Moab Happenings

6A • March 2011 • Moab Happenings
NATURE HAPPENINGS
Early Spring Wildfl owers
Early Spring Wildflowers by Damian Fagan
The procession of spring flowers may start early
in Canyon Country. Some years, the first flowers arise
in mid-January poking their floral heads above the
sandy desert floor. Other years, snow and ice slow the
progression of budding blooms and the first flowers do
not erupt until February or March.
Most often the first flower to arise is one of
the Carrot family members: the Parry’s lomatium
(Lomatium parryi). Easily overlooked, the dense
cluster of tiny yellow flowers are borne in an umbrellalike
pattern known as an “umbel.” This arrangement
provides for the family
name, Umbelliferae.
In a break from
tradition, the Parry’s
lomatium sends up these
flowering heads long
before the leaves appear.
Arising on reddish stems,
the leafless stalks range
from a couple of inches
high to nearly 2 feet tall.
Last year’s dried leaves
may still be present when
the plant’s bloom.
Named in honor of
Charles Christopher Parry
(1823-1890), he was the
first official botanist of
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. He joined
several survey parties to
the American West where
he collected a number of
species new to science.
Another lomatium
that blooms early in the
year is the Canyonlands
biscuitroot (Lomatium
latilobum). Found growing
in sandy sites in close
proximity to the Entrada
Sandstone, these plants only grow in several sites in
the Four Corners area. The biscuitroots grow in large
clumps and the highly dissected leaves are somewhat
similar to those of a domesticated relative, the carrot.
Named for its restricted range in the Canyonlands
region, this Carrot family member also sends up
clusters of tiny yellow flowers arranged in an umbel.
Native Americans harvested the plant’s taproots and
pulverized the roots into flour; hence, the common
name. Lomatium means “fringed” and refers to the
wavy edges on the seeds.
Other members of the Carrot family that start
blooming in early spring include members of the
Cymopterus genus. There is the Fendler spring-parsley
and the basin white-cup spring parsley that have yellow
and whitish flowers, respectively. The highly divided
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by Damian Fagan
leaves resemble those of the herb
parsley, hence the reference in
the common name.
Like the lomatiums, these
spring-parsleys also have winged
fruit. Some species have papery
wings on the seeds; others bear
corky wavy edges.
Two other plant families
that are well represented with
early spring wildflowers are the Mustard family
(Brassicaceae) and the Pea Family (Fabaceae). Flowers
in the Mustard family
generally have four petals
and 6 stamens. Both the
petals and stamens are
arranged in a cross pattern,
and this arrangement
derives another name for
the family the Cruciferae.
One of my favorite
“crucifs” is spectacle-pod
(Dithyrea wislizenii). Two
rounded seedpods are fused
together along a common
midline and resemble a pair
of spectacles. The species
name honors Friedrich
Adolph Wislizenus
(1810-1889), a German
immigrant who joined a
trading caravan to Mexico
in 1846 where he collected
specimens of the local flora
and fauna.
The Pea family is
well represented by
early spring flowers. The
pinkish-purple blooms
of rimrock milkvetch,
crescent milkvetch,
Preuss’ milkvetch, woolly
locoweed, and painted
milkvetch. All have interesting seedpods, but those
of the painted milkvetch are inflated and have reddish
mottling that resembles painted pottery.
Although these flowers may not be the showiest
desert wildflowers compared to the cacti and
globemallows that bloom later in spring, their presence
marks the seasonal transition and heralds the return of
spring. Long may they bloom!