Wildflower Bloom Report

This the report is compiled from excerpts from Wild About Wildflowers: Extreme Botanizing in Crested Butte, by Kathy Darrow, a local wildflower field guide available this summer at local book stores.

Mule's Ears Sunflower- Wyethia amplexicaulis

Mule's ears are easy to identify by the large, smooth leaves that are the size and shape of their namesake. Most of the leaves are found at the base rather than along the stem. These have big, showy flower heads, sometimes six inches across, and grow in huge clumps near aspen and sagebrush. In the early summer mule's ears are the dominant wildflower on many south-facing hillsides. Like its cousin, arrowleaf balsamroot, this plant has a long stout taproot that is edible when roasted or boiled. The flowers and seeds are important forage for wildlife.

Most of the populations of mule's ear sunflower in the Elk Mountains are hybrids of this species and a lower elevation species, Arizona mule's ears (Wyethia arizonica). Arizona mule's ears has hairy leaves and stems, petioled leaves, single flowers and is frost intolerant. Our hybrid is somewhat hairy like Arizona mule's ears, and has the clasping leaves, multiple flowers per stem and cold-hardiness of W. amplexicaulis.

The genus is named for Nathaniel Wyeth, a western explorer and fur-trader in the early 1800's, while amplexicaulis means, "embracing the stem," describing how the leaf bases are attached.

Valerian Family- (Valerianaceae)

Roman emperor Publius Aurelius Valerianus (253-260 AD) likely had servants rub a fragrant ointment made from oils of the roots of Himalayan spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) all over his body after a long soak in the baths. Both spikenard and valerian are valued around the world as an herbal nerve tonic and sedative, a preferred remedy for insomniacs and those who suffer from emotional stress. Raw dried root, gel capsules and tinctures to be used for these purposes are available at many natural food stores. Contrary to popular belief, the plants are not the source of Valium, a synthetic tranquilizer that has similar, but stronger and potentially addictive effects.

There are over two hundred species of valerian found in north temperate zones and in South America. In the southern Rockies there are three common species. Some characteristics they all share are opposite, lobed leaves, clusters of tiny, tubular white flowers and seeds that have parachutes like dandelions. All three are possessed of a stinky root as well, which to most people smells exactly like a pair of sweaty socks that have been worn for several weeks in the backcountry, although the flowers are pleasantly fragrant.

Western Valerian- Valeriana occidentalis

Western Valerian is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the lower mountain meadows, and is the white flower in handsome displays that include purple Nelson's larkspur and yellow groundsels. They often grow side-by-side with their edible cousins, but can tolerate drier soils. This species climbs all the way up to subalpine territory, where it comes close to populations of its other cousin, alpine valerian.

Corn Lily- Veratrum californicum (V. tenuipetalum)

Perhaps the most notable botanical phenomenon in Crested Butte is the annual display of corn lilies marching down Elk Avenue on the heads and tails of Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory students in the Fourth of July parade. The large pleated leaves of corn lily have been traditional parade fashion for over twenty years.

Other common names for the plant are false hellebore (because it resembles hellebore, a European member of the Buttercup Family) and skunk cabbage (because its early growth looks like the large, broad basal leaves of skunk cabbage). This latter name should really be false skunk cabbage, because the true skunk cabbage is a completely different plant that is not native to Colorado.

Corn lily grows at a rate of two inches per day and up to seven feet tall, not unlike its namesake. The flowers have six tepals, a clue to its membership in the Lily Family. The hundreds of greenish white blossoms on top of the leafy stalk form a densely branched cluster that looks much like the tassels on corn from a distance.

Fifteen species of corn lily are found in the northern hemisphere. Our local species is also common in the Sierra Nevada and coastal ranges of California; Veratrum means very black roots in Latin. Dense stands can be found in wet montane and subalpine meadows. RMBL researcher, David Inouye, has been studying the life history of these plants since 1984. His observations have revealed that corn lilies may live for over twenty years and form clones, meaning that several stalks belong to a single plant. Colonies bloom in mass every eight to ten years in response to moisture and temperature conditions over a series of seasons.

