Blooming Plant Guide
The table below is arranged by common and scientific name, blooming period and altitude/elevation for forbs, cactus and trees.
The flowering season
is dependent upon a complex set of environmental factors which include precipition,
temperature, soil, elevation and extreme exposure. Combinations of these factors produce
blooming at different times and locations.
Desert annual
wildflowers are at their best in the spring, but may bloom at other times throughout the
year. Winters that have plentiful rainfalls at regular intervals will produce spectacular
displays that may occur only once a decade. These outstanding flowering shows generally
last one or two weeks around the end of March to the beginning of April. At such times
many areas of the desert are carpeted with flowers of all colors.
Mountain wildflowers
also occur in a great variety of colors. However, blooming will occur later in the year
because of cooler temperatures. Generally, wildflowers at higher elevations will bloom
four to eight weeks later than those on the desert floor. Flowers on the mountain ridges
with southern exposures will bloomfirst while deep facing canyons will flower last.
Not all desert plants
require such specific environmental conditions to bloom. Many, such as flowering trees,
cacti and some perennials have evolved special adaptations that allow them to bloom at the
same time each year, regardless of the amount of winter rainfall. The mesquite tree has a
deep root system which extends to groundwater. Some plants can store water for use during
dry periods while others die, leaving their seeds to wait for favorable conditions.
Annuals and their expected blooming periods
Common & Scientific Name |
Blooming Period |
Elevation (in feet) |
Prickly Poppy Argemone intermedia |
Most of the year |
to 4000 |
Anemone Anemone tuberosa |
Feb - Mar |
below 4800 |
Bahia Bahia absinthifolia |
Mar - Oct |
below 5400 |
Desert Marigold Baileya multradiata |
sporadically throughout year |
below 4700 |
Fairy Duster Calliandra eriophylla |
Feb - May |
below 4800 |
Larkspur Delphinium parishii |
Feb - early Apr |
3100 to 4500 |
Brodiaea Dichelostemma pulchellem |
Feb - Oct |
below 4600 |
Fleabane Erigeron divergens |
Feb - Mar |
4500 - 8400 |
Gold Poppy Eschscholtzia |
Feb - Mar |
below 4500 |
Lupine Lupinus sparsiflorus |
Jan - May |
below 4500 |
Owl's Clover Orthocarpus purpurascens |
Mar - Apr |
below 3300 |
Penstemon Penstemon parryi |
Mar - Apr |
below 4800 |
Cacti and their expected blooming periods
Common & Scientific Name |
Blooming Period |
Elevation (in feet) |
Saguaro Canegiea gigantea |
late May & Jun |
below 4500 |
Fendler Hedgegog Echinocereus fedleri |
Apr |
4200 - 5000 |
Arizona Rainbow E. pectianatus v. rigidissimus |
May |
4000 - 5000 |
Fishook Barrel cactus Ferocactus wislizenii |
Aug & Sep |
2000 - 4500 |
Cream Pincushion Mammillaria gummifera |
Jul |
3000 - 3400 |
Arizona Fishook Pincushion M. microcarpa |
Aug |
700 - 3500 |
Engelmann's Prickly Pear Opuntia engelmannii |
Apr - Jun |
2300 - 7000 |
Pencil Cholla O. arbuscula |
late Apr |
1000 - 3000 |
Teddy Bear Cholla O. bigelovii |
May and Jun |
below 3000 |
Klein's Cholla O. kleiniae |
May |
2000 - 3500 |
Chainfruit Cholla O. fulgida |
Aug |
1000 - 3500 |
Christmas Cholla O. leptocaulis |
early May |
below 3000 |
Staghorn Cholla O. versicolor |
May |
2000 - 3000 |
Night Blooming Cereus Peniocereus greggii |
May & Early Jun |
1200 - 4800 |
Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials and their expected blooming periods
Common & Scientific Name |
Blooming Period |
Elevation (in feet) |
White Thorn Acacia Acacia constricta |
May & Aug |
2500 - 5000 |
Catclaw Acacia A. greggii |
Apr & May |
below 4000 |
Palmer Agrave Agrave palmeri |
Jul & Aug |
3000 - 6000 |
Shin Dagger A. schottii |
Apr & May |
3500 - 5500 |
Desert Bloom Baccharis sarothroides |
Sep |
1000 - 5000 |
Blue Palverde Cercidium floridum |
Apr & May |
below 4000 |
Foothill Paloverde C. microphyllum |
Apr & May |
500 - 4000 |
Sotol Dasylirion wheeleri |
May & Jun |
3000 - 5000 |
Brittlebush Encelia farinosa |
Apr |
below 3500 |
Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens |
Apr & May |
below 5000 |
Creosote Larrea tridentata |
Apr & May |
below 4000 |
Feather Tree Lysiloma thornberi |
May & Jun |
3200 - 3500 |
Bear Grass Nolina microcarpa |
May & Jun |
4000 - 7000 |
Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa |
Apr - Jun |
below 5000 |
Globemallow Sphaeralcea |
Feb - May |
3000 - 6000 |
Spanish Bayonet Yucca baccata |
Apr - May |
3000 - 4700 |
Soaptree Yucca Y. elata |
May - Jun |
2000 - 6000 |
Desert Zinnia Zinniz zcerosa |
Apr - Oct |
below 4800 |
 Map of Arizona
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 Map of the reservations and Four Corners
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