OWL-CLOVER 



Orthocarpus tenuifolius Bentham 



Going south from Canal Flats along the valley of the Kootenay 

 River, we soon leave the higher mountains and heavily timbered coun- 

 try, the motor road crossing many small, dry prairies. Here the owl- 

 clover is in full bloom in midsummer, forming great patches of pink 

 color among the grasses. This plant is not related to the clovers, but 

 belongs to the Figwort Family. Its manner of growth is different from 

 that of the related paintbrushes, yet it recalls them in many ways. As 

 in them, the bright color is exhibited by bracts rather than flowers. 



The valley of the Kootenay River runs north and south, and like 

 the Columbia River Valley, of which it is a continuation, is variable 

 in soil and climate. Protected by mountains on either side, with cli- 

 matic conditions directly the result of the proximity of the mountains, 

 its rich, light soil deposited by glacial streams, the valley requires only 

 irrigation to cause it to produce bountifully. But, lacking moisture, 

 the plants that flourish in the valley are arid-soil plants or those which 

 lie comparatively dormant until showers waken them to life. 



Owl-clover ranges from Idaho and Washington to British Co- 

 lumbia. 



The specimen sketched grew near Cranbrook, British Columbia. 



PLATE II9 