All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous. If a female eats too much corn lily while pregnant, severe birth defects may occur in offspring. The cyclops effect in lambs is one monstrous result. The taste of corn lily is bitter so it is rarely eaten by cattle or wildlife; thus, large populations of corn lily can be indicators of overgrazing, where everything but the poisonous plants are eaten. The poisonous powdered root of corn lily is sometimes used as an insect repellent for gardens.

Wild Iris- Iris missouriensis

Early in summer, wet meadows are drenched in the blue of wild iris, especially in areas that have been grazed heavily. Wild iris is poisonous, so is avoided by livestock, thereby outcompeting grasses. The plants spread rapidly by underground stems, or rhizomes, as well as by seed.

Although the plant is sometimes described as a "violent emetic and cathartic," the dried root has been used medicinally for various treatments, including blood cleansing, as a poultice for sores, a treatment for syphilis and, in small doses, as a laxative. On the other hand, Native Americans are said to have used it to poison their arrows.

These plants are named after the Greek goddess of rainbows and messenger of the gods, Iris. More recently, the flowers were named after French King Louis VII, who adopted the iris as his emblem, dubbing the flowers fleur-de-lis ("Flower of Louis"). The three parted flowers were said to symbolize royal qualities of wisdom, faith and courage.

In North America, the wild iris is also known as blue flag, because their leaves resemble rushes or reeds, known as flagge in Old English. Our species was named by Thomas Nuttall, a 19th century botanist who collected specimens along the Missouri River in Montana during the 1830's.

Violet Family- (Violaceae)

Although named after the color purple, native violets also come in white, yellow and blue. You?ll find them as one of the dominant early flowers of mountain meadows, quietly blooming in the aspen forest or nestled among the grasses near streamsides. Of about four hundred native species in the family worldwide, half are in the genus Viola, and a few are tropical shrubs and trees.

Symbols of modesty and simplicity, violets are replete with lore and legend. The ancient Greeks dedicated violets to the goddess Persephone and regarded them as symbols of the immortal soul of the plant world. Greek mythology tells us of the origin of violets as well. When the jealous queen of the gods, Hera, caught her husband, Zeus, flirting with Io, she turned the lovely maiden into a heifer. Beleaguered by her fate, Io wept. Her tears were turned into violets by Zeus as an expression of his love for her. Fortunately for Io, she regained her human form after being driven to Egypt under the hundred watchful eyes of the giant beast Argus, who was ordered by Hera to guard her.

The association of violets with love is also found in French folklore. A gift of violets is believed to turn the thoughts of a loved one towards the bouquet's bearer. Pansies, the domestic cousin of our native violets, derive their name from the French word pensee, meaning "a thought," more specifically, a thought of love.

The more staid biological wisdom on violets is equally fascinating. Most violets are equipped with radiating lines or nectar guides, helping pollinating insects to hone in on the violet's sweet rewards. But the plants have a back-up system for seed production, known as cleistogamy, meaning "closed flower." Usually produced after the showy, open flowers on the same plant have passed on, cleistogamous flowers form low to the ground, sometimes beneath the soil, and produce seed by self-pollination. Though this results in inbreeding, it does ensure reproduction and is a common breeding strategy among early season wildflowers that have to contend with the vicissitudes of spring weather.

The Romans had yet another use for violets. Garlands of these flowers were believed to dispel the effects of wine and spirits and thereby prevent drunkenness. Violet leaves and flowers are also delectable additions to a dinner salad and are rich sources of vitamins A and C. Eating violets is probably a more effective remedy for drunkenness than wearing them around your neck!

