160 



The Plant World. 



to the Rockies or up in the foothills. Perhaps none of the plants 

 is more interesting in the Rocky Mountains than the Rocky 

 Mountain columbine {Aquilegia caerulea), which was first de- 

 scribed by Edwin James from material found in the Rockies in 

 the vicinity of Long's Peak. This beautiful and showy plant is 

 quite as common on the eastern slope of the Rockies as it is on 

 the western slope. Early in June it may be obtained in abund- 

 ance along anv of the mountain streams at altitudes above 7,000 



Fig. 5. Near the head waters of the Weber River, Uintah Mountains, Utah. 

 The mountainous region with burned over lodge pole pines, in the fore- 

 ground a willow swamp consisting of Salix glaucopi S. irroratu and S. 

 chlorophylla and a group of Engelmann Spruce (Picea Engelmannii) at 

 9000 feet. 



feet and thence up to timber line. The writer found it quite as 

 abundant in the San Miguel Mountains as in the Mount Ouray 

 region or in the Medicine Bow Mountains. It is also common in 

 the Uintah range. A high alpine species, A. saximontana, is 

 found in great abundance above the timber line on Mount Ouray. 

 It appears in great bunches from among the rocks. The leaves 

 are smaller and twice ternate, the smaller flowers have bluish 



