Summer Desert Blooms
If you are looking for a place to enjoy nature's beauty, you might want to visit New Mexico in the summer. I live in this state and I can tell you that it is a sight to behold when the cactus and yucca plants start to bloom. The cactus flowers come in various colors, from yellow to pink to red, and they contrast with the green spines and the blue sky. The yucca plants have tall stalks with white blossoms that look like candles in the desert. These plants are not only beautiful, but also resilient and adapted to the harsh environment. They provide food and shelter for many animals and insects, and they have been used by humans for centuries for various purposes. In this blog post, I will share with you some of the fascinating facts and stories about these amazing plants that make New Mexico a unique and wonderful place to live.
CANE CHOLLA CACTUS
(Tree Cholla Cactus)
Cactus Family Cactaceae
Upright, brushy to tree-like cactus 2-8 ft. tall, common in foothill scrub and piñon-juniper woodland, 4,000-7,500 ft. Flowers at tips of branches, red to magenta, up to 3 in. diameter, 1 1/2-2 in. long. Blooms late May through July. Considered as “starvation food”; many Pueblo Indian tribes utilized stored, roasted young stem joints in times of famine. Dried fruit was ground, mixed with cornmeal, and made into a mush. Stem needles used for sewing and tattooing.
SOAPWEED YUCCA
(Narrowleaf or Plains Yucca)
Agave Family, Agavacae
The circular or triangular, black, semi-glossy seeds are encapsulated in a pod that is cylindrical and elongated. Usually stemless perennial in foothill scrub and piñon-juniper woodland, 4,000-7,000 ft. Similar in appearance to banana yucca except for leaf width, shape of flowers, and fruits that split open when mature. Blooms mid-May to late June. Used by many southwestern tribes in much the same manner as banana yucca.
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS
Cactus Family, Cactaceae
Common in piñon-juniper woodland and ponderosa pine forest, 6,000-8,000 ft.; generally branched, along the ground forming clumps. Flowers yellow to greenish yellow, 2 in. across, 1.5-2.25 in. high, located along outer edge of pads, at or near apical end of pad. Blooms May through June. Pads of several species of prickly pear cactus used by Keres, Acoma, Laguna, and Hopi for food after thorns removed; fruits as a source for red food dye; thorns as needles, for sewing and tattooing; liquid extract used for diarrhea; scorched stems split and applied to cuts and infections.
Plant and flower information from:
Wildflowers of the Northern and Central Mountains of New Mexico Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Sandia, and Manzano,
By Larry J. Littlefield & Pearl M. Burns