Plants

Plant identification and possible use.

• 1. Alkali Sacaton (Sporobolus airoides)
A tall grass with a fragile top.
• 2. Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa)
A shrub with small leaves, 1/2 inch long, that have 3-5 lobes. Blossoms are white with five petals and a very few may be seen almost any time of year. The seeds have long hairs. The wood was used for arrow shafts and broom handles.
• 3. Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
A high country tree with light bark and heart shaped leaves.
• 4. Barberry, Fremont (Mahonia fremontii)
A shrub with green (may be purple in winter) holly like leaves that end in sharp points. Not a plant to walk through.
• 5. Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)
A copper colored grass that grows in washes or other areas where there is more water than usual.
• 6. Blackbrush (Coleogyn ramosissima)
An often symetrical low shrub that frequently dominates the area where it grows. It has a dense cluster of branches, small (1/2 inch) leaves that end in a point, yellow flowers and may live over 100 years.
• 7. Box Elder (Acer negundo)
A small tree with broad leaves (Maple family) that was occasionally tapped by early settlers for syrup.
• 8. Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva)
Rare in the Park though common where they are found. Droopey looking branches. Needles about one inch long in tight bundles of five. Cones definately bristley when mature. Picturesque weathered wood.
• 9. Cliffrose (Purshia stansburyana)
A shrub with loose bark on mature branches. Leaves are small (1/2 inch) and leathery with 5 lobes. Flowers are white, cream or yellowish with 5 petals. Seeds have long hairs. Tea can be made from the leaves and the soft bark was used to line cradle boards. It was also used as an emetic and to make a skin lotion to treat venomous bites.
• 10. Cottonwood (Populus fremontii or angustifolia)
Large trees that grow in or near water and in washes where there is subsurface water. Leaves are usually broad (Fremontii). Bark is quite thick on mature trees.
• 11. Desert Trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum)
A spindley plant with thin branches that are inlfated near joints. May be green (live) or brown (dead). Young stems were eaten cooked or raw.
• 12. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Uncommon in the Park. Found mostly on very steep north facing slopes. Tallest trees in the Park - up to 100 feet. Needles about one inch long and flattened near the end. Won't "bite" when patted with the back of your hand. Cones elongate, comparatively small and soft with a forked seed between the scales.
• 13. Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus)
A thorny shrub with succulent leaves up to 1 1/2 inches long. Grows in alkaline soils and often dominates an area it grows in. The wood was used for tool handles and firewood.
• 14. Hopsage, Spiny (Grayia spinosa)
A spiny low rounded shrub that is more commonly associated with the Mojave Desert.
• 15. Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides)
A spindley tallish grass common in Capitol Reef. Often has small balls (seeds) of rice clinging to the delicate branch ends. The rice was harvested by natives for food.
• 16. Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma)
Locally called Cedar because of the fragrance of the wood. Common. Half of the Pinyon/Juniper forests of the Canyonlands. A short tree, with a spreading canopy. Leaves (if you can call them that) 1/4 inch long and leathery. Berries common and were used as food or seasoning. The wood is long lasting and was used for construction. It is still used for fence posts and firewood. Juniper was also used as an emitic; for headache, influenza, stomachaches and spider bites.
• 17. Manzanita, Greenleaf (Arctostaphylos patula)
A low growing shrub with bright green leaves and red bark found almost exclusively in the Navajo Formation. The berries are edible but tart.
• 18. Mormon Tea (Ephedra torreyana)
A gray green shrub with no leaves, just a collection of thin errect stems. (Minute leaves during a short season) A tea made by steeping the branches was used to fight colds, congestion, kidney problems, bladder problems and afterbirth pains.
• 19. Mormon Tea (Ephedra viridis)
A very green plant otherwise the same as above.
• 20. Mountain Mahogany, Littleleaf (Cercocarpus intricatus)
An intricately branched shrub with simple narrow leaves only 1/2 inch long. The plants are common, evergreen, and grow to seven feet high though most are not that large.
• 21. Mountain Mahogany, Curl-leaf (Cercocarpus ledifolius)
A tree shaped shrub with narrow pointed leaves more than an inch long. Found in very few places in Capitol Reef but is common on parts of the Deep Creek Ridge and Bullberry routes.
• 22. Mountain Mahogany, Birchleaf (Cercocarpus montanus)
A shrub to six feet high, usually smaller, with broad, ribbed, partly toothed deciduous leaves. Found most often high on the Waterpocket Fold.
• 23. Oak, Gamble (Quercus gambelii)
A small deciduous tree, often a shrub or low shrub with deeply lobed leaves. Natives ground the akorn nuts into flower then soaked it in water to disolve the bitter tannins.
• 24. Penstemon, Eaton's (Penstemon eatonii)
Also called Scarlet Bugler. A perenial with stems coming up from a woody base. The blossoms are red and tubular. Leaves are basal and the edges toothed and almost saw-like.
• 25. Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis)
Common in almost all parts of the Park. Short broad trees. Needles one inch long in bundles of two. Cones sticky due to lots of sap. The Pinyon nuts are tasty and were harvested by settlers and prehistoric peoples. The nuts could also be roased or mashed into a butter. The pitch was used on cuts and, sores and to seal pottery and baskets.
• 26. Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Up to 80 feet high. Needles about six inches long in bundles of two or three. Produces the largest cones in the Park. Warm sunlit bark gives off a vanilla scent.
