52. SCARLET GLOBEMALLOW Mallow Family _Sphaeralcea coccinea_
Very commonly found along the roadsides and especially prominent in the campgrounds or other disturbed areas. This member of the Mallow Family presents a lovely coral-red display as early as May, and it continues blooming throughout much of the summer.
Cotton belongs to this large and important family, which also contains such ornamental plants as the Hollyhock. Extensive fields of this flower present brilliant displays of orange.
53. DESERT GLOBEMALLOW Mallow Family _Sphaeralcea ambigua_
Found most commonly along the roads and trails, this member of the Mallow Family is known by a variety of common names such as: Rose of Sharon, False Mallow and Wild Hollyhock. It generally blooms in late summer, especially in the Cedar Breaks region. The plants sometimes grow to be 4 to 5 feet tall and have a great profusion of pink-colored flowers, really a very colorful and attractive display.
54. FIREWEED Evening-primrose Family _Epilobium angustifolium_
This tall, willowy plant, called Fireweed, is frequently the first plant to come in after a forest fire. Its colorful bloom gives new life to the blackened ground. Fireweed is one of the world’s most widely disseminated wild flowers, being found throughout much of northern North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Its seeds are scattered by the wind. In these areas it is found mostly on the high plateaus.
55. WOODLAND PINEDROPS Indian Pipe Family _Pterospora andromedea_
In the rich soil of the Ponderosa Pine forest of the high plateaus you may occasionally see this peculiar plant called Pinedrops. It has a single reddish-brown stalk (no green parts at all) about a foot or two high, apparently without leaves (they are mere scales), and numerous round or bell-shaped blossoms or seed pods hanging from short stems. The stalk is generally sticky with a material much like the pitch of the pine trees. It is a parasite that lives on the roots of pine trees.
56. YELLOW VIOLET Violet Family _Viola praemorsa_
There are five different species of Violets in Zion, two of them with yellow flowers and the others with white or purple. They are found blooming in May or June on the high plateaus or sometimes later in the wet meadows of Cedar Breaks or in shady canyons. Violets are closely related to the cultivated Pansies. The flowers are irregular, as one petal has a saclike spur which contains nectar. They have five sepals, five petals and five stamens. This species is found most commonly in the shady forest, while the purple and white species are more common in the very moist and cool areas of the shady canyons.