THE FLOWERS OF THE TAHOE REGION
It would be impossible in the space of a brief chapter to present
even a list of all the flowers found and recorded in the Tahoe Region.
Suffice it to say that 1300 different species already have been
listed. This chapter will merely call attention to the most prominent,
or, on the other hand, the rarer and special flowering plants that the
visitor should eagerly search for.
As fast as the snow retires from the sun-kissed slopes the flowers
begin to come out. Indeed in April, were one at Tahoe, he could make
a daily pilgrimage to the receding snow-line and there enjoy new
revelations of dainty beauty each morning. For the flowers, as the
snow-coating becomes thinner, respond to the "call of the sun", and
thrust up their spears out of the softened and moistened earth, so
that when the last touch of snow is gone they are often already in bud
ready to burst forth into flower at the first kiss of sunshine.
In May they come trooping along in all their pristine glory, God's
thoughts cast upon the mold of earth, so that even the men and women
of downcast eyes and souls may know the ever-fresh, ever-present love
of God.
Most interesting of all is the snow-plant (_sarcodes san-guinea
Torrey_). The name is unfortunate. The plant doesn't look like
snow, nor does it grow on or in the snow. It simply follows the snow
line, as so many of the Sierran plants do, and as the snow melts and
leaves the valley, one must climb to find it. It is of a rich red
color, which glows in the sunlight like a living thing. It has no
leaves but is supplied with over-lapping scale-like bracts of a
warm flesh-tint. At the lower part of the flower these are rigid and
closely adherent to the stem, but higher up they become looser and
curl gracefully about among the vivid red bells. In the spring of 1914
they were wonderfully plentiful at the Tavern and all around the Lake.
I literally saw hundreds of them.
Next in interest comes the heather, both red and white. In Desolation
Valley, as well as around most of the Sierran lakes of the Tahoe
Region, beds of heather are found that have won enthusiastic Scotchmen
to declare that Tahoe heather beats that of Scotland. The red heather
is the more abundant, and its rich deep green leaves and crown of
glowing red makes it to be desired, but the white heather is a flower
fit for the delicate corsage bouquet of a queen, or the lapel of the
noblest of men. Dainty and exquisite, perfect in shape and color its
tiny white bell is _par-excellence_ the emblem of passionate
purity.
Blue gentians (_Gentina calycosa, Griseb_) abound, their deep
blue blossoms rivaling the pure blue of our Sierran skies. These often
come late in the season and cheer the hearts of those who come upon
them with "a glad sweet surprise". There are also white gentians found
aplenty.
The water lilies of the Tahoe Region are strikingly beautiful. In many
of the Sierran lakes conditions seem to exist which make them flourish
and they are found in plentiful quantities.
Wild marigolds abound in large patches, even on the mountain heights,
where there is plenty of moisture and sunshine, and a species of
marguerite, or mountain daisy, is not uncommon. The Indian paint-brush
is found everywhere and is in full bloom in deepest red in September.
Wild sunflowers also abound except where the sheep have been. Then not
a sign of once vast patches can be found. They are eaten clear to the
ground.
The mullein attains especial dignity in this mountain region. Stately
and proud it rises above the lesser though more beautiful flowers of
the wild. It generally dies down in September, though an occasional
flowering stalk may be seen as late as October.
Another very common but ever-welcome plant, for its pungent and
pleasing odor, is the pennyroyal. It abounds throughout the whole
region and its hardiness keeps it flowering until late in the fall.
Beautiful and delicate at all times wherever seen, the wild snowdrop
is especially welcome in the Tahoe Region, where, amid soaring pines
and firs, it timidly though faithfully blooms and cheers the eye with
its rare purity.
Now and again one will find the beautiful California fuchsia
(_zauschneria Californica_, Presl.) its delicate beauty
delighting the eye and suggesting some of the rare orchids of a pale
yellow tint.
The Sierra primrose (_Primula Suffrutescens_) is often found near
to the snow-line. Its tufts of evergreen leaves seem to revel in the
cold water of the melting snow and the exquisite rose-tints of the
flowers are enhanced by the pure white of what snow is left to help
bring them into being.
It is natural that, in a region so abounding in water, ferns of many
kinds should also abound. The common brake flourishes on the eastern
slopes, but I have never found the maiden hair. On the western slopes
it is abundant, but rarely if ever found on the easterly exposures.
Most striking and attractive among the shrubs are the mountain ash,
the mountain mahogany (_cereocarpus parvifolius_, Nutt.) the
California laurel (_umbellularia Californica_, Nutt.) and the
California holly, or _toyon_. The rich berries, the green leaves,
the exquisite and dainty flowers, the delicious and stimulating odors
all combine to make these most welcome in every Sierran landscape, no
matter at what season they appear.
While in the foregoing notes on the flowers of the Tahoe region I have
hastily gone over the ground, one particular mountain to the north of
Tahoe has been so thoroughly and scientifically studied that it seems
appropriate to call more particular attention to it in order that
botanists may realize how rich the region is in rare treasures. For
what follows I am indebted to the various writings of Professor P.
Beveridge Kennedy, long time professor at the University of Nevada,
but recently elected to the faculty of the University of California.
