WILDFLOWERS OF NEW MEXICO

Brittle, woody, erect to sprawling stems 8–10-inches (20–25 cm) long produce one-sided, spike-like clusters of scarlet flowers. Though native to the mountains of southwest NM, this prostrate, mat-forming groundcover is popular in landscapes statewide. Note the evergreen, needle-like leaves. Clumps with masses of flowers attract hummingbirds.

FLOWERS: June–August. Showy red (rarely yellow), tubular flowers 1–1 1/4-inches long (25–32 cm); the lower lip has 3 lobes spreading at a right angle to the tube, the upper lip has 2 lobes stretching over the stamens and pistils. Note the yellow to white hairs in the throat and glandular hairs on the petals.

LEAVES: Evergreen, opposite, crowded on stem, smooth, pine-needle-like, 1/4–1-inch long (6–25 mm).

HABITAT: Gravelly, sandy soils, rocky crevices, open slopes; juniper-oak, ponderosa, spruce-fir forests.

ELEVATION: 5,500–11,000 feet.

RANGE: AZ, NM.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The distinctive red tubular flowers and short, needle-like leaves distinguish this species.

NM COUNTIES: Mountains in southwest quarter of NM at mid- to high-elevation habitats: Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Sierra, Socorro.