Monsoon Magic Plants.. The " Beyond the Garden " edition

[Silas_Sancona]

Aside from those devilish blondes,  when good,  our summer rainy season can take one on an adventure into a side of the region many people might not assume would exist, the Subtropics..   While certain iconic plants seen here and there across the lower deserts provide a clue year round, other, more obvious clues to the region's tropical past hide out under foot until the magic of hot and stormy rains bring them back to life. 

While not quite as dramatic as areas further south across the border in Sonora, if one does their homework, one can easily see the obvious link between the two parts of this region of North America.   Attention getting during an average year, the night and day appearance between how the desert looks after two extremely dry years, followed by one of the wettest in some time is quite dramatic, especially the further south one heads.

While the area i headed back to this week hasn't seen quite as much rainfall as areas closer to the Mexico border, the amount of " warm season " plants tied to subtropical families flowering out in the wild right now is about as diverse as those that take the stage after a wet winter.   This aspect of the region also provides plenty of ideas for " tamer " drought tolerant  landscapes to help keep the color going year round ( except maybe for some of the weedier annual things ).

One of the first things to pop up after a couple good soakings is the rapid appearance of annual grasses / other annual flowering things..

 Needle Grama, ( right side ) Six Weeks Grama,  ( left side ) & one of our native, annual Panic Grasses, AZ. Signalgrass, Urochloa arizonica  ( picture # 2 )



A few Perennial Panic Grasses are used in Landscapes. Some were cultivated as a crop as well.

Another Tribulus " look alike " Kallstroemia parviflora.. As much as they resemble those damn Goat Heads, note the difference in how the leaves look, let alone the seed head ( no long spiny " horns ", like K. grandiflora, other Kallstroemia sp.. )







An annual, AZ version of  " Snow on the Mountain " type Euphorbia?, native Croton?  ( Yes, most native Croton species have grey or green leaves, rather than the colorful leaves of those cultivated ..even though they are both connected to the Tropics ) Nope, member of the Amaranth family, Wooly Tidestromia, Tidestromia lanuginosa.


Spiderlings  ( Boerhavia sp. ) as mentioned, while kind of weedy, these rather unassuming summer annuals / perennials provide a valuable source of food and nectar for various insects ..and everything that eats bugs. Great options for warm season " green mulching " as well.

Scarlet Spiderling, Boerhavia coccinea




Coulter's Spiderling, Boerhavia coulteri  var. coulteri







Another member of the mostly tropical Four-O'- clock Family, Trailing Windmills, Allonia incarnata



Solanum eleagnafolium.. Nice plant, but somewhat aggressive in the garden. Widespread across the warmer parts of the U.S.







A rather diminutive member of the Nightshade Family ..and in the same Genus as Tomatillo.  Ivy Leaved Ground Cherry,  Physalis hederifolia.. There are a few other Physalis sp. other than Tomatillo, the fruit of which are supposedly edible, but don't recommend consuming any of them w/ out extensive research / expert guidance / proper identification.


An annual Nightshade member you should respect,  but definitely leave alone,  Jimsonweed, Datura stramonium.


Hibiscus or Abutilon sp.  i think...


Drought and heat Tough member of the Olive / true Jasmine family, Menodora scrabra. Can flower on and off through the year. Slowly being noticed more for inclusion in the garden.





Summer Composites that can also flower at other times of the year:

Blackfoot Daisy, Melampodium leucanthum




Whitestem Paperflower, Psilostrophe cooperi




NoID summer annual Composite.  Sandmat species ( Annual Euphorbia- type plant w/ the darker, wider leaves ) in the picture as well.


Senna Covesii taking advantage of the rains.  The further south one travels, the more Cassia / Senna species you will encounter.




Fishhook Barrel, Ferocactus wislizeni in bloom.. And would ya' look at that, no fertilizer needed to keep em' looking great.






While flowering only in the spring, had to include these fantastic Echinocereus englemanii complex  specimens.





