YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 



(blue) (blue) 



43 



GU)BE MALLOW 



Flax (Limim). Wild flax, one of the most deli- 

 cate and beautiful of our wild flowers, frequents the 

 open, moderately dry places throughout the Park. Its 

 stem is very slender, branches but little or not at all, 

 and is from eight to twelve inches in height. The 

 numerous leaves, distributed along the stem almost 

 up to the flowers, are very narrow and pointed, and 

 stand up at a sharp angle with the stem. The flow- 

 ers, from one to five in number, blossom one at a time 

 in a group at the top. They are about an inch in 

 diameter, with five broad petals, and in color are a 

 strong, pure blue. 



Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea) . This plant is found 

 only along stream courses and in other moist places, 

 and always in the open. It is fairly frequent along the 

 run-off streams from the Mammoth Hot Springs. There 

 may be one or several stout stems, about three feet 

 high, rising from a basal group of leaves, and bearing 

 the flowers scattered along their upper halves. The 

 leaves are shaped somewhat like maple leaves, but are 

 rather hairy. The pale rose-purple flowers look like 

 small hollyhocks; they last from early in July until 

 about mid-August. 



