FIREWEED (_Epilobium angustifolium_). The rose-colored, spirelike,
flowered tops attract attention wherever it is found. The name fireweed
has been given because it comes up quickly in burned areas. It is not
restricted to burned places, however, for it grows wherever there is
unpreempted space in sunny locations, as along roadsides. It may be seen
in flower throughout the summer, since it grows from sea level to 5,000
feet in elevation. The blooming progresses to higher elevations as the
season advances. Its leaves are similar to those of willow, which
accounts for another common name—willowweed.
WESTERN SWORDFERN (_Polystichum munitum_). This is the western
counterpart of the common Christmasfern. It is a large, conspicuous,
evergreen fern—the most prominent fern in these forests. The individual
leaflets are lance-shaped, have fine-toothed edges, and are attached to
the stem of the frond by means of a short stalk.
DEERFOOT VANILLALEAF (_Achlys triphylla_). This is probably the most
common herbaceous, flowering plant in these forests from sea level to
about 4,000 feet in elevation. It is a foot or more in height and
commonly forms extensive patches. It can be identified easily by the
three broad, fan-shaped leaves at the top of the slender, wiry stem. If
the central leaf is bent back, the other two represent a spreading,
green-winged butterfly. The small flowers form a slender, white, upright
spike above the leaves. The foliage contains a compound which has the
fragrance of vanilla. This is given off when the leaves wilt and
accounts for another popular name—sweet-after-death.
OREGON OXALIS (_Oxalis oregana_). This small, delicate, white-flowered
plant, has leaves that resemble a three-leaf clover. It grows among the
mosses in the moist, shady forest and is especially noticeable in the
plant carpet on the floor of the rain forest. The plant contains oxalic
acid, which gives the leaves a pleasant sour taste. Another common name
is wood sorrel.
QUEENCUP BEADLILY (_Clintonia uniflora_). The hiker will find this
attractive plant in flower at middle elevations, mostly in the Canadian
zone. Each plant has two or three prominent, narrowly oblong, lilylike
leaves growing from the base of the plant and one clear-white, lilylike
flower. The fruit is a single turquoise berry.
OREGON WINTERGREEN (_Pyrola rotundifolio_). This handsome pyrola is
found up to about 3,000 feet elevation. Several leathery, roundish
leaves, which have stems as long as the leaves, arise from the base of
the plant and spread out to form a rosette. They are glossy green on
top. From the center of this rosette rises a reddish flower stalk, 8 to
16 inches tall, that bears pink to reddish, waxy flowers about a quarter
of an inch in diameter.
[Illustration: DEERFOOT VANILLALEAF.]
[Illustration: OREGON OXALIS.]
[Illustration: QUEENCUP BEADLILY.]
[Illustration: WESTERN SWORDFERN.]
SUBALPINE LUPINE (_Lupinus subalpinus_). Early in July the mountain
meadows become ornamented with large patches of this blue-flowered
plant. Its flowers are the shape of pea blossoms. Lupine can be
identified by the leaf, which consists of many leaflets radiating from a
central point like the spokes of a wheel. This lupine is a leafy plant 8
to 24 inches high.
LYALL LUPINE (_Lupinus lyallii_). This small lupine grows in dry, rocky
soil at higher elevations, mostly above timberline in the Arctic-Alpine
zone. Its small, but typically lupine, leaves are hairy and spread out
to form a rosette. The blue flowers, in many short, compact spikes,
usually are spread in rosette manner.
[Illustration: SUBALPINE LUPINE.]
AVALANCHE LILY (_Erythronium montanum_) is a white lily, with a yellow
center, abundant in early summer on mountain meadows and in woods near
timberline.
GLACIER LILY (_Erythronium grandiflorum_). This plant is similar, except
that the flowers are yellow and slightly smaller. It blooms earlier than
its white counterpart and one must look for it where the snow is
melting. Both the avalanche and glacier lilies have two basal leaves.
[Illustration: MAGENTA PAINTBRUSH.]
SCARLET PAINTBRUSH (_Castilleja miniata_). The brilliant color of this
plant is not in its flowers, which are hidden, but in the leafy bracts
that surround them. One can imagine that the “flowers” are brushes
dipped in scarlet paint and then turned upward.
MAGENTA PAINTBRUSH (_Castilleja oreopola_) is similar to the scarlet
paintbrush, except in color.
[Illustration: AVALANCHE LILY.]
[Illustration: TIGER LILY.]
OWLCLOVER (_Orthocarpus imbricatus_) is a relative of the paintbrushes;
it may be incorrectly identified as one of them. The “flower” is
magenta-colored, but it differs from that of the paintbrush in being
compact and nearly ball-like. Each plant has only one flower stalk,
while paintbrush usually has more than one. Paintbrush and owlclover
bloom in the mountain meadows in midsummer.
TIGER LILY (_Lilium columbianum_) is a tall, leafy plant of the rich
meadows that bears from two to many large, orange, brown-spotted
flowers. On the lowland meadows the flowers appear in May, but in the
meadows of the Hudsonian zone, they do not bloom until July.
MOUNTAIN BUCKWHEAT (_Polygonum bistortoides_). Although this flower is
not especially attractive, its abundance in mountain meadows gives it
importance among the common plants of the park. It grows thickly among
grasses and sedges, is 10 to 20 inches tall, and in July and August
bears a compact, oblong spike of white flowers at the top of the slender
stem.
SPREADING PHLOX (_Phlox diffusa_) is a prickly, mosslike plant that
forms cushions or mats on dry, gravelly slopes above timberline. In
early summer, it bears numerous, small, white-to-lavender flowers close
to the foliage. Entire hillsides may be covered with a patchwork of this
hardy alpine plant.
BLUEBELL (_Campanula rotundifolia_) grows from sea level to the dry,
rocky slopes above timberline. At the higher elevations it blooms from
July to September and can be recognized easily by its pale blue,
nodding, bell-like flowers about three-quarters of an inch long.
[Illustration: SPREADING PHLOX.]
[Illustration: ROOSEVELT ELK. THE BULLS GROW NEW ANTLERS EACH YEAR.]