Desert Ceanothus (Ceanothus greggii) grows on dry, sunny slopes, usually in oak-juniper woodlands and chaparral at elevations of 3,000 to 7,000 feet. In Arizona it is found almost throughout the state in preferred habitats above 3,000 feet. The branches are round, spineless and silvery gray to reddish gray in color. The plants are well-branched and erect or rounded. The plant is semi-evergreen. It grows to a height of up to 6 1/2 feet tall. The leaves have only one major lengthwise vein and are small, thick, leathery, dull dark green above, more velvety and paler below, opposite, oval to egg-shaped, and usually cupped. Flower color is cream, white, blue-white or fading to pale blue. The flowers are in dense, rounded clusters. The individual flowers are small and have 5 white, spade-shaped to manta ray-shaped petals, 5 white, folded-up, triangular sepals, and 5 stamens. It is a member of the Buckthorn family. These photos were taken on the Barnhardt Canyon trail on March 2, 2016.

Wolfberry, (Lycium exsertum ) - Lycium exsertum is relatively rare in the United States where it is found only in Arizona. Common along washes and on dry slopes, in desert or semi desert areas. It is a member of the Nightshade or Potato Family and is perennial. It grows up to 12 feet or so. The growth form is shrub; during drought, leaves drop-off and plants become dormant until adequate rainfall returns and plants quickly refoliate, the twigs not covered with densely matted woolly hairs. The leaves are green; plants become deciduous under drought conditions and new leaves appear with the return of rainfall. The flower color is lavender; flowers are pendulous; calyx lobes rarely more than ¼ inch as long as the floral tube; corolla lobed are pale lavender; fruit a plump succulent scarlet berry. The flowering season is January to April and throughout the year with sufficient moisture. Elevation from 1,000 to 4,600 feet. The fruits are edible, tasting like a tart, salty tomato. Lycium exsertum has been used for food and to make hunting and fishing items by southwestern indigenous peoples. In Arizona there are 11 species of Lycium. These photos were taken on the Willow Springs Wishbone Junction trail on March 30, 2016.

Pringle Manzanita (Archtostaphylos pringlei) is a shrub/tree, erect, the young stems a dull grayish-green or blue color; mature stems have smooth bark, reddish-brown or mahogany, and may form dense thickets. Leaves are gray-green, leaf surfaces a dull grayish-green or blue color, glandular, rounded, ovate or elliptic, and with smooth margins. Flowers form as an elongated cluster at the tips of the branches, subtended by bright pink, lanceolate, leaf-like bracts, which wither after blooming. Individual flowers have five small, pink sepals, at the base of a pink, urn-shaped corolla which opens to five tiny pinkish-white lobes. Inside are ten stamens topped by dark red anthers. The fruit is a red globe like berry. The flowering season is April to June. Pringle Manzanita is similar in appearance to Pointleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens) however Pringle Manzanita has much more fine short hairs, blooms earlier in the year and typically grows in lower elevations of 4,000 to 6,500 feet. Habitat preferences are dry rocky slopes in chaparral (pinyon-juniper) communities. It is a member of the Heath family. The photo on the left was taken on the Roger's Trough trail on February 3, 2016. The photo of the berries on the right were taken on the Deer Creek Trail on March 16, 2016.

Sugar Sumac (Rhus ovata) is an evergreen shrub to small tree (6–32 ft) with sometimes multiple stems from the root crown. It has a rounded appearance with branches that are often twisted and have colorful, reddish, scaly bark. It grows in the mid to upper edge of the Sonoran Desert, canyons, rocky hillsides, washes, common in chaparral, 3,000 to 5,000 feet elevation. The leaves are bright green, evergreen, shiny, simple, heart shaped or ovate, with margins slightly undulating, folding at the midrib and are large by desert tree standards. The leaf arrangement is alternate. The twigs and leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. During rapid growth periods the terpene aroma may be detected some yards away from the plant. Its inflorescences which occur at the ends of branches consist of small, 5-petaled, flowers with cream, white or pinkish colored petals and red sepals. The fruit is a reddish, sticky drupe, and is small, about 1/4 inch in diameter. The flowering season is March to April or later. It is a member of the Sumac family. These photos were taken on the Deer Creek Trail on March 16, 2016.

Three leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata) is a perennial native shrub that grows in desert, upland, and mountain habitats. Flower color is yellowish, flowering in the spring. Height is up to 8 feet. The flowers appear before the leaves and are densely clustered at the branch tips. The individual flowers are tiny, sessile, and have 5 yellow petals and 5 yellow-green to reddish sepals. The flowers are followed by hairy, sticky, scarlet colored berries. The alternate, compound leaves are divided into 3 shiny, dark green, oval-shaped, lobed or scalloped leaflets. The leaves turn orange or reddish in the fall. These shrubs are well-branched and can form dense thickets. Three leaf sumac has "leaves of three" like the related Poison Oak or Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron species), but its leaves are not dangerous to touch and it has red berries instead of white ones. Three leaf sumac is a very common component of the understory in sycamore canyons and can be found in most shady canyons in Arizona. It is also found in the understory of the pinelands. It is a member of the Sumac family. These photos were taken on the Deer Creek Trail on March 16, 2016.

Triangle Leaved Bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea) - Ambrosia is a mostly American genus of about 24 species, half of which occur in the Sonoran Desert region. Triangle-leaf bursage can be found growing in upper and lower bajadas, lowland creosote growths and desert grasslands. It grows at altitudes of 1,000 to 3,000 feet on open flat, spaces, and steep, gravely hillsides. Triangle-leaf bursage is a small, round shrub about 1 1/2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It has many slender and brittle branches that grow from the base to create a dome-like crown. The triangle shaped leaves are about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. The margins are serrated but can sometimes be smooth. They have a gray-green color on top and are white and fuzzy underneath. The leaves are lost in very dry periods. Triangle-leaf bursage has small, 1/4 inch wide yellow-green flowers without petals. They grow in pairs from the end of growth spikes and flower from February to July. Bursage gets its name from its burr-like seeds. Among the plants sheltered by this bursage is the local pincushion cactus, Mammillaria grahamii. On some rocky bajadas nearly every bursage has several pincushions growing within its canopy. For a desert plant it has a short life-span of only 50 years. Though it can be confused with brittlebush when not in flower; this bursage is a smaller plant with smaller, duller gray leaves. It is a member of the Sunflower family. These photos were taken on the Arizona Trail South of Kelvin on January 15, 2016.