P.O. Box 188, Coaldale, CO 81222 Phone: (719) 942-3935 FAX: (719) 942-3605 Email: info@westernnativeseed.com

Our seed list is grouped by plant type (e.g. wildflowers, grasses, etc.), and individual species are listed alphabetically within each group by their botanical (Latin) names. If you don't know the botanical name, you can scroll the common name index to try and find it. To search by botanical name, use the links at left to go to different sections of the catalog. In the photos & descriptions links, you can click on the camera images to link to photos and/or drawings of that species. Any abbreviations/terms used in this catalog are explained below. 

Species: Taxonomy follows multiple sources, such as H.D. Harringtons Manual of the Plants of Colorado, Cronquist et.al. Intermountain Flora and the Great Plains Flora Associations Flora of the Great Plains.  When there are differences between our sources, we use the most commonly used name within the seed industry. 

Common Name: Some are more common than others and some we simply had to create. 

Color:

B	Bk	Cr	G	O	Pi	Pu	R	W	Y
blue	black	cream/yellowish white	green	orange	pink	purple/violet	red/scarlet	white	yellow
When two colors are listed such as BPu it is to be read as bluish-purple, however, if the colors are listed as B&Pu, it is meant that there are two parts of the flower, one blue and the other purple.

A/P: refers to life span. A- annuals which must set seed every year in order to persist on a site. B - biennials, plants that live two years or longer, but only set one seed crop, so they too must set seed in order to persist for a number of years. P - perennials, which will grow back from their underground parts (roots, rhizomes, etc.) and do not need to set seed every year in order to survive. 

Bloom: Months (numbered, e.g. 6 is June) in which they typically bloom in their normal range.  The months given for some species means that the plant will bloom throughout the whole period, but for most species it will bloom anywhere from a few days to a few weeks within the time period given.  Exactly when a species starts and finishes, within the months listed, will depend on the year and the local growing conditions. 

Sow: Indicates what time of year to plant outside.  For many of the wildflowers, a summer sowing will result in germination that year, whereas, most of the trees, shrubs and wetland plants sown during the summer will not germinate until the following year.  Spr - Spring refers to the period before the last frost, Sum - Summer refers to the period after the last frost and Fall refers to the period when you have consistently freezing temperatures at night. 

Habitat/Range: Listed in life zones, which are somewhat Colorado-centric.  The range listed is the natural range, however, some species can survive outside the listed range with good results. 
 

Plains	eastern Colorado at elevations of approximately 3,500 to 5,000 ft.  It includes parts of eastern Wyoming, New Mexico and western Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle (see also Great Plains).
Foothills	areas of the Colorado Front Range between 5,000 and 7,000 ft.  It also includes similar elevations in northern New Mexico and lower elevations in Wyoming and Montana.  Typical of this life zone are mixed woodlands of Gambels Oak and Mountain Mahogany.
Montane	mountainous areas of Colorado between elevations of about 7,000 and 9,500 ft.  It includes similar elevations in Arizona and New Mexico and lower elevations in Wyoming, and Montana.  Typical of this zone are Ponderosa Pine, Aspen and Douglas Fir forests.
Subalpine	elevations in Colorado of 9,500 to 11,500 ft.  It includes small portions of northern New Mexico and lower elevations in Utah, Wyoming and Montana.  Typical of this zone are spruce and fir forests and aspen stands.
Alpine	all areas above treeline typically above 11,500 ft in Colorado, lower elevations as you move north.


 

G.P. - The Great Plains	includes some or all of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico & Colorado.
G.B. - The Great Basin	includes some or all of Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.
C.Pl. or CO Plateau - Colorado Plateau	the area around the four corners of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, & Utah.
Son. - Sonoran desert	extends from southeastern Arizona west to southeastern California and south into Mexico.
Moj. - Mojave desert	of California, Nevada and small parts of western Arizona and Utah it lies between the Great Basin and the Sonoran deserts.
Chih. - Chihuahuan desert	of New Mexico and Texas, extends as far north as Albuquerque.
Gunnison basin	high elevation basin in Colorado encompassing most of southwestern Gunnison County
p-j	pinyon pine (Pinus edulis, P. cembroides) and juniper (Juniperus scopulorum, J. monosperma, J. osteosperma and J. deppeana) woodland
Can.	Canada
Mex.	Mexico
calcareous	soils derived from limestone or dolomite normally dry and alkaline.
scree	slopes covered mainly by loose gravel.
talus	slopes covered by boulders and typically little else.

