Sheet1 Ecological & Eco-region in Elevation Water Sun/Shade Growth Commercial Family Scientific Name Common Name Colorado* Range (ft) Soils Regime** Preference Attributes Availability Comments medium to resprouts from most fires; can coarse- partial shade clump-forming be indicative of poor grazing Agavaceae (Agave) Yucca glauca soapweed yucca EP, WS, M 0-7,500? textured 1-4 to full sun shrub good management FNA: Allium cernuum is the perennial bulb most widespread North EP, EF, M, R, partial shade from elongated American species of the Alliaceae (Onion) Allium cernuum nodding onion SA 2,000-11,500 various 4-5 to full sun rootstocks; good genus. FNA: "Sandy habitats, sand hills, riverbanks, creeks, lakes, disturbed areas, agricultural fields" FGP: "Common on sand dunes, sandy prairies, stream annual; valleys, fields, roadsides, Amaranthaceae sandhill amaranth flowering waste places, less common on (Amaranth) Amaranthus arenicola (pigweed) EP 0-6,000 sandy 2-6 full sun summer-fall ? hard soils." FNA: probably native to c and e NA, naturalized elsewhere FGP: "Infrequent to locally annual; common in dry prairies, Amaranthaceae flowering pastures, fields, roadsides, (Amaranth) Amaranthus blitoides mat (prostrate) amaranth EP 0-6,600 various 3-7 full sun summer-fall ? stream valleys, waste places" FNA: "Banks of rivers, lakes, and streams, disturbed habitats, agricultural fields, railroads, roadsides, waste areas" FGP: "A common plant in cult. fields, fallow land, stream annual; valleys, prairie ravines, Amaranthaceae partial shade flowering roadsides, & waste places" (Amaranth) Amaranthus retroflexus redroot pigweed EP, EF, 0-7,500 various 3-6 to full sun summer-fall ? W&W treats as an alien Page 1 Sheet1 FNA: "Primary and disturbed vegetation, riparian forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands, desert scrub, creosote bush scrub, mesquite-yucca communities, grasslands, coastal dunes, beaches, roadsides, fields, in basalt deposits, limestone, gypseous, calcareous, alluvial, rocky, volcanic, gravelly, sandy, silty, muddy, and clayey soils" EP, WS annual; FGP: "Locally common on (Extreme SE & flowering sand dunes, open dry rocky Amaranthaceae Cladothrix (Tidestromia) woolly tidestromia SW corners of sandy, partial sun to spring-fall or prairie, stream valleys, waste (Amaranth) lanuginosa (espanta vaquero) CO) 0-6,300 various 1-7? full shade late winter-fall ? places" FNA: "Open sand prairies, edges of woodlands in sandy soils, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way" FGP: "Locally common on sand dunes, sandy prairies, annual; stream valleys, roadsides, less Amaranthaceae partial shade flowering common in sandy or rocky (Amaranth) Froelichia floridana plains snakecotton EP 0-6,000 sandy 3-4 to full sun summer ? open woodlands" FGP: "Locally common on sand dunes, sandy prairies, & pastures, stream valleys, less annual; common in sandy or rocky flowering open woodlands" summer or FNA: "Open plains, rocky Amaranthaceae occassionally hillsides, roadsides, waste (Amaranth) Froelichia gracilis slender snakecotton EP 100-5,500 sandy 3-4 full sun year-round ? ground, railroad ballast." seems to aid in soil stabilization especially on steep slopes and windswept Rocky Mountain areas; nurture if you find it in Apiaceae (Parsley) Cymopterus planosus springparsley M, WS 6,200-9,100 dry 1-4? full sun low-growing not available your restoration areas Page 2 Sheet1 seed often contaminated with invasive European A. Asteraceae partial shade usually--see millefolium; when in doubt, (Sunflower) Achillea lanulosa common yarrow EP, EF, M to 10,000 poor 3-5 to full sun rhizomatous comment avoid this plant. desirable forage for sheep and evergreen; goats, but not cattle; Asteraceae herbaceous to sometimes a sign of (Sunflower) Artemisia frigida fringed sage PJ, M, EF, 4,500-10,000 poor 3-4 full sun woody at base good overgrazing herbaceous to woody at base; rhizomatous; at least 2 different races aggressive colonizer--can be exist, one with invasive in some settings broader white leaves and 1 with smaller, usually only somewhat cultivar Asteraceae partial shade pinnatifid gray 'Valerie (Sunflower) Artemisia ludoviciana prairie sage PJ, M, EF, EP to 10,000 poor 3-4 to full sun leaves Finnis' perennial; highly preferred fine to forage by Asteraceae medium sheep and (Sunflower) Balsamorhiza sagittata arrowleaf balsamroot M, EF, 6,000-9,000 texture 4-5 full sun wildlife good short-lived medium to perennial; Asteraceae common gaillardia coarse partial shade great for (Sunflower) Gaillardia aristata (blanketflower) EP, EF, M, PJ 5,000-9,000 texture 3-4 to full sun pollinators good reseeds Asteraceae partial shade biennial; great readily reseeds (Sunflower) Grindelia squarrosa curlycup gumweed EP, EF, M, PJ 5,000-9,000 poor 3-4 to full sun for