The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found at roadsides and in dry, sandy areas
Seen blooming in July near Hwy 554

Blazingstars are also called Eveningstars because they do not open until late in the afternoon, this photo was taken at 7.30 pm. During the day their flowers are tightly closed so easily overlooked. They are in the Stickleaf family, so named because their leaves have barbed hairs and stick to clothing and fur like Velcro. It grows to 2 ½ feet tall with stout white branched stems.  Flowers are 2" across with long yellow stamens. Flowers can be bright yellow, but I mostly see pale yellow, almost white flowers in this area. Traditionally, the seeds have been eaten raw or ground into a meal. Medicinally it has been used to treat tuberculosis, as a diuretic, a laxative and as a pain reliever for rheumatism and toothaches. Tewa Indians had one of the most interesting uses for the Blazingstar. When a young boy was old enough to ride a horse for the first time, the Tewa would rub the leaves of the plant over the boy’s skin. He would then dress and mount the horse. The sticky plant substance was used to help with the boy’s grip and enable him to ride without falling off. Source.
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If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found in pine forests, roadsides
Seen blooming in July by SR285, south of Tres Piedras

MacDougall’s Verbena grows over three feet tall with stiff, branched stems. Leaves are long and toothed. The whole plant is hairy and resembles some members of the mint family, but it does not have the aroma. The long, thick, dense flower spikes have a ring of small flowers at one level which moves up the spike as the flower matures. Traditionally the Navajo used MacDougall’s Verbena in various ceremonial ways as a lotion and fumigant and a cold infusion was taken and used as lotion for fever. Source.
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If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found in ditches, roadsides, pastures
Seen blooming in late June by SR 554 south of El Rito

Russian Knapweed grows in a bush one to three feet high with stiff branches and forms dense colonies with creeping roots. Flowers are ½ to ¾ inch across and thistle-like, ranging from white to pink to lavender in color. Bracts are smooth with rounded tips, green and cobwebby. It is toxic to horses and considered a highly invasive, noxious weed by the State of New Mexico and many other states. A single Russian knapweed plant can produce about 1,200 seeds per year. The findings of a recent study suggest it is a promising source of natural antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-cholinesterase and anti-amylase agents for the management of oxidative damage, and pharmaceutical, food, and cosmeceutical purposes. In folk medicine, the plant has been used for many years as an emetic, anti-epileptic and anti-malaria remedy. Source.
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If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found in disturbed soil, roadsides, streambanks
Seen blooming in June in Red Wash Canyon

White Sweet Clover grows with an airy, bushy habit to six feet tall with many branches and tiny, fragrant, white flowers growing in long clusters. Leaves are divided into three leaflets. It could be mistaken for alfalfa before it blooms. It is not native to North America and was introduced from Europe as a forage crop, and is now used to stabilize bare slopes, for soil-building, and is planted by beekeepers for the nectar of its flowers. It likes fire and can erupt in an explosion of growth following a burn. The young leaves can be eaten raw, preferably before the plant blossoms. They are bitter and aromatic, usually used as flavoring in salads. The whole plant thoroughly dried can be used to make a tea with a hint of vanilla. The seeds can be used as a spice. Fermented or moldy clover should never be used. Source. It has been considered a medicinal plant since ancient times; Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used Sweet Clover herb to treat skin ulcers. Sweet Clover produces a coumarin compound that can be converted to dicoumarin, which is used medicinally as a blood thinner and an anticoagulant in rat poisons. It has also been used medicinally to treat external and internal inflammation and stomach and intestinal ulcers. Sweet Clover inflorescences have been used in eye lotions. Source

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found in dry, sandy, open areas
Seen blooming in June on the Espinosa Trail, Abiquiu

Fineleaf Hymenopappus is easily overlooked because it has no petal-like ray flowers and small flower heads. It is usually a woolly/hairy plant with stems branching from a rosette or mound of basal leaves. Leaves are twice-divided into narrow or thread-like leaflets which are sometimes covered in woolly hairs, giving a grey appearance. Tubular disk flowers have five lobes and range in color from very yellow to almost white. Thirteen varieties have been identified. This variety, cinerus, grows to 2½ feet high covered in dense white hair in a more rounded bushy form. Basal and stem leaflets are very finely divided. Flowers are less than ½" across and yellow. Traditionally, a poultice of the root with lard was applied to ease swellings, and a decoction of the root was taken as an emetic. The root was also used as a chewing gum, and the leaves were boiled and baked into bread. Source.
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If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.