Initially this guide displays common flowers of all colors that are blooming right now in our area. Use the selectors to view rare species, to view flowers blooming any time, to restrict the output to a certain color, or to search by name.
The Jemez Mountain Herbarium located at PEEC has a specimen collection of over 1,000 plant species that are found in the Jemez Mountain region. This guide was developed as a subset of this collection to help in the identification of the most prevalent flowering plants in Los Alamos County. Most of the plants shown here are native to the area, though a few were introduced to the region.
Monocot and both simple and composite flowering dicots are covered in this guide. This information is included in each description and potentially makes it easier to identify the different plants.
- monocot – seed has 1 embryonic leaf; flower parts com in multiples of 3; leaves have parallel veins
- dicot – seed has 1 embryonic leaves; flower parts com in multiples of 4 or 5; leaves have scattered veins
- simple flower – single, symmetric flowers; usually 3 to 6 petals that emerge from the flower center
- composite flower – multiple, tiny flowers arranged on a single base, typically rays around a disc; each tiny flower has its own seed
Most of the plants represented here are classified as forb/herb which are plants without significant woody growth. However, some flowering shrubs and trees have been included. Many of the later can also be found in the PEEC Tree Guide. This guide does not include any noxious weeds from the area. These are covered in the PEEC Invasive Plant Guide.
You can get additional information on local blooms by joining PEEC Wild Plants. More detailed descriptions can be found in Plants of the Jemez Mountains Volumes 2 and 3, which are available in the PEEC gift shop.
Flower References
American Southwest Plants
Annotated Checklist and Database for Vascular Plants of the Jemez Mountains
Colorado Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
Flora of North America
Foxx, T., Martin, C., and Hoard, D., 2018 Plants of the Jemez Mountains Volume 2: Wildflowers: Showy Monocots and Common Dicots.
Foxx, T., Martin, C., and Hoard, D., 2019 Plants of the Jemez Mountains Volume 3: Composites.
eNature
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
National Garden Association
Native Plants Society of New Mexico
New Mexico Flora
Rocky Mountain Flora
Southwest Desert Flora
Wildflowers of the United States
US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services
US Forest Service
Subject Area Experts (all guides)
Steve Cary (butterflies)
Beth Cortright (insects)
Terry Foxx (invasive plants)
Leslie Hansen (mammals)
Richard Hansen (fish, mammals)
Dorothy Hoard (butterflies, trees)
Chick Keller (flowers, herbarium)
Shari Kelley (geology)
Kirt Kempter (geology)
Garth Tietjen (reptiles)
David Yeamans (birds)
Web Development and Content Management
Pat Bacha
Jennifer Macke
Graham Mark
Akkana Peck
Contact
Please contact us for local nature questions and sightings. We welcome comments, corrections, and additions to our guides.
For more information about local nature, please visit our Nature Blog or subscribe to PEEC This Week.
Make Selection
 Photo: Chick Keller  Photo: Dan Beckman |  Running Fleabane, Running Daisy, Tracy's FleabaneERCO28 (Erigeron tracyi, Erigeron colomexicanus )Family: Asteraceae (Daisies) Size: 6 - 12 in (15 - 30 cm) Growth: forb/herb; biennial Blooms: Feb 01 - Dec 01 Flower: composite; white with yellow center, may have purple color on edges; a single flowerhead per stem made up of 100 ray florets and over 200 disc florets Leaf: dicot; basal leaves close together and wider toward the tip; stem leaves few and narrow; hairy Fruit: archenes topped with bristles Status: native; common Habitat: pinyon-juniper --- foothills, open areas, and woods Typical location: Red Dot Trail Spreads via runners during summer and fall. Similar in overall appearance to Spreading Fleabane but has runner similar to Whiplash Daisy. Info Photos Distribution |
