1. ¨ An erect, multi­branched silvery shrub in the rose family with fragrant
yellow flowers and many small, wedge­shaped 3­lobed leaves.
¨ Found in dry, well­drained slopes with sagebrush
¨ Bitterbrush is among the West's most important forage plants for mule
deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns especially in the
winter when available protein sources are scarce
¨ Domestic livestock also favor the plant
¨ When heavily used, it takes on a hedged appearance
¨ This species was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes
Bitterbrush
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Bitterbrush
Scientific Name:
Purshia
tridentata

2. ¨ One of the most important and common wild foods with a variety of
uses at different times of the year
¨ Brown, dense, furry, cigar­shaped cluster atop very long, stout
stalks
¨ Primitive plant; dates back to the time of the dinosaurs
¨ Grows in dense stands in marshes, swamps, ditches and stagnant
water
¨ Cattail is a sure sign of water!
¨ Easy to harvest, very tasty and highly nutritious
¨ Not only was cattail a major staple for Native Americans, but it was
also used medicinally, the jelly from between the young leaves could
be applied to wounds, sores, boils, carbuncles, and external inflam­
mations to soothe pain
Cattail
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Cattail
Scientific Name:
Typha species

3. ¨ Low, matted perennial buckwheat
¨ Forms mats that are between 4 ­ 9.5 inches across
¨ Its flowers are bright yellow
¨ This plant occurs on dry, ashy, barren outcrops near Stevens Camp.
¨ Often associated with Tiehm milkvetch and Schoolcraft­catseye
¨ Tea can be made from the leaves of this plant which is said to be
soothing for headaches and its mild astringency makes it a good gar­
gle.
Crosby Buckwheat
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Crosby
Buckwheat
Scientific Name:
Eriogonum
crosbyae

4. ¨ The blades are stiffly rigid with sharp tips
¨ The few leaves are short and overlapping
¨ Generally restricted to low­lying alkaline (basic) or saline (salty) areas
¨ Tolerates flooding, surviving up to 24 days under water
¨ Remains green all summer
¨ Low palatability for animals.
¨ However, they will eat it if it is the only green plant available
Desert Saltgrass
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Desert Saltgrass
Scientific Name:
Distichlis stricta

5. ¨ Low, green, nonwoody plants belonging to the grass family (Poaceae
or Gramineae)
¨ There are many grass like members of other flowering plant families
including sedges and rushes
¨ But only the approximately 8,000 to 10,000 species in the family
Poaceae are true grasses
Grasses
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Grasses
Scientific Name:
Poaceae family

6. ¨ White­barked, weedy shrub
¨ Characteristic plant of strongly alkaline (basic) and saline (salty) soils
in desert plains
¨ Multi­branched
¨ Small, fleshy, toothless leaves arise directly from the branches
¨ Can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall
¨ Can be distinguished from sagebrush and other shrubs by its bright
green, rather than grayish, foliage
¨ Used by the Native Americans to make parts for arrows, digging
sticks and for fuel
Greasewood
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Greasewood
Scientific
Name:
Sarcobatus
vermiculatus

7. ¨ Multiple sub­species adapted to specific soil and climate conditions
¨ Grows in dry valleys and on slopes at elevations between 1000 to 10,000 feet
¨ Can be found in much of the western United States
¨ Blooms from October to November
¨ Prefers faster draining, less alkaline (basic) soil
¨ Commonly used by Native Americans
¨ Wood burned for fuel and used in construction of dwellings
¨ Leaves and seeds were eaten
¨ Leaves also used medicinally for coughs, colds, headaches, stomachaches, fe­
vers and to relieve pain during child birth
¨ The bark was also used to make cord, rope and netting
¨ Early settlers knew the presence of sagebrush was a good indication of ground
water near the surface, and therefore a good place to settle and dig a well.
¨ Supports a wide range of wildlife species including sage grouses, pygmy rabbits
and pronghorn antelopes
Great Basin Sagebrush
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Great Basin
Sagebrush
Scientific Name:
Artemisia
tridentata

