The flowers have been arranged in a general order of families, except that occasionally, for the convenience of preparing the color plates, flowers of similar color or density have been grouped on a page although they are not in the same family nor closely related.
The Standardized Plant Names of the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature has been followed as the guide. In case of locally used common names, such has been indicated in the text.
This booklet on Wild Flowers has been produced by the Zion-Bryce Natural History Association in cooperation with the National Park Service. The Association has for its objective the fuller interpretation of the scenic, scientific, aesthetic and historic values of these National Parks, to the end that park visitors are provided with such information, audio and visual aids as will help them gain a better understanding and greater appreciation of the phenomena they find in them.
It is hoped that this brief treatise on the flora may prove helpful to many visitors in learning more about some of the important species of plant life that they may discover during their visits to the Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Credit for the photographic work goes to several individuals, all members of the interpretive staffs of these areas during the past few years. Park Naturalists Carl E. Jepson and Leland F. Allen have prepared the descriptive information given for each flower.
The printing and color processing by the Wheelwright Lithographing Company, 975 So. West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.
1. SEGOLILY MARIPOSALily Family
Calochortus nuttallii
The Segolily Mariposa was chosen as the State Flower of Utah probably because of the important use early pioneers made of the root bulbs of this plant in supplementing their meager diets during the early settlement period. The name “Sego” (pronounced see-go) is of Shoshonean origin, and this flower was sacred in Indian legend long before the arrival of Utah pioneers in 1847.
This plant is found in rather dry, rocky soils and puts on a very showy display during May and June. It is more commonly known as the Mariposa Lily in other sections of the country, but in Utah it is called the Segolily.