22 
BULLETIN 1423, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE 
browse they are particularly fond of the succulent young grasses of 
various kinds and of such herbs as wormwood, fernweed, vetch, fire- 
weed, smartweed. dock, horsetail, sea-parsnip, and groundsel. In 
the middle and latter part of the summer they feed mainly on sedges, 
various species of browse, lichens, mushrooms, and the more succu- 
lent herbs. Mosses are eaten only incidentally, mixed with the other 
forage. 
In the order of relative forage value, the plants grazed during the 
summer may be listed as follows : 
(1) Most important, because of high palatability and greatest 
abundance : 
Eriophorum calUtrix (small cotton 
sedge). 
Eriophorum august if olium (large cot- 
ton sedge). 
Salix (willows). 
CI a (Ionia (mostly) (lichens). 
Betula rotundifolia (ground birch). 
Ledum deeumbens and L. groenlandi- 
cum (Alaska tea). 
(2) Of medium importance, because of high palatability and only 
local abundance or of medium palatability : 
Alnus alnobetula- (alder). 
Taecinium vitis-idaea (mountain cran- 
berry). 
Emprfrum nigrum (crowberry). 
Vaccinium uliginosum (blueberry). 
Dryas octopetala (dryad). 
Ranunculus pallasii (water butter- 
cup). 
Eq u i set am ( horsetail ) . 
Valeriana capitata (valerian). 
Pedicularis spp. (fernweed). 
Epilobium august if olium (fireweed). 
Artemisia arctica and A. tilesii 
(wormwood). 
Lupinus arcticus (lupine). 
Astragalus alpinus and A. littoral is 
(vetch). 
Polygonum alaskanum (smartweed). 
Rumex occidentalis (dock). 
Coelopleurum gmelini (parsnip). 
Llgusticum scoticum (Scotch lovage). 
Care.? (sedge). 
Poa (grass). 
Arctagrostis, Calamagrostis, Festuca, 
Agrostls, Plileum (grasses). 
(3) Of less importance, because of lower palatability: 
Rubus cham a em or us ( cloudberry ) . 
Ribes triste (currant). 
Tiburum pauciflorum (cranberry 
bush ) . 
Rubus arcticus (raspberry). 
Arctous alpina (alpine bearberry). 
Betula kenaica (birch). 
Conioselinum gmelini (hemlock pars- 
ley). 
Bupleurum amerieanum (hare's-ear). 
Merckia phgsodes (beach starwort). 
Lathj/rus maritimus (beach pea). 
ifertensia paniculata (bluebells). 
The palatability of numerous other species of the herbaceous 
vegetation has not yet been determined, but they are generally of 
minor importance because of infrequent occurrence. 
FALL FORAGE 
Toward fall the reindeer graze more and more on lichens, their 
chief food consisting then of lichens, sedges, willows, ripened tops 
of grasses, and perhaps some of the other browse species. 
WIXTER FORAGE 
During the winter season, the forage consists almost entirely of 
the various lichens. The species of Cladonia, are the most im- 
portant because of their high palatability and great abundance. 