One could almost write a "Botany" of Mt. Rose alone, so interesting
are the floral specimens found there. This mountain stands unique in
the Lake Tahoe region in that it is an intermediate between the high
mountains of the Sierra Nevada and those of the interior of the Great
Basin. Its flora are undoubtedly influenced by the dry atmospheric
conditions that exist on the eastern side. A mere suggestion only can
be given here of the full enjoyment afforded by a careful study of
what it offers.
At from 10,000 feet up the following new species have been found.
_Eriogonum rhodanthum_, a perennial which forms dense mats on
hard rocky ground. The caudex is made up of many strands twisted
together like rope, its numerous branches terminated by clusters of
very small, new and old leaves, with flower clusters. Another similar
species is the _E. rosensis_.
An interesting rock-cress is found in the _Arabis Depauperata_,
which here shows the results of its fierce struggles for existence. It
bears minute purple flowers.
Flowering in the middle of August, but past flowering at the end of
September the _Gilia montana_ is found, with its numerous white
and pink leaves.
Nearby is the _Phlox dejecta_ in large quantities, resembling a
desert moss, and covering the rocks with its tinted carpet.
An Indian paint-brush with a flower in an oblong cream-colored spike,
with purple blotches, was named _Castilleia inconspicua_, possibly
because it is so much less conspicuous and alluring to the eye than
its well-known and striking brother of the California fields, _C.
parviflora_. This species has been of great interest to botanists,
as when first observed it was placed in the genus _Orthocarpus_.
Professor Kennedy thinks it is undoubtedly a connecting link between
the two genera. It has been found only on Mount Rose, where it is
common at between 9000 and 10,000 feet elevation. It reaches, however,
to the summit, though it is more sparingly found there.
Professor Kennedy also describes _Hulsea Caespitosa_, or Alpine
dandelion, a densely pubescent plant, emitting a disagreeable odor,
whose large yellow flowers surprise one when seen glowing apparently
out of the masses of loose volcanic rock. It is soon found, however,
that they have roots deep down in good soil beneath. Another new
species, _Chrysothamnus Monocephala_, or Alpine rabbit-brush, is
a very low, shrubby plant, with insignificant pale yellow flowers.
A beautiful little plant, well adapted to rockeries and suited for
cultivation, is _Polemonium Montrosense_. Under good conditions
it grows excellently. It was found on the summit of Mt. Rose, and at
lower elevations.
Clusters of the Alpine Monkey-flower (_Mimulus Implexus_, Greene), are
also found on Mt. Rose, as well as on other Tahoe mountain summits.
The rich yellow flowers bloom profusely, though their bed is often a
moraine of wet rocks over which a turbulent cold stream has recently
subsided.
Slightly below the summit the little elephant's-head have been found
(_Elephantella attolens_(Gray) Heller). Rydberg in his _Flora of
Montana_ showed that these were not properly the true _pendicularis_,
as they had hitherto been regarded, hence the new name. The corolla
strikingly resembles the head of an elephant, the beak of the galea
forming the trunk, the lateral lobes of the lips the ears, and the
stigma the finger-like appendage of the trunk.
In August, growing below the perpetual snow banks at about 10,000 feet
elevation that supply an abundance of moisture, one will often find
clumps of _Rhodiola Integrifolia_, which attract the eye with
their deep reddish-purple flowers and fruits. The leaves also have a
purple tinge.
Nearby clambering over the granite bowlders the Alpine heath,
_Cassiope Mertensianae_, with its multitude of rose-tinted flower
bells, sometimes is found, though not in the profusion it displays in
Desolation Valley.
Another very interesting plant is the Alpine currant (_Ribes
Inebrians_, Lindl.) which between the years 1832 and 1907 has
received no less than eight different names accorded by European and
American botanists. It is a remarkable shrub, in that it occurs higher
on the mountain than any other form of vegetation except lichens. The
roots penetrate deeply into the crevices of the lava rocks, enabling
it to withstand the fierce winds. The flowers, which appear in
August, are white, shading to pink, and the red berries, which are not
especially palatable on account of their insipid taste and numerous
seeds, are abundant in September. Another new Mt. Rose _ribes_
has been named _Churchii_ in honor of Professor J.E. Church, Jr.,
whose original work at the Mt. Rose Observatory is described in the
chapter devoted to that purpose.
Growing at elevations of from 6000 to 10,000 feet, displaying a
profusion of white flowers sometimes delicately tinged with light
purple is the _Phlox Douglasii_, Hook. It is low but with loose,
much-branched prostrate stems and remarkably stout, almost woody
roots.
A new Alpine willow (_Salix Caespitosa_) has also been
discovered. Professor Kennedy thus writes of it:
The melting snow, as it comes through and over the rocks in
the nature of a spring, brings with it particles of sand and
vegetation, which form a very shallow layer of soil on a flat
area to one side of the main branch of the stream. On this the
willow branches adhere like ivy, rooting at every joint and
interlaced so as to form a dense mat. From these, erect leafy
shoots, one or two inches high, appear, with the many flowered
catkins extending above the foliage. The pistillate plants
occupy separate but adjacent areas to the staminate ones.
[Illustration: Professor Fergusson at the Fergusson Meteorograph
at Mt. Rose Observatory. 10,090 Feet]
[Illustration: An Alpine White Pine, Defying the Storms, on the
North Slope of Mt. Rose, 9,500 Ft.]
[Illustration: Tallac, Lake Tahoe]
[Illustration: Looking North from Cave Rock, Lake Tahoe]