Chapter III: Preface (3)

Smooth, 3—12 inches high, 1—3-flowered. Leaves round in outline, those at the root all 3—5-parted and deeply cut; their obovate or wedge-shaped divisions mostly lobed or narrowly cut, stem-leaves similar with oblong to spatulate or lanceolate, often entire divisions. Flowers bright yellow; petals 5, a third of an inch or more long.

Frequent at the higher altitudes, blooming close to the melting snow, throughout the region; flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus alpeophilus= A. Nelson.]

Similar in habit to the previous species though usually larger, bright green and nearly smooth throughout. Leaves sparingly hairy on the margins, the basal broader and less divided. Flowers pale yellow, ¼ of an inch or more broad; petals little longer than the calyx.

Along streams and in moist grounds, an alpine species frequent throughout the Rockies; flowering in June and July.

_b_ Ranunculus alpeophilus A. Nelson. (½ Nat.)]

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus saxicola.= Rydb.]

Stems about 4 inches long, decumbent or ascending, smooth. Basal leaves on petioles 2 inches long, rounded, somewhat hairy when young, 3-lobed, lobes spreading and toothed, stem-leaves 1—3, nearly sessile, cleft into 3—7 linear lobes. Flowers about ½ an inch broad, sepals tinged with brown, half the length of the petals, broad, obovate, obtuse, slightly hairy; petals broadly obovate, bright yellow; achenes more or less hairy, with a straight style.

Throughout the Rockies in stony ground at the higher altitudes; flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus inamœnus.= Greene.]

Stems rather stout, 6—12 inches high, slightly hairy. Root leaves on short petioles, rounded, crenate-toothed or 3-lobed, stem leaves sessile and cut into 3—6 oblong-lanceolate segments. Flowers ¼ of an inch or more broad, usually several together on short slender peduncles; petals obovate-oblong, light yellow; achenes small, hairy.

In open ground sparingly throughout the Rockies at the lower elevations; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus Suksdorfii= A. Gray.]

Stem 3—6 inches high, smooth, slender, 1—3-flowered. Leaves ½ an inch or more long, sub-reniform or broadly fan-shaped with wedge-shaped base, deeply 3—5-cleft or parted, the radical into cuneate 3—5-cleft or incised divisions, those of the stem linear. Flowers bright yellow; petals round-obovate, ⅓—½ an inch long.

In moist ground on slopes, throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus eximius= Greene. _Low Buttercup._]

Stems hairy, 6—10 inches high, branching. Leaves few, basal, rounded in outline, ternately lobed, sometimes deeply so, on slender petioles; stem leaves sessile or nearly so, cut into narrowly linear or linear-lanceolate lobes. Flowers ¾ of an inch or more broad, petals spreading, bright yellow and shining on the upper surface; sepals not reflexed.

A showy low buttercup in the dry open valleys in the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Ranunculus montanensis= Rydb. _Meadow Buttercup._]

Stem stout, 1—2 feet high, branching with long rough hairs. Basal leaves long, hairy all over, 3-parted, the divisions again divided or cut into linear or lanceolate segments; petioles 3 or 4 inches long; stem-leaves similar but short petioled. Flowers few, large; sepals broadly ovate with silky hairs; petals broadly ovate, nearly half an inch long, bright yellow; head of achenes, globose; style long, slender, and much curved.

Frequent in the Rockies at the lower altitudes in more or less shaded grassy situations; flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Halerpestes Cymbalaria= (Pursh.) Green. _Creeping Crowfoot._]

Stems creeping and rooting at the joints, 1—7-flowered. Leaves broadly ovate, coarsely crenate, clustered at the base and joints of the long slender runners. Flowers ¼ of an inch across; petals light yellow, longer than the sepals; fruit in oblong heads.

A common species throughout the Rockies in damp ground, frequently forming mats several feet across; flowering continuously throughout the summer.

[Sidenote: =Caltha leptosepala= Hook. _White Marsh Marigold._]

Stems erect, 2—12 inches high, 1—2-flowered. Leaves roundish or oblong-cordate, longer than broad, irregularly crenate-toothed; sepals 6—8, lanceolate, ¾ of an inch long, white, strongly suffused with blue on the outside; stamens numerous; pistils 5—15.

In springy ground and wet alpine meadows throughout the region, often growing in such abundance as to make the meadows brilliant with the blue and white flowers, which appear soon after the snow has left the ground in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Trollius albiflorus= (A. Gray.) Rydb. _Western Globe-flower._]

Stem erect, 6—12 inches high, more or less branching. Leaves palmately divided, the segments many cleft. Flowers solitary, 1—1½ inches broad, subtended by a whorl of leaves; sepals broadly obovate 5—6, pure white tinged on the back with greenish rose; petals 15—20, less than ¼ of an inch long, narrowly truncate, bright yellow, nearly concealed by the numerous stamens.

One of the most abundant and conspicuous of the spring flowers of the alpine meadows, and marshy borders of alpine streams and lakes, commencing to flower when but a few inches high on the edges of the melting snow in May and June.

_b_ Trollius albiflorus (A. Gray) Rydb. Western Globe-Flower. (⅔ Nat.)]

[Sidenote: =Aquilegia brevistyla= Hook. _Small Blue Columbine._]

One to two feet high, slender, sparingly branched. Leaves, the basal long-petioled, biternate, lobed and crenate, the stem leaves few, nearly sessile and lobed. Flowers ½ an inch or more long, nodding, sepals blue, petals creamy-white with a short blue spur not more than ¼ of an inch long; styles and stamens hardly exceeding the petals.

In open rocky situations, rather local, common in the region around Banff, flowering in May and June.

[Sidenote: =Aquilegia flavescens= S. Wats. _Yellow Columbine._]

Stems smooth, 1—3 feet high, branched. Leaves ternate, leaflets round-cordate, 3-parted, the segments coarsely toothed, 2—3-cleft. Flowers yellow, an inch or more long, nodding; sepals reflexed, oblong-ovate, acute, longer than the spurs; petals spreading with a spur half an inch long; styles and stamens nearly equal, much exserted.

The commonest columbine throughout the region, growing in woods and on slopes up to 8000 feet, varying greatly in colour; flowering in June and July according to the elevation.

[Sidenote: =Aquilegia formosa= Fisch. _Western Columbine._]

Stem 2—4 feet high, branching, sparingly pubescent with spreading hairs. Leaves, the lower triternately parted on long petioles, the upper sessile and ternate or reduced to simple bracts, leaflets broadly wedge-shaped, 3-cleft. Flowers scarlet, drooping, more than an inch long; sepals scarlet varying to orange, spreading or reflexed, an inch long, lanceolate, acute; petals yellow, more or less spreading, with a scarlet spur about the length of the sepals; styles and stamens exserted.

Throughout the Selkirks, in moist ground, on slopes and borders of rocky alpine streams, flowering during July and late June.

_b_ Aquilegia formosa Fisch. Western Columbine. (⅔ Nat.)]

[Sidenote: =Delphinium Brownii= Rydb. _Western Larkspur._]

Stem tall, 2—5 feet high, leafy. Leaves mostly orbicular in outline, 5—7-parted, the upper into narrow-cleft, laciniate divisions, petioled. Flowers nodding, less than an inch long, dull purple, bluish or occasionally white, numerous in an elongated spike; sepals 5, blue, ⅓ of an inch long, not spreading, the upper one prolonged into a spur, half an inch long; petals white, nearly as long as the sepals.

