Mostly of interest to returning customers, this page shows only the new collections acquired since the publication of the 2012 ALPLAINS seed catalog.

Nolina texana (Agavaceae) (110x135,Z5,P,C,1) .......................................................... 30 seeds / $3.00 78415.17 (W) Harding Co., NM, 5400ft, 1646m. JRT5511 Short inflorescences of creamy flowers over grassy clumps.

Opuntia aurea X polyacantha (Cactaceae) (15x26,Z4,P,C,3:6w) ................................ 30 seeds / $3.50 08755.12 (W) Piute Co., UT, 8500ft, 2591m. JRT610 Round pads about 3.5" diameter with growth habit like O. polyacantha and lack of spines somewhat like O. aurea. Thickened brown areoles with glochids throughout the pads which turn a beautiful dark purple color in winter. Light pink flowers.

Oxytropis campanulata (Fabaceae) (18x16,Z4,P,SC,1) ................................................ 60 seeds / $3.00 12187.01 Tightly-packed, erect heads of magenta-purple over pinnate, green plants. A Russian native.

Pedicularis densiflora (Scrophulariaceae) (15x24,Z6,P,C,3:12w) ................................. 40 seeds / $5.00 15398.22 (W) Jackson Co., OR, 1550ft, 473m. Brilliant deep red to carmine inflorescences over doubly-toothed foliage often limned brownish-red. Grows in semi-shady pine duff. Early blooming with Erythronium hendersonii. Challenging in cultivation but well worth the effort. Photo1   Photo2

Pediocactus simpsonii (snowball) (Cactaceae) (7x8,Z4,P,GL,3:4w) ............................ 40 seeds / $4.00 76597.41 (W) Jefferson Co., CO, 6700ft, 2043m. These barrels are so densely spined with short white spines that the plants look like little snowballs. Pink flowers.

Pediocactus simpsonii v. indranus (Cactaceae) (3x6,Z5,P,GL,3:8w) .......................... 40 seeds / $4.00 76595.12 (W) Custer Co., ID, 6375ft, 1944m. Small, flat barrels, often multi-headed, with pale pink flowers, on limestone alluvium.

Pediocactus simpsonii v. nigrispinus (Cactaceae) (13x15,Z6,P,GL,3:4w) ................ 40 seeds / $3.50 76596.16 (W) Kittitas Co., WA, 2500ft, 762m. Deep magenta-pink flowers on black-spined barrels.

Penstemon azureus (40x35,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ..................................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 09901.22 (W) Shasta Co., CA, 2820ft, 860m. Multi-stemmed plants clothed in glaucous-blue, elliptical leaves bear loads of bright blue flowers in early summer. On metamorphic volcanic rock.    Photo

Penstemon cardwellii (Scrophulariaceae) (12x30,Z5,P,L,3:12w) .................................. 100 seeds / $4.00 12215.52 (W) Tillamook Co., OR, 3150ft, 960m. Bright green, toothed, oval leaves and violet to bright purple flowers on low growing, spreading plants intermediate in size between P. davidsonii and P. fruticosus.

Penstemon davidsonii v. menziesii (Scrophulariaceae) (5x15,Z5,P,RL,3:8w) ................ 100 seeds / $4.00 15232.12 (W) Clallam Co., WA, 6200ft, 1890m. Serrated leaves and short racemes of blue-violet. On crumbling, E-facing volcanic ledges and cracks.

Penstemon procumbens (10x30,Z3,P,L,4:12w) .............................................................. 40 seeds / $3.50 70760.52 (W) Gunnison Co., CO, 10128ft, 3088m. (= P. crandallii v. procumbens.) Endemic to the mountains around Crested Butte is this woody, decumbent creeper with small rounded leaves and blue flowers.

