Download Useful Plants for Native Sonoran Desert Habitat in Tucson

Current to: 2/7/2008
Common name;
Latin name
TREES
Arizona ash, Velvet ash;
Fraxinus pennsylvanica,
var. velutina
General info
Water use
Useful Plants for Native Sonoran Desert Habitat in Tucson—Tucson Audubon Society
Seasonality
Human uses
Animal relationships
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
2000‘– 7000’; Tree to
30’; Deciduous Bloom
Mar-Apr, flowers
appear before leaves
3000’-7000’; Tree to
50’; Deciduous
med
Bloom Mar - Apr
Firewood, Building
materials
Seeds: birds and animals; Pacific coast red-naped
sapsucker
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn
high
summer
Seeds for birds, rodents, javelina; Shelter and
nesting for birds
Blue palo verde;
Cercidium floridum
500’–4000’; Tree to
30’; Moderate age;
Winter & drought
deciduous
low
Bloom Apr–May; Fruit
May-June
Nut meat edible;
firewood, building
materials
Seeds eaten raw or
ground
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn
Hodgson, 2001;
Tucson, Giebner
Catclaw acacia; Acacia
greggii
Below 5000’; Shrubby
tree to 20’; Live > 100
yrs; Semi-deciduous in
winter and extreme
drought
To 9500’; Grows to
15’-20’; Usually
shrubby
1500’ – 5000’; Tree to
25’; Moderate life;
Deciduous
low
Bloom Apr–Oct
high
Bloom Apr-May
Browse for livestock and wildlife
Thornber's 1909 list
low
Bloom Apr–Aug/Sep
Tucson, Giebner
500-4000’; to 26’ tall;
Slow to med growth
rate
low
Blooms Mar-May; Seeds
June-July
Spring and fall flowers: hummingbirds, verdins
bees (including bumble bees and carpenter bees);
Ruby-crowned kinglets in winter look for insects.
Provides caterpillar food for pollinating moths;
Shelter and nesting: birds; Insects on plant eaten by
birds
Jackrabbits like flowers; seeds eaten by birds &
small mammals. Branches used for nesting &
roosting; bee fodder; host for mistletoe providing
food for phainopepla. Javelina like dried seeds.
Arizona black walnut;
Juglans major
Coyote willow; Salix
exigua
Desert willow;
Chilopsis linearis
Foothills Palo Verde;
Cercidium
microphyllum
seeds ground for
eating
Seeds eaten raw or
ground; prefrred by
some over blue palo
verde
1
Nectar and insects in flowers attract verdins,
orioles; Seeds for food, branches for nesting for
finches, mockingbird, mourning dove,
hummingbirds; Seed for ground squirrels, kangaroo
rats, antelope, javelina; Host plant for mistletoe
which is food for phainopeplas; Fodder for bees;
Fallen flowers: desert tortoise eat; Nest sites:
doves; Nighttime roosting by many birds
Seeds attract doves, verdins, sparrows,
pyrrhuloxias, quail, woodrat; Blooms: butterflies;
Attracts ants which attract horned lizards; Attracts
bees and beneficial wasps; Shelter: wildlife.
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001; Sonora
1764, Nentvig; Tucson,
Giebner
Hodgson, 2001
Current to: 2/7/2008
Fremont cottonwood;
Populus fremontii
150’ – 6000’; Grows to
100’; Long lived;
Deciduous
high
Goodding willow; Salix
gooddingii
Ironwood; Olneya
tesota
Below 7000’; Tree to
45’; Bloom spring
Below 2500’; Tree to
26’-30'; Long lived;
Bloom May–June; Seed
June-July
high
Mexican elderberry;
Sambucus mexicana,
(Sambucus caerulea
var. mexicana)
Netleaf hackberry,
canyon hackberry;
Celtis reticulata
1000’ – 4000’; Tree to
30’; Drought deciduous;
Bloom Mar–Jun; Fruit
May-Oct
1500’ – 6000’; Tree to
35’; Long lived;
Deciduous; Bloom
Mar–Apr
Below 4000’ Tree to
15’–20’; Bloom MayAug, Moderate life;
Deciduous
2000’-5500’; Bloom
Mar-Dec; Tall shrub or
small tree to 12’
1000’-5000’; Tree to
30’; Long-lived;
Deciduous; Bloom
Apr–May, again in Aug
; Fruit June-Sept
med
2500’-5000’; Shrubby
tree to 10’–15’;
Deciduous; Bloom
May–Aug/Sept
low
2500-5000 ft; blooms
May - July; 6 - 15 ft.
