ALPINE FERNLEAF 



Pedicularis contorta Bentham 



Alpine fernleaf is locally plentiful in the Canadian Rockies, but it 

 seems particular in the choice of a situation where favorable condi- 

 tions combine to give it both soil and exposure to its liking. It is often 

 found on loose, steep soils above timber line. It grows in clumps, 

 several flowering stems frequently a foot tall being produced from 

 a central root. The leaves may be green or red, and the flowers either 

 pure white or delicately shaded. 



Alpine fernleaf occurs in the high mountains of Montana and Cal- 

 ifornia, extending northward to Alberta and British Columbia. 



The specimen sketched grew on the slope of Mount St. Piran near 

 Lake Louise, Alberta, at an altitude of 7,000 feet. 



PLATE 1 2.1 



