Apocynum androsaemifolium – Dogbane Plant with milky sap, 20-70 cm tall. Flowers pink or white with pink veins, 4-12 mm long, in open clusters. Leaves opposite, spreading to hanging, egg-shaped to oblong, sharp-pointed. Dry areas, plains-subalpine.
ASTERACEAE – COMPOSITE FAMILY:
Antennaria rosea – Rosy Pussytoes Mat-forming, slender plant, 5-40 cm tall. Dry, open areas, plains to montane.
Flowerheads pink or white, 4-7 mm long, 5-10 growing in flat-topped clusters.
Leaves gray-hairy, alternate, few on stem. Basal leaves spoon-shaped.
Arctium minus – Common Burdock Stout, coarse, branching biennial, up to 150 cm tall. Disturbed areas.
Flowerheads purple, round, bur-like, with hooks, 15-25 mm wide, short-stalked.
Leaves large, ovate to heart-shaped with thin, woolly hairs underneath.
Aster conspicuus – Showy Aster Stout, unbranched perennial, 30-100 cm tall. Open woods, foothills to montane.
Flowerheads blue-violet, with 12-35 rays, many in clusters. Involucre glandular.
Leaves alternate, firm, sharp-toothed, elliptic, 6-15 cm long and 2-6 cm wide.
Centaurea maculosa – Spotted Knapweed Rough-hairy, branched biennial. Noxious weed in fields and roadsides.
Flowerheads pink-purple, 2-2.5 cm wide. Involucral bracts with dark, fringed tips.
Leaves alternate, pinnate with thin, narrow lobes, or reduced upper ones entire.
Cirsium arvense – Canada Thistle Perennial, 30-150 cm tall. Stems leafy, branched, not winged. Disturbed areas.
Flowerheads pink to purple, 1-2 cm high, often with weak, short spine tips..
Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, spiny-toothed, deeply pinnately lobed.
Cirsium vulgare – Bull Thistle Biennial, 30-150 cm tall. Stems branched, spiny-winged. Disturbed areas.
Flowerheads pink to purple, 2.5-4 cm high, without glutinous dorsal ridges.
Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, hairy and spiny-toothed, deeply pinnately lobed.
Erigeron speciosus – Showy Fleabane Stems often clustered, leafy, 15-80 cm tall. Open woods, foothills to montane.
Flowerheads blue, purple or pink, with 65-150 slender ray florets 9-18 mm long.
Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, hairless, entire, slightly clasping the stem.
Liatris punctata – Dotted Blazingstar Plant 10-40 cm tall, hairless with several stems. Dry, open places, roadsides.
Flowerheads purple, with 4-6 large disk florets, in dense, tall and narrow clusters.
Leaves alternate, numerous, narrow, dotted with tiny pits, rough-hairy on edges.
BORAGINACEAE – BORAGE FAMILY:
Cynoglossum officinale – Hounds-tongue Coarse, softly long-hairy plant, 30-80 cm tall. Flowers reddish-purple, numerous on many long, 1-sided, spreading branches. Leaves alternate, elliptic to lance-shaped. A weed in disturbed sites.
Symphytum officinale – Comfrey Robust, stiff-hairy plant, 30-120 cm tall, stems clustered. Flowers purple or dull blue, nodding, about 15 mm long, narrowly bell-shaped. Leaves large, up to 30 cm long, the bases extended down the stem. Disturbed sites.
BRASSICACEAE – MUSTARD FAMILY:
Chorispora tenella – Musk Mustard Branched annual, flowers about 1 cm wide. Leaves basal and alternate, shallowly toothed. Fruit pods curved upward, with long, pointed beak.
CAPRIFOLIACEAE – HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY:
Symphoricarpos occidentalis – Western Snowberry Shrub 50-100 cm tall. Well-drained, open or wooded sites, plains to montane.
Flowers whitish, broadly funnel-shaped, 7-10 mm wide, lobes longer than corolla.
Leaves opposite, broadly elliptic to oval, 3-8 cm long, slightly wavy-edged.
CARYOPHYLLACEAE – PINK FAMILY:
Saponaria officinalis – Soapwort 40-90 cm tall, hairless, very leafy, in colonies. Roadsides, disturbed areas.
Flowers white to pink, 2-3 cm wide, fragrant, with 5 broad, petals, often double.