tall; hardy to 0°F
Below 3000’; Shrub to
3’; Evergreen;
low
summer
low
Bloom Nov–May in frost
free areas
Screwbean mesquite;
Prosopis pubenscens
Seep willow; Baccharis
salicifolia
Velvet mesquite;
Prosopis velutina
Whitethorn acacia;
Acacia constricta
SHRUBS
All-thorn; crucifixionthorn; Koeberlinia
spinosa
Brittlebush; Encelia
farinosa
low
Bloom early spring
Avoid in low-lying areas
where cold air settles
med
Fruits available June to
November
low
pods in summer to fall
high
seeds in summer to fall
low
to
med
summer, fall
Firewood, building
materials
Seeds eaten raw,
parched, steamed,
ground; wood used
for tools, tool
handles
Edible fruit;
ceremonial wine;
poultices,
Niethammer
Fruits, dry or fresh,
Niethammer
Twigs and foliage: deer & beaver; Buds and
catkins: birds
Buds and twigs: birds; Twigs and foliage: deer;
Bark: beaver
Seeds: mammals, game birds; Nesting: cactus
wren; Flowers: hummingbirds, bumble bees,
carpenter bees, honeybees; Browse for bighorn
sheep, mule deer; Insects on plant eaten by birds
Fruit attracts doves, phainopepla, orioles, cactus
wrens, and many other birds; Foliage: deer and
livestock
Berries: birds, javelina, coyotes, fox; Foliage: deer,
snout butterfly; Cover & nest: quail, white-winged
dove, small mammals
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; SDCP;
Tucson, Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list
Hodgson, 2001; Sonora
1756-1767, Pfefferkorn;
Tucson Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001; Tucson
Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001
pods soaked, dried,
pounded to make
flour; wood used for
tools
Seed pods ground
for food
Pods eaten by desert animals
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001
Nectar for butterflies, attracts wasps and beneficial
bees
Thornber's 1909 list
Raw pods sucked
for nutrition; dried
pods ground and
used in variety of
foods, steeped for
drink; major source
of firewood,
building materials;
Niethammer
Seed pods attract dove, quail, raven, big horn
sheep, sparrows, finches; Seedpods, leaves and
bark: rabbits, coyote, ground squirrel, kangaroo
rats, antelope, skunk, wolf; Twigs and foliage:
deer; Flowers attract 60 species of native bees, plus
wasps and butterflies; Nectar and larval plant for
butterflies; Nesting: white winged doves, mourning
doves; Host plant for mistletoe which attracts
phainopepla; Insects on plant eaten by birds.
Insects and nectar: verdins; Seeds: dove, verdins,
sparrows, finches, pyrrhuloxias, quail, woodrat;
Foliage: deer; young growth: jackrabbits feed on;
Nesting: verdins; Larval plant: butterflies; Shelter:
wildlife, birds
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001; Tucson
Giebner
berries eaten
Birds eat berries and use thorny plant for shelter
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
exudate on stems
used as incense
Flowers pollinate by butterflies, moths and small
bees; Seeds: sparrows, and wildlife in general
2
Hodgson, 2001;
Tucson, Giebner
Current to: 2/7/2008
Chuparosa; Justicia
californica
1000’-2500'; Bush to 4'6'; Cold and drought
deciduous;
Below 4500'; Shrub to
11'; Extremely long
lived; Bloom Mar-Apr,
and Nov–Dec
1500 – 3500’; Shrub to
10’-20'; Lives 90+ yrs;
Semievergreen;
low
small amounts of
nectar in flowers
sucked for fun
Rheumatism,
internal parasites,
stomach aches
Flowers: Rufous hummingbirds, butterflies, black
carpenter bees; Insects on plants eaten by birds
late spring to fall; Bloom
summer; Fruit June-Oct
Fruits, dry or fresh,
Niethammer
Fruit: pyrrhuloxia, cardinals, mockingbirds, others,
javelina, coyotes, fox; Foliage: deer and snout
butterflies; Cover and nesting: quail, white-winged
dove, small mammals, pyrrhuloxia; Shaded leaf
litter foraged by birds looking for insects; Insects
on plant eaten by birds
Flowers: hummingbirds and solitary bees, plant
browsed by sheep and cattle
med
Desert saltbush; Atriplex
polycarpa
2500-5500’; Upright
shrub to 6’; Blooms
primarily in spring
Below 3500’; Shrub to
4’;
low
summer/fall; Bloom
Feb–Oct
seeds eaten
Seeds: quail; Cover plant for quail; Twigs and
foliage: deer, bison, big horn sheep
Ephedra, Mormon tea;
Ephedra sp.
