NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



157 



onl}' drought resistant but also, be- 

 cause of their underground food supply 

 and deep roots, are able to withstand 

 the ravages of over-grazing and fires. 

 When conditions are adverse they are 

 often the sole survivors. 



Annual plants which grow early in the 

 spring and which produce large quanti- 

 ties of seeds early in the season are also 

 associated with the sagebrush, namely; 

 stickseed (Lappula occidentalis and L. 

 echinata) ; fleabane or wild aster (Erige- 

 ron linearis, or E. caespiiosus and E. 

 peucophyllus) ; tumbling mustard {Si- 

 symbrium aliissimum, S. incisum var. 

 Hartwegianum) ; everlasting (Antenna- 

 ria microphylla) . 



Grasses even in the sagebrush areas 

 constitute the most stable forage; they 

 are mostly of the tufted, perennial 

 deep rooted varieties such as: Tufted 

 wheat grass, or bunch grass (Agropyron 

 biflorum and A. tenerum); big bunch 

 grass {Agropyron spicalum); shining 

 spike grass {Koeleria crisiata), tufted 

 {Festuca hallii, and F. ovina); needle 

 grass, (Stiva viridula and S. comata); 

 triple awned grass {Aristida purpurea), 

 and little blue grass {Poa Sandbergi). 



On the open grazing lands where 

 grasses predominate the forms enumer- 

 ated above make up the greater propor- 

 tion of the covers; associated with them 

 are short-awned brome grass (Bromus 

 marginatus) ; tall bunch grass {Agropy- 

 ron caninum and A. richardsonii) , and 

 tufted lyme or wild rye {Elymus con- 

 densatus); also annual leguminous 

 plants; lupine {Lupinus argenteus); 

 hairy milk vetch {Astragalus stenophyl- 

 lus), and other plants of little or no 

 forage value as wild geranium or crane- 

 bill [Geranium viscosissimum) ; woolly 

 plantain {Plantago purshii) and rushes 

 {Juncus spp.). 



Many of the plants named above as 

 belonging to the open grasslands are 

 also found in the yellow pine grasslands, 

 especially in the more open stands; to 

 this list may be added a number of the 

 grasses known as "Pine Grass" such 

 as narrow-leaved pine grass {Calama- 

 grostis Suksdorfii), shining spike grass 



{Koeleria cristata); tall wheat grass 

 {Agropyron occidenlale) ; spear grass 

 {Poa glauca) little blue grass {Poa 

 sandbergii), and Nevada spear grass 

 {Poa nevadensis) . Many of these grasses, 

 in contrast with the bunch grasses 

 characteristic of the open grasslands, 

 have creeping rootstocks sending up a 

 number of shoots from buds which ap- 

 pear at intervals along the rootstock. 

 Because of this character the grass 

 cover has a matted appearance. The 

 possession of these budding rootstocks 

 make the production of seeds less im- 

 perative in order that the grass may 

 be maintained. 



Leguminous plants, of considerable 

 forage value, are also more abundant: 

 ISIilk vetch {Astragalus campestris); 

 bird-foot clover {Hosackia deniiculata) ; 

 and so-called loco-weed {Oxytropis mon- 

 ticola), are among the most common. 



Poisonous plants, however, are more 

 numerous also; for instance poison 

 camas {Zygademus venenosus); larkspur 

 {Delphinium bicolor) ; lupines {L. argen- 

 teus). It is doubtful however, whether 

 Oxytropis may justly be called Loco- 

 weed in this region since evidence is 

 wanting to prove that it has poisoned 

 stock while grazing on British Columbia 

 grasslands. 



The plants growing on the Douglas 

 fir grassland areas include those already 

 indicated as belonging to the forage 

 plants of wooded regions. The bunch 

 grasses become still less conspicuous and 

 the pine grasses more predominant. 

 To the list may be added another wheat 

 grass [Agropyron caninum); fescue 

 grass [Festuca ovina, and F. octiflora); 

 melick or sweet grass [Melica striata); 

 brome grass {Bromus Pumpellianus), 

 also such legumes as milk vetches 

 {Astragalus americanus), and pea- 

 vine {Lathyrus Nuttallii, and L. 

 ochroleucus) . 



With jack pines are found plants whose 

 palatability and food value are gener- 

 ally lower especially where the stand is 

 closed as the result of frequent burns: 

 Pine grass and shining spike grass are 

 the chief forms, while in more open 



