PINES.—Pines are conifers distinguished principally by the needles that
are gathered together at the base in bundles of from one to five in a
little sheath that usually wears off after the first year. The cones
have woody scales. There are three pines on the Shoshone.
Limber Pine (_Pinus flexilis_).—Needles are fine, almost silky, dark
green, 1½ to 3 inches long, always in bundles of five. Cones are 3 to 5
inches long, with seeds ⅓ inch long; scales smooth. Bark is light gray
or silvery white, except on old trunks, which are blackish brown and
furrowed.
Whitebark Pine (_Pinus albicaulis_).—Very difficult to distinguish from
limber pine, although needles are more rigid and slightly curved.
Needles are from 1½ to 2½ inches long. Cones are from 1½ to 3 inches
long and of a dark purple color. The bark is chalky-white. This tree is
found at elevations of from 8,500 to 10,000 feet, or slightly above the
limber pine. It is not as important for commercial use as are the other
pines.
Lodgepole Pine (_Pinus contorta_).—Needles are 1½ to 2 inches long,
yellow-green, growing in bundles of two. Bark is thin. Cones are
one-sided, 1½ to 2 inches long, and cling to the branches for years
without opening or dropping their seeds. Cone scales are armed with
short spines. This species is used mostly for railroad ties, mine props,
and telephone poles.
SPRUCES.—Spruces have sharp-pointed, four-sided needles scattered over
the twigs singly, leaving twigs rough like a grater when they fall off.
There is only one spruce on the Shoshone Forest.
Engelmann Spruce (_Picea engelmanni_).—The new-growth twigs are covered
with soft, short hair. Needles are less rigid and less sharply pointed
than those of blue spruce, green, dark blue, or pale steel-blue. Cones
are 1 to 2 inches long. Bark is dark, reddish brown, and separates in
the form of small, rounded scales. Main trunk, in contrast to blue
spruce, is smooth and clean.
FIRS.—Needles are blunt, flat, and soft to the touch, without any stem
where they join branches. They leave flat, round scars when they fall
off in contrast to short stubs left by spruce on twigs. Cones, unlike
those of other species, stand erect. In the fall, the cones fall to
pieces and leave only spikes on the branch. Buds are blunt and pitchy.
Blisters, containing liquid pitch or balsam, are scattered over the
smooth bark.
Alpine Fir (_Abies lasiocarpa_).—Leaves are flat, 1 to 1¾ inch long,
without any stem where they join the branches. Needles tend to turn
upward. Cones are 2½ to 4 inches long, dark purple. The bark is gray and
smooth, except in older parts of the tree where it is broken into
ridges. Tree has a sharp, spirelike crown. It usually grows mixed with
Engelmann spruce.
DOUGLAS FIR (_Pseudotsuga taxifolia_).—Although similar in name, this
species has no direct relationship to the true fir. Its leaves are flat,
¾ to 1½ inches long, with short stems that join them to the branches.
Cones are pendent, with three-pronged bracts protruding from the cone
scales; they are persistent and fall off the tree whole. Buds are
sharp-pointed, shiny, smooth, red brown.
CEDARS.—Rocky Mountain Red Cedar (_Juniperus scopulorum_).—The berries
are about the size of peas, the bark is scaly, the twigs are slender and
graceful, and the heartwood is red. The species is distinguished from
the one-seed juniper in that its berry usually has two seeds and is
bluish or black. The berries mature in 2 years.
BROADLEAF TREES.—Aspen (_Populus tremuloides_).—Aspens are commonly
called “quaking aspens” or “quakers.” The flat, nearly heart-shaped
leaves are about 2 inches across; they tremble characteristically in a
breeze. The bark is whitish or very pale green, smooth with black scars
where branches have dropped off. The trees rarely grow more than 50 feet
high.
Narrowleaf Cottonwood (_Populus augustifolia_).—This is usually a tall
tree, 40 to 60 feet high. The bark is dark gray, heavily ridged half or
two-thirds of the way up the tree; above that, smooth and pale green.
The leaves are ½ inch to 1 inch wide by 2 or 3 inches long, very similar
to willow leaves. The species is usually found along streams at lower
elevations.
Alder (_Alnus tenuifolia_).—The alder grows along and overhanging the
streams, usually in clumps, several trees from the same root, frequently
4 to 6 inches in diameter and 15 to 25 feet high. Its leaves are large
and sharply double toothed. The mature, seed-bearing fruit is conelike
and noticeable in winter.
Rocky Mountain Maple (_Acer glabrum_).—Usually a shrub, but frequently
20 to 30 feet high, this species has paired opposite buds, sharply lobed
leaves, light-gray bark, and paired, winged seed. Its leaves are 1 to 2
inches long, opposite each other.
Willows (_Salix sp._).—The common shrub of creek bottoms. Leaves are
usually narrow and sharp-pointed. Some willows attain a diameter of 4
inches and a height of 15 to 25 feet. The buds are covered by a single
scale.
Pacific Serviceberry (_Amelanchier florida_).—Leaves silvery, sharply
toothed toward the end, and alternate on branches. Trees, or more often
shrubs, 6 to 15 feet high. Flowers white and in clusters. Five hard
seeds in each berry.
Western Chokecherry (_Prunus demissa_).—This is a shrub, 3 to 15 feet
high. Flowers and fruit clustered. Alternate leaves are sharply pointed.
Bark, leaves, and seed are bitter. Fruit is black.