Hartweg's Climbing Milkweed Vine, Funastrum heterophyllum,  and  Slender Janusia, Cottsia gracilis.. our native " Yellow Orchid Vine " Same family as Barbados Cherry, ..and that other Yellow Orchid Vine...  Further south you go, you start encountering more native Morning Glories ( Ipomoea / Merrimea sp. ), other more exotic, tropical members of the Milkweed Family ..and other climbing things.

[Butch]

Like it!....

Butch

[Gonzer]

Yowza! So many photos, so many comments. Outstanding pictorial of your natives Nathan. Are all those plants growing in a VERY large area so that you can photograph them all on a long hike? Or are they pics taken at various times in far reaching locales? Sure as hell beat our natives IMHO.

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 8/12/2021 at 8:42 PM, Gonzer said:

Yowza! So many photos, so many comments. Outstanding pictorial of your natives Nathan. Are all those plants growing in a VERY large area so that you can photograph them all on a long hike? Or are they pics taken at various times in far reaching locales? Sure as hell beat our natives IMHO.

Expand  

This was just from one area ..located about 20mi east of where i'm at in the east valley, up by Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Superior.. W/ storms in the area that morning / threat of storms re developing over the burn scar just east of where i was, kept this trip focused to a small area rather than explore the canyon / wash that runs around the north face of Picketpost again..

Planed trip south will be spread over a wider area between Tucson, and down by Sonoita / Patagonia, in a broad valley east of the Santa Rita Mountains / Madera Canyon. That part of the state is where plants / animals from the Plains, Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, and Madrean Oak / Pine / Juniper woodlands all come together.  Should be an interesting trip.

[Gonzer]

  On 8/12/2021 at 10:00 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

This was just from one area ..located about 20mi east of where i'm at in the east valley, up by Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Superior.. W/ storms in the area that morning / threat of storms re developing over the burn scar just east of where i was, kept this trip focused to a small area rather than explore the canyon / wash that runs around the north face of Picketpost again..

Planed trip south will be spread over a wider area between Tucson, and down by Sonoita / Patagonia, in a broad valley east of the Santa Rita Mountains / Madera Canyon. That part of the state is where plants / animals from the Plains, Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, and Madrean Oak / Pine / Juniper woodlands all come together.  Should be an interesting trip.

Expand  

Gotta get the map out and chart this. Thanks for the info. More important, keep the observations (along with pics) coming.

[Manalto]

What a treat it is to take this well-informed and intimate armchair tour of your corner of the world. It's fascinating. Thank you. 

[Butch]

  On 8/13/2021 at 1:08 PM, Manalto said:

What a treat it is to take this well-informed and intimate armchair tour of your corner of the world. It's fascinating. Thank you. 

Expand  

I agree 100%... And I thank you too...

Butch

[Silas_Sancona]

" Magic Mountains "  plants ( ..of the Santa Rita Foothills / Empire Mountains ): 

LOTS of floral diversity here, and i barely scratched the surface on this visit..   Empire Mountains / Santa Rita Foothills / Mountains is where plants found in Sonora, Chihuahua, Texas and the Plains, Arizona, and even California and Utah may be located.. Everything from Oak, Juniper, Mesquite, and Palo Verde growing alongside Ocotillo, Yucca, Agave, etc can easily be seen here.. 

Looking over a list of plants documented just from the Empire Mountains ( set of hills /peaks that runs north- south along the east side of Highway 83 ) the level of what can be found during a longer, more in depth exploration of the area is pretty incredible .. This list: http://www.mineralarts.com/EmpireMtFlora/EmpireMtFloraList.html   was put together back in 2010 and i don't think it has been updated since, even though more things have been documented on other lists of the area's flora.. Looking through it, plants associated with tropical families / genera are represented well alongside those in more temperate genera / families.   Santa Rita Foothills / Mountains ( Run generally north -south along the western side of the 83 Highway ) are well studied and contain an even more eye popping level of plant diversity. To make it more interesting, esp. for anything w/ a connection to the tropics, elevation in the hills here ranges from 3.4K, to just over 5K and snow can fall here during the winter.


Agave, Yucca, etc...

Palmer's Agave, Agave palmeri   Some big specimens too..










