WILDFLOWERS OF NEW MEXICO

What you see of this 1 1/2–2-tall by 3-foot wide, rounded plant with purple flowers tells only half the story. Beneath the bushy, branching, sprawling foliage and showy flowers is a 6–8-inch diameter taproot that can weigh 20–40 pounds and lateral roots that spread 10–15 feet, an adaptation for survival in arid habitats. Note the funnel-shaped flowers and long, narrow leaves.

FLOWER: May–September. Clusters of 1–3, funnel-shaped flowers, 2–3 1/2-inches long, bloom on 3–4-inch long stems from the leaf axils. Dozens of the lavender to purple flowers with a dark throat can bloom a time.

LEAVES: Alternate. Blades 2–6-inches long (5–15.2 cm), 3/8-inch wide (15 mm), are short-stalked, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, and smooth with entire margins and pointed tips. 

HABITAT: Dry sandy soils of grasslands, plains, desert scrub, disturbed areas.

ELEVATION: 3,600–7,000 feet.

RANGE: CO, KS, MT, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY.

SIMILAR SPECIES: About 16 species of morning glory in NM, but all others are vines.

NM COUNTIES: Northern and eastern NM, scattered elsewhere in low- to mid-elevation, dry , sandy habitats: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Harding, Hidalgo, Lea, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Sandoval, Torrance, Union.