120 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



the handsome leaves and large white flowers of the thimble-berry 

 (Rubus Nutkanus), and the "devil's club" {Echinopanax horridus), 

 a handsome but horribly spiny shrub, an emigrant from the 

 Pacific coast. Ferns are not uncommon, and the lady fern 

 (Asplcnium fdix-focmina) is especially abundant and luxuriant 

 in the low ground; also a variety of shrubs, snowberry (Symphori- 

 carpus), Spiraea, Viburnum, twdn-berry (Lonicera involucrata) . 



While deciduous trees are greatly in a minority, the forest is 

 not so exclusively coniferous as that of the drier parts of the 

 mountains. The canoe-birch is not uncommon, and becomes a 

 tree of considerable size, while the balsam poplar (Popidus tricho- 

 carpa) is a lofty tree with tall straight trunk, rivalling the conifers 

 in height. A small maple (Acer, glabrum) is also common. 



Showy flowers are less abundant than in the drier and more 

 open country of the eastern side of the mountains; but at 

 higher elevations there are many beautiful alpine and sub-alpine 

 species. 



The alpine meadows of the northern Rocky Mountains have 

 a profusion of extremely beautiful flowers, and there are many 

 interesting and attractive rock-species also, like the Pentstemons, 

 Epilobium latijolium, various saxifrages, stone-crops, etc. 



The meadows early in the season are adorned with the large 

 yellow adder-tongue, which soon ripens its fruit and is followed 

 by a great variety of attractive flowers. Yellow arnica, white 

 valerian, blue gentians; and lupins and magnificent scarlet, 

 crimson and pink Castilleia abound, as well as many other pretty 

 and interesting species. In the wetter ground a beautiful pink 

 Mimulus (M. Lewisii), is abundant, as well as yellow Senecio, 

 larkspurs, forget-me-nots, asters, Erigeron, and a pale yellow 

 columbine, quite different from the blue Colorado species. The 

 curious little " elephant's head" (Pcdicularis Groenlandica) is not 

 uncommon, and the pretty grass of Parnassus (Parnassia) is 

 abundant in moist places. A very conspicuous plant of the sub- 

 alpine region is the green false-hellebore (Veratrum viride), whose 

 big plaited leaves, and tall racemes of greenish flowers, are ex- 

 tremely common. 



Among the rock-plants is the mountain avens (Dryas octopetala), 

 a species common to the arctic and alpine regions of both hem- 

 ispheres. Other wide spread species are Silene acaulis, Iceland 



