24 
FLORA OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 
■back and fall off early. The potentilla is also larger than the but¬ 
tercup and does not bloom so near the snow. 
The western anemone or Pulsatilla occidentalis (figs. 20 and 21) is 
also ready to put forth its blossoms with the buttercup. This is 
the only anemone found near the snow. It has large lavender 
flowers with leaves still in the bud until the floral organs drop off. 
Then the finely dissected leaves unfold and the plumelike heads de- 
Fig. 17.—Deer tongue (Erythronium montanum). 
Color of flower, white; height of plant, 7 to 15 inches; blooms July and August. 
Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 
velop, showing the feathery appendages of the seeds. It is greatly 
admired both in flower and fruit. 
After these hardy pioneers have held undisputed sway for a week 
or two the other plants spring forth in rapid succession transformin 
the bare ground and the site of the dust-covered snow bank into 
veritable flower bed. The season is short. Everything moves 
rapidly. As the weeks come and go so does the succession of plants 
CTQ 