Dasylirion Wheeleri






Nolina microcarpa


N. microcarpa, D. wheeleri ...and either Agave palmeri, or very young Yucca sp. in view up on this shelf.  One Seed Juniper in the background.


Yucca ..madrensis  or schottii.. both occur in the hills out here apparently.  Not sure of the Cylindropuntia sp. on the right side of Picture #2.




Non- desert trees:

Mexican Blue Oak, Quercus oblongifolia. This particular Oak sp. is directly related to both Blue Oak sp. in California ( Quercus douglasii = Nor. / Central CA/ Sierra Ft. Hills.. and Q. engelmanii = S. Cal. / San Diego County )

It is thought that Engelmann Oak was only recently separated from Q. oblongifolia during the last ice age when the deserts between where both exist dried out. Mex. Blue Oak is slowly being promoted more for landscape situations due to it being able to tolerate more water, esp. during the summer months, compared to Q. douglasii esp..










One- seed Juniper, Juniperis monosperma  ..i think..   2 other Juniper sp. occur near by, if not in the same locations visited out here as well. 




Annual/ Perennial Flowers, Vines, etc..

Velvet Pod Mimosa, Mimosa dysocarpa




Scarlet Morning Glory, Ipomoea coccinea




Ivy- Leaved Morning Glory, Ipomoea hederacea




Western Spiderwort, Tradescantia occidentalis


Sawtooth Sage, Salvia subincisa


Abert's Buckwheat, Eriogonum abertianum.


Pink Fairyduster, Calliandra eriophylla


**Not pictured** Numerous Composites ( Plants in the Sunflower family ) observed as well..

Silverleaf Nightshade, Solanum elaegnifolium



 

[teddytn]

  On 8/20/2021 at 5:10 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

" Magic Mountains "  plants ( ..of the Santa Rita Foothills / Empire Mountains ): 

LOTS of floral diversity here, and i barely scratched the surface on this visit..   Empire Mountains / Santa Rita Foothills / Mountains is where plants found in Sonora, Chihuahua, Texas and the Plains, Arizona, and even California and Utah may be located.. Everything from Oak, Juniper, Mesquite, and Palo Verde growing alongside Ocotillo, Yucca, Agave, etc can easily be seen here.. 

Looking over a list of plants documented just from the Empire Mountains ( set of hills /peaks that runs north- south along the east side of Highway 83 ) the level of what can be found during a longer, more in depth exploration of the area is pretty incredible .. This list: http://www.mineralarts.com/EmpireMtFlora/EmpireMtFloraList.html   was put together back in 2010 and i don't think it has been updated since, even though more things have been documented on other lists of the area's flora.. Looking through it, plants associated with tropical families / genera are represented well alongside those in more temperate genera / families.   Santa Rita Foothills / Mountains ( Run generally north -south along the western side of the 83 Highway ) are well studied and contain an even more eye popping level of plant diversity. To make it more interesting, esp. for anything w/ a connection to the tropics, elevation in the hills here ranges from 3.4K, to just over 5K and snow can fall here during the winter.


Agave, Yucca, etc...

Palmer's Agave, Agave palmeri   Some big specimens too..










Dasylirion Wheeleri






Nolina microcarpa


N. microcarpa, D. wheeleri ...and either Agave palmeri, or very young Yucca sp. in view up on this shelf.  One Seed Juniper in the background.


Yucca ..madrensis  or schottii.. both occur in the hills out here apparently.  Not sure of the Cylindropuntia sp. on the right side of Picture #2.




Non- desert trees:

Mexican Blue Oak, Quercus oblongifolia. This particular Oak sp. is directly related to both Blue Oak sp. in California ( Quercus douglasii = Nor. / Central CA/ Sierra Ft. Hills.. and Q. engelmanii = S. Cal. / San Diego County )

It is thought that Engelmann Oak was only recently separated from Q. oblongifolia during the last ice age when the deserts between where both exist dried out. Mex. Blue Oak is slowly being promoted more for landscape situations due to it being able to tolerate more water, esp. during the summer months, compared to Q. douglasii esp..










One- seed Juniper, Juniperis monosperma  ..i think..   2 other Juniper sp. occur near by, if not in the same locations visited out here as well. 




