REINDEER GRAZING INVESTIGATIONS IN ALASKA 
21 
The most important plants may be grouped, according to abun- 
dance, as follows : 
Most Abundant 
Eriophorum callitrix (cotton sedge). 
Eriophorum angustifolium (cotton 
sedge ) . 
Salix spp. (willow). 
Betula rotundifolia (ground birch). 
Ledum spp. (Labrador tea). 
Empetrum nigrum (crowberry). 
Vaccinium uliginosum (blueberry). 
Vaccinium vitis-idaea (mountain cran- 
berry ) . 
Rubus chamaemorus (cloudberry). 
Arctous alpina (Alpine bearberry). 
Fairly Abundant in Places 
Arctagrostis latifolia (Alaska bunch 
grass). 
Calamagrostis scabra (coast blue- 
joint). 
Elymus mollis (dunegrass). 
Festuca rubra (fescue). 
Poa (bluegrass). 
Carex (sedge). 
Equisetum (horsetail). 
Betula kenaica (birch). 
Alnus alnobetula (alder). 
Drijas octopetala (dryad). 
Artemisia arctica (wormwood). 
Artemisia tilesii (wormwood). 
Aconitum del phini folium (monks- 
hood ) . 
Coelopleurum gmelini (sea-parsnip). 
Lupin us arctic us (lupine). 
Latlujrus maritimus (beach pea). 
Mertensia panlculata (bluebells). 
Galium boreal e (bedstraw). 
Pedicularis (fern weed). 
Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed). 
Very Scattering but Frequent 
Spiraea steveni (spirea). 
Robus arcticus (raspberry). 
Cornus suecica (bunchberry). 
Andromeda poll folia (bog rosemary). 
Phleum alpinum (wild timothy). 
Agrostis (redtop) . 
Astragalus (milk vetch). 
Oxytropis (oxytrope). 
Petasites frigida (butterbur). 
Seneeio ( groundsel ) . 
Saxifraga (saxifrage). 
Iris setosa (arctic iris). 
Polemonium acutiforum. 
Capnoides pauciforum. 
Valeriana capitata (valerian). 
Campanula (bellflower). 
Sanguisorba sitchensis (burnet). 
Arenaria ( sandwort ) . 
Arnica (arnica). 
Gentian a (gentian ) . 
Pedicularis (fern weed). 
Polygonum (smartweed). 
Primu la ( primrose ) . 
Heterotrichum (wool aster). 
Chrysanthemum (daisy). 
Bupleurum americanum (hare's-ear). 
Anemone. 
Ranunculus (buttercup). 
Eritrichum arctioides (forget-me-not) 
Silene acaulis (moss campion). 
Viola (violet). 
Cerastium ( chickweed ) . 
Cardamine (bitter cress). 
Ligusticum scoticum ( Scotch lovage) . 
Potentilla (five finger)- 
Stellaria ( starwort ) . 
Rumex acetosa (sorrel). 
Rumex occidental-is (dock). 
FORAGE PLANTS GRAZED BY REINDEER 
SPRING FORAGE 
The first fresh growth in spring usually consists of young shoots 
or flowering stalks of the cotton sedges and of grasses and weeds. 
The reindeer are very fond of fresh green growth and in grazing 
on the hummocks miss very few of the new shoots. They feed also 
in spring to a small extent upon willow buds, reindeer lichens, and 
Labrador tea. 
SUMMER FORAGE 
During the summer the reindeer enjoy a great variety of range 
plants, but chiefly sedge and browse species. At the beginning of 
the season, in addition to their main food of sedges and willow 