 Photo: Chick Keller  Photo: Dan Beckman |  New Mexico GroundselPANEN (Packera neomexicana, Senecio neomexicanus)Family: Asteraceae (Daisies) Size: 12 - 24 in (30 - 61 cm) Growth: forb/herb, subshrub; perennial Blooms: Mar 09 - Jul 10 Flower: composite; yellow; 5 to 14 ray florets around 40 or more disc florets; clusters of between 3 and 20 flowerheads Leaf: dicot; wider at the tip than base; may have teeth and hairs; mostly located around the base Fruit: white puffs of hairs attached to seeds similar to dandelions Status: native; common Habitat: ponderosa --- foothills, montane, subalpine, woodlands, openings Typical location: Perimeter Trail to Water Canyon Plants are often crowded together with an unusual abundance of flowers for each plant. Plants can often be fairly variable. Info Photos Distribution |
 Photo: Jerry Oldenettel  Photo: Chick Keller  Photo: Craig Martin |  Stemless Townsend Daisy, Easter Daisy, Silky Townsend DaisyTOEX2 (Townsendia exscapa)Family: Asteraceae (Daisies) Size: 1 - 7 in (3 - 18 cm) Growth: forb/herb; perennial Blooms: Mar 10 - May 19 Flower: composite; white to pinkish petals surrounding a yellow center Leaf: dicot; gray-green; spatulate in shape; usually hairy Fruit: achene with fine, slender bristles on top Status: native; uncommon Habitat: pinyon-juniper --- grasslands, sage; plains, valleys Typical location: Burnt Mesa Trail Plant grows from a woody taproot from which the leaves and flowers grow directly. Thus, the plant is stemless or nearly so. Info Photos Distribution |
 Photo: Chick Keller  Photo: Lorraine Briddon  Photo: Don Sutherland |  Kinnikinnick, BearberryARUV (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)Family: Ericaceae (Heaths) Size: 2 - 12 in (5 - 30 cm) Growth: shrub; perennial Blooms: Mar 10 - May 08 Flower: simple; paink and white; urn-shaped on bright-red stems Leaf: dicot; shiny and small; thick, leathery, and paddle-shaped Fruit: drupes; bright red and glossy Status: native; locally common Habitat: ponderosa --- montane, alpine, woodlands Typical location: Kinnikinnick Park Its species name of uva-ursi means "grape of the bear” and indeed bears eats the fruit. Often forms very dense, pure stands of groundcover. Info Photos Distribution |
 Photo: Craig Martin  Photo: Craig Martin  Photo: Craig Martin |  Redstem Stork's Bill, Redstem Filaree, Pinweed, CranesbillERCI6 (Erodium cicutarium)Family: Geraniacea (Geraniums) Size: 6 - 12 in (15 - 30 cm) Growth: forb/herb; annual, biennial Blooms: Jan 02 - Dec 30 Flower: simple; pink, often with dark spots; arranged in loose clusters with 10 filaments Leaf: dicot; deeply cleft; fern-like Fruit: long, narrow, pointed seed pods Status: naturalized plant; common Habitat: disturbed soil --- desert scrub, grasslands, oak woodlands, semi-desert grassland, lawns, gardens; more common at lower elevations It was introduced into California from the Mediterranean Basin in the eighteenth century. The entire plant is edible and resembles a parsley when picked young. It is considered to be a weed in some areas. Info Photos Distribution Weed Guide |
 Photo: Rebecca Shankland  Photo: Jerry Oldenettel |  Dakota Mock Vervain, Dakota Verbena, Prairie VerbenaGLBI2 (Glandularia bipinnatifida)Family: Verbenaceae (Verbenas) Size: 9 - 12 in (23 - 30 cm) Growth: forb/herb; annual, perennial Blooms: Mar 10 - Jun 01 and Sep 15 - Oct 15 Flower: simple; pink to purple; grow in rounded clusters Leaf: dicot; finely dissected, into segments; opposite arrangement Fruit: 4 nutlets enclosed in a calyx Status: native; locally common Habitat: pinyon-juniper --- semi-desert, open areas Typical location: Red Dot Trail, White Rock Canyon There plants can often can be seen along the trail or in old lava flows. The leaves tend to lean outward from the center as the plant grows and the stems are reddish. Info Photos Distribution |
 Photo: annagypsy  Photo: Craig Martin |  Davis Mountain Mock Vervain, Desert Verbena, Wright's VerbenaGLWR (Glandularia wrightii)Family: Verbenaceae (Verbena) Size: 6 - 12 in (15 - 30 cm) Growth: forb/herb; annual, perennial Blooms: Mar 01 - Sep 30 Flower: simple; light to dark pink; narrow tube that opens abruptly into 5 notched lobes with 2 close together Leaf: dicot; deeply lobed leaves at opposite intervals Fruit: acorn-shaped seed Status: native; common Habitat: montane, mountain meadow --- semi-desert, foothills, woodlands Typical location: Red Dot Trail Plant has greenish-red stems that are covered in short hairs and square in cross-section. Stems are erect, though may lean at an angle when flowering. Flowers form round clusters. Info Photos Distribution |