FAMILIES OF PLANTS 
21 
SELAGINELLA FAMILY (SELAGINELLACEAE) 
These slender, branching, mosslike plants closely resemble the 
clubmosses, but the small leaves of the spike are arranged in 4 rows 
making it somewhat quadrangular. The spores at the top of the 
spike differ in size and function from those near the base of the 
spike. Selaginello densa is the most common species in this region. 
The stems ere very short and densely tufted. 
PINE FAMILY (PINACEAE) 
Cone-bearing evergreen trees and shrubs. This is the most im¬ 
portant lumber-producing family. It is represented in the park by 
the following eight species: 
1. Leaves needlelike. Fruit a dry cone. 2. 
1. Leaves scalelike or awl-shaped. Fruit berrylike. 7. 
2. Leaves in bundles of 2; or 5. 3. 
2. Leaves single. 5. 
3. Leaves 2' in each bundle. Lodgepole pine (Pinus coniorta) __(p. 21) 
3. Leaves 5 in each bundle. 4. 
4. Cones 3 to 6 inches long and narrow; greenish in color. Limber pine 
(Pinus flexilis)- ___________(p. 21) 
4. Cones short and thick; dark purplish in color. Whitebark pine (Pinus al- 
Mcaulis) ________(p. 21) 
5. Leaves 4-angled. Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmamnii )._(p. 23) 
5. Leaves flat. 6. 
6. Cones erect, the bracts between the scales inconspicuous. Alpine fir. (Abies 
lasiocarpa )___,_(p. 23) 
6. Cones pendulous, the bracts between the scales 3-toothed and conspicuous. 
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) __________(p. 23) 
7. Leaves scalelike. A shrub or small tree. Rocky Mountain red cedar ( Juni- 
perus scopulorum) _________(p. 26) 
7. Leaves awl-shaped, in 3’s. A low shrub. Dwarf juniper (Juniperus si - 
birica) ____...___L.._______(p. 26) 
Limber pine (Pinus jlexilis .) —The limber pine belongs to the white 
pine group and has five leaves in each bundle. The leaves are usually 
2 or 3 inches long. The greenish cones are 3 to 6 inches long and 
nearly cylindrical. This tree is common at Mammoth but is not 
commonly found in the higher parts of the park. 
Whitebark pine (Pinus albiccmlis ).—Very similar to the limber pine 
in general appearance, but the cones are shorter and thicker and 
dark purple in color. It is a timberline tree and is found from 
timberline down to an elevation of about 7,000 feet. 
Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ).—This is the only kind of tree in 
the park with two needles in each bundle. It is the most common 
tree in the park and forms dense and extensive forests on the greater 
part of the plateau. The leaves are about 2 inches long, and the 