Frequent in the region around Banff in open woods at the lower altitudes, flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Delphinium Menziesii= DC. _Blue Larkspur._]

Sparingly leafy, 10—18 inches tall, from a tuberous rootstock. Leaves, the lowest round reniform, cut into irregular, oblong, obtuse lobes, the upper with linear, acute lobes. Flowers few in a simple panicle, sepals lanceolate, obtuse, ¾ of an inch or more long, spreading, brilliant blue, about as long as the short curved spur; petals exserted, white with purple veins.

Throughout the region in open ground and on grassy slopes; flowering in early June or later according to the altitude.

[Sidenote: =Actæa arguta= Nutt. _Western Red Baneberry._]

Stems erect, 2—3 feet high, smooth except the inflorescence. Leaves large, ternately compound, the basal leaf long-petioled, the divisions long petioled and pinnate, leaflets ovate, 1½—5 inches long, cut with sharp teeth. Raceme ovoid, 1—2 inches long; flowers small, white, with petal-like sepals; petals, 4—10 spatulate and minute; stamens numerous; berries in a spreading raceme, small, spherical, and purplish red.

Frequent in the rich woods throughout the region, at the lower altitudes; flowering in late May and early June.

[Sidenote: =Actæa eburnea= Rydb. _Western White Baneberry._]

Similar to the preceding species and often growing with it and difficult to distinguish from it when in flower: in fruit, however, they are quite distinct. In A. eburnea the berries are fully twice as large, nearly half an inch long and a quarter of an inch in diameter and pure waxy white.

In rich moist woods throughout the Rockies; flowering with the other species in May and early June; fruiting in late July.

BERBERIDACEÆ

_Barberry Family_

Shrubs or herbs with alternate or basal leaves, with or without stipules, and solitary or racemed, mostly terminal flowers; sepals and petals generally overlapping in several series; stamens as many as the petals and opposite them; flowers perfect.

[Sidenote: =Berberis aquifolium= Pursh. _Trailing Mahonia._]

A smooth, trailing shrub. Leaves petioled, pinnate, leaflets 3—7, ovate or oval, oblique, obtuse, truncate or slightly cordate at the base, sessile thick, persistent, finely veiny, 1—2 inches long, with spine-bearing teeth. Flowers yellow, in several erect, dense, terminal racemes; berry globose, blue or purple.

A straggling shrub with spiny glossy dark green leaves, which change to beautiful tints of scarlets and yellows during midsummer and autumn. Frequent in the Rockies in woods; flowering in June.

PAPAVERACEÆ

_Poppy Family_

Herbs with milky or coloured sap and alternate leaves or the upper rarely opposite, flowers perfect, regular or irregular; sepals 2, rarely 3 or 4, soon falling off; petals 4—6 or rarely more, folded together, often wrinkled; stamens numerous.

_b_ Lithophragma parviflora (Hook.) Nutt. Lithophragma.

(¾ Nat.)]

[Sidenote: =Capnodes aureum= (Willd.) Kuntze. _Golden Corydalis._]

Smooth, 4—12 inches long, diffusely branching. Leaves all but the uppermost petioled, finely cut into oblong-obovate or wedge-shaped segments. Flowers numerous in an oblong head, bright golden yellow, nearly half an inch long; spur ½ the length of the body of the corolla, outer petals keeled, not crested; pods spreading or pendulose, torulose; seeds obtuse, margined, shining, obscurely ridged.

Frequent throughout the Rockies in open ground at the lower altitudes where it has been recently burned or cleared; flowering during most of the summer.

BRASSICACEÆ

_Mustard Family_

Herbs, rarely somewhat woody, with watery acrid juice, alternate leaves and racemose or corymbose white, yellow, or pink flowers; sepals and petals 4; stamens 6, rarely fewer; pistil 1, consisting of 2 united carpels.

Pods short; silicles.
Pod compressed parallel to the partition. =Draba.=
Pod compressed contrary to the partition, ovate;
flowers white. =Thlaspi.=
Pod inflated, obcordate; flowers yellow. =Physaria.=
Pods elongated; siliques.
Pod compressed parallel to the partition.
Valves nerveless; flowers white. =Cardamine.=
Valves 1-nerved; flowers white or pink. =Arabis.=
Pods terete, not at all compressed.
Pods 1½ inches long or more.
Flowers yellow, stigma 2-lobed. =Erysimum.=
Pods less than 1½ inches long.
Leaves grey with fine hairs; flowers white. =Smelowskia.=
Leaves not grey-hairy; flowers yellow or white.
Pubescence of simple hairs. =Sisymbrium.=
Pubescence of forked hairs.
Leaves pinnate or pinnatifid; flowers yellow.
=Sophia.=
Leaves entire or nearly so; flowers white.
=Braya.=
Smooth throughout.
Leaves pinnate or pinnatifid; flowers white.
=Roripa.=

[Sidenote: =Draba glacialis= Adams.]

Caudex much branched, branches short and slender. Leaves strongly keeled, ¼—¾ of an inch long, more or less loosely stellate-pubescent, sometimes ciliate at the base. Scapes slender, ¼—6 inches high, hairy or nearly smooth; racemes few-flowered; sepals with a few long hairs or smooth petals ⅛ of an inch long, pale yellow, darker at the base; pod ¼ of an inch or more long, narrowly oblong, acute at both ends, on pedicels ¼ of an inch or more long; style distinct.

In dry, exposed stony places throughout the Rockies, flowering in early spring.

[Sidenote: =Draba oligosperma= Hook.]

Stems much branched from the root, densely tufted at the base. Leaves erect, linear, obtuse, tapering to the base, stiff, ciliate, with stellate hairs on both sides, especially toward the apex. Scapes naked; flowers racemose; calyx smooth or with scattered hairs, petals white or pale yellow, obovate, ⅛ of an inch or more long, pods short, nearly orbicular, acute at the apex, more or less rounded at the base, sparingly short-hairy, ⅛ of an inch long; style ⅓ its length. Alpine summits and dry ridges throughout the Rockies; flowering in May and June.

[Sidenote: =Draba andina= (Nutt.) A. Nelson.]

Densely cæspitose. Leaves linear-oblong, obtuse, ⅛ of an inch long or less, stiff and rigid, densely imbricated, forming numerous small rosettes: stellate-pubescent on both sides. Scapes slender, 1—2 inches high, few-flowered, petals pale yellow or white, ⅛ of an inch long; twice as long as the hairy calyx; pods ⅛ of an inch or less long with short stiff hairs.

On exposed rocks and alpine summits throughout the Rockies, frequent in the vicinity of Banff, flowering in May and June.

[Sidenote: =Draba nivalis= Liljb. _Arctic Whitlow-grass._]

Caudex with numerous slender matted branches. Leaves in dense tufts, oblanceolate, acutish with a rather stout mid-nerve, entire, white-hairy, with dense stellate pubescence, not at all ciliate or slightly so near the base, ¼ of an inch long or less. Scapes slender, hairy, 1—3 inches high, calyx hairy; flowers ⅛ of an inch high, the white petals slightly exceeding the calyx; pods few, usually smooth, oblong, acute at each end, ½ of an inch or less long on short pedicels and with a short stout style and 2-lobed stigma.

On alpine summits and exposed ledges throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Draba lonchocarpa= Rydb.]

Similar to the preceding species but with the leaves obtuse; pods ⅓—⅔ of an inch long, smooth, very narrow and usually more or less twisted, on slender pedicels ¼—½ an inch long.

