As published in the Abiquiú News in 2023
See what is blooming in Abiquiú in
April, May, June, July, August, September and October
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Pink, White, Blue/Purple, Yellow/Green, Red/Orange

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September 29, 2023

A walk around the peninsula at Abiquiu Lake has changed since the water level rose so high in the spring. In places there is now a broad green carpet of vegetation between the high-water mark and the current water level. Plants to be seen are Bracted Vervain, Cocklebur, Spotted Lady’s Thumb, Crownbeard, Ragweed, and two kinds of Flatsedge; all plants that like a moist environment and are not usually seen around Abiquiu Lake. I wonder what spring will bring. Rusty Flatsedge is a grass that can grow from 4 to 20 inches tall, these are about 8 inches. Grasses are wildflowers too but their flowers do not need to be showy to attract the birds and the bees because they are pollinated by the wind. Flatsedge stems are sharply three-sided. Its golden flower spikes turn rusty with age. As its name implies, the roots have a floral fragrance when crushed. Traditionally the seeds were eaten. Source.

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September 22, 2023

This delicate plant can grow to 40 inches tall with many branches and slender grey-green leaves and stems. Flowers are white, light blue or lavender with a floral tube up to 3 inches long. It blooms from spring to fall depending on the rains, as so many plants do. Native Americans used the plant in quite a variety of ways. An infusion of the roots was used to eliminate the ozone in cases of lightning shock. A decoction of the leaves was taken for stomachache, crushed leaves and flowers were steeped into a tea that was taken for headaches, used on sores, for arthritis, as an eyewash, and served as a hair tonic to prevent baldness and lengthen the hair. The plant was chewed together with salt to treat heartburn. An infusion of the flowers was mixed with feed and given to sheep with stomach disorders. A cold infusion of the plant was applied daily to heal the incision in a castrated colt. The Zuni people used a poultice of the dried, powdered flowers to remove hair on newborns and children. Source.

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September 15, 2023

Most of the flowers at this time of the year are yellow so it is a pleasure to see a pop of pink. Arizona Centaury grows to two feet tall with bright green upright stems. The leaves clasp the stems and are green, succulent and lance-shaped. The attractive flowers are one inch across and have five bright pink, narrowly oval petals, a white starburst center, and bright yellow stamens. I found no edible or medicinal uses for Arizona Centaury, it is just a pretty flower that blooms all summer.

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September 8, 2023

Gumweeds ooze a whitish, viscous, resinous fluid from their flower buds so are very recognizable. Curlycup Gumweed grows to two feet high in a bushy shape with green or whitish stems.  Leaves are oblong and toothed with no stalks. Also very recognizable are the 5 to 6 rows of sticky, hooked bracts around the flower head. Petals may or may not be present. Gumweeds have been used for many medicinal purposes by Native Americans, including as a wash for poison oak rashes and burns and for pulmonary troubles. The resinous sap that covers the leaves has been used as a substitute for chewing gum. Green and yellow dyes can be obtained from the yellow flowering heads and pods. Grindelias are still used for asthma and bronchitis, and in common cough remedies in homeopathic medicine. Source.

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September 1, 2023

Chamisa, Rubber Rabbitbrush, is in full bloom around the area but there is another less common rabbitbrush also in bloom. Greene’s Rabbitbrush grows to only 20 inches high compared to the several feet that Chamisa can reach. It has upright green stems and bark that becomes shreddy and grey with age. Leaves are very narrow and greyish-green. Flower heads grow in dense clusters at the top of light green twigs and are no more than 1½ inches across. Much of the plant is covered with a resin that has a very pleasant smell. Traditionally the Hopi used Greene’s Rabbitbrush as prayer stick decorations and the Navajo used an infusion of plant tops as a wash for chickenpox and measles eruptions. Source.

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August 25, 2023

Yarrow grows one to two feet tall with feathery, fern-like leaves which have a strong, distinctive, not unpleasant smell. Small flowers grow in flat-topped clusters, most commonly white, less commonly pink. It is a popular cultivar and can be yellow, red and orange. The dried flowers are long-lasting and are often gathered for floral arrangements. Yarrow spreads from stout roots producing large patches of the fern-like leaves without flowers. It blooms all summer. The scientific name comes from the Greek character Achilles who is believed to have discovered the medicinal uses of this plant for healing his soldier’s wounds in the battle of Troy. Traditionally, Native Americans considered it a "life medicine" and used the plant as an analgesic and head cold remedy, for healing cuts and abrasions, relief from earaches, toothaches and throat infections, as well as for an eyewash. Source. 

