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nine-tenths of the broad-leaved, deciduous trees and shrubs. 

 Their occurrence is these places is due apparently to the shallow 

 distribution of the underground waters. 



Shrubby vegetation is largely mingled with the forest trees- 

 it occurs along streams and over the uplands. One of the most 

 beautiful shrubs in flower is the mock orange or wild syringa, 

 which bears masses of large white fragrant flowers. The nine- 

 bark, the white and red spiraeas, the service berry, hawthorn and 

 chokecherry, the mountain ash, honeysuckles and elders, huckle- 

 berrys and heaths, the white and the purple clematis, the roses, 

 mountain laurel, and sumac, buffalo berry and silver berry, the 

 currants, — most of these are attractive in flower or leaf or fruit. 

 Of about two hundred fifty species of woody plants in the 

 northern Rockies about fifty are willows which vary from tree 

 forms down to dwarf arctic species which flower and fruit at a 

 height of two inches. Many of these have a northern range 

 only, from here to the arctic circle. They grow under varied 

 conditions from stream banks to the tops of the highesfmoun- 

 tains. 



Our woodland flora is not complete without mention of the low 

 flowering herbs which abound in the shelter of the forest. Here 

 are the Solomon's seals, and bellworts, the dogtooth violet, the 

 yellow Mariposa lily, the little pink lady-slipper and the large 

 yellow mocassin flower, the mitrewort and the false mitrewort, 

 the trailing kinnikinnic, the blue, the white, and the yellow 

 violets, the pasque flower and paint brush, some of the arnicas, 

 the bane berries and many others. 



While the forests clothe the higher slopes and sheltered places, 

 large treeless areas of the intermountain valleys are occupied 

 by a prairie flora rich in its diversity of color and abundant in 

 its variety of forms. Spring opens with a carpet of green 

 figured in elaborate patterns of floral composition in bright 

 hues and shades. Fields of gold appear where the balsam-root 

 bursts forth on the sunny hillside. The little mountain pink 

 brings a blush of color here and there. Acres of the bitter root 

 in varying shades of rose and pink are spread in rich profusion, 

 and the blues of lupine and pentstemon and patches of scarlet 

 Gilia lend color everywhere across the wide flats. Clarkia with 

 its rich pink extends in profusion along the lower slopes, varied 

 with tufts of white meadow sweet and bunches of golden aster. 