Up to 4,500 ft; 1 – 3’
tall; blooms Feb. - Mar.
low
Tea year round; “nut" in
summer
Stems used for tea;
edible "nut" roasted
and ground for
flour, or bitter mush
Deer, sheep may browse; quail eat seeds; bees
collect pollen
Four-winged saltbush;
Atriplex canescens
2000’-8000’; Shrub to
8’ tall, 8’ wide;
Evergreen
low
Bloom Jul–Aug; Seed
Apr-Sep
Graythorn; Ziziphus
obtusifolia
1000’-5000’; Bush to
10’; Deciduous; Bloom
May–Sep; Fruit AugJan
1000’-5000’; Shrub to
7'; Evergreen;
dedicuous; Females
bloom Dec-Jul; Fruit
May-Jul
low
fruits August to January
Perennial; 2500-5000’;
occurs in canyons, wash
bottoms, and on rocky
slopes; shrub to 7’ tall;
Below 5000' 20' tall;
Bloom Mar-Jun;
drought deciduous
med
Creosote; Larrea
tridentata
Desert hackberry; Celtis
pallida
Desert honeysuckle;
Anisacanthus thurberi
Jojoba; Simmondsia
chinensis
Native cotton;
Gosypium thurberi
Ocotillo; Fouquieria
splendens
spring/
summer; Bloom on & off
through year
low
low
low
low
berries eaten
Nut edible fresh or
parched; said to
relieve stomach
aches, makes a
coffee-like drink,
reduces swelling;
Niethammer
White to pinkish flowers
bloom May-September;
seed capsule with fuzzy
seeds, short cottony hairs
spring, summer
Seeds: blackthroat and white-crowned sparrows,
pocket mice, kangaroo rats, other small mammals;
Plant: jackrabbits attracted to it
Seeds: quails, doves, finches, towhees, and small
mammals; Plant provides good cover and nesting
sites; Great browse plant; Insects on plants eaten by
birds
Nests for birds such as Abert's Towhee; Berries:
birds, specifically white-winged dove, and
Gambel's quail; Flowers: honeybees, native bees,
tarantula hawks; Insects on plant eaten by birds
Foliage: deer, bighorn sheep; Fruit: small mammals
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic records of
use
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig; Tucson
Giebner
Hodgson, 2001
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc Hill plant
list; Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001;
Prehistoric, historic
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
Hodgson, 2001
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001
Leaves: host plant and larval food for the splendid
royal moth; frequent associates include desert
honeysuckle, catclaw acacia, and burrobrush
Flower, nectar
eaten; seeds ground
& eaten; reduce
swelling caused by
crushing
3
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn
Current to: 2/7/2008
Quail bush; Atriplex
lentiformis
Triangle leaf Bursage
(forb); Ambrosia
deltoidea
Warnock's snakewood;
Condalia warnockii
(var. Kearneyana)
White bursage;
Ambrosia dumosa
Wolfberry; Lycium
fremontii
Wolfberry, Anderson
thornbush; Lycium
andersonii
Wright's saltbush;
Atriplex wrightii
VINES
Arizona wild grape,
Canyon grape; Vitus
arizonica
Coyote gourd;
Cucurbita digitata
Tumamoc globeberry;
Tumamoca macdougalii
CACTI & SUCCULENTS
Beargrass; Nolina sp.
Buckhorn cholla;
Opuntia acanthocarpa
Below 4000’; Dense
shrub, to 8’ high 12’
wide; Semi-deciduous;
Bloom Feb-Apr
1,000-3,000’; To 2’ tall;
washes, gravelly slopes
& desert flats
2500-5000 ft. elev.;
blooms in spring; to 10
ft high; mesas, rocky
slopes, gravelly bajadas,
gravelly flats and along
washes
Below 3000’; to 2’ tall.