Leaves opposite, mostly lanceolate, 4-10 cm long, as many as 20 pairs.
Silene acaulis – Moss Campion Low, alpine plant, about 3-6 cm tall, often forming compact cushions.
Flowers pink to pale purple, with petals slightly notched, solitary on stems.
Leaves mainly basal, linear, stiff, 4-10 mm long, 0.8-1.5 mm broad, hairless.
ERICACEAE – HEATH FAMILY:
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – Bearberry Evergreen, trailing shrub, 5-15 cm tall. Well-drained, mostly wooded areas.
Flowers pink, about 5 mm long, in clusters, the corolla urn-shaped, 5-lobed.
Leaves alternate, spoon-shaped, 1.5-3 cm long, dark green and glossy above.
Chimaphila umbellata – Prince's Pine Evergreen shrub, 10-30 cm tall. Dry, coniferous woods, foothills to montane.
Flowers light pink, waxy, 10-15 mm wide, nodding, few on raised stems.
Leaves in whorls of 3-8, narrowly spoon-shaped, sharply toothed.
Kalmia microphylla – Alpine Laurel Dwarf, evergreen shrub, 5-20 cm tall. Moist to wet sites, subalpine and alpine.
Flowers deep pinkish-rose, 5-12 mm broad, with broad, shallow lobes.
Leaves opposite, dark green, glossy above, narrowly elliptic, 1-2 cm long.
Phyllodoce empetriformis – Pink Mountain-heath Dwarf, evergreen shrub, 10-40 cm tall. Moist, open sites, montane-alpine.
Flowers pink, bell-shaped, 5-8 mm long, with short, rolled back lobes.
Leaves alternate, needle-like, 5-12 mm long, crowded like a bottle brush.
Pyrola asarifolia – Pink Wintergreen Evergreen herb, 10-30 cm tall. Moist, usually wooded sites, foothills-subalpine.
Flowers pale pink, 8-12 mm wide, with a long, curved, projecting style.
Leaves in basal rosettes, leathery, shiny, broadly elliptic to heart-shaped.
Vaccinium scoparium – Grouseberry Small shrub, 10-35 cm tall, with red, tasty berries. Higher elevations.
Flowers pinkish, about 4 mm long, nodding, on stalks 2-2.5 mm long.
Leaves alternate, 8-15 mm long, thin, finely sharp-toothed, light-green, hairless.
FABACEAE – PEA FAMILY:
Astragalus adsurgens – Field Milkvetch Stems 10-40 cm tall, with short, flat, stiff, T-shaped hairs. Prairie grassland.
Flowers erect, purplish, 14-18 mm long. Calyx whitish- or blackish-flat-hairy.
Leaves with 9-23 leaflets, with short, flat, stiff, T-shaped hairs. Stipules joined.
Astragalus agrestis – Standing Milkvetch Stems slender, creeping to erect, 10-30 cm tall. Moist spots in meadows.
Flowers erect, ca 17 mm long, purplish. Calyx with blackish, spreading hairs.
Leaves with 11-19 leaflets, with sparse, flat, short hairs. Stipules joined.
Astragalus flexuosus – Flexile Milkvetch Stems 40-70 cm tall, flexile, short-flat-hairy. Plains and hills.
Flowers pale purple or white, purplish-tinged, 6-10 mm long, the keel very short.
Leaves with 15-21 leaflets, finely flat-hairy below, usually hairless above.
Dalea purpurea – Purple Prairie-clover Plant erect, 30-60 cm tall. Dry plains and foothills.
Flowers purple, in narrow, dense spikes, 2-7 cm tall and about 1.5 cm thick.
Leaves odd-pinnate, the 3-7 leaflets linear, 10-20 mm long and 1-2 mm broad.
Onobrychis viciifolia – Sainfoin Plant 20-40 cm tall. Meadows and disturbed areas, introduced.
Flowers 10-13 mm long, pinkish and lined. Wings much shorter than the keel.
Leaves on lower part of stem, odd-pinnate, with 11-17 leaflets.
Oxytropis nana – Wyoming Locoweed Flower stems 8-20 cm tall, silvery-hairy. Prairies and lower foothills.
Flowers deep reddish-purple, 18-24 mm long. Calyx stiff-spreading-hairy.