In moist or shaded ground, on alpine summits or on ledges, throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Draba aurea= Vahl. _Golden Whitlow-grass._]

Pubescent throughout with short stellate hairs; stems rather stout, erect, frequently several from the same root; leafy, 2—15 inches high. Leaves entire or few-toothed, oblanceolate or lanceolate, stem leaves usually narrowed and frequently ciliate at the base, ½—2 inches long. Flowers bright yellow in an elongated leafy raceme; calyx smooth or somewhat hairy; petals elliptic, less than ⅛ of an inch long; pods lanceolate to linear, acute, hairy, often twisted, ¼—½ an inch long on peduncles half their length.

Frequent in dry open ground at the lower altitudes throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Draba incana= L. _Hoary Whitlow-grass._]

Erect, simple, or somewhat branched, leafy, stellate-pubescent throughout, 6—12 inches high. Leaves lanceolate, oblanceolate or ovate, ¼—1 inch long, acute or obtuse, dentate or nearly entire; flowers white, ⅛ of an inch or less broad; petals notched, twice as long as the sepals; pod oblong or lanceolate, acute ⅓—½ an inch long on nearly erect pedicels about ½ their length.

Throughout the region in moist ravines; flowering during June.

Other species of Draba occur in the region but being neither common nor striking it is deemed out of place to describe them here.

[Sidenote: =Thlaspi arvense= L. _Penny-cress._]

Decumbent or erect, 6—12 inches high, simple or much branched above. Leaves spatulate or oblong, obtuse, obtusely- or runcinately-toothed or angled. Flowers small, white, in a compact head; pods large, ½ an inch broad, orbicular or nearly so, strongly winged and compressed.

In moist low ground and waste places throughout the Rockies, flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Physaria didymocarpa= (Hook.) A. Gray. _Double Bladder-pod._]

Densely stellate, canescent, pale green, root long and deep. Stems decumbent or ascending, slender, simple, 3—12 inches long. Leaves spatulate, the basal ones obtuse, entire or few lobed, narrowed into margined petioles: stem leaves nearly sessile, acute, much smaller. Flowers about ½ an inch broad, light yellow in a close raceme, 2—5 inches long in fruit; pods much inflated and variable, often ½ an inch thick.

In dry clayey and stony soil and on slopes throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Cardamine pennsylvanica= Muhl. _Pennsylvania Bitter-cress._]

Smooth or rarely with a few scattered hairs; stems erect, stout or slender, 8 inches to 3 feet high, usually much branched, somewhat succulent, leafy up to the racemes. Basal leaves 2—6 inches long, the terminal leaflet obovate, ovate or obcordate, usually narrowed at the base, ¼—¾ of an inch wide, the lateral 4—8 pairs oblong, oval or obovate, all toothed or some of them entire. Flowers about ⅛ of an inch broad, white; pods very narrowly linear, ½—1¼ inches long, erect when mature on ascending pedicels.

In wet shaded places, sparingly throughout the region; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Arabis hirsuta= (L.) Scop. _Hairy Rock-cress._]

Stem erect, nearly simple, 1—2 feet high, roughly hairy or nearly smooth. Basal leaves on margined petioles forming a rosette, obovate or spatulate, obtuse, denticulate, 1—2 inches long; stem leaves sessile, clasping by an auriculate base, lanceolate or oblong. Flowers ¼ of an inch or less long, white, in a strict, elongated raceme; pods narrowly linear, erect or appressed, 1—2 inches long.

In open grounds throughout the Rockies at the lower altitudes; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Arabis Holboldii= Hornem. _Stony Rock-cress._]

Finely stellately pubescent throughout; stems frequently several, simple or branched, erect ½—2½ feet high. Root leaves narrowly oblanceolate, entire, an inch or less long; stem leaves linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong, acute, sagittate. Flowers rosy pink or rarely white, becoming more or less reflexed, ¼ of an inch long; pods more or less abruptly reflexed, straight or somewhat curved 1½—2½ inches long, very narrowly linear.

On banks and stony slopes throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Arabis Drummondii= A. Gray. _Drummond’s Rock-cress._]

Slightly glaucous, stems erect; 1—2 feet high. Root leaves narrowly oblanceolate more or less hairy; the stem leaves oblong or linear-lanceolate, 1—2 inches long. Flowers white or pinkish, ¼ of an inch long in a close panicle, elongated in fruit; pods erect when mature, slender, 1½—3 inches long, obtuse.

In open ground and on slopes throughout the Rockies, flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Arabis Lyallii= S. Wats. _Lyall’s Rock-cress._]

Low, smooth, throughout, or sometimes more or less stellate-pubescent below; stem simple, several, or many from the same root. Lower leaves spatulate or linear-oblanceolate, usually ½—1 inch long, sometimes longer; stem leaves narrowly lanceolate or oblong, sometimes scarcely auricled. Flowers rose-colour, ¼ of an inch long; pods erect or ascending, very slender, straight or nearly so, 1—2 inches long.

Alpine meadows and slopes at the higher elevations throughout the Rockies, flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Erysimum inconspicuum= (S. Wats.) MacM. _Treacle Mustard._]

Erect, 10—18 inches high, cinereous and rough with 2-parted hairs. Leaves narrowly linear-lanceolate or oblong-linear, mostly entire, the root leaves crowded and sometimes repand dentate. Flowers sulphur yellow in a compact head, elongated in fruit, calyx campanulate, ¼ inch high, petals ⅓ longer, the blades spreading; pods slender, erect or nearly so at maturity, 1—2 inches long.

In gravelly places, common on the eastern slopes of the Rockies at the lower elevations, flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Smelowskia calycina= (Desv.) C. A. Meyer. _Smelowskia._]

Very variable in foliage, finely stellate-pubescent and usually cinereous-villous with larger single hairs; caudex stout, branched. Leaves soft in texture, usually deeply pinnatifid with 2-several pairs of linear to obovate, obtuse segments. Stems several, 1—6 inches high, racemes at first dense and corymbose, becoming elongated in fruit. Flowers white with exserted broad rounded petals ⅛ of an inch or more long; pods usually lanceolate, tapering to each end.

On alpine summits through the Rockies; not common; flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Sisymbrium altissimum= L. Tall _Hedge Mustard._]

Erect, 2—4 feet high, freely branching, smooth or nearly so. Lower leaves runcinate-pinnatifid, petioled, the lobes lanceolate, often auriculate; upper leaves smaller, short petioled, or usually sessile, very deeply pinnatifid, the lobes linear or lanceolate, dentate or entire, the uppermost often reduced to linear, entire bracts. Flowers pale yellow, ¼ of an inch broad on slender spreading pedicels, pods very narrowly linear, divergent, 2—4 inches long.

At the lower elevations throughout the region as a weed, especially on the line of the railway, flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Sophia intermedia= Rydb. _Western Tansy-Mustard._]

Stems 1—2 feet high, sparingly greyish-puberulent, especially below, or sometimes nearly smooth, often glandular above; hairs more or less stellate. Leaves twice or thrice-pinnatifid, the primary divisions oblanceolate or obovate, divided to near the midrib into linear or linear-oblong segments, sparingly puberulent. Raceme rather long, flowers small, less than ⅛ of an inch high; petals yellow; peduncles diverging sometimes nearly at right angles; pod club-shaped.

Common throughout the Rockies in open places at the lower altitudes, flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Braya humilis= (Meyer) Robinson. _Northern Rock-cress._]

Erect 4—10 inches high, branching below, sparingly hairy. Leaves spatulate or oblanceolate, the lower obtuse, 1—2 inches long, narrowed into a petiole, sharply dentate or rarely entire, the upper smaller, narrower, often acute. Flowers white or pink ⅛ of an inch or more broad, pedicels erect, ¼ of an inch long in fruit; pods nearly terete, narrowly linear, ½—¾ of an inch long, valves finely nerved.

