MOUNT RAINIER 



attractive plants. Where the ground is springy Vera- 

 trum viride occurs in great clumps and Dodecatheon 

 jeffreyi, Caltha leptosepala and Ranunculus suksdorfii 

 are plentiful. 



In the shelter of the Alpine trees Rhododendron albi- 

 florum, Ribes howellii and Arnica latifolia flourish. 

 Along the rills Gentiana calycosa, Arnica chamissonis 

 and Mimulus lewisii form banks of color. On the 

 cliffs Chelone nemorosa, Spiraea densiflora, Polemo- 

 nium humile and Castilleja rupicola are perhaps most 

 conspicuous. 



Above the limit of trees, in what have been called 

 "pumice fields," a characteristic series of plants 

 appears. This belt ranges in altitude from 6,500 to 

 10,000 feet. It is best developed on the east side 

 of the mountain, where the avalanches from Little 

 Tahoma have covered great areas with more or less 

 finely divided basalt. Conspicuous plants of this 

 region are Lupinus lyallii y Spraguea multiceps, Polemo- 

 nium elegans, Hulsea nana, Erigeron aureus, Oreostemma 

 alpigena, Polygonum newberryi, Poa suksdorfii, Draba 

 aureola and Smelowskia ovalis. The last three ascend 

 to above Camp Muir, altitude 10,000 feet. 



The first botanist to visit Mount Rainier was Dr. 

 William F. Tolmie, surgeon of the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany, who reached the mountain in 1833. He made 

 considerable collections, which were sent to Sir William 

 Hooker. Among Tolmie's plants were several not 

 previously known. 



The writer collected on the mountain in 1888 and 

 again in 1889 and 1895. Since then the following 

 botanists have made collections on Mount Rainier : 

 Rev. E. C. Smith, in 1889 and 1890; Dr. E. L. Greene, 

 in 1889 ; Mr. J. B. Flett in 1895, 1896 and since ; Mr. 

 M. W. Gorman in 1897 ; and Mr. O. D. Allen from 1895 

 to about 1905. 



Most of the work done thus far has been in Paradise 

 Park and its immediate vicinity. Next to this, the 



256 