Dry plains and mesas
Below 2500', Shrub to
5'-9' tall; Drought
deciduous; Bloom year
round, primarily JanMar; Fruit year round
Below 5500 ft.; blooms
February - April; 3 - 6
ft. tall
1000-7000 ft.; 2-4 ft.
tall; blooms April to
October; high salt
tolerance
low
2000’ – 7500’; Grows
to 30’ long; Deciduous;
Bloom Apr – Jul; Fruit
Jul - Aug
Below 5000 ft.;trailing
vine; yellow blooms
June - Oct.; perennial
root, vine dies back
Below 3000 ft; trailing
vine difficult to see
med
3000-6000 ft
500’ – 3500’; 3’ – 9’
tall; Bloom Apr – May
low
Blooms Dec-Apr.;
Perennial shrub
seeds edible in a
pinch, roasted,
parched, made into
mush
Stabilizes soil; nurse
shrub for young cacti
low
late spring, summer
small fruits eaten raw
low
Blooms late March to
Nov.
can produce fruit yearround; reliable in spring/
summer
low
sweet berry used by wildlife
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
Browsed by burros, sheep, horses
Fruits used by wildlife
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
Fruit, dry or fresh;
made into beverage,
pinole, in stews
greens, seeds
fruits used by wildlife
quail, rabbits, small mammals eat seeds and
leaves; larger browsing mammals eat foliage
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic evidence
Vinegar & wine
Vines and fruit attract javelina, many birds
including cardinals, and mourning, doves;
Flowers: bees; Bark: birds use it for nests
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
seeds in fall?
seeds sometimes
eaten; used to make
soap (root; fruit)
Javalina eat it; squash gourd bees pollinate the
flower
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic evidence
fall
small fruit is edible
Bird seek out small watermelon-like fruits;
javalinas dig up and eat the perennial tuber
Hodgson, 2001
summer
fiber from leaves
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
fruits late spring to
summer
low
Spring /summer
low
Hodgson, 2001
Fruit, dry or fresh;
made into beverage,
pinole, in stews
low
low
Seeds: quail; Cover plant for quail; Twigs and
foliage: deer, bison, big horn sheep; Bee
pollinated
4
Fruits: deer javelina, cactus wren; Seeds:
mourning dove, gamble quail; Flowers: bees;
Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill thrasher,
other birds; Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren.
Seeds: mourning dove, gamble quail. Flowers:
Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001
Current to: 2/7/2008
bees; Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill
thrasher, other birds
Cane cholla; Opuntia
spinosior
Christmas cholla;
Opuntia leptocaulis
1000’ – 6000’; Grow to
8’; Bloom May – Jun
1000’ – 5000’; Grow to
4’; Bloom May-June;
fruit remains on stem
much of winter
Low deserts, Leaves 1215 long
low
summer
low
summer
low
Spring
Fish hook barrel cactus;
Ferocactus wislizenii
1000’ – 5600’; Cactus
to 8' but 4' more
common; Evergreen;
low
Spring & fall; Bloom
Jul–Sep; Fruit through yr
Hedgehog cactus;
Echinocereus
engelmannii
Jumping cholla;
Opuntia bigelovii
Up to 5000 ft.; bloom
March - April; often
clumps
Up to 4000’; Grow to
15’
low
summer
low
Bloom May – Aug; Fruit:
all year
Murphey’s or Hohokam
agave; Agave murphyi
1500-3000’, blooms
Mar-Apr.; leaves 20-30
long
low
Late winter; must be
observed to see if flower
stalk is preparing to
emerge; use only those
Pencil cholla; Opuntia
arbuscula
1000’ – 4000’; Grow to
9’; Bloom May – Jun
low
summer
Prickly pear; Opuntia
engelmannii
1000’- 6500'; Cactus to
5' tall; Evergreen;
Bloom Apr-Jun; Fruit:
July-Aug,Sept
low
fruit in summer
Fruit & young pads
Purple prickly pear;
Opuntia violacea var.
santa-rita
Saguaro; Carnegeia
gigantea
Below 4000 ft.;
low
bloms in spring; summer
600'-3600' 30'-50' tall;
Bloom May-June
low
fruit available June &
July
Desert agave; Agave
desertii
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001
Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren, other birds;
Seeds: mourning dove, gamble quail; Flowers:
bees, hummingbirds; Nesting sites: cactus wren,
curved bill thrasher, other birds
Many agaves’ flowers attract pollinators (insects,
& either birds or bats), & attracted insects may
attract insect-eating birds.