In moist gravelly or stony ground throughout the Rockies at the lower altitudes, flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Roripa Nasturtium= (L.) Rusby. _Water-cress._]

Aquatic, smooth, branched, floating or creeping, rooting from the joints. Leaves odd-pinnate of 3—9 segments, the terminal one larger than the lateral, all obtuse, ovate or oval or the terminal one nearly orbicular. Racemes elongated in fruit; flowers white, ⅛ of an inch or more broad; pod ½—1¼ inches long, spreading and slightly curved upwards, on pedicels of about their length.

In ditches and shallow pools through the Rockies, especially abundant at Banff in the warm water at the outlet from the Basin; flowering through June and July.

CRASSULACEÆ

_Stone-Crop Family_

Fleshy smooth herbs with alternate leaves, and perfect flowers in terminal, oftentimes 1-sided cymes. Calyx 4—5-lobed; petals 4—5, distinct, stamens twice as many as the petals; carpels 4—5, styles short.

[Sidenote: =Sedum stenopetalum= Pursh. _Narrow Petaled Stone-crop._]

Perennial, tufted, smooth, flowering branches 3—7 inches long. Leaves alternate, crowded, sessile, linear ¼—½ an inch long, entire. Flowers bright yellow, nearly half an inch broad in a 5—7-forked, compact cyme, petals narrowly lanceolate, very acute.

Common throughout the Rockies in moist, gravelly or sandy soil, on river shores, and on rocky slopes, flowering in June and July.

PARNASSIACEÆ

_Grass-of-Parnassus Family_

Smooth bog-herbs with a rosette of basal leaves and generally one or a few alternate stem leaves and solitary, terminal flowers. Flowers perfect; calyx generally 5-lobed to near the base; petals 5; perfect stamens 5; staminodia (imperfect stamens) in clusters at the base of each petal; stigmas 4.

[Sidenote: =Parnassia fimbriata= Banks. _Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus._]

Leaves tufted at the base on petioles 2—6 inches long; blades reniform or broadly cordate, ¾—½ an inch wide, thin, smooth, with about 7 principal veins. Flowers ¾ of an inch or more broad on a scape 8—12 inches high with a small cordate clasping bract about the middle; sepals ¼ of an inch long, elliptic, obtuse; petals obovate, pure white, fringed at the base, staminodia united into 5 fleshy obovate scales.

Common throughout the region in springy places and damp mossy banks at the lower altitudes, flowering during July.

[Sidenote: =Parnassia montanensis= Rydb. and Fernald. _Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus._]

Leaves tufted at the base on short petioles, blades ovate with a cordate or rounded base ¾ of an inch long. Flowers solitary, on scapes 8 inches or more high with a large ovate bract below the middle; sepals lanceolate, acute, ¼ of an inch or more long, petals oval to elliptic only slightly larger than the sepals; staminodial scales with 7—9 gland-tipped filaments.

Throughout the Rockies in marshy ground and shaded river shores; flowering in June and early July.

[Sidenote: =Parnassia parviflora= DC. _Small-flowered Grass-of-Parnassus._]

Scapes slender, 4—12 inches high, usually bearing a clasping oval leaf at the middle. Basal leaves on slender petioles, oval or ovate, narrowed at the base, not cordate, ½—1 inch long. Flowers about ⅓ of an inch broad, sepals equalling or somewhat shorter than the elliptic sessile petals; staminodia 5—7 at the base of each petal.

In wet gravelly places at the lower altitudes throughout the Rockies; flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Parnassia Kotzebuei= Cham. and Schl. _Alpine Grass-of-Parnassus._]

Much smaller than the preceding species. Basal leaves few on petioles less than an inch long; blades broadly ovate, ½ an inch long. Flowers on slender scapes 2—4 inches high, without any bract; sepals oblong, about ¼ of an inch long, equalling or exceeding the elliptic or oval 3-veined petals; staminodia short with 3—5 slender filaments.

Throughout the Rockies at high altitudes on the gravelly borders of alpine ponds or brooks, a very diminutive species, flowering in July.

SAXIFRAGACEÆ

_Saxifrage Family_

Stemmed or stemless herbs with alternate or sometimes opposite or more frequently basal leaves; flowers perfect, racemose, cymose or paniculate; calyx 5-lobed or parted; petals 4 or 5, white, yellow or greenish or sometimes rose-coloured; stamens equal or twice the number of the petals; carpels 1—several, distinct or united.

Placentæ parietal.
Flowers solitary and axillary; sepals 4; stamens 4—8.
=Chrysosplenium.=
Flowers in more or less elongated racemes.
Flowers with 2 or 3 equal carpels.
Flower-stalk axial from a bulbiferous rootstock.
=Lithophragma.=
Flower-stalk a lateral shoot from a stout scaly rootstock.
Inflorescence racemose.
Petals pinnately cut or pinnatifid.
Base of the calyx campanulate deeper than the
length of the sepals. =Tellima.=

Base of the calyx saucer-shaped, shallower
than the length of the sepals.
Ovary more than half superior;
disc inconspicuous. =Mitella.=
Ovary wholly inferior, covered with
the prominent disc. =Pectiantia.=

Inflorescence paniculate. =Heuchera.=

Flowers with 2 very unequal carpels. =Tiarella.=

Placentæ axial.
Base of the calyx well developed, at maturity longer than
the sepals.
Stamens 5, plant with short bulblet bearing rootstock. =Hemieva.=
Stamens 10.
Plants without caudices; only producing annual flowering
stems. =Saxifraga.=
Plants with perennial leafy caudices, often with offsets.
=Muscaria.=
Base of the calyx only slightly developed, unchanged at maturity.
Leaves alternate, sometimes all basal.
Plants stemless.
Corolla regular, petals about equal in shape and length.
=Micranthes.=
Corolla irregular petals of different shape and length.
=Spatularia.=
Plants with stems.
Carpels distinct; leaf-blades toothed. =Leptarrhena.=
Carpels partially united; leaf-blades entire. =Leptasea.=
Leaves opposite except sometimes on the flower-stalks.
=Antiphylla.=

[Sidenote: =Chrysosplenium tetrandrum= Th. Fries. _Golden Saxifrage._]

Perennial with a slender creeping rootstock; stems 1½—6 inches high, branched above. Leaves alternate, the lower ones on petioles 1—2 inches long; blades thick, reniform, ½ an inch or less wide, crenate with 3—5 broad teeth, shining above, paler beneath, upper ones larger and more or less wedge-shaped. Flowers in small clusters in the axils of the upper leaves; sepals 4; stamens 4 opposite the sepals.

In shaded damp ground in the wooded areas through the Rockies at an elevation of 5000 to 6000 feet, where it often forms dense green carpets, the inconspicuous little flowers coming into blossom in June.

[Sidenote: =Lithophragma parviflora= (Hook.) Nutt. _Lithophragma._]

Stems 4—12 inches high, slightly glandular-hairy, from a slender creeping rootstock with rosy bulblets. Leaves palmately divided to the base into 3—5 divisions, ½—1 inch long, twice ternately cleft into oblong or linear divisions; lower ones on petioles 1—2 inches long; stem leaves 1 or 2 similar, sessile. Flowers 3—8 in a slender raceme, base of the calyx and sepals ⅛ of an inch long; petals pure white, deeply 3—5 cut into narrowly oblong divisions.

