SnakeSnakeSnake RiverRiverRiver BirdsBirdsBirds ofofof PreyPreyPrey

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WildflowerWildflowerWildflower FieldFieldField GuideGuideGuide

IntroductionThis guide is an introduction to the wildflowers of the Snake River Birds of Prey National

Conservation Area (NCA), and includes common plants and one rare species. Although this guide’sprimary focus is plant species within the NCA, this guide is also useful throughout the desert andfoothill region of Southwestern Idaho as it features common plants found over a large range. Theguide is organized by flower color, with white flowers appearing first, yellow second and purple andblue flowers third. Other flowers that are not white, yellow or purple are at the end of the guide.It is estimated that the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA has over 400 plant species, many of themore common and conspicuous species are presented here.

: White Flowers

: Yellow Flowers

: Purple and Blue Flowers

: Other colors of flowers

Common Yarrow (Achilleamillifolium) This plant is commonin deserts and forests. It is alsogrown in yards and gardens. It ischaracterized by hairy fern-likeleaves and numerous whiteflowers. The domesticatedvarieties of this plant alsoinclude other colors of flowerssuch as pink, red, and yellow.Native plants always have whiteflowers.

Low pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha) This small plant iscommon in sagebrush deserts and dry forests. It isdioecious, meaning that there are male and femaleflowers on separate plants. The leaves look the same onboth plants, but each individual plant has only staminateflowers (male), or pistillate flowers (female). Shownabove is a female plant going to seed, the flowers havefaded from white to brownish. The whitish hair betweenthe flowers is the pappus- at the base of the pappus isthe newly formed seeds. Pappus helps the seeds todisperse and travel by floating on the wind.

Bruneau mariposa lily(Calochortusbruneaunis) There areabout 65 species ofmariposa lilies, all ofwhich are native towestern North Americaand Central America.This species ofmariposa lily was firstdescribed in 1912 fromplants found on theEast Fork of theBruneau River.Although it is calledthe Bruneau mariposalily, it ranges fromeastern Californiathrough Nevada tosouthern Idaho andsouthwest Montana. Itcan be found on dryplains and foothills.

Douglas’ dustymaiden(Chaenactis douglasii) Thisplant is common throughoutarid western North America.It is mainly found on sandyto gravelly slopes. This plantcan either be annual orbiennial depending onenvironmental conditions andthe genetics of the plant.

Greygreen thistle(Cirsium canovirens)Although this thistlelooks like a weed, it isactually native. One ofthe few white floweredthistles, it can bedistinguished by thecolor of its flower andwhite ribbed flowerbracts. The seeds ofthistles are a goodfood source forwildlife. The plant alsobenefits from wildlifewhich help to dispersethe seeds.

Slickspot peppergrass(Lepidium papilliferum)This is the rarest plantspecies that grows withinthe Snake River Birds ofPrey NCA, and only occursin southwestern Idaho.Populations of this planthave been declining; therate of population loss isthe highest of any plant inthe state of Idaho.Threats to the plantsinclude wildfire, weedinvasion, landdevelopment, OHV use,and livestock trampling.The BLM is currentlyworking with otherpartners including privatelandowners, ranchers, theState of Idaho, the IdahoArmy National Guard, andthe U.S. Air Force toinsure conservation andrecovery of this species.

Slickspot peppergrass canbe an annual or a biennialdepending on genetics ofthe plant andenvironmental conditions.The plant shown in thephoto is an annual. Itshabitat is unique andspecialized- it only growsin areas in lower elevationsagebrush that are calledslickspots. Slickspots aresmall naturally occurringplayas which have moreclay and salt content thanthe surrounding soils.These spots hold a thinlayer of water at thesurface after rains andwinter snow melt. One ofthe reasons this plant isso rare is because of thisspecialized habitat whichis also rare.

Bulbous fringe-cup, woodland star(Lithophragma glabrum) There are 12different species of woodland star, alloccurring in western North America. Thisspecies is common in dry areas, and is oneof the first flowers to bloom in spring. Itis called bulbous fringe-cup because itproduces vegetative bulbils in its leafaxils. The bulbils can break off andproduce new plants without pollination orseeds. It can also reproduce from seeds.

Bigseed biscuitroot (Lomatiummacrocarpum) Biscuitroots arein the same plant family ascarrots, parsley, and dill. Likesome of its’ relatives, mostbiscuitroots are also edible.This plant is also a relative ofviolently poisonous plants suchas poison hemlock, andidentification of plants withinthis family is difficult. Eatingor taste testing any wild plantis not recommended. ThisLomatium species, like manyothers, was also utilized byNative Americans for food. Thethickened roots of this plantwere peeled and eaten raw, orroasted then eaten. Theseplants were so valued for foodthat seasonal movements ofprehistoric Native Americanswere timed to coincide withthe flowering times of variousspecies of biscuitroot.

Western mugwort(Artemisia ludoviciana) Thisplant is one of the mostcommonly seen herbaceoussagebrushes. It growsaround moist areas- typicallyin stream beds, and at thebase of shady basalt cliffs.Like other sagebrush- theleaves, when crushed, smellpungently like sage. Theleaves of this plant aresilvery hairy, with entire ortoothed tips. It can grow upto 3 feet tall and spreads bycreeping rhizomes.

Hooker’s balsamroot(Balsamorhiza hookeri)This plant has brightyellow sunflower-likeflowers and dissectedfern-like leaves that areoften hairy. This plant istypically found in rockyareas with fine clay soils.Another species-Arrowleaf balsamroothas similar flowers, buthas large arrow shapedleaves and grows in areaswith deeper soils.

