ROCKY MOUNTAIN KALMIA 



Kalmia microphylla (Hooker) Heller 



The dainty stems and flowers of Rocky Mountain kalmia cause 

 that plant to seem far removed from its sturdy relatives of the east- 

 ern United States. It grows in swampy places near streams and al- 

 pine lakes, often forming masses of color among the moss, grasses, 

 and other low-growing plants which love similar conditions of soil 

 and moisture. The first hot days cause the corollas to fall, leaving 

 behind them a cluster of red seed vessels. Rocky Mountain kalmia 

 belongs to the Heath Family, and is closely related to Rocky Moun- 

 tain cassiope, as well as to the pink and the white mountain-heathers, 

 which often grow near it in somewhat drier soil. 



Rocky Mountain kalmia has a comparatively narrow range, oc- 

 curring from Colorado west to California, and northward to Al- 

 berta, British Columbia, and Alaska. 



The specimen sketched was collected at Burgess Pass, seven miles 

 by trail from Field, British Columbia, Canada, at an altitude of 7,000 

 feet. 



PLATE 2.84 



