Wildflowers of the Mountain West

Purple Flowers

PURPLE FLOWERS Western Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum), Utah County, Utah, 2010, Elevation: 6,313 ft. 206 Aspen Fleabane Erigeron speciosus Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range 6 inches to 2 1/2 feet Multiple clusters of daisy-like (composite) flowers with 60 to 150 narrow outer petals (ray flowers), borne on a single stalk Color: Purple to nearly white Size: 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide June to August Upright, open habit with gray-green, oval (pointed tip), hairy (pubescent) leaves that alternate along the stem Open woodlands and foothills 6,500 to 11,000 feet Sunflower Family - Asteraceae 207 Wildflowers of the Mountain West Asters have several overlapping rows of leaf-like structures (bracts) at the base of the flowers (involucre), much like shingles on a roof, whereas fleabane daisies have only one to two rows. 208 Roundleaf Harebell Campanula rotundifolia Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range 5 to 16 inches Drooping (pendulous), bell-shaped flowers that alternate along the stalk Color: Purple to lavender Size: 1/2 to 1 inch long June to September Upright habit with rounded basal leaves and linear leaves that alternate along erect stems Moist woodlands, grassy meadows, and roadsides 5,300 to 12,000 feet Bellflower Family - Campanulaceae 209 Wildflowers of the Mountain West After seeing this little “belle” of a flower, you will not wonder that there are hundreds of its relatives in cultivated landscapes. 210 Silvery Lupine Lupinus argenteus Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range 6 inches to 2 1/2 feet Individual pea-like flowers that are borne along a tall, vertical stalk (raceme) and develop into distinctive, hairy, pea-like seedpods Color: Purple to lavender Size: 1/4 to 1/2 inch long June to August Upright, dense habit with gray-green, hairy (pubescent), palm-like leaves (palmately compound) that consist of 5 to 10 leaflets that are attached to a long stem (petiole) Open woodlands, dry foothills, and meadows 5,000 to 10,900 feet Pea Family - Fabaceae 211 Wildflowers of the Mountain West Though lupines are some of the most commonly encountered wildflowers in the Mountain West, they were unknown to science until Lewis and Clark collected a specimen in Montana in July of 1806. 212 Prairie Lupine Lupinus lepidus Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range Look-Alike 2 to 20 inches Individual pea-like flowers that are borne along a vertical stalk (raceme), which can be immersed within the foliage, and develop into distinctive, hairy, pea-like seedpods Color: Purple to lavender Size: 1/8 to 3/8 inch long June to August Low, mounding habit with gray-green, hairy (pubescent), palm-like leaves (palmately compound) that consist of 5 to 10 leaflets that are attached to a short stem (petiole) Gravelly slopes and disturbed sites 6,200 to 11,150 feet Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii Pea Family - Fabaceae Look-Alike flowers extend beyond the leaves 213 Wildflowers of the Mountain West There are ten varieties of Lupinus lepidus in the western United States, with variety utahensis being the most widespread. 214 Ballhead Waterleaf Hydrophyllum capitatum Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range 4 to 16 inches Multiple tubular flowers arranged in round clusters (cymes) of puffball-like heads that are found below the foliage Color: Purple to lavender Size: 1 to 2 inches wide (cluster) April to July Mounding habit with bright green, succulent, hairy (pubescent) leaves that are deeply lobed with 7 to 10 leaflets Open woodlands and moist slopes 4,600 to 9,000 feet Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae 215 Wildflowers of the Mountain West The tender shoots and roots were used by Native Americans and early western settlers as a potherb. 216 Silverleaf Phacelia Phacelia hastata Plant Size Flower Bloom Time Form/Foliage Habitat Elevation Range 6 inches to 3 feet Clusters of individual flowers that are borne along a tightly coiled stalk and become more evident and upright as they open with maturity Color: Purple to white Size: 1/4 inch long May to July Upright habit with gray-green, spear-like, hairy (pubescent) leaves that alternate along the stems Open woodlands, gravelly hillsides, and dry, open slopes 4,400 to 11,400 feet Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae 217 Wildflowers of the Mountain West The species name hastata refers...