SHOWY OXYTROPE 



Oxytropis splendens Douglas 



Showy oxytrope is one of the most attractive members of the Pea 

 Family. The graceful stems hold the flower spikes well above the 

 silky leaves, which form a tufted mass about the roots. The gray-green 

 leaves contrast pleasingly with the purple flowers. Some authors use 

 the genus name Aragallus instead of Oxytropis. Though this is prop- 

 erly a prairie plant, it is found frequently in the lower valleys on the 

 eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. 



Showy oxytrope ranges from Minnesota to Saskatchewan, British 

 Columbia, and Yukon. 



The specimen sketched was gathered in the Bow Valley, fifteen 

 miles west of Banff, Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 4,000 feet. 



PLATE I2.0 



