THE VEGETATION OF THE YELLOWSTONE HOT 



SPRINGS. 

 (V, 



By John W. Harshberger, Ph.D. 



The actual discovery of the Yellowstone Wonderland, by which 

 is meant its full and final disclosure to the world, was the work of 

 three parties, who visited and explored it in the years 1S69, 1870 

 and 1 87 1. Although, since the last date, much has been written 

 concerning the geological and physiographical features of the park 

 set aside by Act of Congress in the year 1872, little has been writ- 

 ten concerning the flora of the region, and what has been published 

 deals almost entirely with the plants from a systematic standpoint. 



Situated in the northwestern corner of Wyoming, in the Rocky 

 Mountains, at an elevation ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 feet, the 

 region is one of high and lofty mountains, of deep caiions walled in 

 by precipitous sides, and of beautiful upland valleys, the natural 

 haunts of the timid herbivora that seek the mountain meadows for 

 the tender and nutritious grasses which grow there luxuriantly. 

 The pasturage in many of the meadows and valleys is excellent, 

 being formed by the growth of such grasses as alpine timothy, 

 Phleitvi alpinw>i,h\\iQ ]o\n\., Calaviagrostis Canadensis, sheep's fescue, 

 Festnca ovina, Kceleria, KceUria cristata. The herbaceous vegetation 

 is not so striking as in many other regions, but still the distribution 

 of such species as do occur is interesting. In the lakes and rivers 

 we find the aquatic vegetation to consist of Ranunculus aguatilis, 

 Nuphar advena, Nuphar polyceplialum, Utricularia vulgaris, Lenina 

 tnsulca, Typha latifolia, Sparganiiim simplex, etc. Near the head 

 of Yellowstone Lake is found Subiilaria aquatica, a plant of quite a 

 remarkable distribution, found nowhere else in America except in 

 Maine and New Hampshire. Gentiana deionsa, Spraguea unibellata 

 are striking plants. The meadows and hillsides are spangled with 

 bright-colored flowers, among which may be noted the bee larkspur, 

 Delphinium Mejiziesii, the columbine, Aquilegia flavescens, the hare- 

 bell. Campanula, \\i^ aconite, Aconifiim Columbiamnn, the lupine, Lu- 

 pinus, the evening primrose, CEnothera, the aster, the painted cup, Cas- 

 tilleia. It is a remarkable fact that scarcely a night passes through- 

 out the summer without frost, so that the herbaceous plants grow 

 and bloom under somewhat unusual conditions. The fringed gen- 

 tian, Gentiana dctonsa, closes its flowers as night approaches, to 

 open them again in the ni jrninj;, and many other plants provided 