Penstemon rupicola (Scrophulariaceae) (16x45,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ....................................... 100 seeds / $4.00 75010.52 (W) Shasta Co., CA, 3150ft, 960m. Sumptuous pink flowers opening from very deep pink buds give a lovely two-tone effect here. Cascading sheets of powder-blue foliage over N-facing granite cliffs. Photo

Penstemon rupicola (Scrophulariaceae) (5x15,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ............................................ 100 seeds / $4.00 75010.62 (W) Josephine Co., OR, 4700ft, 1433m. A compact form here with deep rosy-pink flowers over powder-blue foliage. On subalpine serpentine cliffs.

Phlox aculeata (Polemoniaceae) (5x20,Z5,P,C,3:12w) ..................................................... 18 seeds / $5.00 01300.52 (W) Blaine Co., ID, 4800ft, 1463m. Loose cushions of awl-shaped leaves with pale to deep pink flowers. Found throughout the Snake River Plains.

Phlox speciosa (white) (Polemoniaceae) (12x24,Z6,P,C,3:12w) ...................................... 30 seeds / $5.00 76747.12 (W) Chelan Co., WA, 2500ft, 762m. These wonderfully-fragrant cushions with white, notched flowers cover the hills above Wenatchee in the spring like drifting snow.

Polemonium viscosum (Polemoniaceae) (10x16,Z3,P,L,3:6w) ..................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 90616.62 (W) Park Co., WY, 10450ft, 3186m. An apparent dwarf form here but may be only because of the exceptionally cold and windy conditions on this N-facing slope in the Beartooth Mtns. Small viscid leaves and trusses of purple-blue flowers.

Primula alcalina (Primulaceae) (10x5,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ....................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 19412.12 (W) Custer Co., ID, 6465ft, 1971m. Tufts of fleshy, somewhat rugose, lanceolate leaves with short stems of capitate heads of small white flowers, their bases in yellow rings. Not spectacular, probably only of interest to collectors. In grassland several feet away from the creek. Photo

Primula cusickiana (Primulaceae) (7x6,Z5,P,L,3:8w) .................................................... 100 seeds / $5.00 13017.72 (W) Camas Co., ID, 5060ft, 1543m. Blue to violet-blue, round-petalled flowers shading to a darker ring around the yellow throat. This population, which bakes on the volcanic Snake River Plains all summer, is probably much more heat-tolerant than the alpine population. Photo

Ptilotrichum spinosum (Brassicaceae) (8x30,Z5,P,L,1) ................................................... 60 seeds / $3.50 76731.01 Prickly, mounding shrublets of silver-gray leaves are densely covered with white to pink flowers early in the summer. From the Atlas Mountains.

Pulsatilla rubra (Ranunculaceae) (10x12,Z5,P,C,3:8w) .................................................. 30 seeds / $4.00 74950.00 Deep ruby-red flowers on dwarf plants.

Ranunculus glaberrimus (10x16,Z5,P,L,3:6w) ............................................................... 50 seeds / $3.50 32564.32 (W) Twin Falls Co., ID, 3520ft, 1073m. Shining, bright yellow flowers over semi-succulent, broadly-lobed foliage. These drought-resistant plants are often found on sagebrush plains and are among the earliest spring bloomers.   Photo

Rhododendron occidentale (Ericaceae) (110x90,Z6,P,L,3:8w) ...................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 76212.12 (W) Josephine Co., OR, 3320ft, 1012m. Beautiful flowers in various white/pink/salmon shades, often with gold splashes on the upper petals.

Salvia greggii (Lamiaceae) (55x60,Z6,P,C,2) ................................................................. 45 seeds / $3.00 32762.11 Ex cult., Thompson. JRT05G Multitudes of bright cherry-red blossoms festoon tidy bushlets practically the entire summer and fall.

Saponaria X sündermannii (Carophyllaceae) (8x25,Z4,P,L,3:8w) ................................. 40 seeds / $3.50 94963.01 A hybrid between S. bellidifolia and S. caespitosa which retains the compact habit of the former and heads of rose flowers of the latter.

