Bailey & Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 11 



top of this tableland mountain ranges rise 2,000 to 4,000 feet higher, the 

 highest point in the park being Electric Peak, 11,000 feet. Average yearly 

 rainfall is about 17 inches at Yellowstone Park station at 6,500 feet and 22 

 inches at Yellowstone Lake which is over a thousand feet higher in elevation. 



Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) makes up nearly three-fourths of the 

 forest cover. At the lower elevations this forest is so dense that there is 

 scarcely any undergrowth. Above this belt alpine fir {Abies lasiocarpa) and 

 Engelmann spruce {Picea Engelmanni) become dominant, but lodgepole pine 

 extends also up to timberline. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxtfolia) occurs 

 in several locations. 



The fir-spruce forests are more open and allow for the growth of a number 

 of shrubby species, including the following: rusty menziesia {Menztesia jer- 

 Tuginea), mountain common juniper (Jiiniperus communis var. saxatihs), 

 bush cinquefoil (Poteritilla fruticosa), wild currants and gooseberries {Ribes 

 species), serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) , mountain ash {Sorbiis sco- 

 pulina), western thimbleberry (Rubtis parvlflorus) , black chokecherry (Prunus 

 vtrginiana var. melanocarpa) , Rocky Mountain maple {Acer glabrum), bear- 

 berry {Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), big whortleberry {Vaccinnon membrana- 

 ceum), and wild rose {Rosa species). 



Along streams thinleaf alder {Alnus temitfolia) and willows are com- 

 mon, often forming thickets. Broadleaf trees found along streams and lake 

 shores or in other moist locations include aspen {Populus tremuloides), 

 balsam poplar {Populus balsamifera) , and narrowleaf Cottonwood {Populus 

 angustifolia) . The aspen forms small pure groves in some places. 



An area in the southern part of the park at elevations below 7,500 feet 

 has several species characteristic of the desert areas of the Great Basin, such 

 as big sagebrush {Artemisia tridentata) , greasewood {Sarcobatus vermicu- 

 latus) , and prickly pear cactus {Opuntia polycantha) . 



Just beiow timberline the spruce-fir forests open out into wide expanses 

 of sub-alpine meadows with clumps of dwarf trees dotting the grasslands up 

 to the limit of trees at about 10,000 feet. Besides numerous herbaceous 

 species found in the alpine meadows, there are a number of dwarf alpine 

 shrubs such as Mount Washington dryad {Dryas octopetala), skyland willow 

 {Salix petrophila), mountain bog kalmia {Kalmia polifolia var. mtcropbylla) , 

 and red mountainheath {Phyllodoce empetriforrnis) . 



Grand Teton National Park 



Grand Teton National Park, located along the eastern face of the Teton 

 Mountain Range, lies only a relatively few miles south of Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park and extends for a length of 27 miles. Cut into the face of this 

 range are many spectacular glaciated canyons separated by ridges and peaks. 

 Drainage is into the Snake River which flows south through the Jackson Hole 

 country and thence to the Pacific Ocean. The Grand Teton, the highest 

 point in the park, 13,766 feet, rises 7,000 feet above the floor of the Jackson 

 Hole basin. Yearly rainfall averages 22 inches at Moran, the north entrance. 



The forests are very similar to those of Yellowstone National Park. Lodge- 