Grey rabbitbrush(Chrysothamnus nauseosus)Unlike sagebrush (Artemisiasp.), rabbitbrush re-sproutsafter fire, and will oftencolonize large areas thathave been burned.Rabbitbrush is one of thelatest flowering plants in thedesert, blooming well intoSeptember.

Oregon Sunshine, Wooly Sunflower(Eriophyllum lanatum) Perennial tuftingplants that grow in dry open places, thewooly sunflower can be seen from lowerelevations on the Snake River Plain, toabove timberline in the mountains. Itsleaves can vary from unlobed to tri-lobednear the ends of the leaves similar to bigsagebrush. It is also wooly (tomentose)as the common name of this plant implies.

Common sunflower(Helianthus annuus) Thisfamiliar flower- althoughnative to North America-is not native to Idaho, andis a widespread weed. Itgrows mainly in disturbedareas such as roadsides,fence rows, pastures andwaste areas. In August,when most other plantshave long since flowered,common sunflower colorsthe interstates andhighways of southernIdaho in yellow and green.Cultivated for thousandsof years in America, thisplant is the genetic sourceof the sunflowers that wegrow in gardens and buyat stores.

Common hare-leaf, branched lagophylla (Lagophylla ramosissima)This diminutive annual can be found on dry plains and foothills.Although it is native, it also grows in disturbed and waste areas.Greek and latin words are often used for the scientific names ofspecies. Lago in Greek means hare and phylla means leaf- referringto this plant’s fine hairy leaves.

Antelope bitterbrush (Purshiatridentata) This shrub is thesecond most common shrub in theGreat Basin (the most common isbig sagebrush). It is extremelyimportant for antelope, deer andelk, who browse the highlynutritious and protein laden leavesand twigs. The bitter seeds areprized by rodents, ants, and birds.This plant also colonizes rockyunstable habitats, reducing erosionand increasing soil and organicmaterials. A single shrub can live upto 160 years old.

Sagebrush buttercup(Ranunculus glaberrimus)Common throughout thewest, this is one of thefirst plants to bloom inearly spring. In Nevadait has been seenblooming as early asJanuary 5th. Glaberrimusmeans very smooth,referring to the smoothleaves and petals of thisplant.

Woollypod milkvetch (Astragaluspurshii) This plant is called woolypodmilkvetch because of its extremelyhairy seed pods which ripen by mid-summer. In early spring it isdistinguished by purple pea-like flowersand a low clump of grayish leaves. Thegenus Astragalus (milkvetch or loco-weed) occurs all over the world and in avariety of habitats and climates. Thereare over 2000 different species ofAstragalus worldwide, and about 380species in North America alone.Woolypod milkvetch is one of the mostcommon and recognizable of the manyAstragalus species that occur insouthern Idaho. Many species areidentifiable only by expert botanists,and only after careful measurement,inspection of features with a magnifyingglass or microscope and consultationwith numerous floral keys andidentification books.

Sand dune penstemon(Penstemon acuminatus)Penstemons, or beardtongues,are one of the most diverse andbeautiful groups of plantsendemic to North America.There are over 250 differentspecies. In Idaho alone thereare about 45 different speciesof penstemon. They grow fromsea level, to over 10,000 feet indeserts, plains, forests, andmountains. Sand dunepenstemon is common inwestern Idaho in dry sandy orgravelly areas. It also occurs inWashington, Oregon andNevada.

Annual phlox, slender phlox(Phlox gracilis var. humilis) Thisdiminutive annual flower is oftensmaller than a nickel, and iseasily overlooked. It flowers inearly spring, and is unique amongother phlox species in that it isan annual, instead of a perennial.Annual phlox is common fromarid deserts to conifer foreststhroughout western NorthAmerica. Like other species ofphlox, it has five petals whichare connected at the base andform a tube. Anotherdistinguishing characteristic isthat it has notched petals. Thepetal color in this species variesfrom almost white to pink topurple.

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis) There are three varieties ofbig sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush is the most common variety at lower elevations in Idaho.Big sagebrush is a key component of desert ecosystems, providing food and shelter for a varietyof animals and plants, including sage grouse. Sagebrush may provide up to 75% of sage grousediet and is eaten throughout the year. Sage grouse is considered a sensitive species becausenumbers have declined dramatically in the past century, largely due to habitat loss. Wildfire isone of the greatest threats to sagebrush throughout the West. Fire kills the shrubs and makesit easier for non-native species to invade. The non-native species tend to be annual species,which dry out early in summer and make it more likely that the area will burn again in the future.

Winterfat(Krascheninnikovialanata) Winterfat isanother common shrubthroughout arid westernNorth America. Theleaves of this shrub areunlobed, and the shrubstend to be smaller in sizeand lighter in color thanbig sagebrush. Thecommon name for thisplant is winterfatbecause it is animportant forage plantfor livestock andwildlife, especially duringwinter when forage isscarce. Winterfat is agood source ofdigestible protein andvitamin A. Winterfatgrows well on salty oralkaline soils- commonlyfound in areas with littlemoisture.

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation AreaWildflower Field Guide

Produced by:Thayne Tuason, Botanist

Bureau of Land ManagementBoise District

Four Rivers Field Office3948 Development Ave. Boise, ID 83705

(208) 384-3300

May 2005 Version