Download Sonoran Desert, Native Species Plant Matrix, Santa Cruz River

1
DRAFT, OCTOBER 2006
Desert willow;
Chilopsis linearis
Foothills Palo
Verde; Cercidium
Scrub/upland
X
Catclaw acacia;
Acacia greggii
Coyote willow;
Salix exigua
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
TREES
Arizona ash,
Velvet ash;
Fraxinus
pennsylvanica,
var. velutina
Blue palo verde;
Cercidium
floridum
Hydroriparian
Sonoran Desert, Native Species Plant Matrix, Santa Cruz River-Specific, Tucson, Arizona
X
Seasonality
Animal relationships
Human uses
2000 ‘– 7000’; Tree to
30’; Deciduous Bloom
Mar-Apr, flowers
appear before leaves
Bloom Mar Apr
Seeds: birds and animals; Pacific coast red-naped sapsucker
Firewood, Building
materials
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn
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.
Seeds eaten raw or
ground
Hodgson, 2001;
Tucson, Giebner
seeds ground for
eating
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001;
Sonora 1764,
Nentvig; Tucson,
Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list
X
X
500’–4000’; Tree to
30’; Moderate age;
Winter & drought
deciduous
Bloom Apr–
May; Fruit
May-June
X
X
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
Bloom Apr–
Oct
500-4000’; to 26’ tall;
Slow to med growth
Blooms MarMay; Seeds
X
X
X
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
General info
Bloom AprMay
Browse for livestock and wildlife
Bloom Apr–
Aug/Sep
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
Tucson, Giebner
Seeds eaten raw or
ground; preferred by
Hodgson, 2001
Scrub/upland
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
microphyllum
Hydroriparian
2
General info
rate
Seasonality
June-July
Bloom early
spring
Animal relationships
fodder; host for mistletoe providing food for phainopepla.
Javelina like dried seeds.
Twigs and foliage: deer & beaver; Buds and catkins: birds
Fremont
cottonwood;
Populus fremontii
X
150’ – 6000’; Grows
to 100’; Long lived;
Deciduous
Goodding
willow; Salix
gooddingii
Ironwood;
Olneya tesota
X
Below 7000’; Tree to
45’; Bloom spring
Buds and twigs: birds; Twigs and foliage: deer; Bark:
beaver
Below 2500’; Tree to
26’-30'; Long lived;
Bloom May–June;
Seed June-July
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
X
1000’ – 4000’; Tree to
30’; Drought
deciduous; Bloom
Mar–Jun; Fruit MayOct
Fruit attracts doves, phainopepla, orioles, cactus wrens, and
many other birds; Foliage: deer and livestock
X
1500’ – 6000’; Tree to
35’; Long lived;
Deciduous; Bloom
Mar–Apr
Fruits
available June
to November
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
Mexican
elderberry;
Sambucus
mexicana,
(Sambucus
caerulea var.
mexicana)
Netleaf
hackberry,
canyon
hackberry; Celtis
reticulata
Screwbean
mesquite;
Prosopis
pubenscens
Seep willow;
Baccharis
salicifolia
Velvet mesquite;
Prosopis velutina
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Human uses
some over blue palo
verde
Firewood, building
materials
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; SDCP;
Tucson, Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list
Seeds eaten raw,
parched, steamed,
ground; wood used
for tools, tool
handles
Edible fruit;
ceremonial wine;
poultices,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Tucson
Giebner
Berries: birds, javelina, coyotes, fox; Foliage: deer, snout
butterfly; Cover & nest: quail, white-winged dove, small
mammals
Fruits, dry or fresh,
Niethammer
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001
pods in
summer to
fall
Pods eaten by desert animals
Thornber's 1909 list;
Hodgson, 2001
seeds in
summer to
fall
summer, fall
Nectar for butterflies, attracts wasps and beneficial bees
pods soaked, dried,
pounded to make
flour; wood used for
tools
Seed pods ground
for food
Raw pods sucked
for nutrition; dried
pods ground and
used in variety of
foods, steeped for
drink; major source
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001;
Tucson Giebner
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
Thornber's 1909 list;
Sonora 1764,
Nentvig; Hodgson,
2001; Tucson
Giebner
Thornber's 1909 list
Scrub/upland
Whitethorn
acacia; Acacia
constricta
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Hydroriparian
3
X
X
2500’-5000’; Shrubby
tree to 10’–15’;
Deciduous; Bloom
May–Aug/Sept
X
2500-5000 ft; blooms
May - July; 6 - 15 ft.