Annual/ Perennial Flowers, Vines, etc..

Velvet Pod Mimosa, Mimosa dysocarpa




Scarlet Morning Glory, Ipomoea coccinea




Ivy- Leaved Morning Glory, Ipomoea hederacea




Western Spiderwort, Tradescantia occidentalis


Sawtooth Sage, Salvia subincisa


Abert's Buckwheat, Eriogonum abertianum.


Pink Fairyduster, Calliandra eriophylla


**Not pictured** Numerous Composites ( Plants in the Sunflower family ) observed as well..

Silverleaf Nightshade, Solanum elaegnifolium



 

Expand  

Love seeing succulents in habitat, always dealing with and seeing cultivated specimens gives a false sense of what all these plants naturally look like. Like chicks that won’t leave the house without makeup on lol

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 8/20/2021 at 6:43 PM, teddytn said:

Love seeing succulents in habitat, always dealing with and seeing cultivated specimens gives a false sense of what all these plants naturally look like. Like chicks that won’t leave the house without makeup on lol

Expand  

Never completely understood it,   make it clear from the start i'm not the guy to ask " How does this look " and not expect a very honest answer, lol. Not the " Yes dear, looks great dear"  guy..  ...and yes, I expect the same in return

As for -pretty much anything- how it looks out in the wild, provides more than enough clues as to how it should look at home.. Minimal pampering is best.

[Tom in Tucson]

The list you provided the link to had the cactus Mammillaria macdougallii as native to the Empire Mtns. I think the botanist who ID'd it got it confused with Mammillaria heyderi var. bullingtoniana (see SEINet), but who knows. The Dalea lumholtzii I was not familiar with. The few pictures on the web aren't great, but I'm curious because it might be a useful shrub for xerophytic use.

Great pics! I like the Salvia subincisa. 

Hi 99˚, Lo 70˚

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 8/21/2021 at 3:54 AM, Tom in Tucson said:

The list you provided the link to had the cactus Mammillaria macdougallii as native to the Empire Mtns. I think the botanist who ID'd it got it confused with Mammillaria heyderi var. bullingtoniana (see SEINet), but who knows. The Dalea lumholtzii I was not familiar with. The few pictures on the web aren't great, but I'm curious because it might be a useful shrub for xerophytic use.

Great pics! I like the Salvia subincisa. 

Hi 99˚, Lo 70˚

Expand  

Thanks Tom.. Will have to take another look at that Dalea, and the description of the Mam.. Looks like there's only one observation of the Dalea, from somewhere on the southeastern side of Mica Mountain in the Rincons on iNaturalist.  Will have pictures of stuff observed out at Las Cienegas, and a quick stop over at the Davidson Canyon/ Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead up tomorrow..  Wish i could have made it to Pima Canyon,  sure there's all sorts of stuff to be seen there atm.  Pretty incredible how green everything is.
 

[jimmyt]

My weekly horticulture/botany webinar!  Thanks!

jimmyt

[Silas_Sancona]

Las Cienegas NCA and Davidson Canyon / Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead area in Vail:

Wish i had another day ( or two ) to seriously explore the Cienegas.. Lots to observe out there.

That said, this is big time Rattlesnake country and wandering through fairly dense knee to waist high grass to get closer to various plants is a bit dicey.. Especially when there is some sort of Katydid / Cricket ( or Cicada ) out there whose raspy, low pitched call sounds like something rattling at your feet.. Another reason investing in a pair of snake gaiters is a good idea, lol.

Most plants observed here are first time observations, a few of which are pretty unique. Good mix of temperate and tropical families / Genus here..

Wingpod Purslane, Portulaca umbraticola, one of 3 that occur out here.. No clue whether or not it is edible like the more commonly seen species.  Another, Portulaca suffructescens, looks almost exactly like " Moss Rose ", another Purslane sp. that used to be a common summer annual filler for containers/ flower boxes. Difference between the two is P. suffructescens is perennial. Surprised it hasn't been collected & trialed for similar use in the Horticulture trade.


Spreading Fleabane, Erigeron divergens


Hoary Aster, Dieteria canescens One of the Western US'es answers to fall blooming Asters common east of the Rockies.


