FLORA OF THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 15 



cium gracile, Hook. ; ff. albijlorum, Hook., and Pedicidaris 

 racemosa, Dougl. 



In the dense and diy pine woods of much of the plateau region 

 there is very little vegetation except the diminutive blueberry, 

 Vaccinium myrtillus, L., var, microphyllum^ Hook., which often 

 occurs in vast quantities. The berries are always light red, and 

 not "at first light red," as often described. It bears but little 

 fruit in the Park region, and the same fact was observed with 

 regard to the strawberry and bearberry, Frageria vesca, L., and 

 Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi, Spreng. 



Early in August the natural flower gardens of the subalpine 

 slopes are in all their splendor of coloring. Scarlet and crim- 

 son Gastilleise vie with blue and purple lupines, forget-me-nots, 

 asters, erigerons and carpet-like masses of snow-white phlox. 

 Mingled with these are golden yellow and orange flowers of every 

 shade, Sedum, Fotentilla, Ivesia, Eelianthella and Aplopa2:)2:>us. 



As most of the species which cross the continent do so on 

 the north it is not surprising to find so many as we do in the flora 

 of the Park. 



The flora of the northern Rocky Mountains has many points 

 in common with that of the Cascade Mountains ; in fact above 

 latitude 48° it is difficult to determine the limit between what 

 belongs to one and what to the other. Southward the two floras 

 become very distinct. We find some stragglers from the Pacific 

 flora entering the Park, probably all by way of the northwest. 

 Fimis albicaulis, Engelm., is a notable instance in the case of a 

 forest tree, and besides this are the following: IVautvettaria 

 grandis,^ utt. ; Ranunculus ornithorhyncus, Hook. ; Antennaria 

 Jlagellaris, Gray; Erigeron peucephyllus, Gray; Hulsea nana, 

 Grsiy, and Oryzopsis exigua, Thurb. 



The local Subularia aquatica, L., whose next eastern stations 

 are lakes in Maine and New Hampshire, is common about Yel- 

 lowstone Lake. 



Myosurus apetalus, Gay, var. lepturus, Gray ; Mimulus monti- 

 oides, Gray, and Nemophila hrevijlora. Gray, come from the 

 southwest, and Cnicus Hookerianus, Gray, from the Rocky 

 Mountains further north. The nearest inown localities for 

 Eriophorum russeolum, Fries, are Hudson's Bay and Alaska. 