tall; hardy to 0°F
summer
Birds eat berries and use thorny plant for shelter
berries eaten
X
Below 3000’; Shrub to
3’; Evergreen;
1000’-2500'; Bush to
4'-6'; Cold and drought
deciduous;
Flowers pollinate by butterflies, moths and small bees;
Seeds: sparrows, and wildlife in general; Browsed by
bighorn
Flowers: Rufous hummingbirds, butterflies, black carpenter
bees; Insects on plants eaten by birds
exudate on stems
used as incense
X
Bloom Nov–
May in frost
free areas
spring/
summer;
Bloom on &
off through
year
small amounts of
nectar in flowers
sucked for fun
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic
records of use
X
Below 4500'; Shrub to
11'; Extremely long
lived; Bloom MarApr, and Nov–Dec
1500 – 3500’; Shrub to
10’-20'; Lives 90+ yrs;
Semievergreen;
Seeds: blackthroat and white-crowned sparrows, pocket
mice, kangaroo rats, other small mammals; Plant:
jackrabbits attracted to it
Rheumatism,
internal parasites,
stomach aches
late spring to
fall; Bloom
summer; Fruit
June-Oct
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
Fruits, dry or fresh,
Niethammer
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Tucson Giebner
Hodgson, 2001
summer/fall;
Bloom Feb–
Oct
Tea year
round; “nut"
in summer
Seeds: quail; Cover plant for quail; Twigs and foliage: deer,
bison, big horn sheep
seeds eaten
Deer, sheep may browse; quail eat seeds; bees collect pollen
Stems used for tea;
edible "nut" roasted
and ground for
SHRUBS
All-thorn;
crucifixion-thorn;
Koeberlinia
spinosa
Brittlebush;
Encelia farinosa
Chuparosa;
Justicia
californica
X
Creosote; Larrea
tridentata
Desert hackberry;
Celtis pallida
Desert
honeysuckle;
Anisacanthus
thurberi
Desert saltbush;
Atriplex
polycarpa
Ephedra,
Mormon tea;
Ephedra sp.
X
X
X
X
X
X
General info
Seasonality
Below 3500’; Shrub to
4’;
X
Up to 4,500 ft; 1 – 3’
tall; blooms Feb. Mar.
Human uses
of firewood,
building materials;
Niethammer
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
2500-5500’; Upright
shrub to 6’; Blooms
primarily in spring
X
Animal relationships
doves; Host plant for mistletoe which attracts phainopepla;
Insects on plant eaten by birds.
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Hodgson, 2001;
Tucson, Giebner
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc Hill plant
list; Hodgson, 2001
Hodgson, 2001;
Prehistoric, historic
Xeroriparian
Scrub/upland
Four-winged
saltbush; Atriplex
canescens
Graythorn;
Ziziphus
obtusifolia
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Hydroriparian
4
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Jojoba;
Simmondsia
chinensis
Ocotillo;
Fouquieria
splendens
Quail bush;
Atriplex
lentiformis
Warnock's
snakewood;
Condalia
warnockii (var.