8. ¨ Also known as “Lyme Grass”
¨ Blossoms are held high on the branches, above the coarse foliage
¨ Green to blue­green in color
¨ Blossoms in June
¨ Grows tall; sometimes up to 10 feet; and in dense bunches up to 3
feet in diameter
¨ Tolerates a wide range of conditions
¨ Grows well in open meadows
¨ One of the most wide spread grasses in the Great Basin
¨ Native Americans would eat the seeds and use the stems for weaving
Great Basin Wild Rye
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Great Basin Wild
Rye
Scientific Name:
Leymus cinereus

9. ¨ Low, spreading perennial herb
¨ Flowers have five white petals that are triangular
¨ Found on dry, barren, yellowish or light­colored outcrops
¨ Found in Yellow Rock Canyon at elevations ranging from 4,000 – 5,000
feet
Grimy Ivesia
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Grimy Ivesia
Scientific Name:
Ivesia rhypara

10. ¨ Dense, leafy, bunchgrass
¨ Dark green leaves
¨ Grows to be between 7­18 inches (17.5­45 cm) tall
¨ Blooms between May and early August
¨ Found mostly in sandy soils
¨ Eaten by many species of animals, including livestock
¨ A major food source for Native Americans and pioneers who harvested
the grass seeds and ground them into flour.
Indian Ricegrass
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Indian Ricegrass
Scientific Names:
Achnatherum
hymenoides &
Oryzopsis hymenoides

11. ¨ Slightly resinous and aromatic evergreen shrub or small tree in the
rose family with compact, rounded crown of widely spreading, curved,
and twisted branches and many stiff twigs
¨ Found on dry, rocky mountain slopes; in grassland, with sagebrush,
pinyons, and oaks, and in coniferous forests
¨ The hard, heavy wood is an important source of fuel in local mining op­
erations; it is also used for novelties, as it takes a high polish.
¨ Native Americans used it to make tools including atlatls and bow
staves as it is a good hardwood. They also used it for fuel.
¨ Highly nutritious and palatable to many wildlife species and livestock
Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany
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Curl Leaf Mountain
Mahogany
Scientific Name:
Cercocarpus
ledifolius

12. ¨ The most widely distributed tree in N. America
¨ Narrow, rounded crown of thin foliage
¨ They grow to be between 40­70 feet tall (12­21 m)
¨ The leaves are shiny green above and dull green beneath
¨ Turn golden­yellow in autumn before they fall
¨ Live in many soil types, especially sandy and gravelly slopes
¨ Their name refers to the leaves which tremble in the breeze
Quaking Aspen
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Quaking Aspen
Scientific Name:
Populus tremuloides

13. ¨ Flowering plants distinguished by cylindrical stalks or hollow, stem­like
leaves
¨ Grow best along shore lines with firmer sediments like clay, sand or
gravel
¨ Extend above the water from 1 to 8 feet depending on the variety
¨ Consist mainly of thin, stiff stems rising from a dense root cluster, and
have small seed nodules either along the stem or at the end
¨ They are very durable and attractive plants and provide good shallow
water cover for waterfowl, birds and fish
¨ Have been used in the past to make woven chair bottoms, mats, and
baskets; while the pith serves as wicks in open oil lamps and allow
candles (rushlights)
Rushes
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Rushes
Scientific Name:
Juncus species

14. ¨ NON­NATIVE
¨ Grows to be about 3 feet (1 m) tall
¨ Bushy and ferociously spiny
¨ Has tiny magenta or green flowers
¨ Blooms June­August
¨ When the bush dies, it turns rigid and snaps off, then tumbles all over
scattering its seeds
¨ That’s why this bush is also called a “tumbleweed”
¨ The plant material has a high energy content that uses very little water;
its skeletons can be pressed into fire logs
Russian Thistle
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Russian Thistle
Scientific Names:
Salsola kali, Salsola
tragus & Salsola iberica