Fruits/seeds: white-winged & mourning dove,
quail, cactus wren curved bill thrasher, coyote,
jackrabbit, cottontail, squirrel, kangaroo rat,
mule deer, javalina. Flesh: bighorn sheep,
javalina. Flowers: native solitary bees
fruit & seeds eaten by a variety of wildlife
Hodgson, 2001
Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren. Seeds:
mourning dove, gamble quail. Flowers: bees;
Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill thrasher,
other birds
Many agaves’ flowers attract pollinators (insects,
& either birds or bats), & attracted insects may
attract insect-eating birds. Agave murphyi
matures faster and blooms earlier than other
agaves.
Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001
fruit
Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren. Seeds:
mourning dove, gamble quail. Flowers: bees;
Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill thrasher,
other birds
Flowers: solitary bees, sap beetles. Fruits and
seeds: white-winged doves, mourning dove,
gambel quail, cactus wren, curve-billed thrasher,
finches, woodpeckers, coyote, rabbits, ground
squirrel, kangaroo rat, javelina, desert tortoise;
Pads: javelina, black-tailed jackrabbit. Cochineal
scale insects feed on pads; Insects on plant eaten
by birds
cochineal scale insect host
Fruit & seeds, tools,
ceremonial wine
Young plant: tortoises, insects, Flowers: bats,
moths, bees, white-winged dove, ants. Fruits:
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
roasted the crown,
fiber, medicinal; raw
agave is poisonous
fruit, seeds & flower
buds eaten
fruit is sweet, juicy;
used raw or in jams or
other foods
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
May be agave species
cultivated by
Hohokam & other
prehistoric societies.
Leaves cut with
"agave knife," "heart"
long-roasted in pit;
also a fiber source
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
5
Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig; Hodgson,
2001
Hodgson, 2001
Current to: 2/7/2008
1764, Nentvig; Hodgson,
2001;
native bees drill nests into dried flower stalks
Prehistoric,
ethnographic; Hodgson,
2001
Fruits: deer, javalina, cactus wren; Seeds:
mourning dove, gamble quail; Flowers: bees;
Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill thrasher,
other birds
Hodgson, 2001
Soap tree yucca; Yucca
elata
1500’ – 6000’; Grow to
15’; Bloom May –Jun;
Evergreen
low
buds spring to summer;
fruits summer
Sotol, desert spoon;
Dasylirion wheeleri
4000-6000 ft; blooms
May-August; to 3 ft
high; flower stem to 15
ft.
2000 ‘– 3000’; grow to
3’ – 15’, Blooms May
low
spring
low
summer
3000-5000 ft; foothills
of Rincon Mtns
low
100-5000’; To 16” tall;
Blooms Feb-May;
Annual
Below 2,500’; 1002600’; to 2’ tall; Bloom
July - Nov
Below 3000 ft.; blooms
March - May; to 20"
high
low
1000-6000 ft.
low
Below 3500'; Flower to
3' tall; Woody base;
Perennial; Bloom
throughout year; sow
seeds in fall & winter
Below 5000’; Flower to
2’ tall; Short lived
perennial; Bloom MarOct
1000-3500’; to 2’ tall;
blooms Apr-Oct
100 – 6000’;
Nightshade family;
Perennial; Up to 3’ tall
low
Flowers: native bees; Larval food plant for
butterflies; Brows for bighorn sheep
low
Seed: Inca dove and other birds, ants; Insects on
plant eaten by birds; sheep and goats poisoned
by feeding on plant
Staghorn cholla;
Opuntia versicolor
Thornber's yucca; Yucca
thornberi
WILDFLOWERS
Bladderpod;
Lesquerella gordonii
Coulter's Globemallow;
Sphaeralcea coulteri
Chia; Salvia
columbariae
Datura, sacred,
jimsonweed; Datura sp.