Kearneyana)
Wolfberry;
Lycium fremontii
Wolfberry,
Anderson
thornbush;
Lycium
X
General info
Seasonality
Animal relationships
2000’-8000’; Shrub to
8’ tall, 8’ wide;
Evergreen
1000’-5000’; Bush to
10’; Deciduous;
Bloom May–Sep; Fruit
Aug-Jan
1000’-5000’; Shrub to
7'; Evergreen;
dedicuous; Females
bloom Dec-Jul; Fruit
May-Jul
Bloom Jul–
Aug; Seed
Apr-Sep
fruits August
to January
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
X
Below 5000' 20' tall;
Bloom Mar-Jun;
drought deciduous
spring,
summer
X
Below 4000’; Dense
shrub, to 8’ high 12’
wide; Semi-deciduous;
Bloom Feb-Apr
2500-4500 ft.; blooms
in spring; to 5 ft high
X
X
X
X
Below 2500', Shrub to
5'-9' tall; Drought
deciduous; Bloom year
round, primarily JanMar; Fruit year round
X
X
X
Below 5500 ft.;
blooms February April; 3 - 6 ft. tall
Seeds: quail; Cover plant for quail; Twigs and foliage: deer,
bison, big horn sheep; Bee pollinated
Human uses
flour, or bitter mush
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
berries eaten
Hodgson, 2001
Nut edible fresh or
parched; said to
relieve stomach
aches, makes a
coffee-like drink,
reduces swelling;
Niethammer
Flower, nectar
eaten; seeds ground
& eaten; reduce
swelling caused by
crushing
seeds edible in a
pinch, roasted,
parched, made into
mush
small fruits eaten
raw
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn
Hodgson, 2001
late spring,
summer
sweet berrier used by wildliife
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
can produce
fruit yearround;
reliable in
spring/
summer
fruits late
spring to
summer
Fruits used by wildlife
Fruit, dry or fresh;
made into beverage,
pinole, in stews
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
fruits used by wildlife
Fruit, dry or fresh;
made into beverage,
pinole, in stews
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
Xeroriparian
Scrub/upland
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
andersonii
Wright's saltbush;
Atriplex wrightii
Hydroriparian
5
X
X
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
General info
Seasonality
Animal relationships
Human uses
1000-7000 ft.; 2-4 ft.
tall; blooms April to
October; high salt
tolerance
Spring
/summer
quail, rabbits, small mammals eat seeds and leaves; larger
browsing mammals eat foliage
greens, seeds
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic
evidence
Vines and fruit attract javelina, many birds including
cardinals, and mourning, doves; Flowers: bees; Bark: birds
use it for nests
Vinegar & wine
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list;
Hodgson, 2001
VINES
Arizona wild
grape, Canyon
grape; Vitus
arizonica
X
X
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
seeds in fall?
Javalina eat it; squash gourd bees pollinate the flower
seeds sometimes
eaten; used to make
soap (root; fruit)
Hodgson, 2001;
ethnographic
evidence
fall
Bird seek out small watermelon-like fruits; javalinas dig up
and eat the perennial tuber
small fruit is edible
Hodgson, 2001
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: bees;
Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill thrasher, other birds
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001
fruit, seeds & flower
buds eaten
Hodgson, 2001
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
Hodgson, 2001
Coyote gourd;
Cucurbita
digitata
X
Tumamoc
globeberry;
Tumamoca
macdougalii
CACTI
Buckhorn cholla;
Opuntia
acanthocarpa
X
X
500’ – 3500’; 3’ – 9’
tall; Bloom Apr – May
summer
Cane cholla;
Opuntia spinosior
X
summer
Christmas cholla;
Opuntia
leptocaulis
X
Fish hook barrel
cactus;
Ferocactus
wislizenii
Jumping cholla;
Opuntia bigelovii
X
1000’ – 6000’; Grow
to 8’; Bloom May –
Jun
1000’ – 5000’; Grow
to 4’; Bloom MayJune; fruit remains on
stem much of winter
1000’ – 5600’; Cactus
to 8' but 4' more
common; Evergreen;
X
Up to 4000’; Grow to
15’
summer
Spring & fall;
Bloom Jul–
Sep; Fruit
through yr
Bloom May –
Aug; Fruit: all
Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren, other birds; Seeds:
mourning dove, gamble quail; Flowers: bees,
hummingbirds; Nesting sites: cactus wren, curved bill
thrasher, other 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
Fruits: deer javalina, cactus wren. Seeds: mourning dove,
gamble quail. Flowers: bees; Nesting sites: cactus wren,
Scrub/upland
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Hydroriparian
6
Seasonality
year
Late winter;
must be
observed to
see if flower
stalk is
preparing to
emerge; use
only those
Animal relationships
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.
