the XERIC ZONE
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Quercus : : :
The Xeric Zone > Essentials :: Plant Life Forms: New
Mexico Highlands |
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Plant Life Forms New Mexico Highlands: Including
metro Albuquerque's East Mountain Area and Estancia Basin David Cristiani |
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Why
are so many “xeriscapes” objected to? It could be because 1) one or more
plant forms are left out, due to people’s reluctance to use “stickery” or
thorny plants, or 2) perfectly good plants are not used effectively. The
result? A sea of bark mulch or gravel, with a random scattering of isolated
plants with “sage” in their names, along with some grasses and wildflowers…a
sparse, shrubby, or even weedy look, lacking all excitement. Carrie
Nimmer, a Phoenix landscape designer, has cleverly described a different
approach. She considers 5 basic plant life forms that need to be used
together, each essential to a great landscape. Her plant life forms each
contain a consistent set of patterns: 1) strategies to use and conserve
water, 2) natural habitat and rooting habit, and 3) overall appearance.
Leaving one form out (including the first form listed) is like expecting a
car to run perfectly with one of its engine’s cylinders not firing, she said. Here
is a local interpretation of Carrie’s 5 life forms, with a sampling of
appropriate native or adapted plants grouped into each. They are listed based
on how they respond after they have been established in the landscape.
Identifying life forms really begins to promote appearances and sustainable
landscapes. Most need little supplemental irrigation once they are
established, an emerging trend in many southwestern gardens. |
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1. CAM /
Sculpture Plants |
+ Succulent foliage that conserves water by storing it for future use + Shallow, fine, yet extensive root system that takes advantage of
light rains + Bold, signature plants that accent a space year-round |
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Havard Agave |
Agave
havardiana |
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Mescal / Parry’s Agave |
A.
neomexicana / parryi |
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Tree Cholla |
Cylindropuntia
imbricata |
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Hedgehog |
Echinocereus
spp. |
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Beargrass / Sacahuista |
Nolina
texana |
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Plains Prickly Pear |
Opuntia
cymochila |
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Porcupine Prickly Pear |
O.
hystricina |
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Brownspine Prickly Pear |
O.
phaecantha |
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Datil / Banana Yucca |
Yucca baccata |
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Soaptree Yucca |
Y. elata |
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Adam’s Needle |
Y.
filamentosa |
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Plains Yucca |
Y. glauca |
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Intermediate Yucca |
Y.
intermedia |
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2. Seasonally Deciduous Plants
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+ Leaves that conserve water by defoliating during weather extremes + A deep root system that takes advantage of soaking rains + Plants that show seasonal weather changes through their long life
spans |
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Leadplant |
Amorpha canescens |
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*Netleaf Hackberry |
Celtis reticulata |
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Winterfat |
Ceratoides lanata |
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True Mountain Mahogany |
Cercocarpus montanus |
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Chamisa |
Chrysothamnus nauseosus |
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Apache Plume |
Fallugia paradoxa |
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*Wolfberry |
Lycium pallidum |
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Russian Sage |
Perovskia atriplicifolia |
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Western Sand Cherry |
Prunus besseyi |
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Gambel Oak |
Quercus gambelii |
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Wavyleaf Oak |
Quercus pauciloba / Q. x undulata |
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*Golden Currant |
Ribes aureum |
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*Austrian Copper Rose |
Rosa foetida |
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*Woods Rose |
Rosa woodsii |
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Spirea |
Spirea spp. |
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3. Drought Tolerant Evergreen Plants
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+ Reduced leaf surfaces conserve water; if leaves drop, the plant dies + Deep, spreading roots that take advantage of light and soaking rains + Softer plants with a year-round presence of green foliage |
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Sand Sage |
Artemesia filifolia |
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Big Sagebrush |
A. tridentata |
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Fourwing Saltbush |
Atriplex canescens |
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Curlleaf Mtn. Mahogany |
Cercocarpus ledifolius |
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Mormon Tea |
Ephedra spp. |
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Juniper |
Juniperus spp. |
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Piñon |
Pinus edulis |
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Austrian Pine |
P. nigra |
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Ponderosa Pine |
P. ponderosa |
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4. Herbaceous / Seasonal Plants
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+ Plants that die and reseed or return more than once to conserve water + A root system sized to take advantage of the rains it receives in
it’s lifetime + Plants that show life for the season that favors them, then they go
away |
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Western Wheatgrass |
Agropyron smithii |
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Chocolate Flower |
Berlandiera lyrata |
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Grama Grass |
Bouteloua spp. |
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Buffalograss |
Buchloe dactyloides |
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Winecups |
Callirhoe involucrata |
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Sundrops |
Calylophus hartwegii |
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Galleta |
Hilaria jamesii |
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Spotted Gayfeather |
Liatris punctata |
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Mountain Muhley |
Muhlenbergia montana |
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Indian Ricegrass |
Oryzopsis hymenoides |
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Penstemon |
Penstemon spp. |
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Little Bluestem |
Schizachyrium scoparium |
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Threadgrass |
Stipa spp. |
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Prairie Verbena |
Glandularia (Verbena) bipinnitifida |
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California Fuchsia |
Zauschneria latifolia |
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5. Phreatophyte / Water Seeking Plants |
+ Plants that love water, growing in moist arroyo and floodplain
habitats + An root system extending into moist soil, tolerating occasional
flooding + Plants whose forms often mimic the life-giving water they are near |
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Thinleaf Alder |
Alnus tenuifolia |
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False Indigo |
Amorpha fruticosa |
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Purple Coneflower |
Echinacea purpurea |
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Tulip Gentian |
Eustoma grandiflora |
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*Desert Olive |
Forestiera neomexicana |
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Ash |
Fraxinus spp. |
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Maxmillian Sunflower |
Helianthus maxmillianii |
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Cardinal Flower |
Lobelia cardinalis |
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Mountain Muhley |
Muhlenbergia montana |
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Cottonwood |
Populus spp. |
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*New Mexico Locust |
Robinia neomexicana |
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Silver Buffaloberry |
Sheperdia argentea |
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Blue-Eyed Grass |
Sisyrinchium demissum |
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*Sacaton |
Sporobulus spp. |
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*Denotes plants that can occupy other places in the landscape, but are
shown in their most common form. |
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Bernalillo to Socorro, Carrizozo | East
Mountain Area and Estancia Basin Truth or Consequences to El Paso,
Alamogordo The Xeric
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