Hooked Violet- Viola adunca; Canadian Violet- Viola canadensis; Canary Violet- Viola praemorsa

Eight native species of violets grow in the southern Rockies. The plants are identified as much by variations in leaf shape as by flower color. The most abundant, or at least most noticeable, is the yellow canary violet which grows in robust clumps among sagebrush and near aspen groves. The species name, praemorsa, means "appearing to have been nibbled upon," perhaps because they are valued as food for wildlife. They are one of our earliest spring wildflowers.

White Canadian violets prefer the shade of aspen forests and bloom in mid-summer.

The most common blue or purple species is the hooked violet. They are equally at home on subalpine ridges, near streams and marshes, on open forest floors or tucked among the sagebrush. Look for the little nectar-bearing spur or hook (adunca means "hooked") poking out the back of the flower. Although they are generally regarded as spring flowers, I have seen them blooming in late August.

Blue Columbine- Aquilegia coerulea "Colorado State Flower"; Red Columbine- Aquilegia elegantula

These flowers are paradoxically named after both the dove and the eagle. One nomenclator with imagination dubbed the flower columbine, after the Latin columba, meaning "dove." If you squint at a flower you may see a flock of doves sipping from a bath. The scientific name, Aquilegia, is given for the resemblance of the long spurs of the flower to the sharp talons of Aquila, the eagle. A lesser known, but probably more accurate, interpretation of the generic name is in the translation of aqua (water) and legere (to collect), referring to the nectar found in the base of the spurs. This nectar attracts pollinators of the columbine: butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. Other insects, especially certain bees, "steal" the nectar by biting the ends of the spurs, thereby not trading the favor for pollination.

The Colorado columbine is cerulean, or sky blue, and carries this color in its species name, A. coerulea. Because the Colorado columbine is our state flower, it's illegal to collect bouquets or whole plants. Flower folklore passes the wisdom that blue columbines are a symbol of unfaithfulness in women and a deserted lover in men. Therefore it is bad luck to give columbines to a woman and insulting to give them to a man. This should be further incentive to leave these beautiful flowers where they grow.

Silvery Lupine- Lupinus argenteus

Early in the summer, lupines cast a soft purple-blue haze over entire hillsides among the sagebrush. In the mountain meadows of the Gothic area, silvery lupine is said to be the most common wildflower. Also known as bluebonnets, old maid?s bonnets or wolfbean, there are over two hundred species of lupine, mostly in the western hemisphere. Fifty species are found in the Rocky Mountains, but only seven have been identified in the Elk Mountains.

All of the native lupines are easily recognized by their blue or purple spike of pea-shaped flowers and palmately compound leaves, meaning that each leaf has many leaflets which are like fingers coming from one central point or palm. Most are large and shrub-like, although the dwarf lupine is only about four inches high.

Besides being beautiful, lupine flowers are fun to play with. You can easily observe the special "trigger" adaptation for pollination in lupines by pressing on the pointed keel, or lower petal, of the flower. This simulates a bee or other pollinator buzzing in for nectar. Bright yellow pollen squirts out of the tip of the keel, which would normally be brushed on the insect's belly and transferred to the next flower it visits.
Legend of the Bluebonnet

One of the most charming flower legends is the story of a Comanche girl who had lost all of her family to drought and famine. The only thing she had left to comfort her was a doll that had been made by her mother, decorated with bright blue jay feathers. When the shaman asked what the remaining tribal members could do to redeem themselves and end the suffering, the spirits requested that the tribes most prized possession must be offered to the gods.
Hearing this, the young girl gave her doll to the fire late one evening and scattered the ashes to the four winds. In the morning, nourishing rains returned to the land and the hills were covered with cheerful blossoms of bluebonnet. The bluebonnet is thus regarded as a symbol of forgiveness and selflessness.

Tall Bluebells- Mertensia ciliata; Dwarf Bluebells- Mertensia fusiformis

Two species of bluebells are common in the Gunnison Basin. In early summer, look for dwarf bluebells growing in wet areas among the sagebrush or near aspen groves. By the time these have gone to seed, tall bluebells are blooming in the aspen understory, along streams and in wet mountain meadows. The genus is named in honor of a German botanist named F.K. Mertens (1764-1831).