summer
X
1000’ – 4000’; Grow
to 9’; Bloom May –
Jun
1000’- 6500'; Cactus
to 5' tall; Evergreen;
Bloom Apr-Jun; Fruit:
July-Aug,Sept
Purple prickly
pear; Opuntia
violacea var.
santa-rita
Saguaro;
Carnegeia
gigantea
X
Below 4000 ft.;
bloms in
spring;
summer
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: whitewinged 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
X
600'-3600' 30'-50' tall;
Bloom May-June
fruit available
June & July
Soap tree yucca;
Yucca elata
X
1500’ – 6000’; Grow
to 15’; Bloom May –
Jun; Evergreen
buds spring to
summer;
fruits summer
Young plant: tortoises, insects, Flowers: bats, moths, bees,
white-winged dove, ants. Fruits: birds, ants, javelina,
coyotes, fox, skunks, tortoises, squirrels, rodents, rabbits,
deer; Nesting: woodpeckers, hawks, purple martins,
kestrels, doves, owls, bats. Dead saguaro: arthropods,
insects.
Flower stalks: mule deer, javalina; Seeds: mourning dove,
gambel quail; Larval plant for butterflies; Pollinated by
symbiotic yucca moth
Sotol, desert
spoon; Dasylirion
wheeleri
X
4000-6000 ft; blooms
May-August; to 3 ft
high; flower stem to
15 ft.
spring
native bees drill nests into dried flower stalks
Murphey’s or
Hohokam agave;
Agave murphyi
Pencil cholla;
Opuntia
arbuscula
Prickly pear;
Opuntia
engelmannii
X
General info
1500-3000’, blooms
Mar-Apr.; leaves 2030 long
fruit in
summer
Human uses
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
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
Hodgson, 2001
Fruit & young pads
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001
fruit
Hodgson, 2001
Fruit & seeds, tools,
ceremonial wine
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig;
Hodgson, 2001;
Buds, stems, fruits
& flowers were
eaten, fibers. Roots
used as soap,
ceremonial,
Niethammer.
Roasted flower
stalks; flowers; sap
fermented to make
"sotol" beverage
Sonora 1764,
Nentvig; Hodgson,
2001
Hodgson, 2001
Prehistoric,
ethnographic;
Hodgson, 2001
Scrub/upland
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Staghorn cholla;
Opuntia
versicolor
Thornber's yucca;
Yucca thornberi
WILDFLOWRS
Bladderpod;
Lesquerella
gordonii
Coulter's
Globemallow;
Sphaeralcea
coulteri
Chia; Salvia
columbariae
Hydroriparian
7
X
General info
2000 ‘– 3000’; grow to
3’ – 15’, Blooms May
Seasonality
summer
XX
3000-5000 ft; foothills
of Rincon Mtns
X
X
X
X
100-5000’; To 16”
tall; Blooms Feb-May;
Annual
Below 2,500’; 1002600’; to 2’ tall;
Bloom July - Nov
X
X
Below 3000 ft.;
blooms March - May;
to 20" high
Seeds
available in
summer
Datura, sacred,
jimsonweed;
Datura sp.
Desert
globemallow;
Sphaeralcea
ambigua
X
X
1000-6000 ft.
