42 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



many of the flowers belong entirely, or mainly to the arctic and 

 sub-arctic zone. 



Among the less familiar flowers of the Yukon country may be 

 mentioned a very beautiful " blue-valerian" (Polemonium) which 

 is very abundant in places, as is a species of Mertensia (M. pa- 

 niculato), with bell-shaped flowers of the most exquisite blue. The 

 latter is especially common at Dawson. 



At White Horse, near the headwaters of the Yukon, in addi- 

 tion to Polemonium and Mertensia, other common plants noted 

 were species of Aster, golden-rod, gentian, avens (Geum), rattle- 

 weed (Astragalus) vetch, and especially some very fine blue 

 Pentstemons. 



The most striking display seen by the writer was at Lake Atlin, 

 British Columbia. 



The rocky slopes along the shore of the lake were covered with 

 a wonderful profusion of brilliant flowers. Blue ^Polemonium and 

 Pentstemons, pink roses, pale yellow Geum, orange Cotyledon, 

 white chickweed (Arenaria) covered the broken rocky ground 

 with sheets of vivid color. 



In the moist woods, were a number of showy flowers, of which 

 the most notable were a very handsome scarlet columbine 

 (Aquilegia formosa) and a fine lupin (Lupinus Nutkanus). 



Bogs are common and for the most part harbor the usual north- 

 ern bog plants. At Carcross, on boggy hillsides along the railway 

 between Lake Bennett and White Horse, some interesting plants 

 were noted. 



This was a moss-bog, but contained no Sphagnum. There 

 were some interesting orchids, notably a very pretty white 

 lady-slipper (Cypripedium sp.), and the round leaved orchis 

 (Orchis rotundifolia) . The white mountain avens (Dryas sp.) 

 still showed a few flowers, and the pretty violet-like flowers, the 

 butter- wort (Pinguicula), were at their best. The white tufts 

 of the cotton grass, and the exquisite starry flowers of the grass 

 of Parnassus, which was very abundant, recalled similar bogs 

 further south. 



In this neighborhood were noted some fine specimens of a large- 

 flowered willow-herb (Epilobium) which was also very abundant 

 in the river-bed at Skagway. 



Some of the coastal plants like the Sitka spruce follow the 



