Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Skyrocket
Ipomopsis aggregata
Phlox family (Polemoniaceae)

A favorite of hummingbirds, the flower is more common in the drier soils of the region. Scarlet Gilia's stem and leaves are sticky and give off an odor when crushed. "Ipomopsis" means "similar to Ipomoea" ("Morning Glories," one of which has a tubular red flower).


© John Brew

Description

, 1-3' tall, with elegant flowers, hairy glandularity, and a distinct aroma. Bright red trumpet-shaped flowers in elongated clusters. Each flower with 5 pointed bent backward. Leaves are , into narrow segments.

Field Marks

of brilliant red trumpet flowers.

© Al Schneider

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

A spike is an unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are without stalks.

pinnately lobed -- Having lobes pinnately arranged on the central axis.