(California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily)

The cobra lily is one of the most intriguing carnivorous plants. Its insect-digesting, colorful, tubular leaves and pendulous burgundy flowers make it a beautiful plant kingdom oddity. Native to the infertile boglands of The Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia, Canada to northern California, this pitcher plant traps insects to digest them for trace nutrients. Often the cobra lily is found growing in areas where heavy metals exist in the soil. In much of its natural habitat it is listed as threatened.

The...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

Downy thornapple is a large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) that looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. It has naturalized in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as well as regions in the northeast, though it is native to Central and South America.

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root to reach moisture trapped beneath dry soil. Its downy, oval, dark...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

Extra large, fragrant, white flowers are produced by the vigorous ‘Belle Blanche.’ Downy thornapple is a large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) that looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. Datura inoxia is naturally found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, though it has become naturalized in other parts of the country.

This heat-lover relies...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

Large, double yellow flowers are borne on the pretty downy thornapple, 'Cherub.' This large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. Datura inoxia is naturally found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, though it has become naturalized in other parts of the country.

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root to reach...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

The dramatic double flowers of 'Cornucopia' are white on the interior and glossy royal purple on the exterior. It is by far one of the most popular of all the cultivated Datura and a regular showpiece at botanical gardens and arboreta.

This large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. Datura inoxia is naturally found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

The large, double, yellow blooms of 'Double Golden Queen' are elegant and fragrant. Downy thornapple is a large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) that looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. It is naturally found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, though it has become naturalized in other parts of the country.

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root...

(Downy Thornapple, Pricklyburr)

Extra large, fully double, white flowers bedeck the elegant ‘Double Purity.’ This large, bushy, herbaceous perennial (or annual) looks best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. Datura inoxia is naturally found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, though it has become naturalized in other parts of the country.

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root to reach...

(Thornapple)

This large bushy herbaceous perennial (or annual) from the American West is best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. It is found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the United States Plains and Southwest

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root to reach moisture trapped beneath dry soil. Its downy, oval, dark green or gray-green leaves have a fetid scent. Throughout summer, large, fragrant, white...

(Carrot, Garden Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace)

In the wild it may be called Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot, but as a cultivated plant Daucus carota is simply referred to as the garden carrot.

The cultivated carrot is a hardy, herbaceous, biennial of European and Asian origin. It is grown for its crisp, sweet, tasty tap roots. Often called Daucus carota ssp. sativus, it is a biennial but rarely gets the chance to flower because its roots are harvested in the first season. If allowed to flower, it has large, pretty,...

In the wild it may be called Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot, but as a cultivated plant Daucus carota is simply referred to as the garden carrot.

The cultivated carrot is a hardy, herbaceous, biennial of European and Asian origin. It is grown for its crisp, sweet, tasty tap roots. Often called Daucus carota ssp. sativus, it is a biennial but rarely gets the chance to flower because its roots are harvested in the first season. If allowed to flower, it has large, pretty,...