Wildflowers

Dwarf monkeyflowers bloom every year on the cinder flats in early summer.

NPS Photo

Despite the seemingly barren nature of the cinder cones and lava fields, spectacular floral displays occur at Craters of the Moon each spring. Peak bloom for spring wildflowers generally occurs in early to mid-June. Starting with the arrival of the wild onion in late April and ending with the disappearance of the yellow blossoms of the rabbitbrush in September, a variety of wildflowers can be found blooming within the park's boundaries. The ability to grow in this harsh environment means overcoming a lack of moisture, meager soil, and surface temperatures that exceed 150°F. Many of the unusual characteristics of the wildflowers are adaptations for survival in this extreme environment.

A checklist of common plants of Craters of the Moon is available from the visitor center.

You can also download or view the full list of plants found in the park at the bottom of the page via NPSpecies.

Have a question about a plant you find? Take a photo to show to a ranger. Remember to Leave No Trace during your visit by leaving any plants or flowers you find and knowing where off-trail travel is permitted.

 

Common Wildflowers

Plants can have multiple common names which can also vary from region to region. Scientific names and families can also change as time goes on and more is learned about a plant or group of plants. Below are some of the most common flowering plants seen in the park.

An asterisk (*) indicates an introduced species.

Yellow Flowers
Common Name	Scientific Name	Family
Turpentine Parsley (Desert Parsley)	Cymopterus terebinthinus	Apiaceae (Carrot)
Mountain Dandelion	Agoseris glauca	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Sagebrush	Artemisia spp. (8 varieties)	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Arrowleaf Balsamroot	Balsamorhiza sagittata	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Hawksbeard	Crepis spp. (4 species)	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Rubber Rabbitbrush	Ericameria nauseosa (2 varieties)	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Dwarf Goldenbush	Haplopappus nanus	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Hairy False Goldenaster	Heterotheca villosa	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Groundsel	Senecio spp. (4 species)	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
*Western Salsify	Tragopogon dubius	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Wayside Gromwell	Lithospermum ruderale	Boraginaceae (Borage)
Plains Prickly Pear	Opuntia polyacantha	Cactaceae (Cactus)
Longspur Lupine	Lupinus arbustus	Fabaceae (Pea)
Leopard Lily	Fritillaria atropurpurea	Liliaceae (Lily)
Whitestem Stickleaf	Mentzelia albicaulis	Loasaceae (Loasa)
Smoothstem Blazingstar	Mentzelia laevicaulis	Loasaceae (Loasa)
Suksdorf’s Monkeyflower	Erythranthe suksdorfii	Phrymaceae (Lopseed)
Buckwheat	Eriogonum spp. (24 varieties)	Polygonaceae (Buckwheat)
Dwarf Buckwheat	Eriogonum ovalifolium (4 varieties)	Polygonaceae (Buckwheat)
Sulfur Buckwheat	Eriogonum umbellatum (2 varieties)	Polygonaceae (Buckwheat)
Gland Cinquefoil	Drymocallis glandulosa	Rosaceae (Rose)
Antelope Bitterbrush	Purshia tridentata	Rosaceae (Rose)
*Common Mullein	Verbascum thapsus	Scrophulariaceae (Figwort)
Nuttall’s Violet	Viola nutallii	Violaceae (Violet)

White Flowers
Common Name	Scientific Name	Family
Western Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Shaggy Fleabane	Erigeron pumilus	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Dusty Maiden	Chaenactis douglasii	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Cryptantha	Cryptantha spp. (10 species)	Boraginaceae (Borage)
Wax Currant	Ribes cereum	Grossulariaceae (Currant)
Syringa	Philadelphus lewisii	Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea)
Sego Lily	Calochortus nuttallii	Liliaceae (Lily)
Bitterroot	Lewisia rediviva	Montiaceae
Ground Smoke	Gayophytum spp. (6 species)	Onagraceae (Evening Primrose)
Scabland Penstemon	Penstemon deustus	Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
Common Prickly Phlox	Leptodactylon pungens	Polemoniaceae (Phlox)
Serviceberry	Amelanchier alnifolia	Rosaceae (Rose)
Fernbush	Chamaebatiaria millefolium	Rosaceae (Rose)
Rockspirea	Holodiscus dumosus	Rosaceae (Rose)
Choke Cherry	Prunus virginiana	Rosaceae (Rose)
Slender Woodland Star	Lithophragma tenellum	Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage)
Coyote Tobacco	Nicotiana attenuata	Solanaceae (Nightshade)

Pink and Red Flowers
Common Name	Scientific Name	Family
Western Snakeroot (Western Joepye-Weed)	Ageratina occidentalis	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Spiny Skeletonweed	Pleiacanthus spinosus	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Narrow Leaved Wirelettuce	Stephanomeria tenuifolia	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Rockcress	Boechera spp. (14 varieties)	Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Indian Paintbrush	Castilleja spp. (8 varieties)	Orobanchaceae (Broomrape)
Dwarf Monkeyflower	Diplacus nanus	Phrymaceae (Lopseed)
Palmer’s Penstemon	Penstemon palmeri	Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
Scarlet Gilia	Ipomopsis aggregata	Polemoniaceae (Phlox)
Longleaf Phlox	Phlox longifolia	Polemoniaceae (Phlox)

Purple and Blue Flowers
Common Name	Scientific Name	Family
Hoary Tansyaster	Machaeranthera canescens	Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Silverleaf Phacelia (Scorpionweed)	Phacelia hastata (2 varieties)	Boraginaceae (Borage)
Lupine	Lupinus spp. (13 varieties)	Fabaceae (Pea)
Wild Onion	Allium spp. (6 species)	Liliaceae (Lily)
Blue-eyed Mary	Collinsia parviflora	Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
Blue Penstemon	Penstemon cyaneus	Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
Larkspur	Delphinium spp. (3 varieties)	Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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