A member of the mustard family, the Western Wallflower ( Erysimum capitatium ) is a brightly colored yellow flower which is quite common across the western United States, including Arizona, Utah and Nevada.. In European countries, the wallflower earned its name from a habit of growing on… you guess it, walls. More specifically stone, masonry or wooden fences. The name was transposed to the American species despite the fact the plants have no preference for walls.
The flowers of this plant are about one inch across and commonly bright golden, yellow or tangerine-colored with some variants are known to be red, white or purple in color.. The plant is usually clumped with crowded clusters of flowers atop each minimally-branched stems.
The plant is adaptable and often found in the low land deserts to to high alpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains. The wallflower is typically between one and three feet tall and grows in clumps. They are known to flower between May and July each year depending upon climate and conditions. The plant thrives in and prefer dry, well drained soils.
Other Names
- Coast wallflower
- Douglas’ wallflower
- Sanddune wallflower
- Prairie rocket