May to Oct;
to 4 ft. high
X
X
Desert marigold;
Baileya
multiradiata
X
X
Desert senna;
Cassia covesii
Desert Tobacco;
Nicotiana
trigonophylla
Desert zinnia;
Zinnia acerosa
X
X
X
X
X
X
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
2000’ – 5000’; Flower
to 6” tall; Evergreen;
Animal relationships
Fruits: deer, javalina, cactus wren; Seeds: mourning dove,
gamble quail; Flowers: bees; Nesting sites: cactus wren,
curved bill thrasher, other birds
Human uses
buds & fruit,
Niethammer
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Hodgson, 2001
fruits, seeds, flowers
Hodgson, 2001
Seeds whole or
ground used to
make pinole or
mixed with ground
corn or wheat; dried
seed heads used for
tea; sprouts edible
Hodgson, 2001;
Major prehistoric/
ethnographic food
source
Forage for cattle
bees & moths visit flowers
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
Flowers: native bees; Larval food plant for butterflies;
Brows for bighorn sheep
Seed: Inca dove and other birds, ants; Insects on plant eaten
by birds; sheep and goats poisoned by feeding on plant
Flowers: moths; Seeds: ants
Flower petals: quail, finches, sparrows; Seeds: harvester
ants, which in turn attract horned lizards; Insects on plant
Ceremonial,
smoking, medicinal
Sonora 1756-1767,
Pfefferkorn; Sonora
1764, Nentvig
Xeroriparian
Scrub/upland
Mesoriparian
Hydroriparian
8
Devil's claw;
Proboscidea
althaeifolia
X
X
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
X
X
Below 2500', Flower
to 16” tall; Bloom
Mar-Aug
Javalina love it; Flowers used by hawk moths (Hyles
lineata)
X
X
Below 5000’; 2’ tall,
4’ wide; Perennial;
Bloom Feb-oct
Flowers: butterflies and moths
Common name;
Latin name
X
X
Line-leaf
whitepuff;
Oligomeris
linifolia
Mexican Gold
Poppy;
Eschscholtzia
mexicana
Parry penstemon;
Penstemon parryi
Silverbells;
Streptanthus
arizonicus
Sunflower (wild),
General info
Bloom Mar–Oct
Below 3500 ft.;
Blooms AugustSeptember
Animal relationships
eaten by birds
seeds
available
summer to
fall
spring-fall
X
Below 3000’; forb;
Grows 3” and up
X
2500-9000 ft.;
X
X
Seasonality
winter/
spring; Bloom
Jan–May
Spring/ sum.
annual;
blooms June Sept.
summer
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Seeds could be
ground for food
Thornber's 1909
Tumamoc plant list
fruit raw, cooked,
preserves, dried
Seeds: birds; Leaves and capsulres: rabbits and kangaroo
rats
Seeds soaked to
make drink
larval foodplant of butterflies
summer greens;
seeds parched &
ground into flour
Hodgson, 2001;
prehistoric,
ethnographic
seed ground, boiled
X
Below 4,500’; To 16 “
tall
Blooms mid
Feb to May;
Annual
X
X
1500-5000’; to 4’ tall;
Blooms MarJuly;
Perennial
Flowers: hummingbirds, bees, and other insects
X
X
1500’-4500’; Erect
annual; Blooms JanApr
100-7000 ft.; grows 3-
summer/
Bird & bees love flowers
X
Human uses
seeds, raw or
Thornber's 1909 list;
Xeroriparian
Scrub/upland
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
girasol;
Helianthus
annuus
GRASSES
Alkali sacaton;
Sporobolus
airoides
Arizona
cottontop;
Digitaria
californica
Big galleta;
Hilaria rigida
Hydroriparian
9
X
X
X
X
X
Bullgrass;
Muhlenbergia
emersleyi
Bush muhley;
Muhlenbergia
porteri
Cane Beardgrass;
Andropogon
barbinoides
Cane grass;
Phragmites
australis
Cattail; Typha
domingensis
(Typha
angustifolia)
X
X
X
X
X
X
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
prehistoric,
ethnographic,
historic
General info
9 ft. tall
Seasonality
fall
Animal relationships
Human uses
parched, are eaten
or ground and used
in a variety of foods
2500’ – 6500’; Grass 2
– 4’ tall; perennial
blooms May–Oct
1000’ – 6000’; Grass
1.5 – 4’ tall; perennial
blooms Aug–Nov
warm season
Foliage: mule deer, javalina, mourning dove, gambel quail;
Herbiage: blacktail jackrabbit and cottontail rabbit
seeds collected in
summer
Hodgson, 2001
warm season
Good food for livestock, fair for wildlife; valuable winter
forage
warm season
Useful forage for grazers while green; poor when dry
warm season
Excellent forage for livestock, deer and pronghorn
Blooms AprOct
Good forage when green
sap, roots, shoots
eaten; cane was also
building material
Shoots eaten raw;
inner leaf tips eaten
raw in spring; green
bloom spikes
(without husk)
summer boiled;
pollen used for
bisciut or mush;
roots eaten raw or
boiled like potatoes;
rhizomes source of
starch; leaves
Hodgson, 2001
Under 5500’; Grass 2’
– 3’ tall; Perennial;
Bloom Feb–Sep
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
1000-5000 ft. in wet
areas; blooms JuneSept.
