Plants
From the foothills to the alpine tundra, plants are key components of our forest’s ecosystem. Plants provide food, fuel and fiber for human use as well as food and shelter for native wildlife and pollinators. Plants also filter water, control erosion, and help sustain biodiversity through their complex interactions with other organisms. Additionally, the Rio Grande National Forest has 31 rare plants (vascular and non-vascular) called Species of Conservation Concern (SCC).
What do botanists on the Rio Grande National Forest do?
- RGNF Botanists participate in interdisciplinary projects such as timber, recreation and fuels treatments to assess the impacts of projects on SCC plants and the potential for noxious weed introduction or spread. Through communication and teamwork, impacts to botanical resources are often eliminated or greatly reduced.
- Coordinate an Integrated Weed Management program which includes prevention, survey, monitoring, and treatment of noxious weeds on the forest in partnership with volunteers and other neighboring landowners such as county weed programs and other land management agencies.
- Provide input on restoration and revegetation efforts that utilize native plant materials.
- Monitor vegetation changes.
- Survey for and document Species of Conservation Concern (SCC).
Resources
General Botany
- USFS plants main page
- USDA Plants database
- Rio Grande National Forest iNaturalist Page
- Rio Grande National Forest - Pollinator Project on iNaturalist
- Monarch Milkweed Mapper
- USFS native plant materials page
Common Plants
Throughout the summer you can enjoy many species of spectacular wildflowers. Scarlet gilia, paintbrush, and many species of asters bloom in reds, oranges, and yellows. Penstemons, larkspur, columbine, and lupine fill meadows with purples and blues. In wetter areas, marsh marigold, globe flowers, and elephant’s head bloom. High in the alpine, look for the tiny flowers of moss campion, phlox, and alpine forget-me-nots. Wildflower season peaks in the high country in mid-July, but often continues into early September in the subalpine forests. Numerous shrubs and grasses are found from sage at lower elevations to currants and roses in forested areas.
Grasses provide forage for wildlife and permitted livestock. Below is a list of a few common perennial grasses you may see on the forest.
- Parry’s oatgrass Danthonia parryi -
- Arizona fescue Festuca arizonica -
- Mountain muhly Muhlenbergia montana -
- Fringed brome Bromus ciliate -
- Mutton grass Poa fendleriana -
- Blue gramma Bouteloua gracilis – the state grass
- Pine dropseed Blepheroneuron tricholepis -
Wildflowers support native pollinators by providing floral resources (i.e. nectar and pollen) in exchange for pollination.
Funk thistle
Funk Thistle
Funky thistle Cirsium funkiae - This thistle was first described in 2022! The funky grows up to 3 feet (0.91 m) in height and has yellow branches with pale yellow flowers that turn into fuzzy clusters with age. The plant generally grows above the tree line mainly in alpine meadows, boulder fields, or rocky scree slopes.
Western wallflower Erysimum capitatum – This wallflower grows across the US in a wide range of habitats. It is in the mustard family and its flowers have four petals and are most often bright yellow or orange. Fun fact: the flower color of this species can range from yellow to gold to pinks & purples.
Elephant heads Pedicularis groenlandica – These wildflowers commonly grow along streems and in wet mountain meadows. Their leaves look fern like and turn from a dark read to green as they grow. The flowers are shaped much like an elephants head with ears and a curving trunk. Elephant heads bloom for many weeks making it a common flower to see.
Elephant Head
Whipple's penstemon Penstemon whippelanus – This wildflower is a rich purple and has drooping tube-like flowers. While most often dark purple, their color may vairy to light purple and even white.
Wild strawberry Fragaria virginiana – Wild strawberries are a miniature version of what you might find in the store or on a strawberry farm. They grow close to the ground with a trifoliate leaf (a leaf with three lobes). The flowers have a yellow center and five round petals. They can be found across the area often in drier openings in the forest or fields. They will produce a red, sweet, wild strawberry fruit when mature.
Parry's gentian Gentiana parryi – These small blue or purple wildflowers can be found in high open meadows or alpine tundra where they show through the grasses. They have five petals that spread out from a tube.
Shrubs are found from the lowest points on the forest and open range all the way to the alpine and rocky mountain tops. Shrubs provide food for pollinators, berries and seeds for birds, and important browse for other wildlife especially in the winter.
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – Also called red bearberry, this evergreen shrub has thick leathery leaves. It produces small bell-shaped pink or white flowers that will turn into bright read berries. It ranges across the US in a wide variety of habitats.
Elderberry Sambucus racemosa – This shrub has compound leaves, small white flowers that are followed by clusters of pea-sized red berries. The shrubs provide an important food source for birds and other animals. This elderberry species is not the same species that is commonly used in recipies.
Gooseberry and currant Ribes sp. – There are several species of gooseberries and currants that grow across the forest. Currants and gooseberries can be told apart by whether they have thorns or not. Gooseberries are thorny whereas currants are not.
Mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus – The leaves of this shrub are dark green on top and a fuzzy silver underneath. It provides an important source of food for deer and elk. Their sees are long, curving, and hair which allows them to travel long distances in the wind or catch in animals fur to aid in dispersal.
Rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus – This shrub is one of the most widely distributed shrubs on rangelands in North America. It is an important source of food for wildlife especially in the winter. It has slender leaves and bright yellow flowers when blooming.