(P): indicates that the seed covering or pod is left on.  The pod will not affect germination, however, there will be fewer seeds per pound than if the pod was removed. 
(A): means that we have not removed the pappus or awns.  The awns will not affect germination, and in some cases, removing the awn will damage the seed, however, seeds with awns tend to become tangled and take a little patience when planting. 
(RC): means Rough Cleaned in which seed clusters or florets are simply rubbed through screens or milled to break up clusters and remove sticks and leaves.  Shrubby sages are commonly cleaned this way.  RC seed is suitable for most purposes, but will clog a small automatic nursery type seeder and should be sown by hand. 

Growth:  Sod refers to a turf forming (although some form very sparse turf) or rhizomatous grass.  Bunch refers to grasses without long rhizomes and tend to form round patches with bare ground between the individual plants, under favorable conditions, they will grow close enough together to resemble a sod grass. 

Season: Cool refers grasses that do most of their growing in the spring and or fall, unless you live at a high elevation or a northern latitude where the summer is cool.  Warm refers grasses that do most of their growing during the summer.  Warm season grasses tend to turn green much later and will turn brown earlier whereas cool season grasses will green up first thing in the spring and remain green as long as there is sufficient rainfall.  Cool season grasses tend to be less drought tolerant and require more nitrogen in the soil than warm season grasses. 

Water:  refers to the soil moisture conditions of wetland plants - dry - soil is dry for a good portion of the growing sesason, sub- soil is moist below the surface for most of the growing season, sat - water is at the soil surface for most of the growing season, sta - there is water above the soil surface for most of the growing season and fl- refers to floating plant that grow in ponds or permanent standing water. 
 
 



EXTRAS

Availability: If you are looking for  a species that is not presently available, please let us know.  We can place your name on a backorder list and contact you when the species becomes available, or we may be able to obtain some seed for you. 

Plants:  We do not sell plants, however, we keep a list of native plant nurseries and can recommend a nursery in your area.  If you own a nursery and wish to be added to our list please contact us. 

Custom Mixes:  We can design a seed mix specifically for your needs.  Give us a description of the site, including such information as aspect, slope, elevation, and soil type, and we will design the best mix possible.  Please call for more details. 

Guarantee: We guarantee species to be true to name and that seeds are in good condition when shipped. No other guarantee is expressed or implied. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with the condition of the seed you receive, please return it within 7 days and we will refund you the amount of the order, shipping not included. 

We ask the customer to recognize that native species vary widely in their germination potential and responses to different sites. Many natives are difficult to cultivate and success is largely a matter of proper species selection, site preparation and skill of the grower, therefore, we cannot guarantee success. If you have problems, please let us know as we may be able to advise you on culture methods. Any liability on our part is limited to the purchase price of the seed. If losses occur during transit, please notify the carrier and us immediately. 

Pricing: We will try to honor the prices listed until December 31, 2014, but all prices are subject to change without notice and all seed is subject to prior sale.  For discounts on large quantities or for PLS pricing, please call for a price quote. 

Mailing List: We may remove your name from our mailing list if you do not place an order during a three year period.  If you wish to be removed from our mailing list or if you would like to remain on our permanent mailing list, please let us know.  To reduce junk mail, we do not buy, sell or rent mailing lists. 

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: We try to use recycled paper whenever possible. We encourage all of our custiomers to recycle our catalog or pass it along to a friend. Also, please try to reuse or recycle any packaging material that comes with your order. Thanks for your help. 

Privacy Policy: Western Native Seed does not buy/sell/rent mailing lists, telephone numbers, or distribute any personal information of any kind. 

 
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