spring/
summer
spring/
summer
Hodgson, 2001
Deergrass;
Muhlenbergia
rigens
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
Slender grama;
Scrub/upland
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Hydroriparian
10
General info
Seasonality
Animal relationships
X
2000-7500'; 2-5' tall;
perennial bunchgrass
warm season
Good forage when green; poor when dry
X
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
X
X
Seeds eaten,
Niethammer
warm season
Bloom Jun–Oct
Bloom Mar –
Oct; Winter
growth
warm season
Bloom May–
Oct
X
1000-5000’; clump
grass; to 3 feet tall;
Perennial
warm season,
Bloom MarSept (more
Apr–May)
Poor forage for wildlife, only grazed in early growth stages;
worthless in winter
X
2,300-5,500’; 1036"tall; Small clumps
warm season
low palatability as forage
X
Grass family; 150 –
7000’; bunchgrass
grows to 2’
large elev. range; 1-2'
tall; perennial
bunchgrass
2500-5000'; 1-1.5' tall;
warm season,
Bloom Apr–
Sep
warm season
Seeds: numerous birds including wild turkey, small
mammals; Plants: deer
warm season
good forage for grazers
X
X
X
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
Forage plant: desert tortoise
2000’ – 4000’; Grows
to 2’ – 3’ ; Perennial
bunchgrass
2000 – 5000’; tufted
perennial bunchgrass;
1 – 4’ tall
X
Human uses
woven into mats;
stalks used in
basketry
1909 Tumamoc Hill
survey
1909 Tumamoc Hill
survey
Seeds and foliage: birds and small mammals
Important forage for grazers
Thornber's 1909 list
seeds collected in
summer
Hodgson, 2001
Scrub/upland
Xeroriparian
Mesoriparian
Common name;
Latin name
Bouteloua
filiformis
Spike dropseed;
Sporobolus
contractus
Tanglehead;
Heteropogon
contortus
Tobosa;
Pleuraphis
mutica (Hilaria
mutica)
Hydroriparian
11
X
X
X
X
General info
perennial bunchgrass
Seasonality
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
warm season
Animal relationships
Human uses
References to its
presence, uses, etc.
warm season
warm season
Poor forage for wildlife, becomes unpalatable when mature
Primary information source:
Brad Lancaster, unpublished document: A Native Plant List for Multiple Uses, for use in the Tucson Basin and Foothills. Compiled and copyrighted, 1998. Assembled from 100 references
(reference list available on request)
Additional information obtained from:
Giebner, Robert. 1979, Tucson Preservation Primer, University of Arizona, College of Architecture, Tucson, Arizona
by Wendy C. Hodgson, Wendy. Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 2001.
Nentvig, Juan. Rudo Ensayo: A description of sonora and Arizona in 1764, 1980, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson
Niethammer, Carolyn. 1974. American Indian Food and Lore, 150 Authentic Recipes, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY (she references Pfefferkorn)
Pfefferkorn, Ignaz. Sonora: A description of the province, 1989, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson
Tumamoc Plant List: Plants of the Santa Cruz River Flood Plain at Tumamoc Hill, City of Tucson, Arizona. Compiled by William T. Kendall with assistance from Dr. Charles Mason and Becky
VanDevender [Thornber], UA Herbarium, who updated the nomenclature for plants listed in “Vegetation Groups of the Desert Laboratory Domain”, prepared by J.J Thornber, A.M. Professor
of Botany at the Arizona Experimental Station, 1900, as taken from the Distribution and Movements of Desert Plants, by Volney M. Spalding, 1909.