IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS. 53 
Coneflower furnishes a large supply of forage. The stems are 
rather tough even when young, and only the flower heads and leaves 
are eaten. As the plant attains its full height the seed heads are 
generally above the reach of sheep. While in some localities the 
stems are quite bare after the lands have been grazed, this is rather 
the exception. In mixture with other palatable plants it is grazed 
with relish, but when it furnishes the bulk of the feed, stock are apt 
to scatter widely in search of more desirable forage. 
Yarrow. 
{Achillea lanulosa.) 
Yarrow is one of the most widely distributed plants in the region 
studied. It is found from the lower Transition to the upper Hud- 
sonian zone, on intermediate ranges in such abundance as to be of 
considerable grazing value throughout the mountains. 
Wild tansy, as yarrow is sometimes called because of its resemblance 
and close relationship to the tansy cultivated in gardens, is a peren- 
nial with stems densely woolly, 12 to 24 inches high, terminating in 
conspicuous flower clusters, convex in shape, and with white ray 
flowers. The silky leaves, finely divided or dissected (Plate LIII), 
are produced in abundance, as are also the leaves which originate 
from the horizontal rootstocks. 
This species while succeeding best in a comparatively light, well- 
drained clay loam, does well in a variety of soils and situations. It 
inhabits glades and open parks, however, where it gets the benefit 
of full sunlight. In the lower situations it is scattered, and it does 
not anywhere form a pure stand. On the upland ranges, however, 
it usually forms great bunches or tussocks, as shown in Plate LIV. 
It is comparatively drought resistant. Individual plants tested did 
not wilt to a point causing death until the moisture content was 
reduced to 12.3 in one case and 10 per cent in another. 
The flowering period is unusually prolonged. On the lower ranges 
the flower heads begin to show early in June, but in the Hudsonian 
zone not until about July 20. In the mountain lands flowers which 
were just beginning to open have been observed as late as September 
15. As a result, a large percentage of the seed crop in the high range 
never reaches maturity. The earliest fully ripened seeds are found 
about August 20. In 1908 and 1909 the germination tests averaged 
16.5 and 39.2 per cent, respectively. Over 90 per cent of the seed 
crop of 1909 from the lower ranges was fertile. On protected range 
areas reproduction is very promising. 
Both cattle and sheep seek out yarrow from among its associated 
species and eat it with avidity. As a rule the unpalatable stems are 