On grassy slopes and gravelly places throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Tellima grandiflora= (Pursh.) Dougl. _Tellima._]

Flowering branches 1—2 feet high, with long rough hairs, glandular above. Leaves reniform or cordate, sparingly rough-hairy, round lobed, and toothed with broadly ovate teeth; 1½—4 inches broad on hairy petioles 4—8 inches long; stem leaves short-petioled with well developed stipules. Flowers numerous in an elongated raceme; sepals ovate ¼ of an inch long; petals white, purplish or pink with a pinnately cut blade; claws broadly wedge-shaped, ⅛ of an inch long, erect, blade spreading or reflexed with a rounded ovate body and tapering thread-like lobes.

Moist woods and crevices in the rocks, abundant in the Selkirks; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Mitella nuda= L. _Naked Bishop’s-Cap._]

Perennial, from a slender branched rootstock, producing long runners in late summer; flowering branches scape-like, naked, or rarely with a small leaf, 2—8 inches high, sparingly hairy. Leaves reniform ¾—2 inches in diameter, rounded, crenate or lobed, on petioles 1—3 inches long. Flowers few, in a loose raceme, saucer-shaped; calyx about ¼ of an inch broad, greenish-yellow; petals spreading about twice as long as the sepals, greenish-yellow, pinnately divided into thread-like divisions, resembling snow crystals in form.

Common in the cool woods and shaded mossy bogs throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Pectiantia pentandra= (Hook.) Rydb. _Mitrewort._]

Flowering branches scape-like, 4—12 inches high, naked. Leaves broadly crenate with 9—11 more or less distinct round lobes, thin, 1—2½ inches broad on petioles, 2—4 inches long. Flowers ⅛ of an inch broad in a slender loose raceme, green or often purplish inside; sepals broadly triangular-ovate, obtuse, and recurved; petals yellowish, deeply cut into slender thread-like divisions, twice as long as the calyx; stamens 5, opposite the petals.

Throughout the region in cool woods and shaded springy spots; flowering in early June at the higher altitudes.

[Sidenote: =Pectiantia Breweri= (A. Gray.) Rydb. _Mitrewort._]

Flowering branches 4—8 inches high, leafless. Leaves thin, broadly reniform with many shallow rounded lobes; petioles 2—4 inches long. Flowers in a loose raceme, green, occasionally in pairs; calyx ⅛ of an inch wide; sepals obtuse and reflexed; petals deeply cut into thread-like divisions about twice as long as the sepals; stamens 5, opposite the sepals.

In damp woods throughout the region, growing with the previous species; flowering in early June.

[Sidenote: =Heuchera glabra= Willd. _Smooth Alum-root._]

Flowering stems slender, 4—20 inches high, smooth, 1—3-leaved. Basal leaves on petioles, 2—8 inches long, cordate, deeply 5—7-lobed, thin, shining, 1—4 inches broad and as long or slightly longer, lobes triangular-ovate, acute, doubly and sharply serrate. Flowers in a loose panicle 2—6 inches long; calyx with the turbinate base about ⅛ of an inch long, sparingly fringed with hairs; petals white, broadly spatulate, acute, about twice as long as the sepals; stamens much exserted, with scarlet and orange anthers.

On damp shaded rocks, especially abundant in the Selkirks in the vicinity of Glacier.

[Sidenote: =Heuchera ovalifolia= Nutt. _Round-leaved Alum-root._]

Flowering branches naked, densely glandular-hairy, 1—2 feet high. Leaves round-oval, ½—1½ inches broad, ¾—2 inches long, rounded, slightly heart-shaped at the base, round-lobed and crenate with bristle-tipped teeth. Flowers in a short dense raceme less than 4 inches long, the deeply campanulate, yellowish, densely hairy base of the calyx, with the broadly oblong sepals ¼ of an inch long, petals usually wanting.

On dry rocky banks and hillsides throughout the region, flowering in midsummer.

[Sidenote: =Tiarella unifoliata= Hook. _Foam-Flower._]

Flowering branches 6—15 inches high, 1—4-leaved. Leaves broadly cordate, coarsely 3—5-lobed with broadly ovate-acute lobes, doubly crenate with mucronate teeth; stem leaves short-petioled, basal, on petioles 2—6 inches long. Flowers in a narrow panicle; sepals whitish ovate-oblong, ¹/₁₆ of an inch long, the linear-subulate, white petals and stamens fully three times as long; carpels oblong acute, nearly half an inch long in fruit.

Abundant in damp rich woods throughout the region oftentimes carpeting the ground; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Hemieva ranunculifolia= (Hook.) Raf. _Hemieva._]

Light yellowish-green; stems 8—10 inches high from a rosy-bulbous rootstock. Leaves ternately divided to the base, the middle division broadly wedge-shaped, ½—1 inch long, rounded, 3-lobed, the lateral ones oblique and 4-lobed; basal, on petioles 2—4 inches long, stem leaves on short petioles dilated at the base, the uppermost sessile, merely 3-lobed at the apex. Flowers showy in a short dense corymb; the base of the calyx and sepals yellowish-green about ⅛ of an inch long; petals white or yellowish, broadly spatulate, ¼ of an inch long; stamens 5, opposite the sepals, filaments and carpels more or less rosy in colour.

On wet rocky slopes in the Selkirks at Glacier, not common; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Saxifraga rivularis= L. _Alpine Brook Saxifrage._]

Stems 1—3½ inches tall, tufted, smooth or finely glandular-hairy. Leaves reniform in outline, ⅛—½ an inch broad, thick, mainly 3-lobed, those of the stem sometimes entire, short petioled or sessile; basal leaves on slender petioles an inch or more long. Flowers small, base of the calyx and sepals ⅛ of an inch long; petals oblong, or broadly wedge-shaped, white, slightly larger than the sepals.

An inconspicuous little plant growing on wet rocks and beside alpine brooks at high altitudes throughout the region; flowering during midsummer.

[Sidenote: =Saxifraga cernua= L. _Nodding Bulbous Saxifrage._]

Stems 3—8 inches tall, leafy, somewhat glandular-hairy, growing in groups. Leaves reniform in outline ⅓—1 inch wide; the basal and lower stem-leaves long-petioled prominently, 3—7 lobed, the lobes linear to triangular-lanceolate; the upper stem leaves, 3—5-lobed. Flowers represented by clusters of rosy bulblets, except a single terminal one with the base of the calyx and sepals ¼ of an inch long, and wedge-shaped, the clawless white petals nearly half an inch long.

A rather striking alpine plant growing on wet rocks at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake; flowering in midsummer.

[Sidenote: =Muscaria adscendens= (L.) Small. _Muscaria._]

Somewhat glandular-hairy, 1—4 inches tall. Leaves ⅛—¼ of an inch long, mainly wedge-shaped or spatulate, 3-toothed or those of the stem entire. Flower-stalks sparingly branched above or throughout; sepals ovate or oblong-ovate ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long, acute or obtuse; petals white, wedge-shaped to oblong wedge-shaped, a third longer than the sepals, the claws slender or stout.

An alpine species with rosettes of basal leaves, not infrequent throughout the Rockies, along streams, and on shaded rocks; flowering in midsummer.

[Sidenote: =Muscaria cæspitosa= (L.) Haw. _Tufted Saxifrage._]

Glandular-hairy, 2—6 inches tall. Leaves crowded at the base, sometimes densely so; blades ¼—¾ of an inch long, 3-lobed at the apex, the lobes lanceolate or linear. Flower-stalks stout, 3-few-flowered, each bearing 2—3 leaves, base of the calyx ⅛ to ³/₁₆ of an inch high, turbinate at the base, sepals ovate to ovate-lanceolate, ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long; petals white, narrowly obovate or oblong-ovate, ¼ of an inch or more long, rounded at the apex.

