Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Plants

This guide contains mosses, ferns, vines, aquatic plants, cactuses, shrubs, trees, and other plants that can be found in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.

Siberian elm ¹
Ulmus pumila

common hop ²
Humulus lupulus

netleaf hackberry ³
Celtis reticulata

Russian olive ⁴
Elaeagnus angustifolia

Canadian buffalo-berry ⁵
Shepherdia canadensis

bearberry ⁶
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

dwarf bilberry ⁷
Vaccinium cespitosum

common bilberry ⁸
Vaccinium myrtillus

Grouse Whortleberry ⁷
Vaccinium scoparium

red osier dogwood ⁹
Cornus sericea

fivepetal cliffbush ¹⁰
Jamesia americana

Nylon Hedgehog Cactus ¹¹
Echinocereus viridiflorus

Simpson's hedgehog cactus ¹²
Pediocactus simpsonii

viviparous foxtail cactus ¹³
Escobaria vivipara

brittle prickly-pear ¹⁴
Opuntia fragilis

twist spine prickly pear ¹⁵
Opuntia macrorhiza

brown-spined prickly-pear ¹⁶
Opuntia phaeacantha

starvation prickly-pear ¹⁷
Opuntia polyacantha polyacantha

water smartweed ¹⁸
Persicaria amphibia

red tamarisk ¹⁹
Tamarix ramosissima

fourwing saltbush ²⁰
Atriplex canescens

winterfat ⁶
Krascheninnikovia lanata

Fivehorn smotherweed ²¹
Bassia hyssopifolia

Kochia ²²
Bassia scoparia

Slender Russian-thistle ²³
Salsola collina

tumbleweed ²⁴
Salsola tragus

field wormwood ²⁵
Artemisia campestris

common sagebrush ¹
Artemisia tridentata

rubber rabbitbrush ¹
Ericameria nauseosa

yellow rabbitbrush ²⁶
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

broom snakeweed ¹
Gutierrezia sarothrae

spineless horsebrush ¹
Tetradymia canescens

fragrant sumac ²⁷
Rhus aromatica

smooth sumac ²⁸
Rhus glabra

tree of heaven ²⁹
Ailanthus altissima

Rocky Mountain maple ³⁰
Acer glabrum

boxelder maple ³¹
Acer negundo

silver maple ³²
Acer saccharinum

Gambel oak ³³
Quercus gambelii

dwarf resin birch ³⁴
Betula glandulosa

water birch ³⁵
Betula occidentalis

grey alder ³⁶
Alnus incana

beaked hazelnut ³⁷
Corylus cornuta

green ash ³⁸
Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Common Privet ³⁹
Ligustrum vulgare

Autumnal Water-starwort ⁴⁰
Callitriche hermaphroditica

Narrow-fruited Water-starwort ⁴¹
Callitriche palustris

common bladderwort ⁴²
Utricularia macrorhiza

Arctic Buttercup ⁴³
Ranunculus hyperboreus

cursed crowfoot ⁴⁴
Ranunculus sceleratus

threadleaf buttercup ⁴⁵
Ranunculus aquatilis diffusus

Common Snowberry ⁴⁶
Symphoricarpos albus

Western Snowberry ⁴⁷
Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Roundleaf Snowberry ⁴⁸
Symphoricarpos rotundifolius

twinberry honeysuckle ⁴⁶
Lonicera involucrata

Tatarian honeysuckle ⁴⁹
Lonicera tatarica

red-berried elder ⁵⁰
Sambucus racemosa

squashberry ⁵¹
Viburnum edule

lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe ⁵²
Arceuthobium americanum

