THE ALPINE FLORA OF COLORADO. 137 
and is withal quite showy among so many plants of smaller growth. 
- Here we find two very interesting Alpine clovers, Trifolium dasy- 
Phyllum and T. nanum. The former is much reduced in size, 
_ the stems, two or three inches high, supporting the-large heads of 
_ pink and purple flowers, are conspicuously longer than the leaves. 
_ T. nanum grows chiefly on very bleak and barren summits, and is 
yet far smaller. It can scarcely be said to have even a flower- 
= stalk. The flowers, too, are not producéd in heads as in other 
= species, but grow either singly, or two together; they are very 
large, of a pink color, and lie as closely as they can to the matted 
leaves. The pale green spreading masses of the minute Phlox 
_ Hoodii, when out of bloom, would very likely be passed by for 
_ patches of moss; but now they are dotted all over or fairly whi- 
tened with pink-eyed flowers, and are perfectly charming. Silene 
acaulis is another of these matted, mossy, Alpine beauties, with 
almost stemless, purple flowers. Saxifraga serpyllifolia, almost 
the smallest saxifrage one meets with here, has remarkably large, 
golden-yellow petals. And now, just a little above us, begin the 
long, white lines or extended fields of never-melting snows. We 
hasten to their borders, curious to see what floral beauties have 
chosen to bloom there ; and we find not a few very notable ones. 
Within six feet of the snow grows the small but bright-eyed 
moet pretty Primula angustifolia ; Lloydia serotina, a rather small 
_liliaceous plant, with solitary white flowers; Gentiana aR 
‘ handsome gentian with large corollas, white, marked an ed 
with blue, and which are not afraid to expand. paper rans areti- 
oides is a most elegant, forget-me-not-like plant of about this 
altitude, growing in very small, silvery masses and sending out 
_ very short stems with the very prettiest bright blue flowers. The 
showiest of all is Ranunculus adoneus, a crowfoot with rather stout 
Stems, small and finely divided leaves, and remarkably large and 
well-formed golden petals. It is certainly one of the very finest 
Species of its genus, and even shows some inclination to produce 
ble flowers. Snow banks that are shut in closely by high 
surrounding mountains seem as if bordered with gold by the 
bundance of. this plant. 
On yet higher and drier points are many more very interesting 
es, of which we will speak of one here and there. Among 
of the highest cliffs one finds in the crevices of the rocks 
beautiful small- giles Giura a variety of Aquilegia 
AMER. NATURALIST, VOL. 
