Bailey &: Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 5 



maple (Acer glabrum), vine maple, rusty menziesia {Menz'iesia ferruginea), 

 western thimbleberry (Ruhus parviflortis), and several species of gooseberry 

 and currant (Ribes) . 



As in Olympic National Park, there are few brush-covered areas and 

 these occur in openings caused by fire or snow-slides. Shrub species charac- 

 teristic of these cleared areas are western thimbleberry, trailing blackberry 

 (Rubus macropetalus), and myrtle pachistima {Pachistima myrsmites). Sitka 

 alder {Alnus simiata) and shrubby willows are common along streams. 



At about 5,000 feet the forest opens out into beautiful park-like meadows 

 with scattered clumps of trees, chiefly alpine fir and mountain hemlock. 

 Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is common along the ridges. Common 

 ground cover plants include such shrubby species as red mountainheath 

 (Phyllodoce empetujormis), white heather (Cassiope Mertensiana), the 

 dwarf delicious blueberry (Vaccinium deliciosum), low willows, and nu- 

 merous colorful herbaceous species. 



Some of these species extend up into the Arctic-alpine Zone above the 

 limit of trees. Other plants of this zone include the tiny alpine willows 

 (Salix cascadensis and S. tiivalis) and many species of mosses, grasses, and 

 sedges. While plant growth is not abundant above 7,000 feet, a few dwarfed 

 individuals are found in sheltered places up as far as 10,000 feet on Mount 

 Rainier. 



Crater Lake National Park 



Crater Lake National Park is centered around Crater Lake, a deep blue 

 body of water approximately six miles in diameter lying in an old volcanic 

 crater. The precipitous surrounding walls rise from 600 to 2,000 feet above 

 the level of the water. From Mt. Scott, 8,938 feet, the highest point in 

 the park, the terrain descends to about 3,800 feet in the lower valleys. 



The forests of the lower elevations, up to about 5,500 feet, are composed 

 of douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) along with ponderosa pine (Pmus 

 ponderosa) , white fir (Abies concolor), incense cedar (Libocedms deairrens), 

 and sugar pine (Pinus Lambertiana) . The last three species named reach 

 their northern limits here, as far as the national parks are concerned. They 

 are characteristic forest trees in the Sierra Nevada of California. Common 

 shrubby species include greenleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patida) , western 

 thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) , Pacific serviceberry (Amelanchier florida) , 

 snowbrush ceanothus (Ceanothus velutmus), and bitter cherry (Prunus 

 emarginata). Thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia) forms thickets along the 

 lower streams. Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) is found on the east side 

 of the Cascade Crest. Broadleaf trees such as aspen (Poptdus tremuloides) 

 and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) may be found but they are 

 not common. 



In the southwest corner of the park, where the elevation drops to 3,800 

 feet in Redblanket Canyon, there is a small area where species more charac- 

 teristic of the lower coastal regions are found. Species found here but not 

 elsewhere in the park include western hemlock (Tsuga heteropbylla), western 