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August 18, 2023

Frosted Mint is a sprawling, greyish, aromatic shrub growing one to three feet high and three feet across covered in fine, white hairs. The leaves are small and narrow. Tiny, two-lipped flowers grow in whorls at the base of the upper leaves forming long clusters. Flowers are pale lavender with purple spots on the lower lip. I have seen these plants in bloom from June to August. Depending on the time of year, the plant will smell more like rosemary, mint, or a combination of the two. Traditionally, the leaves were eaten raw, cooked or dried and used as a flavoring in seed mushes and other dishes. The plant has been used externally in the treatment of sores, rheumatism and ear problems. The leaves have been used to sweeten the flavor of other medicinal herbs whilst increasing their potency. Source.

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August 11, 2023

Buttercups are usually found in moist environments so we don’t see too many of them in our dry, high desert. The Alkali Buttercup is fairly common in the right environment, which is muddy and often saline. It grows to less than 12 inches high with erect flowering stems and runners that take root and create colonies. Its glossy green leaves are mostly roundish, less than one inch wide, with scalloped edges and stalks up to three inches long. Flowers are small, less than 1/2 inch wide, with five petals. What appears to be more petals are yellow sepals, another feature of buttercups. A green, oblong seed head rises to 1/2 inch from the center of the flower. Traditionally, various Navaho groups used the Alkali Buttercup as a venereal aid, an emetic, and a ceremonial medicine. The Kawaiisu used it as a dermatological aid. Source.

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August 4, 2023

Beardlip Penstemon has spikes of tubular flowers which are very attractive to hummingbirds. It grows to four feet tall with long, narrow, dark green leaves, mostly at the base of the plant. The flowers are 1½ inches long and have two long protruding upper lobes and three lower lobes with golden hairs in the throat. It blooms for many weeks. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for the plant. It was used for menstrual pain and stomachache, burns, coughs, gun wounds and arrow wounds, and as a diuretic. The chewed root was rubbed over the rabbit stick to ensure success in the hunt. A rabbit stick which was treated in this manner was sure to kill any rabbit that it was aimed at, provided the thrower had a good heart. Source.

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July 28, 2023

The common name of Red Clover is confusing as the flowers are more a rose pink to pink/purplish, not true red. It is not native to the Americas but has become naturalized and can be found growing wild in grassy locations that are not regularly mowed. It is grown as a forage crop for pasturage, hay and green manure for livestock. It can be easily distinguished from other varieties of clover by the large pink flower heads as well as the lighter green V-shaped marking that appears on the leaflets. Its flowers have a honey-like fragrance. The flowering heads and foliage are both edible, raw or cooked. Its young leaves should be harvested before the plant blooms. They can be used in salads or soups or cooked similar to spinach. The flowering heads as well as the seed pods can be dried and used as a flour substitute.The young flowers can also be eaten raw in salads. They taste sweet or like hay but they are not easily digestible. Do not eat the flowers if pregnant or nursing. Historically, Red Clover was used for asthma, whooping cough, cancer, and gout. Today, extracts from Red Clover are most often promoted for menopause symptoms, high cholesterol levels, or osteoporosis. Source.

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July 21, 2023

Perennial Peppergrass grows 3 to 5 feet tall with numerous woody stems and oval-shaped waxy leaves on the stems and long strap-like basal leaves. It has an extensive root network, known to reach 9 feet in depth. Tiny, fragrant flowers grow in dense clusters. It is considered an invasive species in many areas and is listed as a noxious weed in New Mexico and Colorado. The leaves, shoots, and fruits of this plant are all edible. In Ladakh in the Himalayas, the spring leaves are prized as a vegetable. The peppery edge or bitterness is removed by first boiling the young shoots and leaves, and then soaking in water for two days. Cooked like spinach, it makes a nutritious vegetable. Source. In England, this cousin of watercress was called "pepper herb" because of its spicy and bitter taste but it is mainly for its medicinal properties that it has been known since the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, Hildegarde de Bingen wrote about it: "What it contains sour and bitter does not attack the man inside, but heals him. A man with a weak heart and a sick stomach will eat the raw Lepidium and strengthen it. Likewise, those who are sad will regain their joy. If eaten, it heals the eyes and makes them clear”. The website of Les Benedictines de Chantelle, a French monastery, has some interesting stories about this weedy plant.