pollinators not available gravel outwash mesa; foliage contains a poisonous shortgrass saponin and the plant can also prairie accumulate selenium; heavy Asteraceae PJ, M, EF, EP, cover can be indicative of (Sunflower) Gutierrezia sarothrae broom snakeweed WS 3,700-9,000 poor 3-4 full sun low excessive grazing practices Page 3 Sheet1 tall branched annual with readily reseeds Asteraceae EP, EF, WS, multiple flower (Sunflower) Helianthus annuus common sunflower M 5,000-9,000 poor 3-4 full sun heads ? Flowers start with a green central disk and tiny green Disturbed areas, openings, rays, gradually meadows. changing to golden disks Asteraceae partial shade and golden- (Sunflower) Heliomeris multiflora showy goldeneye EF, M, WS 5,000-10,000 ? ? to full sun yellow rays. good herbaceous composite with readily reseeds several stems Asteraceae Heterotheca (Chrysopsis) EP, EF, M, partial shade arising from a (Sunflower) villosa hairy false goldenaster WS, 3,500-7,000 poor 4-2 to full sun woody base; good Asteraceae Hymenoxys (Dugaldia) owl's-claws (orange partial shade great for can be poisonous if foraged in (Sunflower) hoopesii sneezeweed) R, SA, 6000-11,500 6 to full sun pollinators good large quantities dry native grassland, ponds and swales, especially alkaline Asteraceae povertyweed (poverty various; partial shade rhizomatous spots in heavily grazed (Sunflower) Iva axillaris sumpweed, marsh elder) EP, WS 4,000-8,800 alkaline 2-6 to full sun perennial ? pastures giant sumpweed can be mistaken for common Asteraceae Iva (Cyclachaena) (povertyweed) partial shade annual; tall, sunflower when not in flower (Sunflower) xanthifolia EP, R, WS 4,000-8,400 various 4-8 to full sun coarse herb ? herbaceous Asteraceae EF, M, SA, partial shade biennial with a hybridizes with M. canescens (Sunflower) Machaeranthera bigelovii Bigelow's tansyaster WS 5,700-10,400 poor 2-6 to full sun taproot good grows from Asteraceae upright prairie EP, EF, WS, taproot; some native medicinal uses; (Sunflower) Ratibida columnifera coneflower PJ 3,500-7,500 various 3-4 full sun herbaceous good deer resistant herbaceous, Asteraceae medium to sun to partial rhizomatous favorite browse plant for (Sunflower) Senecio triangularis arrowleaf ragwort R, SA 5,800-11,400 fine texture 5-7 shade perennial good wildlife herbaceous perrennial with Asteraceae Thelesperma ambiguum Colorado greenthread thread-like (Sunflower) (megapotamicum ) (rayless Hopi tea) EP, WS 3,600-7,500 various 2-5 full sun leaves ? Page 4 Sheet1 herbaceous annual with good nectar plant for Asteraceae EP, EF, M, thread-like butterflies; deer resistant (Sunflower) Thelesperma filifolium stiff greenthread WS, PJ 3,500-8,000 various 3-5 full sun leaves good favorite browse Asteraceae medium to plant for (Sunflower) Wyethia amplexicaulis mule ears PJ, R, M, EF 5,200-11,000 fine texture 4-6 full sun wildlife ? rhizomatous herbaceous perennial with hybrids common; good spreading/droo colonizer, prospering afer ping branches, disturbance such as fire and medium to milky juice; logging. Apocynaceae Apocynum coarse partial shade pink, tubular (Dogbane) androsaemifolium spreading dogbane EF, M, WS 6,000-9,000 texture 4-6 to full sun flowers low milky sap (low toxicity in this species); gravel outwash mesa; shortgrass prairie Asclepiadaceae EP, EF, M, (Milkweed) Asclepias speciosa showy milkweed ,SLV, WS 3,700-8,000 various 3-6 full sun okay patches of narrow, whorled leaves topped with white, star-like Asclepiadaceae EP, EF, M, partial shade flowers; sap (Milkweed) Asclepias subverticillata horsetail milkweed WS 3,800-7,900 various 3-6 to full sun milky ? erect, many- branched, herbaceous pale yellow,funnel-shaped medium to perennial with flowers with fringed petals Boraginaceae narrowleaf stoneseed EP, EF, M, coarse partial shade a woody (Borage) Lithospermum incisum (fringed puccoon) ,SLV, WS 3,600-8,700 texture 2-6 to full sun taproot ? Boraginaceae medium herbaceous green or pale yellow flowers (Borage) Lithospermum ruderale western stoneseed WS, M 4,500-9,500 texture 2-6 full sun perennial ? Page 5 Sheet1 erect, many- branched, herbaceous strongly impressed leaf veins medium to perennial with and stiff hairs Boraginaceae coarse partial shade a woody (Borage) Onosmodium molle marbleseed EP, EF, R 4,200-7,500 texture 3-6 to full sun taproot ? annual; great for pollinators; sticky & unpleasant smelling foliage and Capparaceae Rocky Mountain pods (Caper) Cleome serrulata beeplant EP, EF 5,000-9,500 poor 2-6 full sun good annual; dry or saline substrates, saline, fine- including 2 subspecies in CO; difficult to Chenopodiaceae EP, EF, M, textured plains & distinguish from other annual (Goosefoot) Atriplex argentea silverscale saltbush WS, SLV 4,700-9,000 substrates 3-6 full sun valleys ? chenopods; monoecious annual; monoecious