Leaves basal, 2-11 cm long, the 7-21 leaflets covered with long, silky hairs.
Trifolium pratense – Red Clover Widely branched perennial, 20-60 cm tall. Disturbed or cultivated ground.
Flowers deep red to pink, 13-20 mm long, in dense, round heads 2-3 cm wide.
Leaves with 3 egg-shaped leaflets, the uppermost 2 just below the flower head.
GENTIANACEAE – GENTIAN FAMILY:
Gentianella amarella – Northern Gentian Slender annual, 5-40 cm tall. Meadows and moist areas, foothills to alpine.
Flowers purple to bluish, 1-2 cm long, with 4-5 pointed lobes and fringed throats.
Leaves basal and opposite, lance-shaped, up to 6 cm long and 3 cm broad.
GERANIACEAE – GERANIUM FAMILY:
Erodium cicutarium – Stork's Bill Geranium Annual, 3-30 cm tall, stems usually reddish. Drier plains and hillsides.
Flowers pink, 10-15 mm broad, in small umbel-clusters on long stalks.
Leaves mostly basal, repeatedly pinnately divided into narrow segments.
Geranium viscosissimum – Sticky Purple Geranium Stems 40-90 cm tall, with sticky glandular hairs. Drier grasslands and forests.
Flowers pink-purple, 30-40 mm wide. Several in open, branching clusters.
Leaves mainly basal and deeply palmately cut into 5-7 cut and toothed sections.
GROSSULARIACEAE – CURRANT FAMILY:
Ribes cereum – Wax Currant Shrub 0.5-1 m tall, without spines. Woods, thickets, rocky areas.
Flowers whitish to pink, 10-15 mm long, with long tube, sticky-glandular.
Leaves 1.5-2.5 cm broad, 3-5-lobed, short-hairy. Berries red, 6-8 mm long.
HYDROPHYLLACEAE – WATERLEAF FAMILY:
Hydrophyllum capitatum – Ballhead Waterleaf Perennial, 10-40 cm tall. Thickets, woodlands, and moist, open slopes.
Flowers white to blue, 5-9 mm long, in dense heads well below the leaves.
Leaves mainly basal, up to 10 cm wide, with 7-11 joined to separate leaflets.
Phacelia hastata – Silver-leaved Phacelia Perennial up to 50 cm tall, silvery-hairy. Dry, open, often sandy places.
Flowers lavender, 4-7 mm long, many in wide, coiled clusters. Stamens long.
Leaves narrowly elliptic, mostly entire, prominently veined, silvery-hairy.
LAMIACEAE – MINT FAMILY:
Lamium amplexicaule – Henbit Dead-nettle Slender annual, 5-15 cm tall, with creeping base. Weed, fields, disturbed areas.
Flowers pink-purple, 12-18 mm long, hooded, 2-lipped, from upper leaf axils.
Leaves opposite, rounded, coarsely round-toothed, about 1.5 cm long.
Mentha arvensis – Wild Mint Aromatic, glandular-dotted plant, 20-80 cm tall. Moist to wet sites.
Flowers pinkish, 4-7 mm long, 4-lobed, in dense clusters from upper leaf axils.
Leaves opposite, 2-8 cm long, lance-shaped, sharp-toothed, mostly stalkless.
Mentha spicata – Spear Mint Stems single, erect, 30-100 cm tall. Ditches and streambanks.
Flowers whitish, 2-4 mm long, tubular, 4-lobed, clustered in dense, tall spikes.
Leaves opposite, broadly lance-shaped, sharp-toothed, pointed, 2-7 cm long.
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot Stems single, 30-70 cm tall, with minty odor. Moderately dry, open sites.
Flowers pink-purple, tubular, c. 3 cm long, in dense clusters above leafy bracts.
Leaves opposite, broadly lanceolate, sharp-toothed, 2.5-8 cm long.
Prunella vulgaris – Self-heal Soft-hairy low plant, 5-30 cm tall. Moist, open to shaded sites, plains-montane.
Flowers purple, tubular, 1-2 cm long, with a hooded upper lip, in short spikes.
Leaves opposite, few pairs, lance- to egg-shaped, entire, stalked, 2-9 cm long.
LILIACEAE – LILY FAMILY:
Allium brevistylum – Short-styled Onion Stem 20-60 cm tall, onion-smelling. Moist meadows, plains to montane zone.
