Kroni Hir I'iii.i.e i in of the Torrey Botanical Club, 41 : 459-474. g Oct. 1914.] 





Phytogeographical notes on the Rocky Mountain region 

 III. Formations in the alpine zone 



P. A. Rydberg lv 



As the writer is no ecologist and has dealt very little with k<>"" 



plant societies, he knows that this paper will scarcely stand muster 

 before experts in thai line. The notes are mostly taken down from 

 memory and casual observations made while collecting with tax- 

 onomy wholly in view. They must therefore be in many respects 

 imperfect and in some cases faulty. As I have occasionally criti- 

 cized ecologists and phytogeographers, even severely, for their 

 work, I should expect criticism when I myself enter their field, 

 but right here I wish to say that I not only expect, but rather wish, 

 somebody to point out my errors or shortcomings, so that the 

 truth may be had. My only excuse for writing on "Formations" 

 is that very little has been published in this line on the Rocky 

 Mountain region, and in every case it has been only small local 

 regions that have been treated. I know that Professor Clements 

 has been working for years on the ecology of the Pikes Peak region 

 and when his book is out, I expect to see an expert treatise on the 

 subject; but unal then let us amateurs scribble down and publish 

 our notes, and probably they may be of some value to the pro- 

 fessional ecologists, and, in the meantime, of general interest to 

 the plant-lovers. 



Clements in his little article "Formation and Succession 

 Herbaria"* has given the best list of plants, arranged according 

 to regions, formations, and successions, ever published from the 

 Rocky Mountain region. The value of this list is increased by 

 the fact that he has distributed a collection of exsiccatae illustrat- 

 ing it. Of course, his paper treats only of the region of Pikes 

 Peak, Colorado. He assigns the following formations to the 

 alpine region: 



Alpine meadow formation 



Alpine bog formation 

 * University [Nebraska] Studies 4: 329-355. 1904 



459 