• 27. Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia polyacantha)
A small low growing pad type cactus that is locally called jumping cactus. Grows often in patches, some large, and can get caught on the side of a boot, then inserted with force into the leg of the hiker.
Natives bound the leaf over cuts or wounds to stop bleeding. The fruits were used for food. The juice was used for glue and pink or rose colored dye.
• 28. Princesplume, Desert (Stanleya pinnata)
A perenial flower up to four feet tall that branches near the base. The yellow flowers spread up the stem for more than a foot. The bare stems are visible year round. The plant indicates Selenium in the soil.
• 29. Rabbitbrush, Rubber (Chrysothamnus nauseosus)
A common shrub 1-7 feet tall with numerous hair covered branches eminating from the base. Leaves linear, flat, narrow at the tip. Blossoms in yellow clusters at the end of the branches. Seeds look gray and fluffy.
The plant was used by natives as an emetic, cathartic; to treat coughs, colds, fever, rheumatism, headache, internal injuries, and menstrual pain. A latex from this plant is used in the manufacture of rubber.
• 30. Reed, Common (Phragmites communis)
A grass like plant to 7 feet tall with a large seed head. Grows only in wet areas along streams or seeps.
• 31. Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
A tree common along flowing streams like the Fremont River. Bark is gray green, leaves silvery green so it shows up once recognized. An exotic from Southern Europe and Asia it is rare away from streams.
• 32. Russian Thistle (Kali tragus)
Called Tumbleweed, this exotic from Eurasia spread over the West in a short time. A symetrical plant with red-purple stems, green leaves, and green blossoms. It invades disturbed soil which is usually associated with the work of man but heavy runnoff on steep slopes can give it a foot hold. Cattle trampling also brings in an invasion.
• 33. Sage, Big (Artemisia tridentata)
A shrub 2-7 feet tall often with shaggy bark. Leaves are distinctively aromatic, gray, hairy, 3 lobed and up to 2 inches long. The plant was used to treat headache, indigestion, colds, and swellings. Also used to make yellow-green or gold dye.
• 34. Sage, Fringed (Artemisia frigida)
A much smaller, less common sage that still has the sage aroma.
• 35. Sage, Sand (Artemisia filifolia)
A large whispy gray sage. Leaves are typically aromatic.
• 36. Saltbush, Fourwinged (Atriplex canescens)
A shrub up to 3 feet tall. Leaves thin, up to 1 1/2 inches long. Most easily identified by the cluster of tan colored seeds on the branches. Seeds have four distinct wings.
Natives ground and cooked the seeds for cereal, leaves were cooked and eaten, ashes were used as leavening for bread. The plant is a valuable browse for wildlife.
• 37. Serviceberry, Utah (Amelanchier utahensis)
A low to large shrub that may be 12 feet tall. Identified by reddish bark on mature stems and small leaves serrated on the ends. Flowers are white, five petals and fragrent. The berries are pink to purplish, seedy, and were used in making pemmican.
• 38. Shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia)
A spiny shrub up to 3 feet tall with dull green sparkley leaves. The leaves are edible but salty.
• 39. Silverleaf. Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea)
A distinctive silvery green shrub that grows to 7 feet tall. Early settlers used the berries to make a sause for buffalo steaks.
• 40. Skunkbush (Rhus trilobata)
Other names include Squawbush, Aromatic Sumac, Fragrent Sumac, Smooth Sumac.
A compact bush 2-6 feet tall with three part leaves. Each part is lobed. The flexible branches were and still are used in basketry. The berries are eaten by wildlife and the seeds make a refreshing but sour drink when soaked in water.
• 41. Snakeweed, Broom (Gutierrezia sarothrae)
A low (up to 3 feet) rounded shrub. Branches rediate from a narrow base and are topped with yellow flowers. An indicator of disturbed land. Toxic to livestock.
• 42. Tamerisk (Tamarix chinensis)
Also called Salt Cedar this small tree has invaded the west from Eurasia. Branches are spindly and spreading on solo plants but numerous and able to create an impenitrable barrier when grouped. Fragrant blossoms are white to pinkish, in long clusters. Named for the Tamaris river of Spain.
• 43. Virgins Bower (Clematis ligusticifolia)
A woody vine up to 30 feet long that climbs over other plants. Small white flowers without petals. Seed clumps look like cotton balls with each seed having one long hair.
• 44. Yucca, Dwarf (Yucca harrimaniae)
A solitary plant with long lance shaped upright leaves with sharp points. Flowers are greenish yellow to cream colored and born on a sturdy stalk that grows well above the leaves.
The fruit was baked for food, fibers used to make twine, nets, snares, sandles, and the roots used to make suds.

Bibliography

Ameican Geological Institute. Dictionary of Geological Terms. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, 1962

Bowers, Janice Emily. Shrubs and trees of the Southwest Deserts. Tuscon, Arizona. Lorraine Press.

Collier, Michael. The Geology of Capitol Reef National Park. Salt Lake City,: Lorraine Press.

Fagan, Damian. Canyon Country Wildflowers. Helena and Billings, Montana. Falcon Publishing Company.

Little, Elbert L. National Audubon Society. Field guide to North American Trees. New York. Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

Meyer, Susan E. Plant Checklist Capitol Reef National Park. Capitol Reef Natural History Association

Moab Information Center. Xeriscape Garden Plant List.

Morris, Thomas H., Manning, Vicky, and Ritter, Scott M. Geology of Capitol Reef National Park: Emery, Wayne, and Garfield Counties, Utah. Brigham Young University, 5375 ESC, Provo, Utah 84602

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