Wild Flowers:  Kings Crown

During the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to do high elevation trail maintenance in Colorado.  I was enthralled by the wildflowers.  I thought I would highlight some of my favorites, one at a time, so that you could learn a bit about each one.  The information comes from both my experiences and the book “Guide to Colorado Wildflowers” by G.K. Guennel.  I really found this book helpful in unmasking the identities of these beautiful flowers.  I took the pictures; they don’t do the flowers justice.  If you think my picture is good, go out and see them in person, it’s a hundred times better.  Happy Trails!

King’s Crown, also known as Roseroot or Western Roseroot, is part of the Stonecrop family.

On King’s Crown, flowers are in a terminal cluster and are small (about 1/8”) with 4 purple or reddish petals and a 4-lobed, purple or reddish calyx.

To find King’s Crown, look in the Subalpine and Alpine regions of Colorado, so anywhere from 10,000 to 14,400 feet in elevation.  Check on lake shores and stream banks as well as in swales and rills on tundra since those are the best places to find them. 

Conditions permitting, schedule a hike between June to August to see them in bloom.