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Part 23

Alpine Flora of the Canadian Rocky Mountains · Stewardson Brown — chapter 23 of 47 · ~1,289 words · public domain

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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