Downy Prairie Clover, Dalea neomexicana


Cooley's Bundleflower, Desmanthus cooleyi


Prairie Acacia, Acaciella angustissima


Velvet pod Mimosa, Mimosa dysocarpa.. Most example i saw here and nearby were short. ban grow much larger where not cut down by frost/ freezes.





One of two ( or 3 ) Dayflower sp. native to AZ


Southwestern Prickly Poppy, Argemone pleiacantha





Texas Bindweed, Convolvulus equitans.. Southwestern native which probably is not as aggressive as the nearly impossible to eradicate Field Bindweed from Europe / Asia.



Shaggy Dwarf morning Glory, Evolvulus nuttallianus



Arizona Evolvulus / Blue Eyes, Evolvulus arizonica.. Native ( and far tougher ) answer to the commonly seen for sale " Blue Daze " Evolvulus glomerata ( Brazil ) Florida also has a similar looking  garden- worthy species also.







Sonoran Penstemon, Penstemon sonorae One of a few summer flowering Penstemon sp. in the Southwest.





Smooththroat Stoneseed, Lithospermum cobrense



Finger leaf Gourd, Cucurbita digitata





Double Claw Devil's Claw, Proboscidea parviflora









Mexican Star, Milla biflora.. Only member of this tropical genus to reach the US. Flowers are intensely fragrant. Sometimes offered for sale through people dealing with rare bulbs. 2 or 3 other Milla sp. from Mexico are also sometimes seen for sale.







Torrey's Craglily / Amber Lily, Echeandia flavescens.  Exclusive to S. AZ and federally protected.


Yucca madrensis   ..Or schottii


Agave palmeri.. In the Guide i'd linked in the last post, there is a link to some info. regarding an interesting population of A. palmeri that is distinct from the usual version of this species. While the standard form is solitary, rarely ever forming offsets, the other, more unique variety offsets quite a bit and is what i observed the most through out the areas i'd visited out here. It also only occurs in the lower elevation portions of A. palmeri's suggested range and may be an adaptation to the heat /drier conditions at lower elevations.






Same article discusses how this suggested variety may in fact be a distinct species. Neat regardless. Will have to try and find seed or cultivated specimens of this variety later. Not going to collect even tiny offsets from places like the Conservation Area.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

Some pictures from the 2nd to last stop on Wednesday's adventure.. a brief walk around the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead / access to Davidson Canyon in Vail which drains the lower section of Cienega Creek as it works it's way west toward Tucson where it intersects the Pantano Wash, one of the smaller " rivers " in the Tucson area.. This is the same creek / wash that starts in Las Cienegas.  Very different landscape than the Foothills/ Desert Grasslands out at Las Cienegas nearby, but plenty green.. 

LOTS and lots of examples of what Ocotillo look like when happy, w/ out any pampering.

A couple new ( to me ) things, and some usual desert subjects:

Big, fantastic Ferocactus wislizeni specimens out here. 98% of them in bloom atm.













More Agave palmeri, the offsetting variety..






Echinomastus erectocentrus


Menodora scabra. Grass in the picture is one of the Gramas (  Bouteloua sp. )


Trailing Windmills, Allionia incarnata


Hairy Five Eyes, Chamaesaracha sordida. Related to and easily confused with Tomatillo /Ground Cherries ( Physalis ) Fruit, a Pea- like Berry, is likely poisonous.




Not 100% on which species ( there are a couple that occur around the area ) but one of our native Aloysia.. same Genus as Lemon Verbena / Sweet Almond Bush.. Flowers are just as fragrant though smaller. VERY drought tolerant sub shrub. One or two sp. may be edible ( the leaves, used as a spice )


And those Ocotillo...  Every specimen i saw on this trip looked fantastic. Here, you could walk through a " forest " of them along the trail i followed.. Let alone A mini Ocotillo " Tunnel " Lots of various sized seedlings in among the brushy stuff too.  Pretty sweet..