limber pine dwarf mistletoe ¹⁶
Arceuthobium cyanocarpum

ponderosa pine dwarf mistletoe ⁵³
Arceuthobium vaginatum cryptopodum

narrowleaf cottonwood ⁵⁴
Populus angustifolia

Balsam Poplar ⁵⁵
Populus balsamifera

Fremont cottonwood ⁵⁶
Populus fremontii

trembling aspen ¹
Populus tremuloides

lanceleaf cottonwood ¹
Populus × acuminata

Plains cottonwood ⁵⁷
Populus deltoides monilifera

Peachleaf Willow ⁴
Salix amygdaloides

Bebb's willow ¹
Salix bebbiana

Short-fruit Willow ⁵⁸
Salix brachycarpa

drummond's willow ¹
Salix drummondiana

Heart-leaved Willow ⁵⁹
Salix eriocephala

Narrowleaf willow ⁵⁴
Salix exigua

Dewystem Willow ⁶⁰
Salix irrorata

Mountain Willow ⁶¹
Salix monticola

tea-leafed willow ⁶²
Salix planifolia

Scouler's willow ⁶³
Salix scouleriana

Wolf's willow ⁶⁴
Salix wolfii

Crack willow ¹
Salix ×fragilis

watercress ⁶⁵
Nasturtium officinale

American Black Currant ⁶⁶
Ribes americanum

Golden currant ³⁰
Ribes aureum

Wax currant ⁶⁷
Ribes cereum

white-stemmed gooseberry ⁶⁸
Ribes inerme

swamp currant ⁶⁹
Ribes lacustre

Trumpet gooseberry ⁷⁰
Ribes leptanthum

mountain gooseberry ³⁰
Ribes montigenum

Siberian water-milfoil ⁷¹
Myriophyllum sibiricum

Thicket creeper ⁷²
Parthenocissus inserta

Virginia creeper ⁷³
Parthenocissus quinquefolia

riverbank grape ⁷⁴
Vitis riparia

narrow-leaved cattail ⁷⁵
Typha angustifolia

broadleaf cattail ⁷⁶
Typha latifolia

Narrow-leaved Bur-reed ⁷⁷
Sparganium angustifolium

unbranched bur-reed ⁷⁸
Sparganium emersum

big bur-reed ⁷⁹
Sparganium eurycarpum

midwestern carrionflower ⁸⁰
Smilax lasioneura

Arumleaf Arrowhead ⁸¹
Sagittaria cuneata

broadleaf arrowhead ⁸²
Sagittaria latifolia

Northern Water Plantain ²⁰
Alisma triviale

Edited by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Plants

Siberian elm 1 Ulmus pumila

common hop 2 Humulus lupulus

netleaf hackberry 3 Celtis reticulata

Russian olive 4 Elaeagnus angustifolia

Canadian buffalo-berry 5 Shepherdia canadensis

bearberry 6 Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

dwarf bilberry 7 Vaccinium cespitosum

common bilberry 8 Vaccinium myrtillus

Grouse Whortleberry 7 Vaccinium scoparium

red osier dogwood 9 Cornus sericea

fivepetal cliffbush 10 Jamesia americana

Nylon Hedgehog Cactus 11 Echinocereus viridiflorus

Simpson's hedgehog cactus 12 Pediocactus simpsonii

viviparous foxtail cactus 13 Escobaria vivipara

brittle prickly-pear 14 Opuntia fragilis

twist spine prickly pear 15 Opuntia macrorhiza

brown-spined prickly-pear 16 Opuntia phaeacantha

starvation prickly-pear 17 Opuntia polyacantha polyacantha

water smartweed 18 Persicaria amphibia

red tamarisk 19 Tamarix ramosissima

fourwing saltbush 20 Atriplex canescens

winterfat 6 Krascheninnikovia lanata

Fivehorn smotherweed 21 Bassia hyssopifolia

Kochia 22 Bassia scoparia

Slender Russian-thistle 23 Salsola collina

tumbleweed 24 Salsola tragus

field wormwood 25 Artemisia campestris

common sagebrush 1 Artemisia tridentata

rubber rabbitbrush 1 Ericameria nauseosa

yellow rabbitbrush 26 Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

broom snakeweed 1 Gutierrezia sarothrae

spineless horsebrush 1 Tetradymia canescens

fragrant sumac 27 Rhus aromatica

smooth sumac 28 Rhus glabra

tree of heaven 29 Ailanthus altissima

Rocky Mountain maple 30 Acer glabrum

boxelder maple 31 Acer negundo

silver maple 32 Acer saccharinum

Gambel oak 33 Quercus gambelii

dwarf resin birch 34 Betula glandulosa

water birch 35 Betula occidentalis

grey alder 36 Alnus incana

beaked hazelnut 37 Corylus cornuta

green ash 38 Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Common Privet 39 Ligustrum vulgare

Autumnal Water-starwort 40 Callitriche hermaphroditica

Narrow-fruited Water-starwort 41 Callitriche palustris

common bladderwort 42 Utricularia macrorhiza

Arctic Buttercup 43 Ranunculus hyperboreus

cursed crowfoot 44 Ranunculus sceleratus

threadleaf buttercup 45 Ranunculus aquatilis diffusus

Common Snowberry 46 Symphoricarpos albus

Western Snowberry 47 Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Roundleaf Snowberry 48 Symphoricarpos rotundifolius

twinberry honeysuckle 46 Lonicera involucrata

Tatarian honeysuckle 49 Lonicera tatarica

red-berried elder 50 Sambucus racemosa

squashberry 51 Viburnum edule

lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe 52 Arceuthobium americanum

limber pine dwarf mistletoe 16 Arceuthobium cyanocarpum

ponderosa pine dwarf mistletoe 53 Arceuthobium vaginatum cryptopodum

narrowleaf cottonwood 54 Populus angustifolia

Balsam Poplar 55 Populus balsamifera

Fremont cottonwood 56 Populus fremontii

trembling aspen 1 Populus tremuloides

lanceleaf cottonwood 1 Populus × acuminata

Plains cottonwood 57 Populus deltoides monilifera

Peachleaf Willow 4 Salix amygdaloides

Bebb's willow 1 Salix bebbiana

Short-fruit Willow 58 Salix brachycarpa

drummond's willow 1 Salix drummondiana

Heart-leaved Willow 59 Salix eriocephala

Narrowleaf willow 54 Salix exigua

Dewystem Willow 60 Salix irrorata

Mountain Willow 61 Salix monticola

tea-leafed willow 62 Salix planifolia

Scouler's willow 63 Salix scouleriana

Wolf's willow 64 Salix wolfii

Crack willow 1 Salix ×fragilis