erheads, as well as to the relatively high palatability of such plants 

 for sheep and to their reputed nutritive and fattening properties. 

 The late Dr. E. L. Greene, for many years consulting expert on 

 plant identification for the Forest Service, appears to have named 

 this species columbianus after British Columbia, the type locality. 

 As the species is also common in the Columbia River drainage, the 

 English name Columbia butterweed seems appropriate. This species 

 occurs from British Columbia to Saskatchewan, Montana, northern 

 Colorado, Oregon, and possibly also in northern California. It 

 grows chiefly in rather dry soils from the valleys and foothills up 

 to an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet. It is especially charac- 

 teristic of dry ridges and southern slopes in weed, grass, brush, and 

 ponderosa pine types. Sampson 1 indicates that it occurs up to tim- 

 berline on the Wallowa National Forest, northeastern Oregon. Al- 

 though frequently common and sometimes abundant, this plant is 

 generally a secondary species and never grows in d^nse stands ; how- 

 ever, it is an important component of the vegetation of scablands 

 in Oregon. 



The average palatability of this weed is fairly good for sheep and 

 poor for cattle. In some localities, particularly in the Pacific North- 

 west, where Columbia butterweed is often somewhat more succulent 

 than the associated vegetation, it rates as very good sheep forage. 

 Sampson (op. cit.) reports that, in the Wallowa region of northeast- 

 ern Oregon, this species begins growth early and is of value only in 

 the spring, when sheep prefer it to grasses and eat it so ravenously 

 that sometimes opportunity to set seed is lost. 



Columbia butterweed is usually from 10 to 24 inches high, but 

 may grow as tall as 3 feet. The leaves on the stem gradually become 

 smaller and more scattered toward the top. Woolly hairs are often 

 prominent at the base and at the top of the young plant. The 

 numerous roots are fibrous, rather fleshy, and often clustered. This 

 species is much smaller and blooms earlier than arrowleaf butter- 

 weed (S. triangularis], 



1 Sampson, A. W. IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS : THEIR LIFE HISTORY AND FORAGE VALUE. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 545, G3 pp., illus. 1917. 