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July 14, 2023

Lacy Germander grows to 8 inches tall, often in colonies, with densely leafy stems. The leaves are deeply cut. The plant’s aromatic blooms are showy, white, and funnel-shaped, crowded at the top of erect stems, sometimes with purple lines at the throat. Flowers have a lower petal two or three times longer than the other petals, looking like a landing pad for pollinators. There are no Native American uses for this plant, but other plants in this genus are used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, inflammations, diabetes and rheumatism. Source. The Santa Fe Extension Master Gardener says that Lacy Germander is a good source of nectar for bees and butterflies. That it is deer resistant, evergreen and quite sturdy, holding up to New Mexico’s strong spring winds. It often forms a dense mat in sunny, unirrigated areas. In the home landscape it can be used as a groundcover, in borders, or in perennial gardens. Source.

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July 7, 2023

There are many species of white daisies that grow in our area from early spring through the summer. One of the common ones blooming now is the Whiplash Daisy which grows in colonies of plants that are from 4 to 10 inches tall. Basal leaves are narrow and bluish-green. This daisy is easy to identify from the runners (stolons) it produces which sometimes take root at the tip and expand the colony. The bright white flowers are about ½ inch across with a yellow center, many rays and a touch of pink below, as can be seen on the closed buds in the photo. Traditionally, the plant was used as a ceremonial medicine; to treat spider bites and snake bites; as an eyewash for livestock; and tied together in bunches to make brooms. Source.

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June 30, 2023

There is a lot of chat these days about AI and ChatGPT so I asked Bing to write this week’s blog. I typed “Write a blog about plantago patagonica” and this is what it wrote.

Woolly Plantain: A Hairy Herb with Many Uses

Have you ever heard of woolly plantain? No, I’m not talking about the starchy fruit that looks like a banana. I’m talking about a small, hairy plant that grows in many parts of North America and South America. Woolly plantain (Plantago patagonica) is a species of plantain, a group of plants that have long, narrow leaves and tiny flowers clustered on spikes. Woolly plantain gets its name from the dense layer of white hairs that covers its leaves and flower spikes.

Woolly plantain is an annual herb, which means it completes its life cycle in one year. It can grow up to 10 cm (4 inches) tall and 15 cm (6 inches) wide. It prefers dry, open habitats, such as grasslands, woodlands, fields, roadsides, and waste areas. It can tolerate drought and poor soils. It blooms from spring to fall, producing cylindrical or conical spikes of white or pink flowers that are pollinated by wind or insects.

Woolly plantain has been used by Native Americans for various purposes. The Navajo, Puebloans, and Hopi used it as a medicinal and ceremonial plant. They applied the crushed leaves to treat headaches, diarrhea, colic, and wounds. They also ate the leaves or drank the tea to reduce appetite and prevent obesity. They used the seeds as beads or food. They burned the dried plants as incense or smudge sticks to purify the air and ward off evil spirits. Woolly plantain is not only useful for humans, but also for wildlife. It provides food and shelter for many insects, such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and grasshoppers. It also attracts birds that feed on its seeds, such as sparrows, finches, and quails.

Woolly plantain is a common and widespread plant that you may have overlooked before. Next time you see it growing in your area, take a closer look and appreciate its beauty and benefits. I hope this blog post helps you learn more about woolly plantain.

Pretty impressive, don’t you think. It even has a sense of humor. This is what I wrote. Am I out of a job?

Although common, Woolly Plantain can be easily overlooked, growing only a few inches tall. It grows in tufts with velvety, narrow leaves. The tiny greenish-white flowers are less than 1/8 inch across, have four petals and grow in a fuzzy, dense spike. Native Americans made a tea from the plant to treat diarrhea and headaches. Havasupai and many other southwest tribes utilized the seeds as a meal, hence the common name Indian Wheat. The Hopi gave the plant to a person “to make him more agreeable”. Source.

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June 23, 2023

The Wild Sweetpea grows climbing or sprawling to 20 inches. The leaf is divided into three to five pairs of narrow lance-shaped leaflets which are leathery and up to 2½ inches long. A tendril grows from the tip of the leaf which enables it to climb on other plants. The flowers have a pleasant fragrance and grow in loose clusters of two to five showy blossoms, one inch across. The broad upper petal can be purple to rose in color, the two lower petals are whitish. The fruit that develops from the flower is a flat pod, less than two inches long. An infusion of the plant was used by Navajos to treat horses for various injuries or swellings, as a lotion for 'deer infection' and as a gynecological aid. Source.

