44 BULLETIN 545, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



apex of the raceme. Accordingly, while the upper part of the raceme 

 is in full flower the lower portion often has well-developed seed pods. 

 In some cases the seed reaches maturity on the lower parts of the 

 raceme while buds are still forming on the upper portion. The seed- 

 maturing period begins about August 1 and continues until inclement 

 weather sets in. 



While the viability of the seed is not high, the average for that 

 collected hi 1908 and 1909 being 21.5 per cent, the earlier maturing 

 seed runs from 10 to 12 per cent higher than that maturing later. 

 The amount of seed produced is unusually large and reproduction is 

 very abundant. 



When young, fireweed is eaten with great avidity. As the season 

 advances, however, the stem become fibrous and unpalatable, and 

 after August 1 only the flowers and leaves are grazed, the stem being 

 left quite naked. Few if any "weeds" are more relished by sheep 

 than fireweed. Horses, too, eat it to a limited extent, and cattle 

 graze it ravenously. Since it begins growth early in the spring and 

 is late in reaching maturity, it furnishes a much relished feed during 

 the greater part of the summer grazing period. 



Wild Celery. 



(Ligusticum oreganum.) 



Ligusticum oreganum, sometimes called wild parsnip, belongs to 

 the same family as cultivated celery, parsnip, and carrot, and in the 

 region studied is called both wild celery and wild parsnip. It has the 

 characteristic parsnip aroma, and resembles the parsnip somewhat 

 in the appearance of the leaf (Plate XLII). It should not be con- 

 fused with the poisonous water hemlock, which is found in wet soils 

 and is sometimes called "wild parsnip." 



Wild celery is a smooth perennial with large aromatic, sparsely 

 branched roots. The leaves are numerous, nearly all basal, and com- 

 pound, being ternately (in three) then pinnately divided; the umbel 

 is made up of numerous rays with many narrow pointed bracts sur- 

 rounding the flower cluster. 



The plant is distinctly one of the Hudsonian zone. It occurs on 

 all exposures and slopes, but prefers deep, loose, porous and friable, 

 well-drained soils of medium moisture content. Since it docs not 

 regenerate by offshoots from running rootstocks, it probably is not 

 capable of forming, even under most favorable conditions, pure or 

 nearly pure stands. It is most commonly associated with mountain 

 bunchgrass, short-awned bromegrass, and other species inhabiting 

 the better soils or glades. Its water requirements are higher than 

 those of its associates. The plant wilts usually beyond recovery in a 

 soil whose water content varies from 8 to 9.5 per cent. 