Saxifraga aizoides (Saxifragaceae) (7x40,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ................................................. 100 seeds / $3.50 05002.13 (W) Tyrol, Obernberg, 1800m., Austria. Forms extensive mats of small rosettes of linear leaves which are covered with myriad scapes of yellow, orange-dotted flowers.

Saxifraga bryoides (6x10,Z4,P,L,3:8w) .......................................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 10768.13 (W) Tyrol, Mt. Patscherkofel, 2200m., Austria. Mossy, flat cushions with creamy-white flowers on short scapes. Resents lime.

Saxifraga caesia (8x12,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ............................................................................. 100 seeds / $4.00 12051.13 (W) Tyrol, Obernberg, 1800m., Austria. Dense cushions of tiny, lime-encrusted rosettes bear large, snow-white flowers on slender stems. Challenging in cultivation, best on tufa or lime substrates.

Saxifraga grisebachii (Saxifragaceae) (10x12,Z5,P,L,3:6w) ........................................... 100 seeds / $5.00 32774.11 (W) Korab Mtns, Macedonia, 3600ft, 1100m. Small, stiff, lime-encrusted rosettes erupt with those wonderful velvety, crimson inflorescences on cherry-pink stems.   Photo

Saxifraga mertensiana (12x10,Z5,P,L,3:10w) .............................................................. 100 seeds / $4.00 56435.12 (W) Whatcom Co., WA, 5100ft, 1555m. The leaves might be the most attractive feature -- ruffled, pleated and toothed foliage with short sprays of tiny pale pink flowers. On NW-facing, wet volcanic rocks.

Saxifraga scardica (8x16,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ........................................................................ 100 seeds / $4.00 76138.13 (W) Korab Mtns, 1400m., Albania. Hard domes of spiny rosettes bear thick scapes of large white flowers, often aging to deep pink. A decorative but challenging plant.

Saxifraga tolmiei (6x20,Z4,P,L,3:10w) .......................................................................... 100 seeds / $4.00 78814.12 (W) Whatcom Co., WA, 5000ft, 1524m. Mats of tiny, succulent, shiny, bright green leaves bear numerous 1"-2" scapes of starry white flowers. On volcanic alpine slopes.

Scutellaria resinosa (Lamiaceae) (16x16,Z4,P,L,2) ....................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 74436.02 Blue-purple flowers with two prominent white guidelines on the flaring lower lip. Photo

Sedum kamtschaticum (Crassulaceae) (14x100,Z5,P,L,3:8w) .......................................... 100 seeds / $3.00 52216.01 A great ground cover of evergreen, toothed, succulent foliage covered with yellow star-like flowers in spring and summer.

Sedum oreganum (10x25,Z7,P,L,2) ................................................................................ 100 seeds / $3.50 67424.12 (W) Tillamook Co., OR, 1630ft, 497m. Rosettes of small obovate leaves bearing inflorescences of yellow, the petals long-acuminate. Leaves and flowering stems often turn various shades of red to orange depending on light intensity and cold exposure. Photo1   Photo2

Sedum oregonense (10x25,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ........................................................................ 100 seeds / $3.50 67440.42 (W) Josephine Co., OR, 5425ft, 1654m. Mats of thick, glaucous blue leaves, similar to S. obtusatum. Creamy-yellow urceolate flowers in compact panicles. On a N-facing serpentine outcrop.

Sedum valens (10x8,Z5,B,L,3:8w) ................................................................................... 100 seeds / $4.00 90214.12 (W) Idaho Co., ID, 2000ft, 609m. Beautiful, tightly-packed rosettes of glaucous gray-green surrounded by a ring of maroon leaves. Flat heads of bright yellow flowers. On W-facing cliffs of basalt rock. Photo

Silene jenissensis (Caryophyllaceae) (30x25,Z4,P,L,1) ...................................................... 90 seeds / $3.00 50418.11 (W) Altai, Russia, 7220ft, 2200m. Tufts of narrow leaves bear several stems with white to pink, bifid flowers. Little-known plant from Russian mountain-steppe belt.

