Found this strange alien looking plant on the Western Slope betwen Delta and Grand Junction. I've spent all morning trying to identify it.

They are growing amongst the debri of a decaying (fossiliferous) shale outcropping. Lots of nice specimens of gypsum (need to positive ID still) in the area. Anyway, they are individual plants that are scattered about. The plants appear dead or dormant (in Sept) and are woody with a pod type growth on each stem. I kidded with my wife that they were from prehistoric seeds that fell out of the shale and started to grow there. We laughed at first but then began to wonder...

I grew up in Parachute (about 50 - 90 miles away) and have never seen anything like these things before.

Anyone know what they are?

Click to view attachment

Trumpet Plant

It is supposed to be a good indicator of highly mineralized soils

-EDIT- More correctly it is the Desert Trumpet plant

Thanks Persistence! I could not find the right keywords to search on.

I'll be looking out for them a lot from now on.

Sometimes all it takes is persistence to come up with the answers...

Sorry...

Lol, happy to help

I cant see the picture but I grew up around the southwest and based on the description it sounds like what we called bottle plant..... not sure what the scientific name is. A friend of my mother used to cut them and use them in cool dried flower arrangements