Desert globemallow;
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Desert marigold;
Baileya multiradiata
Desert senna; Cassia
covesii
Desert Tobacco;
Nicotiana trigonophylla
Buds, stems, fruits &
flowers were eaten,
fibers. Roots used as
soap
Roasted flower stalks;
flowers; sap fermented
to make "sotol"
beverage
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
birds, ants, javelina, coyotes, fox, skunks,
tortoises, squirrels, rodents, rabbits, deer;
Nesting: woodpeckers, hawks, purple martins,
kestrels, doves, owls, bats. Dead saguaro:
arthropod/insect
Flower stalks: mule deer, javalina; Seeds:
mourning dove, gambel quail; Larval plant for
butterflies; Pollinated by symbiotic yucca moth
fruits, seeds, flowers
Sonora 1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001
Forage for cattle
low
Seeds available in
summer
Ground seeds used to
make pinole or mixed
with ground corn or
wheat; dried seed
heads used for tea
May to Oct; to 4 ft. high
Hodgson, 2001; Major
prehistoric/ ethnographic
food source
bees & moths visit flowers
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
low
low
Ceremonial, smoking,
medicinal
6
Flowers: moths; Seeds: ants
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig
Current to: 2/7/2008
Desert zinnia; Zinnia
acerosa
Devil's claw;
Proboscidea
althaeifolia
Dune evening primrose;
Oenothera deltoides (O.
albicaulis)
Gooding’s verbena;
Verbena goodingii
Ground cherries;
Physalis longifolia,
Physalis angulata
Indian wheat; Plantago
insularis
Lamb's-quarter;
Chenopodium
berlandieri
Line-leaf whitepuff;
Oligomeris linifolia
Mexican Gold Poppy;
Eschscholtzia mexicana
Parry penstemon;
Penstemon parryi
Silverbells; Streptanthus
arizonicus
Sunflower (wild),
girasol; Helianthus
annuus
GRASSES
Alkali sacaton;
Sporobolus airoides
Arizona cottontop;
Digitaria californica
Arizona panic grass;
Panicum arizonicum
Big galleta; Hilaria
rigida
2000’ – 5000’; Flower
to 6” tall; Evergreen;
Bloom Mar–Oct
Below 3500 ft.; Blooms
August-September
low
Below 2500', Flower to
16” tall; Bloom MarAug
Below 5000’; 2’ tall, 4’
wide; Perennial; Bloom
Feb-oct
low
Javalina love it; Flowers used by hawk moths
(Hyles lineata)
low
Flowers: butterflies and moths
Below 3000’; forb;
Grows 3” and up
2500-9000 ft.;
low
low
Flower petals: quail, finches, sparrows; Seeds:
harvester ants, which in turn attract horned lizards;
Insects on plant eaten by birds
seeds available summer
to fall
Seeds could be
ground for food
spring-fall
fruit raw, cooked,
preserves, dried
winter/
spring; Bloom Jan–May
Spring/ sum. annual;
blooms June - Sept.
Seeds soaked to
make drink
summer greens;
seeds parched &
ground into flour
seed ground, boiled
summer
Blooms mid Feb to May;
Annual
Blooms Mar-July;
Perennial
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
Seeds: birds; Leaves and capsulres: rabbits and
kangaroo rats
larval foodplant of butterflies
Hodgson, 2001;
prehistoric,
ethnographic
Below 4,500’; To 16 “
tall
1500-5000’; to 4’ tall;
low
1500’-4500’; Erect
annual; Blooms Jan-Apr
100-7000 ft.; grows 3-9
ft. tall
low
med
summer/
fall
seeds, raw or
parched, are eaten
or ground and used
in a variety of foods
Bird & bees love flowers
Thornber's 1909 list;
prehistoric,
ethnographic, historic
2500’ – 6500’; Grass 2
– 4’ tall; perennial
blooms May–Oct
1000’ – 6000’; Grass
1.5 – 4’ tall; perennial
blooms Aug–Nov
low
warm season
seeds collected in
summer
Hodgson, 2001
low
warm season
Foliage: mule deer, javalina, mourning dove,
gambel quail; Herbiage: blacktail jackrabbit and
cottontail rabbit
Good food for livestock, fair for wildlife; valuable
winter forage
Flowers: hummingbirds, bees, and other insects
Under 5500’; Grass 2’ –
3’ tall; Perennial;
Bloom Feb–Sep
7
Current to: 2/7/2008
Bullgrass;
Muhlenbergia emersleyi
Bush muhley;
Muhlenbergia porteri
Cane Beardgrass;
Andropogon
barbinoides
Cane grass; Phragmites
australis
Deergrass;
Muhlenbergia rigens
Desert saltgrass;
Distichlis stricta
Fluffgrass; Erioneuron
(tridens) pulchellus
Giant Dropseed;
Sporobolis gigantaeus
Giant sacaton;
Sporobolus wrightii
Pappas grass;
Pappophorum
mucronalatum
Plains bristlegrass;
Setaria macrostachya
Purple & red threeawn;
Aristida purpurea vars.
