"Growth is the evidence of life."…John Henry Cardinal Newman

“There are approximately 1,737 known species of vascular plants, 167 species of fungi, 64 species of moss and 195 species of lichen found in Grand Canyon National Park. This variety is largely due to the 8,000 foot elevation change from the river up to the highest point on the North Rim. Grand Canyon boasts a dozen endemic plants (known only within the Park’s boundaries) while only ten percent of the Park’s flora is exotic. Sixty-three plants found here have been given special status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Grand Canyon National Park contains 129 vegetation communities, and the composition and distribution of plant species is influenced by climate, geomorphology and geology.

Along the Colorado River and its perennial tributaries, a riparian community exists. Coyote willow, arrowweed, seep willow, western honey mesquite, catclaw acacia, and exotic tamarisk (saltcedar) are the predominant species. Hanging gardens, seeps and springs often contain rare plants such as the white-flowering redbud tree, stream orchid, and McDougall’s flaveria.”

– Text From the Grand Canyon National Park Service Website. http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/plants.htm