New Mexico Stickseed: A Little-Known Native Wildflower Worth Discovering
If you’re passionate about native plants and love discovering hidden gems in the botanical world, let me introduce you to New Mexico stickseed (Hackelia hirsuta). This unassuming little wildflower might not be making headlines in gardening magazines, but it has its own quiet charm and an important role in its native ecosystem.
What is New Mexico Stickseed?
New Mexico stickseed is a biennial forb—that’s garden-speak for a soft-stemmed, herbaceous plant that completes its life cycle over two years. As a member of the borage family (Boraginaceae), it shares kinship with more familiar plants like forget-me-nots and comfrey. The plant earned its stickseed moniker honestly: its small fruits are covered in tiny hooked bristles that grab onto anything that brushes past, from hiking socks to animal fur.
Where Does It Call Home?
This native wildflower is quite the homebody, with its natural range centered in New Mexico. As a plant native to the lower 48 states, it represents the kind of specialized regional flora that makes each area’s native plant community unique and irreplaceable.
Should You Grow New Mexico Stickseed?
Here’s where things get a bit tricky. While New Mexico stickseed is certainly worth celebrating as a native species, detailed growing information is surprisingly scarce. This often happens with plants that have very limited natural ranges or haven’t caught the attention of the horticultural trade.
If you’re gardening in New Mexico and are passionate about growing truly local natives, this plant could be a fascinating addition to a specialized wildflower garden or naturalized area. However, you’ll need to do some detective work to find seeds or plants, and you’ll likely be pioneering its cultivation techniques.
What We Know About Growing Conditions
Based on its borage family connections and biennial nature, New Mexico stickseed likely prefers:
- Well-draining soil (most borage family members don’t appreciate wet feet)
- Full sun to partial shade
- Moderate water during its growing season
- A period of winter chill for proper flowering in its second year
As a biennial, you can expect the plant to focus on leaf growth in its first year, then flower, set seed, and complete its life cycle in the second year.
The Ecological Picture
While specific pollinator relationships for this species aren’t well-documented, plants in the Hackelia genus typically produce small, blue flowers that attract various native bees and other small pollinators. The sticky seeds that give it its name play an important role in seed dispersal, hitching rides to new locations where they can establish new populations.
A Word of Caution and Encouragement
If you’re interested in growing New Mexico stickseed, please source your plants or seeds responsibly. Given its limited range, wild collection could impact natural populations. Look for reputable native plant sales or seed suppliers who can verify their sources.
Alternatively, consider exploring other native borage family members that might be better documented and more readily available for your region. Your local native plant society or extension office can point you toward similar natives that are well-suited to cultivation.
The Bottom Line
New Mexico stickseed represents the fascinating diversity of our native flora—plants that may not be garden center stars but play important roles in their native ecosystems. While growing this particular species might require some pioneering spirit and patience, supporting native plant diversity in any form is always worthwhile.
Whether you end up growing New Mexico stickseed or simply appreciating it from afar, remember that every native plant has a story to tell about the intricate web of life in its home ecosystem. Sometimes the most rewarding garden adventures begin with the plants that make us work a little harder to understand them.