@Tom in Tucson    Took a look at the description of the Mammilaria on the list, Agree, the description seems confusing.. Did see that the variety cited is  ( ..or was ) listed as a subsp. of heyderi w/ the suggested difference between the two being the color of the flowers ( one color west of the Santa Ritas, another east of there.. if i read the description right )

[Tom in Tucson]

If you compare the 2 you'll find that M. macdougalii has 3 other features besides flower color: flower size, body size, and spine characters (longer and more numerous radials and a lighter color). Some growers (like Dave Ferguson) suggest keeping it as distinct species and not keeping it as a variety of M. heyderi. He even suggests a closer relationship to some of the Sierra Madrean species of Sonora and the states to the south. If you find a seed source let me know.

More great pics and info!

Hi 100˚, Lo 69˚

[Silas_Sancona]

Back out east yesterday morning to check on the Devil's Claw ( for seed, among some other things ) and to casually note progression of the general landscape as Monsoon season starts to wind down..
While still green, much like what occurs in California after a wet winter, can see the hills starting to change to a light green / gold as most annual grasses/ other stuff matures and dries out. Been dry and warm the last couple weeks which speeds up that process.

 Walking around, encountered a few things i hadn't seen when out there before..

Southwestern Pipevine, Aristolochia watsonii, wish i would have caught these w/ flowers on them..  Probably the weirdest flowering plant you'll find out in the desert.






Parry's False Prairie Clover, Marina parryi.. Smallish perennial that likes sandy/ gravely spots atop sandbars along washes.




Euphorbia sp.. probably an summer annual and found only a couple plants. Flowers/ leaves Resemble a tiny version of the tree -like Euphorbia xanti from Baja.


Maturing fruit on the Ivy leaved Ground Cherries.. Can see how they resemble Tomatillo. Don't think fruit is edible on this species though.




Freshly mature pods on the Devil's Claw.. Note how the rubbery green " husk " dries out and is shed when the pods are ripe, leaving behind that hard, black " claw " that splits in half as it continues to dry out.

[Silas_Sancona]

One last trip out to the Picketpost trailhead this morning to collect a few more claws and see what else might be around as the summer show starts to slowly fade into the coming season..  Not terribly much left flowering.. Most of the hills are quickly transitioning to their " fall colors "  At least the annual summer season grasses / etc annual forbs.  Did find a couple new things while exploring, this time following the wash to where it passes under Highway 60 ( Fenced off, so i couldn't follow it any further ) then back to the south to a section i hadn't walked on past visits.  Did come across a specimen of our native Pipevine shedding seed, so, we'll see if i can get some going later.

While it has been dry the last couple weeks, this area must have received a decent soaking the last time it rained because you could tell the wash had been running since i visited a couple weeks ago. Still a lot of Butterflies / other bugs, but seems like they're starting to disperse.. No clouds of them ( the butterflies at least ) this time out there..

Ivy- Leaved Morning Glory,  Ipomoea hederacea. one of the 3 blue flowered sp. native to the central/ southern part of the state. Considering how some authorities still vilify native Morning Glories, because of the aggressive / invasive tendencies some non native sp. only encountered a couple, and while clambering over other things, sure didn't look like they were strangling the life out of the other plants.








On my trip south of Tucson back in August, i accidentally miss- id'ed another native Ipomoea as this sp.  Corrected, that sp. is Tripleleaf Morning Glory,  Ipomoea ternifolia though you can see leaves of what appears to be I.. hederacea growing in the same pictures of that one. It's leaves are thinner, more palmate.. Unlike me, lol,  you can see the leaves of in this picture. I thought they belonged to something else. ~ shrugs ~


Wish the flowers would've been open on this today.. Pelotazo, Abutilon incanum.  Pretty tiny but this is one of the more colorful - flowered native Abutilon ( Flower color is more variable, not always yellow, like most other " Desert " Abutilon ) Regardless, pretty tough sub shrub with that smoky grey - green look of many desert plants. One of those things you'd add in the desert garden to show the tropical connection among various plant families rather than for something extra showy ( though tiny flowers can be cool too ).  There was an iNat - observed specimen i tried to locate in a different are, but couldn't.. may have been buried / washed away during a past flash flood event.