New Mexico Native Plants

Every month the SFEMG newsletter features a native plant story written by one fo the members fo the Santa Fe Native Plant Project. Here, we hope to present the same information in an easier-to-find location

Western Yarrow (Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis)

By Terri Smith
Achillea (pronounced ah-KILL- ee-ah) is a flowering perennial in the Aster family (Asteraceae). Named after the great mythological Greek warrior Achilles, the plant was purported to be used as a remedy for bleeding wounds during the Trojan War. Millefolium is Latin for “thousand leaved” and refers to the fern-like, highly dissected foliage. The variety name occidentalis means “western.”

Engelmann’s Daisy, Cutleaf Daisy (Engelmannia peristenia)

Story and photo by Ruthbeth Finerman
Awarded 2015 “Plant Select” honors, Engelmann Daisy is a single species herbaceous perennial in the aster family (Asteraceae). Its name pays tribute to German immigrant physician and botanist George Engelmann (1809-1884), who documented many native North American plants and helped found the Missouri Botanical Garden. The species term peristenia derives from Greek (parisso, meaning either an “excessive” or “odd number” and tenia signifying a “ribbonlike structure”). A synonym, Engelmannia pinnatifida or “feather shaped,” references its tapered flower petals.

Oaks: An Enduring Legacy

Story by Colleen Pelles Madrid

I’m an acorn. You know! An oak nut. How could I not be, growing up in California where there are 20 species of oaks and 20 more oak hybrids? They are my favorite trees, and I understood why when I became an ecologist. Oaks are, by far, the most ecologically important tree species in the forests of the North American continent and have played a large role in human history.