Part 16

A striking plant growing in stony places and on rocky slopes, throughout the Rockies, flowering in June and July.

Tufted from a large rootstock. Leaves white and woolly throughout, densely crowded on the very short stems, elliptic to obovate-spatulate, half an inch or more long, narrowed at the base into slender, frequently spirally-twisted petioles; scapes slender, several, six inches or more high bearing a globular head of pale yellowish-white flowers ³/₁₆ of an inch high.

On a moist rocky slope at an elevation of 4500 feet near Glacier, abundant, the plant may occur elsewhere in the region but has not been observed; flowers in June.

PORTULACACEÆ

Purslane Family

Fleshy herbaceous plants, with regular perfect, unsymmetrical flowers; sepals commonly 2; petals 4 or 5, folded together, stamens equal in number to the petals or fewer.

Stem 3—8 inches high from a round corm. Leaves oblong or lanceolate, ½—1½ inches long. Flowers nearly half an inch broad, few to several in a loose head, on slender pedicels; petals notched at the end or almost obcordate, white with pink veins.

One of the first plants to appear in spring on the edges of the snow banks, throughout the region, from the lower altitudes up to the alpine summits, flowering throughout the summer according to elevation and condition of the snow.

Stems 6—12 inches high, diffuse, ascending or somewhat reclined or creeping, sometimes reduced to slender naked runners. Leaves fleshy, rhombic-ovate, acute, about half an inch long, contracted at the base, the upper a quarter of an inch long or less. Flowers few and racemose; petals somewhat obcordate ¼ of an inch long, much surpassing the rounded sepals, rose-colour varying to white; propagating freely by bulblet-like offshoots in the axils of the stem leaves, as well as by the usual method.

In wet stony places and in the gravelly beds of Alpine brooks, frequent in the Selkirks, flowering in July.

CARYOPHYLLACEÆ

Pink Family

Herbaceous plants, often swollen at the nodes, with opposite entire leaves and perfect or rarely diœcious regular flowers; sepals 4 or 5 persistent, separated or united into a calyx tube; petals equal in number to the sepals or none; stamens twice as many as the sepals or fewer.

Sepals united; petals long clawed. Calyx 10-many nerved. Styles 3; capsule with 3 or 6 teeth. =Silene.= Styles 5; capsule with 5 or 10 teeth. =Lychnis.= Sepals free to the base or nearly so. Petals two-cleft or rarely none. Capsule cylindric, usually curved. =Cerastium.= Capsule ovate or oblong, not curved. =Alsine.= Petals entire or notched, rarely none. Styles as many as the sepals and alternate with them. =Sagina.= Styles fewer than the sepals. Seeds appendaged. =Mœhringia.= Seeds not appendaged. =Arenaria.=

Closely tufted, an inch or two high, forming cushion-like beds, often 2 feet or more across. Leaves sessile, crowded, linear, ½ an inch or less long, the margins ciliate. Flowers ¼ of an inch or more across, nearly sessile or raised on naked curved peduncles, often ½ an inch long; calyx narrowly campanulate, ¼ of an inch long, smooth, the teeth short, rounded; petals rose-purple or rarely white, entire or notched.

In alpine meadows, in stony ground, on the moraines and tops of the mountains throughout the region, flowering in June and July.

Stems slender, decumbent at the base, 12—18 inches high, minutely hairy throughout, glandular above. Leaves, the basal spatulate, obtuse 1—2 inches long on long petioles, those of the stem linear 1—2 inches long, sessile. Flowers on short peduncles in rather loose terminal heads; calyx oblong, inflated, about ½ an inch long, narrow, glandular, teeth purple-tipped; petals white, nearly half an inch long, spreading, two-lobed.

On grassy alpine slopes throughout the region, flowering in June and July.

More or less glandular-hairy, 2—6 inches high. Leaves linear or oblanceolate, ½-2½ inches long. Flower solitary, ½—¾ of an inch long, nodding; calyx inflated, strongly purple veined, its teeth triangular-ovate, acute; petals purple, as long as or shorter than the calyx, narrow, 2-cleft.

Among loose boulders on the moraines and alpine summits throughout the region, flowering in July.

Stems tufted, ascending from a decumbent base, 3—6 inches high, hairy throughout, roughly so at the base; glandular at the summit. Leaves numerous, ½—¾ of an inch long, narrowly lanceolate, acute, with a broad sessile base. Flowers several in a more or less close head, nearly half an inch broad, white; petals deeply notched.

In dry stony ground in the lower valleys of the Rockies, flowering in June.

Thick, silky-hairy below, with sticky hairs above; stems matted 1—3 inches high. Leaves small, oblong, ¼ of an inch long or less, rather thick, obtuse. Flowers ¼ of an inch or more broad; petals white, notched at the apex, sometimes little longer than the lanceolate sepals.

In stony ground, alpine slopes and summits throughout the Rockies, flowering during summer.

Erect or ascending, tufted, simple or rarely sparingly branched, 3—12 inches high, smooth and shining. Leaves light green, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, ½—1½ inches long, broad at the base. Flowers few, ¼—⅓ of an inch broad, terminal, on long, slender, erect pedicels; sepals ovate or lanceolate, acute; petals 2-cleft, exceeding the calyx.

In moist open places throughout the Rockies, flowering in June.

Low, smooth, or somewhat hairy, 1—4 inches high, very glaucous throughout, densely leafy at the base. Leaves keeled, lanceolate, awl-shaped to linear, rather stiff, ¼—½ an inch long. Flowers ¼ of an inch or more across; sepals lanceolate, acute, ⅛ of an inch long; petals notched, longer than the sepals; stamens showy, with scarlet anthers.

In alpine meadows and moist grounds at high altitudes, throughout the region; flowering in July.