Prickly Pear Cactus -- This plant is found throughout North American Deserts and is probably also found throughout the park because of the arid rocky environment of the mountain and granite outcrops. The large green parts of this plant are modified branches and stems and function in water storage and photosynthesis. The cactus spines are modified leaves. Both the fruits and the green pads are edible and cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

 

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Yucca -- This is another desert plant that is found on the slopes of the mountain and on outcrops. The long bell shaped flowers form in the spring. It is also called soaptree yucca because Native Americans used the material in roots and trunk as a soap substance. They also used the leaves for weaving baskets.

 

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Dayflower -- The flower of this plant opens only once, in the morning, and then closes and liquefies during the heat of the day. Its young stems and leaves are used as an herb in foreign countries and Dayflower seeds are eaten by Quail, Doves and other songbirds. Dayflower blooms from late spring until frost.

 
 

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Trout Lily -- This plant is found throughout park woods in late winter. It grows in shady areas in deciduous forests. The markings on the trout lily leaf are similar to markings found on the brook trout. Native Americans knew to fish for trout at the time they saw the trout lily come up in the forest.

 

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Red Moss -- Very abundant on the mountain and outcrops in early spring. They often grow in the same shallow depression communities and bloom at the same time. The Red Moss is not a moss at all, but a succulent plant which prefers the sunlight and warmth of the exposed granite.

 
 

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Poolsprite -- These are the endangered aquatic plants which grow within the vernal pools at the top of the mountain. They are only found within the protected area at the top but can be viewed in mid-late April by looking over the fence.