Silene regia (90x20,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ........................................................................................ 70 seeds / $3.50 74392.02 Crimson-red flowers adorn sticky stems in mid to late summer. Great hummingbird plant.

Solidago virgaurea ssp. minuta (Asteraceae) (25x15,Z5,P,L,1) ........................................ 80 seeds / $3.50 90635.11 (W) Tyrol, Mt. Patcherkofel, Austria, 6560ft, 2000m. "Alpine Goldenrod." Lanceolate leaves, myriad small yellow daisies from every axil on the upper stems.

Stanleya pinnata (Brassicaceae) (90x30,Z5,P,L,1) ............................................................. 100 seeds / $3.50 70619.12 (W) Fremont Co., CO, 5100ft, 1555m. Tall racemes of starry, golden blossoms, like the "Foxtail Lily." Often found on badland areas throughout Colorado and Utah.   Photo

Swertia perennis (Gentianaceae) (26x12,Z3,P,L,3:8w) ....................................................... 90 seeds / $3.50 70434.22 (W) Park Co., WY, 6600ft, 2012m. From pleated, basal foliage sprout several racemes of star-like flowers in a dark "electric" blue that defies description. Near an alpine swamp.

Synthyris missurica (Scrophulariaceae) (14x10,Z5,P,L,3:8w) ............................................. 90 seeds / $4.00 56636.32 (W) Idaho Co., ID, 5500ft, 1677m. Plumes of dark blue flowers over tufts of rounded, toothed leaves. N-facing volcanic slopes. One of the loveliest and earliest-blooming of the Pacific Northwest wildflowers. Photo

Tephrosia virginiana (Fabaceae) (30x25,Z5,P,SC,1) .......................................................... 35 seeds / $3.50 90644.02 Unusual bicolor pale yellow and fuchsia pea-flowers atop feathery, grayish-green foliage in late spring.

Titanopsis calcarea (Aizoaceae) (2x12,Z6,P,L,1) .............................................................. 50 seeds / $3.50 12226.02 Ex Thompson. Leaves variously chalky, blue and sandy-warted. Flowers in dark to light yellow hues.

Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri (Aizoaceae) (6x12,Z7,P,L,1) .................................................. 50 seeds / $3.50 36001.02 Ex Thompson. Clumps of blue-green leaves with brown rims covered with creamy warts. Orange, yellow-throated flowers.

Townsendia exscapa (Asteraceae) (2x7,Z5,P,C,1) ............................................................. 30 seeds / $4.00 46476.12 (W) Elbert Co., CO, 6650ft, 2027m. Compact buns of silver, linear leaves are covered with white daisies early in the spring. Photo

Townsendia glabella (Asteraceae) (4x15,Z4,P,C,1) ............................................................. 60 seeds / $4.00 32557.12 (W) Archuleta Co., CO, 7130ft, 2175m. Mats of linear, grayish leaves with white to pale lavender flowers from spring to mid-summer. On fine black shale soils.

Tricyrtis puberula (Liliaceae) (30x50,Z5,P,L,2) ................................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 70981.11 (W) Taldai Shan, China. Hairy, glaucous leaves with large black spots bear numerous sprays of yellow-brown, spotted flowers. An unusual Toad Lily from China. A woodland plant that prefers light shade starts blooming in mid-summer, earlier than other Tricyrtis.

Trillium ovatum (Liliaceae) (24x14,Z5,P,GL,3:8w) ............................................................... 60 seeds / $4.00 69024.22 (W) Adams Co., ID, 4250ft, 1296m. One of the most wide-spread Trilliums in the Pacific Northwest with white to pink flowers, often with many stems per plant. Growing in deep pine duff in heavy shade. Photo

Trollius albiflorus (Ranunculaceae) (8x12,Z3,P,L,4:12w) ..................................................... 100 seeds / $3.50 22410.42 (W) Albany Co., WY, 10350ft, 3155m. Above clumps of cut foliage spread several beautiful pale primrose-yellow blossoms, each punctuated by a boss of yellow stamens. A lovely alpine found near moist areas. The flowering stems greatly elongate during the fruiting phase. Photo

