Plants in the Valley

  • Iris missouriensis / western blue flag iris

    Iris missouriensis / western blue flag iris

    • wetland monocot - long leaves, parallel veins
    • large blue flower with yellow "signal" stripe, purple veins
    • 3 petals, 3 sepals make up the flower
    • blooms in spring
    • "like a domestic iris on a diet"
  • Ivesia gordonii / Gordon's mousetail

    Ivesia gordonii / Gordon’s mousetail

    • subalpine to alpine
    • low, on shallow, rocky soils
    • individual stalks are leaves with ~20 overlapping lobes
    • clusters of teeny yellow flowers on naked stems
  • Juniperus scopulorum / Rocky Mountain juniper

    Juniperus scopulorum / Rocky Mountain juniper

    • small, rounded evergreen tree (or shrub)
    • fibrous, red to grey, shredded bark
    • pollen and seed cones at branch tips on separate plants
    • female cones blue berries with a waxy, whitish bloom
    • leaves on mature plants scale-like
    • leaves on young plants are prickly, needle-like
  • Koeleria macrantha / Prairie Junegrass

    Koeleria macrantha / Prairie Junegrass

    • short, tuft-forming bunchgrass
    • leaves short and basal with raised veins
    • grows in early spring; flowers in June/July
    • spike-like cylindrical inflorescence, 2-5" long, tan or purple
    • scattered distributions, esp. in rocky or sandy forests or plains
  • Lactuca pulchella / blue lettuce

    Lactuca pulchella / blue lettuce

    • looks like prickly lettuce, but blue and without prickly stems or leaves
    • clonal from spreading roots
  • Lactuca serriola / prickly lettuce

    Lactuca serriola / prickly lettuce

    • numerous dime-sized yellow flowers in an "airy" panicle
    • buds droop or hang in a "shepherd's hook" before opening
    • seed heads are dandelion-like, but more delicate
    • highly divided, prickly leaves
    • mostly in "waste" areas
  • Leucanthemum vulgare / oxeye daisy

    Leucanthemum vulgare / oxeye daisy

    • bright, white "petals", 2-3" across; yellow centers
    • s/he loves me, s/he loves me not
    • glossy green, spoon-shaped leaves in a 2 foot dome
    • may form large colonies
    • potentially wide spread
  • Ligusticum filicinum / fern-leaf licorice root

    Ligusticum filicinum / fern-leaf licorice root

    • found at higher altitudes in moister, forest areas
    • compound umbel with white flowers in comparatively widely spaced umbellets
    • large, very finely divided leaves; leaflets long and thin - "fern-like"
  • Linaria vulgaris / yellow toadflax

    Linaria vulgaris / yellow toadflax

    • fine, threadlike leaves, plants up to 3 feet tall
    • flowers similar to snapdragon, pale yellow with orange lower lip, long spur
    • flowers in tight terminal clusters
    • plants typically in patches
    • "noxious" weed in Idaho
  • Linum lewisii / wild blue flax

    Linum lewisii / wild blue flax

    • intense blue, 5-petaled flowers
    • red-ish or darker blue veins in petals
    • buds, flowers and developing fruit present at same time
    • narrow, sessile, 1 inch (ish) leaves
    • especially on roadsides and in meadows in the Valley
  • Lithophragma parviflorum / smallflower woodland star

    Lithophragma parviflorum / smallflower woodland star

    • small, white (or mauve) flowers with 5 highly disected petals
    • up to 14 flowers per stalk, usually much less
    • deeply lobed, glandularly pubescent leaves at stem bases
    • spring bloomer in a wide variety of habitats
  • Lithospermum ruderale / Columbia puccoon

    Lithospermum ruderale / Columbia puccoon

    • small, pale yellow flowers in early spring
    • flowers in dense clusters, nestled among the leaves
    • 1–3 in. long, linear leaves, notably crowded on upper part of stems
    • in dry areas, especially with sagebrush