Flowers pink, 10-13 mm long, on stalks, several in flat-topped cluster
Leaves grass-like, 2 to several basal. Medicinal plant, all parts edible.
Allium schoenoprasum – Wild Chives Stem 20-60 cm tall, round, onion-smelling. Wet meadows, plains to montane.
Flowers rose-pink to purplish, 8-14 mm long, in dense, ball-like heads.
Leaves usually 2, hollow, 1-7 mm wide. Medicinal plant, all parts edible.
MALVACEAE – MALLOW FAMILY:
Iliamna rivularis – Mountain Hollyhock Stout, leafy plant, 50-200 cm tall. Moist sites, foothills to subalpine.
Flowers rose-purple, 3-4 cm wide, with 5 broad petals, in elongated clusters.
Leaves alternate, maple-leaf-shaped, with 3-7 triangular lobes, toothed.
Malva neglecta – common Mallow Spreading annual, 20-60 cm tall, short-hairy. Fields, gardens, disturbed areas.
Flowers white-pink, about 2 cm wide, 1-3 from leaf axils, with 5 notched petals.
Leaves alternate, long-stalked, round to heart-shaped, round-toothed.
ONAGRACEAE – EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY:
Epilobium angustifolium – Fireweed Perennial, 1-3 m tall, leafy, often in large colonies. Common on roadsides.
Flowers rose-purple to pink, 2-4 cm wide, with 4 broad petals, in tall clusters.
Leaves alternate, numerous, narrowly lance-shaped, stalkless and hairless.
Epilobium ciliatum – Purple-leaved Willowherb Perennial, 30-100 cm tall, branched and hairy above. Moist sites.
Flowers rose-purple to white, 5-15 mm wide, erect, with 4 notched petals.
Leaves basal and opposite, lance-shaped, 3-7 cm long, shallowly toothed.
Epilobium hornemannii – Hornemannii's Willowherb Perennial, 15-30 cm tall, stems usually simple. Moist sites, montane-alpine.
Flowers rose to violet, 8-12 mm wide, few on stem tops, with 4 notched petals.
Leaves opposite, 1.5-5 cm long, oblong, blunt-tipped, short-stalked.
Oenothera cespitosa – Tufted Evening Primrose Tufted, almost stemless perennial rarely up to 25 cm tall. Dry, bare hills.
Flowers white to pink, 5-9 cm wide, single from the base, open in the evening.
Leaves basal, oblanceolate, entire or toothed, 10-25 cm long, 1-2.5 cm broad.
ORCHIDACEAE – ORCHID FAMILY:
Calypso bulbosa – Fairyslipper Hairless herb, stem purple, 5-20 cm tall, delicate. Deep shade of moist forests.
Flower pink-purple, nodding, about 2 cm long, with large, pouched lower lip.
Leaf single from the base of the plant.
Corallorhiza striata – Striped Coralroot Purplish-tinged, 15-40 cm tall. In deep, usually coniferous forests.
Flowers pink or purplish, with 3 darker stripes. Lip dark purple with heavy stripes.
Leaves reduced to thin, semi-transparent sheaths on the stem.
PORTULACACEAE – PURSLANE FAMILY:
Lewisia pygmaea – Pygmy Bitterroot Low herb, 1-3 cm tall. Dry, exposed sites, often gravelly, montane to alpine.
Flowers white to pink-purple, 15-20 mm wide, with 5-9 petals and 2 sepals.
Leaves basal, 5-15 cm long, succulent, flat and linear to narrowly spoon-shaped.
Lewisia rediviva – Bitterroot Low herb, 1-3 cm tall. Dry, exposed sites, often gravelly, plains to montane.
Flowers pink, 4-6 cm wide, with about 15 petals and 6-9 pinkish sepals.
Leaves basal, 1.5-5 cm long, fleshy, linear- to club-shaped and nearly cylindrical.
PRIMULACEAE – PRIMROSE FAMILY:
Dodecatheon conjugens – Desert Shooting Star Stems 1 to 10 from base, leafless, 10-30 cm tall. Moist to not too dry meadows.
Flowers single, purple, 1-3 cm long, with 5 lobes bent back from a yellow collar.