15. ¨ Woody shrub with silvery leaves that stays green all year
¨ Can grow to be about 4 feet tall; but with deep, alkaline (basic), and relatively moist
soils some sagebrush can grow up to 10 feet tall
¨ Bloom small golden yellow flowers in late summer/early fall (you have to look
closely to see them)
¨ It has a very sharp odor, especially after it rains
¨ Early pioneers traveling west described the scent as a mixture of turpentine and
camphor
¨ Its narrow leaves are covered with tiny hairs that give sagebrush a silky sheen.
This helps protect the plant from drying in the heat and wind.
¨ The roots have evolved to also help keep the plant alive
¨ At night the tap root pulls moisture from deep in the soil up to the more shallow
branching roots that grow near the surface. During the day, the shallow roots use
this water to keep the plant from drying out.
Sagebrush
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Sagebrush
Scientific Name:
Artemisia species

16. ¨ Short­lived perennial herb with a taproot
¨ It is usually 2.5­9 inches high
¨ Leaves are dense and gray­hairy with soft hairs and long bristles.
¨ It has white, five lobed flowers with yellow centers
¨ It is found on steep slopes
¨ Located in the sagebrush vegetation zone from 4,800­5,770 feet, near
Stevens Camp
¨ Often associated with Tiehm milkvetch and Crosby Buckwheat
Schoolcraft Catseye
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Schoolcraft
Catseye
Scientific Name:
Cryptantha
schoolcraftii

17. ¨ Have extraordinary ecological importance, forming the base of food
webs
¨ Provide food and shelter for aquatic and wetland animals
¨ Have solid stems and are usully triangular in cross section
¨ The leaves, when they are present, clasp the stem with a sheath
¨ Have small spikes of minute flowers
¨ Range in height from about 1 inch to 13 feet (2cm – 4m)
¨ Were woven together by Native Americans to make mats, baskets,
screens and sandals
¨ The dense root systems are critical to bind streamside soils and re­
duce erosion
Sedges
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Sedges
Scientific Name:
Carex species

18. ¨ Very common in the area and throughout the low­lying areas once
covered by Lake Lahontan
¨ Well adapted to dry, alkaline soils
¨ Its tiny leaves keep the plant from losing water in the hot desert
sun
¨ Used by Native Americans primarily for firewood, and especially for
starting fires
Shadescale
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Shadescale
Scientific Name:
Artiplex
confertifolia

19. ¨ Woody plants that have several stems, none of which is dominant
¨ Usually less than 10 feet (3 m) tall
¨ Sometimes referred to as a “bush”
Shrubs
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Shrubs

20. ¨ Erect, bright yellow­flowered annual herb
¨ 5 – 12 inches high
¨ Blooms in May and June
¨ Found on sparsely vegetated landscapes
¨ Habitats dry, open, nearly barren eroding shoulders and side slopes of
clay badlands on lower elevations of the Black Rock Range
Smooth Stickleaf
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Smooth Stickleaf
Scientific Name:
Mentzelia mollis

21. ¨ Gray­hairy, multi­branched, mat­forming perennial locoweed.
¨ 4­16 inches wide
¨ Flowers are white tinged with lilac.
¨ Located on dry, white, ashy, barren outcrops within sagebrush commu­
nities near Stevens Camp.
¨ Member of the pea family
¨ Often associated with Crosby Buckwheat and Schoolcraft catseye
Tiehm Milkvetch
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California BLM
Tiehm Milkvetch
Scientific Name:
Astragalus tiehmii

22. ¨ Dense, thick, cylindrical, grass­like plant
¨ Olive­green stems that produce numerous brownish spikelets in large
sprays
¨ Blooms tiny, stiff clusters of reddish­brown from May to August
¨ Grows to be between 7­15 feet tall
¨ Can be found growing in marshes, ponds, lakes, streamsides, springs
and ditches
¨ Used by Native Americans in the making of boats, duck decoys, bas­
kets and in construction of their dwellings in areas of Nevada
¨ Also used to produce woven goods, such as mats
¨ The roots and seeds were also eaten
Tule
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Tule
Scientific Name:
Schoenoplectus
acutus