purpurea & longiseta
Rothrock Grama
(grass); Bouteloua
rothrockii
Sand dropseed;
Sporobolus cryptandrus
Sideoats grama;
Bouteloua curtipendula
2000 - 7500'; 2-5' tall;
warm season perennial
bunch grass
2000’ – 6000’; Grass
2’– 4’ tall, 3’ wide;
perennial blooms Aug–
Oct
1,000-5,800’; Well
adapted to SW ranges;
mid to low elevations
(below 5000 ft) in wet
areas
2000-7500'; 2-5' tall;
perennial bunchgrass
Up to 7000' on alkaline
an saline soil; 8-15" tall;
perennial
Under 5500’; Less than
6” tall; Perennial grass
grows in clumps;
Bloom summer & fall
4,000-6,000’; Tall,
coarse perennial; 3-6’
tall; Blooms Jul-Oct
2000 – 5000’; 3 – 6.5’;
bunch grass
2000’ – 4000’; Grows
to 2’ – 3’ ; Perennial
bunchgrass
2000 – 5000’; tufted
perennial bunchgrass; 1
– 4’ tall
1000-5000’; clump
grass; to 3 feet tall;
Perennial
2,300-5,500’; 1036"tall; Small clumps
Grass family; 150 –
7000’; bunchgrass
grows to 2’
large elev. range; 1-2'
tall; perennial
bunchgrass
low
warm season
Useful forage for grazers while green; poor when
dry
low
warm season
Excellent forage for livestock, deer and pronghorn
Blooms Apr-Oct
Good forage when green
spring/
summer
sap, roots, shoots
eaten; cane was also
building material
warm season
Hodgson, 2001
Good forage when green; poor when dry
Poor forage
low
Forage plant: desert tortoise
Seeds eaten,
Niethammer
med
warm season
Bloom Jun–Oct
1909 Tumamoc Hill
survey
1909 Tumamoc Hill
survey
Bloom Mar – Oct;
Winter growth
low
warm season Bloom
May–Oct
Seeds and foliage: birds and small mammals
warm season, Bloom
Mar-Sept (more Apr–
May)
warm season
Poor forage for wildlife, only grazed in early
growth stages; worthless in winter
low
warm season, Bloom
Apr–Sep
low
warm season
Thornber's 1909 list
low palatability as forage
seeds collected in
summer
Seeds: numerous birds including wild turkey, small
mammals; Plants: deer
Important forage for grazers
8
Hodgson, 2001
Current to: 2/7/2008
Six-week grama;
Bouteloua barbata
Slender grama;
Bouteloua filiformis
Small-flowered Fescue;
Vulpia microstachys
Spike dropseed;
Sporobolus contractus
Tanglehead;
Heteropogon contortus
Tobosa; Pleuraphis
mutica (Hilaria mutica)
100 – 6000’; 12” tall
annual bunch grass
2500-5000'; 1-1.5' tall;
perennial bunchgrass
low
low
Blooms mostly July –
Oct.
warm season
good forage for grazers
low
1500 – 6500’; 1.5 – 4’
tall; bunchgrass; Bloom
Aug–Oct
1000 – 6000’; 8 – 30”
tall; short-lived
perennial bunchgrass
2000 – 6000’; 2 – 3’
tall; perennial sodforming grass
low
warm season
low
warm season
med
warm season
Poor forage for wildlife, becomes unpalatable when
mature
9