Plants

Pasqueflowers or “Prairie Crocus” - Pulsatilla Patens  In the Buttercup Family,
they bloom in foothills to tundra as the snow melts. They are the first flower of spring.

NPS Photo by Sheena Harper

Florissant is a French word meaning "flowering" or "blooming." Although the valley was named after Florissant, Missouri by an early settler, the name is fitting in that the summers often bring blankets of beautiful wildflowers into the mountain meadows and forests.

With a mixture of forests and meadows, shrubs and wildflowers, Florissant provides wonderful opportunities to experience and learn about Montane ecosystems.

The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Herbarium in Colorado contains a nearly complete record of all the flora found within our 6,000 acre boundaries. The Herbarium has been vouchered by William A. Weber, Professor and Curator Emeritus of the Herbarium, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.

Disclaimer: Many wildflowers have different common names, but only one scientific name; therefore, some of the wildflowers you see may have different names than what you know them to be. Additionally, these are only a handful of the ones you may see.