An alpine species growing on moist, shaded rocks throughout the Rockies, frequent, often forming tufts of considerable size; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Micranthes rhomboidea= (Greene) Small. _Alpine Saxifrage._]

Leaves forming a rosette, spreading or ascending ¾—2 inches long, ovoid or rhombic-ovoid, obtuse, crenulate or dentate-serrate, nearly smooth except the ciliate margins, mainly green, sometimes purplish beneath, abruptly or gradually narrowed into petiole-like bases, which are occasionally larger than the blades. Flowers in a compact terminal head on a copiously glandular, naked scape 3—10 inches high; sepals ovate to triangular ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long barely if at all ciliate, 3-veined; petals white, obovate or oblong-ovate, twice as long as the sepals, notched at the apex, seed pods green or purplish, the points spreading.

A frequent alpine plant in the more or less moist, shaded situations throughout the Rockies; flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Micranthes Lyallii= (Engler) Small. _Lyall’s Saxifrage._]

Leaves erect or ascending ½—2½ inches long, fan-shaped varying to suborbicular, typically wedge-shaped at the base, coarsely few-toothed above with the teeth mainly directed forward, smooth or nearly so, the petiole-like bases often longer than the blades. Flowering stems 3—24 inches tall, smooth or nearly so, sparingly branched above, commonly purple, few-flowered; petals white with 2 yellow blotches below the middle, broadly oblong or suborbicular, often slightly notched at the apex, twice as long as the sepals, often tinged and streaked with red on the outside; seed pods nearly ½ an inch high, purple or purple-tinged, usually 3 or 4 together, with pointed beaks.

An alpine form frequent throughout the region in damp, shady, or open places and along the borders of mountain streams; a rather striking plant, flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Micranthes Nelsoniana= (D. Don.) Small. _Nelson’s Saxifrage._]

Leaves erect or ascending, 1—5 inches long, suborbicular or reniform, ¾—1¾ inches in diameter, deeply cordate at the base, usually sparingly hairy on both sides, coarsely few-toothed with crenate, gland-tipped teeth. Flower-stem erect, 1½—7 inches tall, glandular-villous, especially above, terminating in a compact head usually with purple or purplish bracts; sepals ovate or oblong-ovate ⅙—⅛ of an inch long, ciliate; petals white, broadly oblong to ovate, twice as long as the sepals.

A rather rare though very beautiful alpine flower found throughout the region in moist places and along alpine brooks; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Spatularia Brunoniana= Bong. _Tall Saxifrage._]

Copiously glandular-hairy, 4—15 inches tall. Leaves crowded on the short rootstock, spatulate to oblanceolate-spatulate, 1—3 inches long, sharply and sometimes broadly toothed, mostly above the middle. Flower-stems solitary or several together, widely branching, bracts much smaller than the leaves; flowers terminating the stem, branches, and branchlets, but on many of the ultimate branchlets represented by clusters of green bulblets; sepals oblong-ovate to triangular-ovate, ⅙ of an inch or less long, purple, reflexed; petals white, ¼ of an inch long or less, the three upper with lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate blades; two lower with elliptic or spatulate-elliptic blades; seed pods ¼ of an inch long with diverging tips. The commonest form in the Selkirks, everywhere along streams and banks.

[Sidenote: =Leptarrhena pyrolifolia= (D. Don.) R. Br. _Leptarrhena._]

Caudex horizontal or ascending, clothed with folded leaf bases. Leaves leathery, oblong, or sometimes slightly broadest above or below the middle, 1½—3½ inches long, obtuse, serrate or crenate-serrate, deep green and lustrous above, paler beneath, narrowed into winged petiole-like bases. Flower-stalks 4—18 inches high, bearing 1 or 2 clasping leaves; flowers small and inconspicuous, at first congested in a compact head, becoming separated; sepals ovate, about as long as the base of the calyx, each with a terminal gland and usually some lateral glands; petals narrowly spatulate, white, ⅛ of an inch long; seed pods ¼ of an inch long with slightly spreading tips; purplish.

Along alpine streams and in damp shaded places, rather abundant throughout the region at the higher altitudes; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Leptasea Van-Bruntiæ= Small. _Fleshy Saxifrage._]

Stems decumbent. Leaves ⅛—½ of an inch long, the blades very thick, flattish, smooth, ciliate on the margins, spine-tipped. Flowers 1—several on stalks, 1½—3 inches tall, finely glandular-hairy, leafy, bearing larger leaves than the decumbent stems; sepals ovate to oblong-ovate, ⅛ of an inch long, smooth, more or less eroded at the apex; petals deep yellow, oblong, much longer than the calyx; seed pods ¼ of an inch or more long.

A common species throughout the Rockies, forming mats on the wet gravel and sand of the shores and flood-plains of the rivers and torrent fans at the bases of the moraines; flowering throughout June and July.

[Sidenote: =Leptasea austromontana= (Wiegand) Small. _Common Saxifrage._]

Leaves of the caudices ½ an inch or less long, stiff and crowded, but more or less spreading, the blades narrowly lanceolate to subulate, ciliate, slender, spine-tipped. Flower-stalks 1½—6 inches tall, nearly smooth or finely glandular-hairy, bearing several leaves which are smaller than those of the caudices; sepals ovate, sometimes rather narrowly so, ⅛ of an inch long, smooth or sparingly ciliate, obtuse; petals white, usually yellow-spotted, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, ¼ of an inch or more long, filaments slender; seed pods often nearly ½ an inch long.

Common everywhere throughout the Rockies at the lower altitudes on bare rocks and stony slopes, frequently forming mats a foot or more across; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Antiphylla oppositifolia= (L.) Fourr. _Purple Saxifrage._]

Plants in dense mats, leaves densely folded together except on the flower-stalks and sometimes on the elongated stems, 4-ranked, the blades obovate to spatulate, ¼ of an inch long, ciliate, keeled. Flower-stalks ½—1 inch long or sometimes shorter when young, leafy; sepals oblong to ovate, ⅛ of an inch long, ciliate all around; petals lilac or purple, elliptic or oval, showy, ⅓ of an inch long, each narrowed into a stout claw.

Usually a high alpine species and not infrequently forming mats of considerable size; throughout the region, flowering in July.

GROSSULARIACEÆ

_Gooseberry Family_

Shrubs, usually with lobed, petioled leaves and racemose or subsolitary axillary or lateral flowers, the pedicels bracteolate; calyx tube attached to the ovary, the limb 4—5-lobed, often coloured; petals, 4—5, inserted on the throat of the calyx, small, scale-like, often included; stamens 4—5, inserted with the petals; berry globose or ovoid, pulpy, the calyx persistent on its summit.

[Sidenote: =Ribes lacustre= (Pers.) Poir. _Swamp Gooseberry._]

Stems prostrate or ascending, 3—4 feet long, very prickly when young, spines slender and weak, generally clustered. Leaves nearly orbicular, thin, smooth or hairy along the veins beneath, deeply 5—7 lobed, 1—2 inches broad, the lobes acutish, incised-dentate. Flowers in racemes of 5—9; calyx rotate, ⅙ of an inch broad, spreading, green or purplish; petals exceeding the calyx; ovary glandular-hispid; berry black.

A very abundant gooseberry throughout the region in cool damp woods and bogs at the lower elevations; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Ribes setosum= Lindl. _Bristly Gooseberry._]

Stems erect, 3—4 feet high, with numerous stout bristles, especially on the young wood; axillary spines 1—3 together, rather stout and spreading. Leaves slender-petioled, more or less finely hairy, at least when young, ½—1 inch wide, broadly ovate or orbicular, 3—5-lobed, the lobes incised or coarsely toothed. Flowers 2—3, ¼—½ an inch long on very short pedicels; calyx tube cylindric, greenish-white or pinkish; petals white; berries small, purple or blue and very sour.

