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

By Marilyn Phillips

Found in moist, alkaline meadows
Seen blooming in September near the Rio Chama

Fiddleleaf Hawksbeard is a hairless plant growing to two feet tall with only one or two small leaves on the stem and mostly basal leaves forming a rosette. Basal leaves are less than one inch wide, only slightly toothed. The dandelion-like flowers are about one inch across with petals that have five small teeth at the tip. Traditionally, the leaves were eaten, a poultice of the whole plant was applied 'to open up a carbuncle or cancer' and an infusion of young plants drunk for homesickness and lonesomeness. 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 [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

By Marilyn Phillips

Found in open, sandy areas
Seen blooming in late August near Hwy 554

This delicate plant grows to 18 inches 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 do. Native Americans had many uses for the plant and used it to treat a variety of ailments. A decoction of the leaves was taken for stomachaches; crushed leaves and flowers were steeped into a tea that was taken for headaches, used on sores, and as a hair tonic to prevent baldness and lengthen the hair; and the plant was chewed together with salt to treat heartburn. An infusion of roots was used to eliminate the ozone in cases of lightning shock. An infusion of the flowers was mixed with feed and given to sheep with stomach disorders. The Zuni people use the dried, powdered flowers to create a poultice to remove hair on newborns and children. The Navajo used the plant to make a prebreakfast drink which was taken to make the person 'bark' or sing loudly for the Squaw Dance. 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 [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

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

By Marilyn Phillips

Found in dry areas, woodlands, roadsides
Seen blooming in August by Hwy 554

Several species of Globemallow grow in this area blooming from spring until fall. They have five orange petals forming a saucer-like flower. The foliage is covered with star-shaped hairs giving it a grey-green appearance. The shape of the leaves differentiates the species. Blooming now is Fendler’s Globemallow which grows to 4 feet tall with graceful stems; it can become shrub-like. Leaves are divided into three lobes, two smaller side lobes and a larger central lobe, all with scalloped edges. Flowers are over 1 inch across and produce a disc-shaped fruit with 11 to 15 segments, each segment contains a seed. Traditionally, Globemallow has been used to treat sand cricket bites; an infusion of the plant was taken for mouth sores, internal injury and hemorrhage, and it was also made into a lotion to treat external injuries. 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 [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

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

Found in sandy areas, floodplains, saline or alkaline soils
Seen blooming in August near the Rio Chama

Desert Goosefoot has no showy blooms and would disappear into the background but for its height and whitish appearance. It grows to about three feet high covered in a whitish powder. Members of the Goosefoot genus are so called because their leaves are shaped like a goose’s foot but the leaves of Desert Goosefoot are mostly narrow. Lower leaves may have the lobes that give them the goose foot shape but these usually wither as the plant matures. Flowers are tiny and greenish in dense clusters. Leaves and young shoots can be cooked and eaten like spinach. Seed can be ground into a powder and mixed with wheat or other cereals in making bread etc. 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 [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

Found at roadsides and in dry, open areas
Seen blooming in August off Hwy 554

Many yellow flowers bloom towards the end of summer. From a distance they may look similar but get closer and the size of the flowers, the leaves and growth habit will distinguish them. Snakeweed grows like a rounded bush from 12 to 30 inches high with thread-like leaves. This impressive plant is three feet across, probably thanks to all the rain it has received. The flowers are tiny with a few petals, less than 1/4" across, and grow in dense golden clusters. The shape, height and tiny flowers distinguish it. An abundance of Snakeweed is a sign of over-grazing because cattle dislike the taste. In the winter, Snakeweed dies back, leaving brittle stems that make great kindling. The stems were bound together to make brooms and the flowers used to make a dye. Snakeweed was used by Native Americans for a multitude of medicinal purposes, including as a treatment for snakebites, indigestion, bee stings, headaches, diarrhea, painful menstruation, colds, fevers and nosebleeds, and as a laxative for horses. 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 [email protected]. Read online for tips.