progresses. Another site mentions that the pink color remains for months making for nice additions to dried flower arrangements. Be careful, these prickly plants bite!
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Simpson's hedgehog cactus (Pediocactus simpsonii var. minor), family Cactaceae (Cactus). This graceful cactus was a sweet surprise. We first visited this area and it's bonanza of wildflowers back in 2008. We had just moved to Colorado. Having a few hours to kill before work recently we came to preview the area and see what might be developing. How rewarded we were. This is the one species of Pediocactus in Colorado.
HEADS UP: Per the US Forest Service is this: 'Simpson's hedgehog cactus is an exceedingly variable species. Many botanists recognize the varieties minor, robustior, and simpsonii. Simpson's hedgehog cactus is in the small genus Pediocactus, which has eight species. Only Simpson's hedgehog cactus is wide ranging and common; the other seven are rare endemics with five of them, Brady's hedgehog cactus, Despain's pincushion cactus, Knowlton's cactus, Peebles Navajo cactus, and Siler's pincushion cactus, included on the Federal endangered species list.' End quote.
Don't pass up a chance to sample the fragrance of these blossoms. The aroma is wonderful, a sweet light scent that is somewhat like rose. The berries are also very pleasing to the palate, faintly sweet with the seeds adding a delightful crunch similiar to poppy seed.
See other cactus on the site: Nylon Hedgehog and Twist-Spine Prickly Pear.
Plant location: Seen April 15, 2010 at Plainview Road and Hwy 72 towards Pinecliff Colorado. GPS coordinates: N39°52.771 W105°16.198 - Elevation 6531'. This is a very friendly habitat to this species. We have seen at least 15 or 20 Hedgehogs in the area. Bloom season: Commonly May through June.
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Nuttall's Oxytrope -or- Fewflower Loco (Oxytropis multiceps), family Fabaceae (Pea/Bean). William Weber describes this species as bearing only 1-4 flowers, common on granitic gravels in the middle foothills of the Front Range and Pawnee Buttes. This is also called Tufted Loco. The 'locos' of the Fabaceae family are eaten only by livestock when better forage is unavailable. Overeating can cause 'crazy' behavior in the animals, hence the name - Locoweed. The plants are perennials, one of 26 species of Oxytropis. Weber in Colorado Flora Eastern Slope lists 10 species in Colorado. Multiceps can also bear many more flowers; fruiting calyx not inflated, not completely enclosing the ripe fruit or, if so, then the scapes much longer and bearing many flowers. More Wildflowers West photographs here. Plant location: The wonderful Pawnee Butte national Grassland hiking trail. First sighted on May 26, 2008 and again on June 4, 2009. Only found in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah. Bloom season: Late spring through late summer. Dry gravelly slopes of the foothills, montane, and subalpine ecosystems.
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Foothills Milkvetch (Astragalus tridactylicus), family Fabaceae (Pea/Bean). Also known as Orophaca tridactylica. Another exammple of the large discrepancy in information from Wikipedia and the USDA Plant Database. USDA shows 419 species in the genus Astragalus. Wikipedia shows over 2,000. The genus is native to the Northern Hemisphere. We find no records of native american tribal uses of this species. It is a perennial herb. Plant location: Found along Colorado 96 headed east towards Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado. May 5, 2010. GPS coordinates N38°15.076 W105°01.019, elevation 5540'. This species is found only in Colorado and Wyoming. Bloom season: April through June.
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Sainfoin -or- holy-clover (Onobrychis vicifolia), family Fabaceae (Pea/Bean). Not native to North America, these plants have become naturalized in any case. Eurasia was a prime source of the plants. They are found in calcareous soils (lime or chalky). The perennial herbs were introduced to serve as fodder for livestock and to shore up roadsides. As a bulk crop they are not successful since they only produce a single yield per year. The common name Sainfoin actually represents the group of plants in the genus, the numbers of which are said by the USDA Plant Database to be about 21. Wikipedia numbers the total at about 150 including some possibly distinct species. Vicifolia is the only species in Onobrychis in Colorado.
USES: This species is an excellent source of nectar for honey production and pollen for bee food. It is quite nutritious as food for horses and probably other livestock but does not recover well from overgrazing.
FunFact: Onobrychis means "devoured by donkeys", from Ancient Greek ónos "donkey". This is referring to sainfoin's good properties as a forage plant. In addition to pollination by insects, the seeds have stickers that cling to the fur of large animals who then help distribute them...making them hitch-hikers.
See more images of Sainfoin. Plant location: We found these pretty blooms along the roadside of Sheridan Parkway headed south, Broomfield Colorado. June 2, 2010. The plants are fairly widespread throughout the United States. Bloom season: June to August and sometimes September.
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