274 CONTKIBUTIONS FROM THE jSTATIOlSrAL, HERBARIUM. 



The yellow pine is one of the common trees of the Rockies, and its scarcity about 

 Glacier Park is due only to the high elevation of most of the country. It is one of 

 the important Iximber trees of the West. 



2. Pinus contorta murrayana (Balf.) Engelm. Lodgepole pine. Very abundant 

 on the east slope at low altitudes and frequent at middle elevations; less common 

 on the west slope, but widely distributed. Alaska to Calif., Colo., and Sask. 

 (P. murrayana Balf.) — Small or large tree, the trunk covered with reddish brown 

 scales, the top broad or narrow. 



At low altitudes on the east slope this often forms dense pure stands, but at higher 

 altitudes, and everywhere on the west slope, the trees are mixed with spruce, fir, 

 and Douglas fir. The seedlings soon spring up abundantly in burnt-over areas, and 

 the species is therefore a valuable means of reforestation. Lodgepole pine, however, 

 has few attractive characteristics, and often seems more like a weed than a forest 

 tree. No one who attempts to cross one of the slopes which are covered with fallen 

 logs and a thick stand of the young trees will ever afterward be able to see anything 

 attractive about this pine. One striking feature of the tree is found in the fact that 

 the cones persist upon the branches for a long time, even after the trees are dead. 

 In heavy timber the trunks are very tall and slender, and in the wind they sway in 

 an alarming fashion. Indeed, the trees often do fall over and lodge against other 

 trees, and it is this fact that has suggested the name "lodgepole." 



3. Pinus albicaulis Engelm. Whitebark pine. Plate 38, A. Common about 

 timber line, associated with alpine fir. Alta. and B. C. to Calif, and Wyo. {Apinus 

 albicaulis Rydb.) — Low tree or more often a shrub, the branches often prostrate 

 upon the ground; bark only slightly fissured or smooth; cones purplish, not stalked, 

 remaining closed when mature. 



The species is confined to a narrow belt about timber line. 



4. Pinus flexilis James. Limber pine. Occasional at nearly all altitudes, usually 

 on exposed slopes or mountain tops. Alta. to Calif, and Tex. {Apinus flexilis 

 Rydb.) — Heavy tree, usually ] J to 15 meters high, with rough bark. 



In some localities the limber pine forms small groves, but usually it is associated 

 with other trees. Some very large trees grow about Granite Park. In exposed places 

 the trees are often lopsided, and frequently the trunks are deformed. On the slopes 

 above Many Glacier Chalets there are numerous dwarfed and gnarled individuals 

 that suggest the trees which are artificially dwarfed by Japanese gardeners. About 

 Sun Camp the limber pine grows with the lodgepole pine, and one scarcely recognizes 

 that there are two species until the number of leaves in a cluster is noticed. This 

 tree is often known in the West as white pine. 



6. Pinus monticola Dougl. Western white pine. Common on the west slope 

 at low and middle altitudes, mixed with other trees. B. C. to Calif, and Mont. 

 (Strobus monticola Rydb.) — Trunk often 30 meters high, covered with brown or 

 grayish purple bark broken into small blocks; crown short and narrow; leaves 

 bluish green . 



This is by far the finest pine of the park, and the clean, slender, symmetric trunks 

 have a very attractive appearance. The handsome cones are abundant on the 

 ground along the trails, and often appear to be strangely out of place, for the tops of 

 the trees are so high above one's head that they are not noticed. The tree reaches 

 the eastern limit of its range in Glacier Park. 