Frequent throughout the Rockies on lake shores and in thickets at the lower altitudes; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Ribes oxyacanthoides= L. _Northern Gooseberry._]

Spines generally solitary, light-coloured, ¼—½ of an inch long; prickles commonly wanting. Leaves petioled, roundish, subcordate and 5-lobed, hairy or nearly smooth, the lobes deeply toothed or crenate. Flowers greenish-purple or white, little more than ¼ of an inch long; berry half an inch in diameter, smooth, reddish-purple and sweet when ripe.

Throughout the Rockies at the lower elevations, in open ground and on stony hillsides; flowering in June; fruit ripening in July.

[Sidenote: =Ribes Howellii= Greene. _Howell’s Currant._]

Stems ascending, crowded, 2—5 feet high, without spines. Leaves triangular, 2—3 inches in diameter, cordate at the base, deeply 5-lobed, the acute lobes doubly serrate, smooth above, often resinous-dotted beneath, petiole as long as or longer than the blade. Flowers ⅓ of an inch broad in a loose raceme, bracts linear, about ¹/₁₆ of an inch long, much shorter than the slender, glandular pedicels; calyx rotate with broad spatulate lobes; petals red, narrowly spatulate, shorter than the calyx lobes; berries red.

A rather showy plant with a pungent, skunk-like odour when bruised, growing on wet, shaded rocks and in springy places throughout the region, at the lower altitudes; flowering in June.

ROSACEÆ

_Rose Family._

Herbs, shrubs, or trees with alternate leaves and perfect flowers; calyx free or adnate to the ovary, 5—9-lobed; petals equal in number to the calyx lobes, distinct or none; stamens usually numerous and distinct; fruit mostly follicles or achenes.

Carpels few; in fruit becoming 2-several sided.
Stamens united at the base; flowers racemose. =Lutkea.=
Stamens not united at the base; flowers in panicles or corymbs.
Shrubs with simple leaves, flowers perfect. =Spiræa.=
Herbs with compound leaves; flowers diœcious. =Aruncus.=
Carpels few or many; in fruit becoming achenes or drupelets.
Fruit consisting of drupelets, usually united. =Rubus.=
Fruit consisting of achenes.
Achenes enclosed in a fleshy fruit; prickly shrubs. =Rosa.=
Achenes on a plane or concave receptacle; herbs.
Styles deciduous, naked.
Styles terminal. =Potentilla.=
Styles lateral.
Carpels hairy; shrubs. =Dasyphora.=
Carpels smooth; herbs.
Stamens 5; carpels 10—15. =Sibbaldia.=
Stamens 20; carpels numerous.
Leaves trifoliate; receptacle fleshy. =Fragaria.=
Leaves pinnate; receptacle not fleshy.
Flowers dark purple. =Comarum.=
Flowers yellow.
Plant with stolons; flowers solitary.
=Argentina.=
Styles persistent, mostly plumose.
Calyx lobes and petals 8 or 9. =Dryas.=
Calyx lobes and petals 5.
Style jointed, upper part deciduous. =Geum.=
Style not jointed, upper part plumose. =Sieversia.=

[Sidenote: =Lutkea pectinata= (Pursh.) Kuntze. _Cut-leaved Lutkea._]

Smooth, stems cæspitose, very leafy. Leaves trifoliate, persistent, leaflets deeply 2—4-lobed, the lateral ones decumbent, forming a broad petiole. Flowering stems 2—6 inches high with a dense terminal raceme of many white flowers, about ¼ of an inch broad; calyx lobes ovate, acute; petals 5, obovate, exceeding the calyx; stamens numerous, shorter than the petals.

Frequent throughout the Selkirks, on alpine slopes and beside streams at the higher elevations; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Spiræa densiflora= Nutt. _Pink Spiræa._]

Stem 2—4 feet high, reddish. Leaves ovate or elliptical, serrulate at the apex, entire below, narrowed at the base to a very short petiole or the lowest sessile, dark green on both sides, ½—1 inch long. Flowers small, deep rose-colour in dense, round, leafy, bracted corymbs, terminating the numerous branches.

In moist, exposed, rocky places and on slopes at the lower altitudes, frequent in the Selkirks; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Spiræa lucida= Dougl. _Birch-leaved Spiræa._]

Stems erect, mostly simple, 1—2 feet high, from horizontal running rootstocks. Leaves, the lower ones small, obovate; upper, oval to oblong, 1—2 inches long, often obscurely lobed and doubly serrate above the middle, smooth throughout, dark green above, paler beneath. Flowers white or tinged with pink in a large flat branching terminal corymb.

Abundant throughout the region on hillsides and dry banks; flowering during July.

[Sidenote: =Aruncus Aruncus= (L.) Karst. _Goat’s-Beard._]

Smooth throughout, stem erect, somewhat branched, 2—4 feet high. Leaves long-petioled, 2—3 pinnate, leaflets 1—3 inches long, ovate or lanceolate, thin, acuminate or acute at the apex, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base, doubly serrate or incised. Flowers small, white, in an elongated spike.

Frequent along streams throughout the Selkirks; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Rubus pedatus= Smith. _Creeping Raspberry._]

Stems slender, trailing, 1—3 feet long, unarmed, rooting at the nodes, pubescent. Leaves trifoliate, leaflets obovate, cuneate at the base, ¾—1 inch long incised, lateral leaflets often parted to the base, smooth or sparingly hairy. Flowers usually solitary, on long slender pedicels, white or rosy, ⅛ of an inch or more broad; sepals ovate-lanceolate, entire or incised, exceeding the petals; berry of 1—6 large red, juicy drupelets.

Frequent throughout the region in cold damp woods, forming masses of considerable size; flowering during June.

[Sidenote: =Rubus arcticus= L. _Arctic Raspberry._]

Stem low, herbaceous, unarmed, finely hairy, 3—10 inches high, sometimes leafless below. Leaves 3-foliate, leaflets sessile or short-stalked, rhombic-ovate or obovate, coarsely and unequally serrate or slightly lobed, ¾—1 inch long. Flowers solitary or occasionally 2, slender peduncled; petals obovate, pink, ½—1 inch long; sepals acute, equalling or shorter than the petals, reflexed; berry light red, fragrant and edible.

In cold mossy thickets and swamps throughout the region, the first flowers appearing in May and early June when the stems are but a few inches high, with the leaves hardly unfolded; in midsummer it frequently flowers again from branched stems 8—10 inches high and appearing like a different plant.

[Sidenote: =Rubus Americanus= (Pers.) Britton. _Dwarf Raspberry._]

Stems herbaceous, trailing or ascending, unarmed, 6—18 inches or more long, somewhat hairy. Leaves petioled, 3-foliate or rarely 5-foliate leaflets rhombic-ovate, smooth or nearly so, acute, the lateral ones mostly rounded, terminal, wedge-shaped at the base, all sharply serrate. Flowers 1—3 on a slender glandular-hairy peduncle, ½ an inch or less broad; petals 5—7, white, spatulate-oblong, erect, rather longer than the acuminate calyx lobes; fruit red-purple, half an inch long.

In cold moist woods and swampy places throughout the region; flowering in May and June.

[Sidenote: =Rubus parviflorus= Nutt. _Salmon-berry._]

Stems shrubby, 3—8 feet high, smooth or more or less glandular-hairy. Leaves round-cordate in outline, palmately 3—5-lobed, the lobes acute or acutish, rarely acuminate, coarsely and unequally serrate. Flowers few, 1—2 inches broad, white, in corymbose, terminal heads, calyx lobes tipped with a long slender appendage.