Tall bluebells have soft hairless leaves, usually glistening with dew, that swish around your waist when walking along narrow mountain trails. Also known as chiming bells or languid ladies, the leaves make good potherbs or salad greens and have a slightly fishy taste.

Dwarf bluebells are more typical of other borages, having leaves covered with stiff hairs. This species is distinguished from other short bluebells by the spindle shaped or "fusiform" root, like a carrot tapered at both ends. They rarely grow to more than ten inches high.

Serviceberry- Amelanchier alnifolia

The plump, deep blue fruit of the serviceberry is worth collecting in the fall, if you can beat the birds. Like the wild rose, these huge (up to twelve feet high) shrubs are common along rivers and streams, especially at lower elevations (7,500-8,500 feet). They are also common in open dry sagebrush country wherever water is close to the surface. The species growing near in the Elk Mountains is A. alnifolia, with serrated leaves resembling those of the alder (Alnus spp.). They are one of the first plants to flower in the spring, filling the air with sweet perfume from their cherry-like white blossoms.

In addition to being important to wildlife, the fruit can be used to make pies and jams and are great trail snacks. Native Americans used these berries, along with other wild fruits, dried buffalo meat and fat, to make pemmican cakes. The Cree name for this plant is mis-ask-quah-toomina, which early, white settlers shortened to "saskatoon," another common name for the shrub. Because the berries begin to ripen in June, they are also called juneberry.

Scarlet Gilia- Ipomopsis aggregata

The bright red tubular flowers of scarlet gilia are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds, as well as long-tongued moths and butterflies, which can reach down the narrow throat of the flower to slurp up its nectar. This plant is a monocarpic perennial, producing a rosette of leaves for one to eight years, flowering to produce seed when the plant has stored enough energy.
After it flowers, the plant dies, leaving hundreds of seeds to carry on its legacy. Also known as skyrocket gilia and fairy trumpets, these flamboyant blooms can be seen throughout the summer, from the sagebrush flats to subalpine meadows. This is a large genus, with thirteen species found in Colorado, and is named after its superficial resemblance to a type of morning glory called Ipomoea. The species, I. aggregata, tends to grow in large colonies or clusters (aggregates), because the seeds fall close to the parent plants.

Glandular hairs on the sepals and stems produces a skunky-smelling oil that helps to repel ants that may eat the flowers and seeds, similar to Jacob's ladder (Polemonium spp.), earning the species another common name, skunkweed. This biochemistry is interesting when contrasted with aspen sunflower (Helianthella), which produces oils to attract ants and is often found growing near scarlet gilia.

Heartleaf Arnica- Arnica cordifolia

Heart-leafed arnica grows in shaded coniferous forests and is easily recognized by its pairs of heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers. There are at least a dozen species of arnica in the Crested Butte area from sagebrush to alpine tundra. The group is easy to recognize because they are one of the only locally native yellow sunflowers that has opposite leaves. Like dandelions, arnicas have the ability to produce seed with or without pollination, greatly enhancing their reproductive capability. They can also reproduce vegetatively by sending out horizontal rootlets that develop buds at their ends, spreading to form large colonies.

Arnicas are best known for their powerful medicinal properties which are used in extracts, salves and poultices to reduce swelling, heal bruises and sprains, and relieve aches and pains. The species most commonly used in commercial salves is Arnica montana, which is native to Europe. However, roots and leaves of North American species share similar medicinal capabilities.

Peavine- Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus (L. leucanthus)

Perhaps the most appealing feature of this plant is its reputation as an aphrodisiac, which inspired the Latin name, Lathyrus, meaning "very passionate." The creamy white flowers turn pale orange as they age, adding softness to the aspen understory or sagebrush where they grow. Short tendrils at the end of the pinnately compound leaves allow them to climb on other plants. Leucanthus means "white-flowered."