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June 16, 2023

Pale Evening Primrose grows to 20 inches high with arching reddish stems and flowers in the upper part of the stem. Older stems turn white and flaky. Leaves are narrow and can be entire, toothed or deeply lobed. Flowers are showy, fragrant and satiny white, up to three inches across with a greenish-yellow center, a hairless throat and long yellow stamens. Petals have a distinct ridge in the middle of the petal from the center of the flower. Like all evening primroses, the flowers open near sunset and close in the morning sun, drying to pink. Native Americans used the plant as a ceremonial emetic, for venereal disease, sores, spider bites, kidney disease, snake bites, sore throat, and in other ceremonial ways. Source.

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June 9, 2023

Coyote Willow is very common and only one of the several varieties of willow that grow in our area. It grows to ten feet tall in thickets with yellow, red and tannish stems. The leaves are long, up to five inches, very narrow and shiny. They have tiny flowers with no petals in dense spikes called catkins with male and female flowers on separate plants. The male catkins point up, the females droop down. The photo is of male flowers loaded with pollen. The female produces masses of fluffy seeds. The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin which decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body. Traditionally, the bark was used to treat fevers, coughs, venereal diseases, and sore throats, and was taken as an emetic. Branches were used for building sweat lodges for rheumatism and colds; the young twigs were used to make baskets, mats, and cordage. The fibers in the bark have been woven to make clothing, bags and blankets. The shredded inner bark has been used to make sanitary towels and babies' nappies. The twigs have been used as toothbrushes. Source.

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June 2, 2023

This annual weed grows over 3 feet tall in an open, airy pattern. It is distinguished by large, deeply lobed, toothed basal leaves and very narrow, delicate leaves on the upper part of the stem. Pale yellow flowers with the typical four petals of mustards are 1/2 inch across, and produce long, narrow seedpods. After fruiting, the plant becomes brittle and breaks off at the base becoming a tumbleweed. The young leaves and shoots of the plant are edible and can be used in salads, soups, and other dishes. The seeds are high in oil and protein and can be used to make a nutritious oil or flour. It has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including respiratory infections, digestive problems, and skin conditions. Tall Tumble Mustard has other uses as well. The oil extracted from the seeds can be used for biodiesel, and the plant has been used for erosion control and as a cover crop to improve soil health. One interesting aspect of the plant is its ability to accumulate heavy metals from the soil. This property makes the plant useful for phytoremediation, which is the process of using plants to remove contaminants from soil or water. It has been shown to be effective at removing heavy metals such as cadmium and lead from contaminated soil, making it a potential tool for environmental cleanup. Source.

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May 26, 2023

These dandelion lookalikes are quite common in this area but easily missed because they only open when the sun shines on them, then close after a few hours; from 9am to 11am in my observations. Cutleaf Vipergrass grows to 20 inches tall on a grooved, hollow stem with milky sap. Leaves are narrowly divided and grass-like. The bright yellow flowers are almost one inch across and have long, brown-tipped bracts. Seed heads are also dandelion-like and two inches across. It also looks like a small salsify, hence another common name, False Salsify. Viper Grass is the European name for this plant, so called because the milky sap was believed to be useful to treat snakebites. Because of its recent introduction to North America there is no traditional Native American use for the plant but it is used in folk medicine in southern Europe and Asia in the therapy of arteriosclerosis, kidney disorders, wounds, rheumatism, and also in antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antinociceptive medications. Source.

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May 19, 2023

Unlike the more familiar Showy Milkweed which grows 3 feet tall, Dwarf Milkweed grows sprawling on the ground up to 10 inches. Leaves are long and folded with woolly edges. Milkweed flowers are both beautiful and structurally complex. Dwarf Milkweed flowers are yellowish-white and produce fat, erect seed pods 1½ to 2½ inches long which split open to allow the large brown seeds with silky plumes to escape. Milkweeds contain various amounts of poisonous glycosides and in some species these compounds are potent enough to cause the death of cattle and horses if consumed in large quantities. Such events are rare. Most grazing animals learn to avoid milkweeds due to the bitterness and toxicity of the leaves and pods. The Monarch butterfly larvae eat only milkweed and retain this poison without harm, so they become distasteful to potential predators who soon learn to avoid these species after attempting to eat them. Nevertheless, Native Americans traditionally used an infusion of the plant as a stomach medicine; a poultice of heated roots was applied for toothaches and a dry powdered root was mixed with saliva and used for unspecified illness. Source.

