Felger, R.S. and S. Rutman. 2016. Ajo Peak to Tinajas Altas: A flora of southwestern Arizona. Part 17. Eudicots: Nyctaginaceae to Plumbaginaceae. Phytoneuron 2016-34: 1–77. Published 11 May 2016. ISSN 2153 733X AJO PEAK TO TINAJAS ALTAS: A FLORA OF SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA PART 17. EUDICOTS: NYCTAGINACEAE TO PLUMBAGINACEAE RICHARD STEPHEN FELGER Herbarium, University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 & International Sonoran Desert Alliance 401 W Esperanza Ave Ajo, Arizona 85321 *Author for correspondence:
[email protected] SUSAN RUTMAN 90 West 10th Street Ajo, Arizona 85321
[email protected] ABSTRACT A floristic and natural history account is provided for nine eudicot families as part of the vascular flora of the contiguous protected areas of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and the Tinajas Altas Region in southwestern Arizona: Nyctaginaceae, Oleaceae, Onagraceae, Orobanchaceae, Oxalidaceae, Papaveraceae, Phrymaceae, Plantaginaceae, and Plumbaginaceae. We report Menodora scabra seeds having mucilaginous myxotesta, which is a potential means of seed dispersal that may be related to the unusual distribution of the genus on three continents. This is the seventeenth contribution of our flora in southwestern Arizona and includes 9 eudicot families: Nyctaginaceae (17 species, 6 genera), Oleaceae (4 species, 3 genera), Onagraceae (11 taxa, 5 genera), Orobanchaceae (4 species, 2 genera), Oxalidaceae (1 species), Papaveraceae (4 species, 2 genera), Phrymaceae (2 species, 1 genus), Plantaginaceae (13 species, 10 genera), and Plumbaginaceae (1 species, 1 genus). ( Rivina is moved from Phytolaccaceae to Rivinaceae in a forthcoming part of this flora series.) The flora area covers 5141 km 2 (1985 mi 2) of contiguous protected areas in the heart of the Sonoran Desert (Figure 1).