2020 Wildflower Checklist
Tonestus lyallii, July 8, 2020
Common & scientific name
Lyall’s goldenweed, Tonestus lyallii
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Twining Peak, 13,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Distinguishable from its close cousin, T. pygmaeus, by the gland tipped, pinhead hairs on its leaves. Named after the early-19th century Scottish explorer, David Lyall.
Cirsium scopulorum, July 8, 2020
Common & scientific name
Mountain thistle, Cirsium scopulorum
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Twining Peak, 12,800’ & upper Lost Man, 12,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
These dramatic, native thistles (yes—not all thistles are “bad” non-natives!) have thorny edged leaves and flowers (disk florets only) cushioned by a downy mass of fine hair. You can be assured it’s a native species because you will never see it taking over a mountainside—it grows in balance with and amongst our several hundred other subalpine and alpine species of plants, and is loved by pollinators.
C. scopulorum, July 23, 2020
Pedicularis sudetica, July 17, 2020
Common & scientific name
Sudetic lousewort, Pedicularis sudetica
Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae
Location
Summit, 12,100’ & Upper Lost Man trail, 12,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
One of our loveliest flowers, uncommon except in high, wet places like the Upper Lost Man valley. Its swirling flowers, typical of the Pedicularis genus, are distinct for their bright magenta color. Don’t let its rather ugly name dissuade you—this is one wildflower you don’t want to miss!
P. sudetica, July 8, 2020
Chionophila jamesii, July 15, 2020
C. jamesii, August 6, 2020
Common & scientific name
Snowlover, Chionophila jamesii
Family
Snapdragon/Figwort, Scrophulariaceae
Location
Independence & Lost Man Lakes, 12,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Classified as a rare plant of Colorado, the careful observer can find it with some regularity on the high peaks of Independence Pass. It stands 3” high, and its one-sided, cream-colored flowers are the opposite of showy. That being said, it is always a delight to find this snowlover, for three reasons: (1) it looks like no other wildflower, with a subtle, intricate beauty that requires a close-up viewing, (2) it is a rare plant, seen probably by 0.0001% of the world’s population, and you’re one of them!, and (3) if you’re finding it, you’re in the high alpine, which is the definition of delight.
Mimulus tilingii, July 8, 2020
Common & scientific name
Subalpine monkeyflower, Mimulus tilingii
Family
Snapdragon/Figwort, Scrophulariaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man trailhead, 11,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This cheery yellow wildflower can be found along streams, seeps, or ditches from the montane to the alpine. “Mimulus” comes from “mimus,” meaning “buffoon," for the clownish appearance of its flower.
Rhodiola rhodantha, July 8, 2020
R. rhodantha, August 6, 2020
Common & scientific name
Queen’s crown, Rhodiola rhodantha
Family
Stonecrop, Crassulaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man, 12,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This succulent beauty always grows in wet places and has a taller, rounder top of pinkish-red flowers than King’s crown, which has a flatter top of dark-wine, sometimes almost black flowers, and which can grow in dryer locations.
R. rhodantha, July 15, 2020
R. rhodantha leaves, August 24, 2020
Draba aurea, July 17, 2020
D. helleriana, in flower & fruit, July 17, 2020
Common & scientific name
Golden draba, Draba aurea & Heller’s draba, Draba helleriana
Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae
Location
Twining Peak, 13,000’ & summit area, 12,300
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Ah, the wonderful yellow alpine drabas! Time to get the microscope out to study the hairs on its leaves, the only way to tell the various species apart. Both these Draba’s hairs are dense, overlapping each other in a tangled mess of cruciform (4-forked) hairs on top of short stalks, giving the plant an overall grayish-green look. I am separating out the two species based on the teeth on D. helleriana’s leaves, and its slightly larger overall stature. Both are common on the Pass.
Calochortus gunnisonii, July 8, 2020
Common & scientific name
Sego lily, Calochortus gunnisonii
Family
Lily, Lilaceae
Location
Roadside, 8,900’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Named after the mid-19th century surveyor and explorer, Captain JW Gunnison, whose expedition discovered this lovely lily for science (and for whom the town to the south is named), it’s hard to think of another wildflower that brings such delight, with its delicate, intricately designed inner cup. Look for it in aspen groves and open meadows on the Pass.
Antennari corymbosa, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Flat-top pussytoes, Antennari corymbosa
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Roadside, 10,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
In order to tell this pussytoe apart from its half-dozen cousins, look for white disk flowers with pink on the lower portion and a dark spot near the base of the phyllaries. According to Flora of North America, “Antennaria corymbosa is a sexual progenitor of the A. rosea complex.” I.e., it’s Rosy pussytoes’ mom!
Senecio triangularis, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Arrowleaf ragwort, Senecio triangularis
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Roadside, 10,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A tall (up to 4’), leafy senecio with unbranched stems that have numerous, triangle-shaped, toothed leaves, topped by yellow flower clusters of 10 to 30 heads. It grows near bluebells, monkshood, and other tall, water-loving, subalpine species. Look for the triangle!
Oxypolis fendleri, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Fendler’s cowbane, Oxypolis fendleri
Family
Parsley, Apiaceae
Location
Lower Lost Man trail, 10,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delicate beauty is always, ALWAYS, stream side in our area. It’s lower, wide ladder-like leaves are diagnostic.
Platanthera huronensis, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Green bog orchid, Platanthera huronensis
Family
Orchid, Orchidaceae
Location
Roadside, 10,000
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Up to 3’ high with rigid stems and densely packed, green to whitish-green flowers, this sweet-smelling flower graces roadside ditches and backcountry streams and meadows equally. Keep an eye out on your drive up the Pass!
Anemone multifida, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Cut-leaved anemone Anemone multifida
Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae
Location
Independence Ghost Town, 10,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delightful early summer flower varies from white to yellow to magenta, as seen here. It brightens up a dry mountainside, up to the alpine, like no other flower I know!
Zigadenus elegans, July 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Mountain Death Camas, Zigadenus elegans
Family
Trillium/False Hellebore, Melanthiaceae
Location
Independence Ghost Town, 10,800’ & Lower Lost Man, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
All parts of this beautiful, lily-like flower are poisonous, from alkaloids more toxic than strychnine, apparently. Enjoy the lovely/deadly paradox!
Z. elegans, July 13, 2020