Leaves basal, oblong to spoon-shaped, 3-20 cm long, tapered to winged stalks.
Dodecatheon pulchellum – Pretty Shooting Star Stems single, leafless, 5-40 cm tall. Moist to wet sites, plains to alpine.
Flowers few, purple, 15-25 mm long, with 5 lobes bent back from yellow collar.
Leaves basal, oblong to spoon-shaped, 3-20 cm long, tapered to winged stalks.
RANUNCULACEAE – BUTTERCUP FAMILY:
Pulsatilla patens – Pasqueflower Tufted, silky-hairy plant, 10-40 cm tall. Well-drained, open mountain slopes.
Flowers solitary, hairy outside, 5-7 cm broad. Sepals 5-7, blue-purple.
Basal leaves long-stalked, finely cut in 3s. Stem leaves smaller, stalkless.
ROSACEAE – ROSE FAMILY:
Geum rivale – Purple Avens Hairy plant, 40-60 cm tall, reddish. Stream banks, bogs, and wet meadows.
Flowers bell-shaped, nodding, purplish, 10-15 mm long, few in open cluster.
Leaves pinnately divided into 7-15 toothed leaflets, the 3 at the end much larger.
SAXIFRAGACEAE – SAXIFRAGE FAMILY:
Telesonix heucheriformis – Alumroot Brookfoam Alpine plant, up to 20 cm tall. Rocky slopes, moist but well-drained soil.
Flowers pink, about 10 mm wide, in dense clusters. Calyx large, reddish.
Leaves basal, kidney-shaped, 2-5 cm broad and leathery, coarsely toothed.
SCROPHULARIACEAE – FIGWORT FAMILY:
Castilleja rhexifolia – Alpine Indian Paintbrush Stems 20-60 cm tall. Common in meadows in subalpine-alpine zones.
Flowers pink-purple. Bracts lance-shaped or cleft with pointed lobes.
Leaves narrowly lance-shaped, hairless to slightly glandular hairy.
Mimulus lewisii – Purple Monkeyflower Stems sticky-hairy, 30-70 cm tall. Moist, open sites, montane to alpine.
Flowers large, pink-purple with yellowish throats, in clusters, long-stalked.
Leaves lance- to egg-shaped with strong parallel nerves, stalkless, toothed.
Pedicularis groenlandica – Elephant-head Stems reddish-purple, 20-70 cm tall. Wet meadows, montane to alpine.
Flowers pink-purple, numerous in tall spikes. Upper lip has an upturned 'trunk'.
Leaves basal and alternate, fern-like, pinnately divided into fine segments.
Penstemon eriantherus – Fuzzy-tongued Penstemon Stems stout 10-40 cm tall, sticky-glandular. Dry, clay soils, prairie to montane.
Flowers pale blue-purple, 2-3 cm long, with short tubes. Many in dense whorls.
Leaves narrowly elliptic, sometimes slightly toothed and short-hairy.
Penstemon fruticosus – Shrubby Penstemon Stems up to 40 cm tall, mat-forming. Rocky to wooded areas, foothills-alpine.
Flowers few, blue-purple, up to 50 mm long. Sepals glandular, pointed tips.
Leaves narrowly lance-shaped, evergreen, leathery, and shiny green.
SOLANACEAE – NIGHTSHADE FAMILY:
Lycium barbarum – Matrimony Vine Hairless shrub with long, sparsely thorny branches, 1-6 m tall. Disturbed areas.
Flowers 1-3 from leaf axils, blue-purple, about 2 cm wide, with 5-6 lobes.
Leaves alternate, elliptic to lanceolate, entire, round-tipped, 2-7 cm long.
VERBENACEAE – VERVAIN FAMILY:
Verbena bracteata – Bracted Vervain Stems creeping and ascending, 20-50 cm long. Disturbed habitats.
Flowers blue or purple, about 4 mm long, with bracts. Many in long clusters.
Leaves opposite, 2-5 cm long, stiff-hairy, deeply divided and toothed.
VIOLACEAE – VIOLET FAMILY:
Viola canadensis – Canada Violet Perennial, 10-40 cm tall, with leafy stems. In moist woodland and forests.
Flowers white to pinkish, with yellow in the middle, 2-3 cm wide.
Leaves basal and alternate, long-stalked, the blades heart-shaped, 4-8 cm long.
