MOSS CAMPION 
Silene acaulis Linnaeus 
Moss campion is one of the most attractive of the alpine plants and 
one frequently seen by the mountaineer climbing above timberline. 
Although its blooming season is short, differences in altitude and ex- 
posute in its many habitats are responsible for its blooming during a 
longer period than most alpine plants. It grows from a single woody 
toot anchored deep in rocky soil, and spreads into a flat cushion often 
a foot or more in diameter. The bright green of the narrow leaves 
is beautifully contrasted with the pink, or rarely white, flowers, and 
the plant is always a joy to behold. 
This lovely member of the Pink Family is found in atctic or atctic- 
alpine situations, from New Hampshire to Greenland, across Canada 
and from the highest mountains of New Mexico to Alaska; also in 
Europe and Asia. 
The plant sketched was procured neat Baker Lake, fifteen miles 
by trail north of Lake Louise, Alberta, at an altitude of 7,500 feet. 
PLATE 367 