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May 12, 2023

Plants seem to be blooming at least two weeks later than usual this year, maybe because of the cold spring; even the Dandelions didn’t appear until April. This Cliff Fendlerbush usually blooms in mid-April. It is a many-branched shrub growing in a columnar shape from 3 to 10 feet tall with tough, dark stems. The leaves are narrow and thick. In spring, the branch tips are covered with a profusion of pink buds which mature into brilliant white fragrant flowers. Flowers have 4 petals which narrow to the center. It was used by early Native Americans to kill lice and taken after accidentally swallowing ants. It was also used to make arrows, forks, planting sticks, knitting needles and to make ceremonial items and in ceremonial medicine. Source.

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May 5, 2023

The bright yellow pea-like flowers of the low-growing James’ Prairie Clover catch your eye, otherwise you would miss it. It grows to only 4 inches high with typical clover-like leaves, leaves divided into three leaflets, covered with long, silky white hairs. Flowers grow in a dense feathery cluster and turn reddish-brown with age. No traditional uses were found for this plant.

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April 28, 2023

These eye-catching flowers belong to the Boxelder Maple, a tree growing 30 to 60 feet tall with a gray-brown furrowed trunk. Unlike most maples which have a single lobed leaf, the leaves are divided into three to seven lobed leaflets. Young leaves are soft and velvety and are very similar in shape and color to Poison Ivy leaves. Old leaves turn yellow in the fall. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Tiny yellow-green or pink flowers with long drooping stalks bloom just before the leaves open. The photo shows male pollen-producing flowers. Female flowers mature to a pair of one-seeded samaras with curved wings which grow in drooping clusters. When the samara dries and drops from the tree, it rotates like a helicopter. There is a lovely tree by the pond in El Rito which will be festooned with samaras in June. The sap has been used to make syrup by Native Americans and the inner bark was boiled until sugar crystallized out of it. The inner bark was scraped and dried for winter use. Sap was mixed with shavings from the inner sides of animal hides and eaten as candy. Wood was burned as incense for making spiritual medicines and a variety of ceremonial uses. It was also used to make bowls, utensils, fuel, musical instruments and pipe stems. Medicinally, a decoction of the inner bark was used as an emetic. Source.

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April 21, 2023

Shadscale is a dense, spiny, rounded shrub growing to 2½ feet with small, oval leaves, and is easily overlooked. The leaves are covered in a scale which makes them appear silvery. Its tiny yellow flowers are inconspicuous, the pink or purplish bracts are more noticeable. It is drought tolerant and can tolerate saline soils. Traditionally, seeds were used as a grain and leaves were boiled and mixed with cornmeal to make a pudding. Wood was used to make arrow points. The plant was burned and the smoke inhaled as a treatment for epilepsy, leaves used to make a liniment for sore muscles and aches, a poultice of the mashed leaves was applied to the chest and a decoction of the leaves drunk to treat colds. The plant was also rubbed on horses to repel gnats. Source.

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April 14, 2023

The purple haze you see carpeting the medians and roadsides is caused by masses of Purple Mustard. It grows from 2 to 20 inches tall, but usually less, in dense patches with a stout fleshy stem. The lavender flowers are less than ½ inch across and are tubular with four distinctive narrow petals forming a cross. It is a tenacious annual plant and is considered a noxious weed in Colorado. It reduces yields in grain fields and when it is consumed by dairy cattle it gives their milk a bad taste and odor. It was introduced from Asia and no Native American uses were found. It has a musky smell but makes a tasty salad or sandwich according to this forager.

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April 7, 2023

The first bloom I saw this year is generally considered a weed and a nuisance, especially in lawns, but it has culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelions grow from 2 to 16 inches tall with a single flower head on a milky, hollow stem and sharply toothed basal leaves. The many toothed petals produce a sphere of silvery fluffy seeds. A single plant can produce more than 5,000 seeds a year. All parts of the Dandelion are edible. Young leaves and buds can be used raw in salads or smoothies, or cooked and added to soups and stews. Georgia O’Keeffe combined them with mashed potatoes, here is the recipe. Older leaves become bitter. The roots can be also be eaten and used to make coffee, the flowers are used to make a delicate, pale-yellow wine. Dandelions have been used in herbal medicine to treat infections, bile and liver problems, as a diuretic, as a mild laxative, for increasing appetite, and improving digestion. Source. The milky latex has been used as a mosquito repellent and as a folk remedy to treat warts. The flowers produce a yellow dye and the roots a magenta color.

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