23. ¨ Short tree with upright trunk
¨ Grows to be between 15­40 feet (4.6­12 m) tall
¨ Lives in dry plains, plateaus, hills and mountains, mostly on rocky soils
¨ Grows above a 4,500 ft. elevation
¨ Grows slowly, becoming craggier and more contorted with age
¨ Native Americans used the bark to make cord, sandals, woven bags,
thatching and matting
¨ Birds and small mammals also eat the small berries
¨ The berries are also used by herbalists to treat cystitis and urethritis
Utah Juniper
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Utah Juniper
Scientific Names:
Juniperus
osteosperma &
Sabina
osteosperma

24. ¨ The primary woody species in riparian zones, providing bank sta­
bility, streamside shading and cover for wildlife.
¨ Valued as ornamentals and for their shade, erosion control and
timber
¨ Some species yield salicin, the source of salicylic acid used in pain
relievers
¨ All have alternate, usually narrow leaves, catkins and seeds with
long, silky hairs
¨ Several species grow as small matted woody plants on the tundra
¨ Often form dense thickets that provide shelter for wildlife
¨ The bark and leaves of this species can be ground into powder
which can be used to treat scratches, scrapes and infections of the
upper and lower intestinal tract.
Willows
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Willows
Scientific Name:
Salix species

25. ¨ Long­living perennial herb
¨ Leafless flower stalks
¨ Bears a globular cluster of white flowers that bloom in late June
and July
¨ Can live in both high and low altitudes under these conditions:
dry, exposed, barren, gravelly, limestone ridges, and on out­
crops in shallow rocky soils
¨ Found in the Jackson Mountains
¨ Tea can be made from the leaves which is said to be soothing
for headaches and its mild astringency makes it a good gargle
Windloving Buckwheat
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Windloving
Buckwheat
Scientific Name:
Eriogonum
anemophilum

26. ¨ A multi­branched, deciduous shrub
¨ Grows up to 5 ft. tall, often growing in dense thickets
¨ Stems are red and prickled on their lower portions
¨ Pink, five­petaled flowers, 2 in. across
¨ Bloom from May until July
¨ Grows in open woods, plains, stream banks and stony slopes
Woods’ Rose
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Woods’ Rose
Scientific Name:
Rosa woodsii

27. Tall Whitetop­ Lepidium latifolium
¨ Member of the mustard family
¨ Grows 2­4 feet tall, but may reach 8 feet in wet areas.
¨ Has a semi­woody stem and flowers from June­ July
¨ Grows along riverbanks, roadsides, and in fields.
¨ Was introduces from either eastern Europe or Asia.
¨ Crowds out desirable native plants, degrades wildlife habitat and accelerates
stream bank erosion.
Noxious Weeds
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northern.edu/natsource
invasivespecies.gov
invasivespecies.gov
agf.gov.bc.ca/croppot
Utah State Univ.
Russian Knapweed­ Centaurea repens
¨ Member of the daisy family
¨ Grows 2­3 feet tall with hairy stems
¨ Blooms from July­ August
¨ Damages an alfalfa, crop seed, and hay seed production
Salt Cedar­ Tamarix ramosissima
¨ Small tree or large shrub that grows 5­20feet tall with numerous slender branches
and small scale­like leaves
¨ It is an enormous water consumer, one plant can consume up to 200 gallons of
water per day.
¨ Was planted as an ornamental plant in the 1870’s, but it escaped, and has be­
come a problem.
¨ Accumulates salts in the soil that eliminate other plants.
Yellow Starthistle­ Centaurea solstitialis
¨ Member of the daisy family
¨ Stems are usually 2­10cm. tall with yellow flowers.
¨ Live in fields, roadsides, rangelands, pastures, and waste areas.
¨ Rapid colonizer and prevents growth of other plant species, and is poisonous to
horses.
¨ Sharp spines injure wildlife and livestock
Russian Thistle­ Salsola kali
¨ Round, bushy annual that grows roughly 1.2m high
¨ Nicknamed the “tumbleweed”
¨ Grows in agricultural fields, irrigation canals, on the roadside, and in shoulder and
ditches.
¨ Transported to the U.S. in flax seed from the Ukraine
Cheatgrass­ Bromus tectorum
¨ Grows 2 inches­ 2 feet tall
¨ Grows on all exposures and all types of topography.
¨ Native to the Mediterranean; introduced in 1889.
¨ When dry, supports high intensity wildfires.