392 FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



RAMGE. 



From the coast region of British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon, and 

 California (to Mendocino County). 



British Columbia.— Coast west of Coast Range, not far north, and on Vancouver 

 Island. Noted in lower Fraser River Valley and on Chilliwak Lake. 



Washington. — Mostly west of Cascades, below 2,000 or 3.000 feet. Noted east of 

 Cascades in Stehekin Valley at 1,150 to 4,000 feet, and on Nason Creek in Chelan 

 County, and near Martin, Kittitas County (alt. 2,775 feet). Noted west of Cascades 

 in Washington National Forest below 2,000 feet, Silverton (Snohomish' County) , Seattle, 

 at Tacoma, Lilliwaup on Hood Canal, Olympia (Thurston County), Montesano and 

 Grays Harbor (Chehalis County), in Clallam County, Olympic National Forest below 

 2,000 feet, Mount Rainier National Forest lower red fir type, Upper Nisqually River, 

 Yakima Pass (east boundary King County), Mount Adams, White Salmon (on Columbia 

 River at west boundary Klickitat County). 



Oregon. — Confined to part west of Cascades, which it ascends along streams in Douglas 

 fir forests to 5,000 feet. Noted along Columbia River on flats above dunes between 

 McClures and The Dalles, Wasco County, on Mount Hood, in Cascade (north) National 

 Forest, all over west slope, and in Siskiyou National Forest. 



California. — South at least to Mendocino County on the Coast and Lewiston on Upper 

 Trinity River (alt. 1,750 feet) (Trinity County), and east to McCloud River, Upper 

 Sacramento River just above Dunsmuir (Siskiyou County), altitude 2,280 feet, and near 

 Sissons (Siskiyou County), altitude 3,500 feet, and in Modoc County to Warm Springs. 

 Noted also in northwestern part of Klamath National Forest. 



OCCURRENCE. 



Alluvial bottoms (mainly above inundation), flats, benches, depressions, borders of 

 mountain streams, and lower meadows; in moist, rich (often heavily humous), rocky 

 soils. 



Always subordinate, undergrowth in pure clumps and patches, or mingled with broad- 

 leaf maple, western dogwood, grand and amabilis firs, Douglas fir, western hemlock, 

 western white pine, yew, and western serviceberry. 



Climatic Conditions. — Similar to those of Douglas fir (in Pacific region). 



Tolerance. — Exceedingly tolerant of shade — often very dense. 



Reproduction. — Only moderate periodic seeder, but some seed borne locally about 

 every year. Seedlings occur generally, but scattered sparingly in dense and partial 

 shade where they persist. 



Dwarf Maple. 



Acer glabrum Torrey. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. 



Dwarf maple is only rarely a tree from 20 to 30 feet high and from 6 to 12 

 inches through, its narrow crown of straight, slender limbs trending upward 

 sharply. Very generally it is a small-stemmed shrub from 4 to 6 feet high or 

 a slender tree from 10 to 12 feet high. The trunks are smooth, red brown, 

 with a grayish tint. Mature twigs of the season are smooth, rich reddish 

 brown, as are the buds. Mature leaves « (figs. 185 to 187) are smooth and 

 shiny on their top sides; very pale green beneath; smooth, the yellowish veins 

 appearing prominent; leaf stems frequently clear red. Mature "seeds" or 

 fruit (fig. 187), ripe in early autumn and soon shed, are light russet brown — 

 bright rose-red before ripening. Wood, almost white, with very thick sapwood, 



° By some authors the deeply 3 to 5, mostly 3, lobed leaves are held to belong to a 

 distinct species, Acer douglasii Hooker. The fact, however, that throughout the range 

 of this maple deeply cut leaves are frequent with the ordinary form — often on the 

 same tree — would seem to show that the character is unreliable. 