Umbellularia californica (Lauraceae) (200x150,Z7,P,C,3:12w) .......................................... 30 seeds / $3.50 12225.12 (W) Josephine Co., OR, 2500ft, 762m. "Myrtlewood." An aromatic shrub with bright green leaves and yellow-green inflorescences which are followed by small avocado-like drupes. This seed from a population which experiences colder temperatures than in California and can also take brutally hot and dry conditions in the summer.   Photo

Vella spinosa (Brassicaceae) (25x35,Z7,P,L,1) ................................................................... 30 seeds / $3.50 76732.11 (W) Sierra Nevada, Trevenque, Spain, 6560ft, 2000m. Intricately-branched, spiny, mounding subshrubs covered with straw-yellow flowers in late spring.

Veratrum formosanum (Melanthiaceae) (70x30,Z5,P,C,3:8w) ............................................ 30 seeds / $4.00 30854.01 Ex Nantou, Taiwan, 3000m. Almost unknown to horticulture is this fantastic, late-flowering relative of the Lily family with drooping spikes of numerous deep purple-black flowers over quickly-clumping, grass-like foliage. Usually starts blooming by its third year from seed.

Yucca angustissima (Liliaceae) (90x45,Z5,P,C,1) .............................................................. 50 seeds / $3.50 24832.12 (W) Mesa Co., CO, 4750ft, 1450m. Very narrow, long leaves copiously lined with filament hairs. Small populations concentrated in western Colorado.

Yucca elata (400x300,Z5,P,C,1) ........................................................................................ 30 seeds / $3.50 25426.32 (W) Pueblo Co., CO. JRT044 Giant form with multi-clumping stems to fifteen feet high with up to 30 heads. Giant southern forms transplanted to Pueblo in the 1980s and thriving ever since.

Yucca nana (Liliaceae) (65x15,Z5,P,C,1) ........................................................................... 30 seeds / $4.00 58248.12 (W) San Juan Co., UT, 6600ft, 2012m. Many botanical differences lead me to believe this is the very recently described taxon Y. nana. The flowering stalks are taller than in the typical Y. harrimaniae population, the rosettes are, on average, tinier yet, the seed is twice the usual size and the locality seems to match one of the published sites. Limited quantities due to the drought.

Yuccaneomexicana (Liliaceae) (55x20,Z6,P,C,2) ........................................................... 30 seeds / $3.50 58284.15 (W) Cimmaron Co., OK, 3600ft, 1100m. JRT251 The smallest population known with heads no more than 8" in diameter. Bright green leaves, about 3/8" wide, with some filament hair.

Yucca pallida (100x40,Z7,P,C,1) ....................................................................................... 50 seeds / $3.50 70246.12 (W) Callahan Co., TX. JRT462 Wide, sky-blue leaves with ivory flower stalks.

Yucca rupicola (180x40,Z7,P,C,1) ..................................................................................... 50 seeds / $3.50 75060.42 (W) Brown Co., TX. JRT461 Variable population with bright green to bluish tinted, wide, twisted leaves. Bloom stalks range from four to nine feet, possibly reflecting some Y. reverchoni influence. Nice ivory flowers.

Zinnia grandiflora (Asteraceae) (8x20,Z5,P,C,2) ............................................................... 40 seeds / $3.50 32765.22 (W) Fremont Co., CO, 5500ft, 1677m. Dwarf plants with linear, twisted foliage and large, orange-centered, sunshine-yellow daisies. Drought and heat tolerant, great for the xeric garden. Photo

Zoellnerallium andinum (Liliaceae) (30x12,Z7,P,C,3:8w) .................................................... 40 seeds / $3.50 24815.11 (W) Portillo, Chile. Typical Allium habit with long, narrow leaves and heads of white flowers.