4 American Midland Naturalist Monograph No. 4 



to the lower elevations. As the forest thins out in the upper areas, the 

 shrubby undercover becomes more important. Common species include 

 Pacific red elder {Sambiiciis racemosa var. callicarpa), Rocky Mountain 

 maple {Acer glabrum), rusty menziesia (Menziesia ferruginea), western 

 thimbleberry (Rubiis parviflorus) , big whortleberry {Yaccinium metnbran- 

 aceum), and vine maple (Acer circinatum) . Brush fields occur where fire 

 Ol rock slides have cleared the forest but these areas make up only a small 

 fraction of the vegetated area. 



Above 4,500 feet elevation the dominant tree species are alpine fir and 

 mountain hemlock which form open park-like stands, often as scattered tree 

 islands dotting open grassland areas. Along with numerous showy-flowered 

 herbaceous plants, many low sub-alpine shrubs are found in these meadows, 

 often covering extensive areas. Some of the more common species include 

 delicious blueberry (Vaccinium deliciosum), red mountainheath (Phyllodoce 

 empetrijor77iis) , white heather {Cassiope Mertensiana) , subalpine spirea 

 {Spiraea densiflora) , and various species of willow. 



Mount Rainier National Park 



Mount Rainier National Park lies on the west side of the Cascade Moun- 

 tains with the eastern boundary along the crest of the range. The great 

 volcanic peak for which the park was named, has radiating out from its top 

 the largest glacier system in the United States proper. The climate is rela- 

 tively mild and moist with an average yearly rainfall of from 60 to 100 

 inches. The altitudinal range is from 1,716 feet along the western boundary 

 to 14,408 feet at the top of Mount Rainier. 



Surrounding the peak on all sides is a magnificent forest with Douglas 

 fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) , western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and 

 western red cedar (Thuja plicata) the common species up to about 3,000 feet. 

 In this lowland forest of the Transition Zone there is usually but little 

 shrubby growth under the shade of the dense forest canopy. Rocks and 

 fallen logs are often covered with moss and lichens. In openings various 

 shrubby species may be found, including red whortleberry (Vaccinium parvi- 

 jolium), blue whortleberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium) , salal (Gaultheria shal- 

 lon), blueberry elder (Sambucus coerulea), several species of currant (Ribes), 

 vine maple (Acer circinatum), and western yew (Taxus brevifolia) . The 

 broadleaf trees, red alder (Alnus rubra), black cottonwood (Populus tricho- 

 carpa), and bigleaf maple (Acer macro phy Hum) are occasionally found 

 along streams with various willows and occasionally red-osier dogwood 

 (Cornus stolonijera) . 



As we proceed higher the Transition forest species are gradually replaced 

 by more open stands of mountain hemlock (Tsuga Mertensiana), Alaska 

 cedar (Chamaecy parts nootkatensis) , noble fir (Abies nobilis), silver fir 

 (Abies amabilis), and western white pine (Pinus monticola) . In the upper 

 part of this zone alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) becomes the dominant fir 

 species. Characteristic shrub species include big whortleberry (Vaccinium 

 membranaceum) , Pacific red elder (Sambucus racemosa). Rocky Mountain 



