592 Part IV. Chapter 4. 
Alpine Formation. Above timber line on all of the Alaskan mountains 
the barren slopes are characterized by the presence of numerous alpine plants, 
frequently occuring in mats. i 
The mountains of the St. Elias Range in the Disenchantment Bay country are clothed 
to an altitude of about 800 feet with a dense growth of Alnus rubra above which the moun- 
tain sides are covered with a heavy growth of Deschampsia caespitosa var. longiflora to 
an altitude of 2,550 feet associated with Aconitum delphinifolium. Above the grass limit, the 
vegetation is more scattering and consists mostly of Salix arctica, Saxifraga bronchialis, 
Geranium erianthum, Cassiope Stelleriana, Eriogynia pectinata and Bryanthus glanduliflorus. In 
this treeless region, there grow besides the plants mentioned above: Agrostis exarata, Phleum 
alpinum and Poa alpina?), Tellima grandiflora, Arabis lyrata, Cerastium alpinum, Valeriana sitchen- 
sis, Potentilla procumbens, P. villosa, Parnassia fimbriata, Artemisia norvegica (very rare), Anten- 
ia alpina, Campanula rotundifolia var. alaskana, Petasites frigida, Hieracium triste, Arnica lati- 
folia, Romanzoffia sitchensis, Lycopodium alpinum, Cryptogramme acrostichoides, Cystopteris fra- 
gilis. Elsewhere grow Silene acaulis, Anemone Richardsonii, A. narcissiflora, A. parviflora, 
Mitella pentandra, Carex pyrenaica, C. nigricans, C. macrochaeta, Luzula spicata, L. parviflora, 
L. arcuata, Habenaria unalaschensis, H. dilatata etc. 
Fjelde Formation’). About the upper border of the region of dwarf timber 
at 1,050 m are frequently found in the Sitkan Region extensive stretches co- 
vered with willows and dwarf birches with bare rocks, moss and lichen 
tundra, interspersed with snow field. This is a formation which on account 
of its similarity to a corresponding one in Norway is best designated as Fjelde 
or Fell Field. 
Betula glandulosa var. rotundifolia, Alnus viridis (= A. alnobetula), Salix fulcrata, S. arctica 
var. Pallasii, Juniperus communis var. nana are prominent woody plants. Empetrum nigrum, however, 
is the most abundant species associated with the Ericaceae: Bryanthus glanduliflorus, B. empetri- 
formis, Bryanthus (Phyllodoce) taxifolius, Cassiope Stelleriana, C. lycopodioides, C. Mertensiana, 
C. tetragona, Andromeda polifolia, Kalmia glauca var. microphylla, Arctostaphylos (Arctous) 
alpina, Vaccinium caespitosum, V. uliginosum, V., vitis-idaea, V. Oxycoccus. Between these plants 
grow Linnaea and Dryas, Diapensia, Silene acaulis in mats. o e surrounding lichens and 
2. Columbian Region. 
This region comprises the plains of Puget Sound, the Columbia River, the 
main valley of the Fraser River, the lake county of northern Idaho and in- 
cludes the Olympic Coast and Cascade Mountain ranges. It is a region noted 
for the density of its forests consisting of a large number of species which 
reach giant proportions. In fact this forest is the densest in Nort 
America, with exception of the redwood forests of northwest California. 
n FunsTon loc. eit. p. 332; ENGLER, A.: Die pflanzengeographische Gliederung Nord- 
amerikas: 58. 
2) ENGLER loc. eit. p. 59; Warming, Oecology of Plants, 256; also cf. Harvey, LeroY H.: 
The floristie Composition of the vascular Flora of Mount Ktaadn, Maine, Mich. Acad. Sei. 1909: 
32—47- 
