wunder · Library

Part 7

Flowers of Mountain and Plain · Edith S. Clements — chapter 7 of 26 · ~472 words · public domain

Read in the Wunder reader — free

Plate 16, fig. 3

The red-purple blossoms of this Primrose grow in large, loose clusters on stems 6 in.-2 ft. tall. The plants are strong-scented and are found hidden away in alpine rock-clefts or along subalpine torrents at 9000-14000 ft. They bloom in early and midsummer and have a fragrance very like musk. The flowers are large and resemble those of the cultivated primroses.

Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia

Plate 16, fig. 4

The Shooting Stars vary in color from pale pink to deep bright reddish-purple, and occasionally white ones are found. They hang downward in loose clusters from the tips of leafless reddish stems, 6-20 in. tall, and bloom in early and midsummer. They occur along brook-banks and in wet meadows at 5000-12000 ft.

PRIMROSE FAMILY

1 Bird’s-eye Primrose: Primula farinosa 2 Yellow Primrose: Steironema ciliatum 3 Primrose: Primula Parryi 4 Shooting Star: Dodecatheon meadia 5 Rock Jasmine: Androsace chamaejasme 6 Fairy Primrose: Primula angustifolia 8 Seawort: Glaux maritima 9 Douglas Primrose: Douglasia montana

WINTERGREEN FAMILY

7 Wintergreen: Pirola uliginosa

HEATH FAMILY

10 Bearberry, Kinnikinnic: Arctostaphylus uva-ursi]

Rock Jasmine Androsace chamaejasme

Plate 16, fig. 5

The tiny Rock Jasmine carpets alpine gravel-slides with its moss-like leaves or hides shyly away in alpine rock-clefts at 10000-14000 ft. The flowers are white and primrose-like, with pink or yellow centers, and they often turn pink as they wither. They grow in tiny clusters at the tips of dwarf stems 1-3 in. high. The flowers are fragrant and bloom from early to midsummer.

Fairy Primrose Primula angustifolia

Plate 16, fig. 6

The Fairy Primrose is another alpine dwarf, growing but a few inches high in meadows at 10000-14000 ft. The reddish-purple flower with yellow center is usually solitary at the tip of the stem and blossoms in early summer, which is of course spring at these altitudes.

Seawort Glaux maritima

Plate 16, fig. 8

The Seawort receives its name from the fact that it possesses fleshy leaves and prefers saline soil, though it is also found in dry regions at 3000-6000 ft. The tiny pink flowers occur in the axils of the leaves along the stems which are 2-12 in. tall. They bloom in summer and are found in northern countries around the globe.

Douglas Primrose Douglasia montana

Plate 16, fig. 9

The lilac blossoms of this slender little plant open in early and midsummer. The plants grow but 2-5 inches tall and are found in mountain meadows at 6000-11000 ft.

WINTERGREEN FAMILY

Wintergreen Pirola uliginosa

Plate 16, fig. 7

The delicate drooping pink blossom of the Wintergreen grow in open spikes on slender stems 5-7 in. tall and bloom in early and midsummer. The leaves are evergreen and the plants are usually grouped in such a way as to form evergreen carpets on brook-banks, and in fir and spruce woods at 7000-11000 ft.

HEATH FAMILY

← Previous chapterAll chaptersNext chapter →

Flowers of Mountain and Plain · The Wunder Library — complete classics, free to read, with narration.

© 2026 Wunder Learning LLC · Terms & Privacy