Borders of woods, and in thickets among rocks, throughout the region, but most abundant in the Selkirks; flowering in June and July.

[Sidenote: =Rubus strigosus= Michx. _Wild Red Raspberry._]

Stems shrubby, biennial, 18 inches to 4 feet high, usually densely clothed with weak glandular bristles or the older stems with small hooked prickles. Leaves pinnately 3—5-foliate, leaflets ovate or ovate-oblong, acuminate, sharply and irregularly serrate or slightly lobed, rounded at the base, 1—3 inches long. Flowers ½ an inch broad in a loose raceme on slender pedicels, curved in fruit; petals white, ascending, about equalling the spreading acuminate sepals; fruit dark red, sweet and very juicy.

The common red raspberry throughout the region in dry and rocky places; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Dasyphora fruticosa= (L.) Rydb. _Shrubby Cinquefoil._]

Shrubby, much branched; stems erect or ascending, very leafy, 6 inches to 3 feet high, the bark shreddy. Leaves pinnate with 5—7 oblong, entire, acute leaflets, with long silky hairs and revolute margins. Flowers bright yellow, ¾—1½ inches broad, usually solitary at the ends of the branches.

A very abundant plant throughout the region, in swampy grounds, gravelly river shores, on dry slopes and alpine meadows, flowering throughout the summer.

[Sidenote: =Sibbaldia procumbens= L. _Sibbaldia._]

Stems densely tufted, decumbent or creeping, 1—4 inches long. Leaves 3-foliate, leaflets wedge-shaped, 3—5-toothed at the apex with scattered hairs on both sides. Flowers ¼ of an inch broad, greenish-yellow; petals very small, not exceeding the calyx.

Frequent throughout the region on rocks, usually in dry, exposed situations at elevations varying from 4000 to 10,000 feet; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Fragaria glauca= (S. Wats.) Rydb. _Wild Strawberry._]

Plant spreading, 3—6 inches tall, hairy, forming new plants by the running stems after flowering. Leaves tufted from the root, very hairy, palmately 3-foliate; leaflets obtuse, strongly serrate, the teeth gland-tipped; lateral leaflets ovate, oblique on the inside, shorter than the terminal one; terminal leaflet broadly ovate with a wedge-shaped base. Flowers white, ¾ of an inch broad; petals slightly longer than the sepals, borne on a scape about ⅓ longer than the leaves. Fruit ovoid, rather small.

On grassy banks and roadsides throughout the Rockies; flowering in late May and early June.

[Sidenote: =Comarum palustre= (L.) _Marsh Cinquefoil._]

Smooth, decumbent at the base, 6 inches to 2 feet long. Leaves pinnate, the lower long-petioled with 5—7 oblong or oblanceolate, sharply serrate leaflets, which are lighter-coloured and more or less hairy beneath; upper leaflets similar, 3—5. Flowers few, in an open cyme; calyx lobes purple within, acuminate, nearly ½ an inch long, enlarging in fruit; petals much shorter than the sepals.

A marsh plant frequent throughout the region in very wet situations, at the lower altitudes; flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Argentina Anserina= (L.) Rydb. _Silver-weed._]

Herbaceous, spreading by runners. Leaves all at the root, interruptedly pinnate with 7—21 leaflets and smaller ones interposed; oblong, sharply serrate, dark green above, soft, white-hairy beneath. Flowers bright yellow, ½—1 inch broad, solitary on long pedicels, petals exceeding the ovate, acute, calyx lobes.

In open and waste ground and meadows throughout the Rockies at the lower altitudes; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Potentilla nivea= L. _Snowy Cinquefoil._]

Stem 4—8 inches high, woody at the base, with long silky hairs. Leaves 3-foliate, the lower petioled; leaflets oblong or obovate, usually deeply cut, densely, white-hairy beneath, green and loosely soft-hairy above, ¾—1 inch long. Flowers 1—5, bright yellow, ½—¾ of an inch broad; sepals silky, lanceolate, shorter than the broadly ovate, notched petals.

Frequent throughout the Rockies in open, rocky situations; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Potentilla dissecta= Pursh. _Cut-leaved Cinquefoil._]

Stem decumbent or ascending 4—8 inches high from a woody base, more or less silky-villous or nearly smooth. Leaves pinnate or tripinnate with 5—7 lanceolate, deeply cut leaflets, usually glaucous and with ciliate edges. Flowers few, bright yellow, ½ an inch or more broad with notched petals, in an open cyme.

In open alpine meadows and slopes throughout the region at the higher altitudes; flowering during June and July.

[Sidenote: =Potentilla multisecta= (Wats.) Rydb.]

Much like the preceding species but much more hairy throughout and with more divided leaves. Flowers in a loose cyme on scapes 4—6 inches high, not quite so large as in the preceding nor as brilliantly coloured.

Dry rocky summits and ledges throughout the Rockies; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Potentilla uniflora= (Ledeb.) _Alpine Cinquefoil._]

Densely cæspitose from a woody base. Leaves closely tufted, small, palmately divided, leaflets deeply cut, densely white-woolly on both surfaces. Flowers solitary on short peduncles, bright yellow, half an inch or more broad; petals broadly obovate, notched at the apex, much longer than the densely soft-hairy lanceolate sepals.

A high alpine species in dry stony ground throughout the Rockies, not common; flowering in July.

[Sidenote: =Geum macrophyllum= Willd. _Large-leaved Avens._]

Stout, erect, stiff-hairy, 1—3 feet high. Leaves lyrate-pinnate with broad foliaceous stipules, basal leaves petioled, the terminal segment much the largest, reniform, dentate, 3—7-lobed; lateral leaflets 3—6 oval or obovate with smaller ones interspersed. Flowers several, short peduncled, borne in a terminal head; bright yellow, nearly ½ an inch broad; petals longer than the acuminate sepals; receptacle nearly smooth.

In damp places and low grounds throughout the region, most abundant in the Selkirks; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Geum strictum= Ait. _Yellow Avens._]

Hairy, branched above, 2—4 feet high. Stipules broad, foliaceous; basal leaves lyrate-pinnate; leaflets 5—7, obovate, cuneate, dentate or lobed, the terminal one largest, broadly ovate or cuneate, stem leaves sessile or short-petioled with 3—5 ovate or oblong, acute segments. Flowers yellow, ½ an inch broad; receptacle downy.

In swamps or low grounds throughout the region; flowering in June.

_b_ Sieversia ciliata (Pursh) Don. Long-Plumed Purple Avens.

(⅔ Nat.)]

[Sidenote: =Sieversia ciliata= (Pursh.) Don. _Long-Plumed Purple Avens._]

Soft-hairy, scapose; scape 4—18 inches high, simple, 3—8-flowered at the summit. Basal leaves petioled, interruptedly pinnate with many small leaflets, among the numerous obovate, deeply cut larger ones. Flowers ½ an inch broad of 5 pale purplish-pink petals hardly exceeding the calyx and spreading linear red bractlets; styles plumose in fruit, 1—2 inches long.

In dry open grounds extending into the Rockies from the plains, where it is especially abundant, to the lower slopes and valleys throughout the region; flowering in June.

[Sidenote: =Dryas octopetala= L. _White Mountain Avens._]

Stems prostrate, branched, 3—6 inches long. Leaves oblong or ovate, ½—1 inch long, obtuse at each end, closely crenate, dark green and shining above, densely white-woolly beneath. Flowers solitary on slender pedicels, white, an inch or more broad; petals longer than the 6—8 spreading linear sepals; stamens numerous, anthers bright yellow; styles conspicuously plumose in fruit.