FLORA OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. 
11 
The orchid family also has several members. Perhaps none are 
more common among the moss than the twayblades. These plants 
can be recognized by their odd-shaped small green flowers and their 
slender stalks bearing two opposite cordate parallel-veined leaves. 
The coral root has a brownish leafless stalk rising from a coral-like 
mass for a root. These plants grow in clusters. One species, CoraL- 
lorhiza striata, has striped petals and no spur, and the other, Corallo- 
rhiza multijlora, has spots on the petals and conspicuous spurs. The 
most popular plant of this family is the lady slipper, Cytherea bullosa 
or Calypso borealis. This plant blooms a little too early to be in its 
prime at the rush of tourist travel to the park. It is, however, often 
found and admired in the early part of July or later. This is con¬ 
sidered rare in the Eastern States, but grows abundantly here in the 
mossy woods. Bikukulla formosa, a western form of the dutchman’s 
breeches, is not at all rare. Its near relative, the wild bleeding heart, 
Capnoides scouleri , is very abundant and vies with the bracken in 
size. It is well known to the children of the neighborhood, who 
amuse themselves by touching the mature seed pods, which “pop” 
and scatter the seeds in all directions. It has pink flowers and large 
triangular leaves. 
Neatly interwoven through the green mossy carpet is the long 
trailing Lycopodium clavatum. This often has a length of 20 feet 
with many side branches. It has received a number of popular 
names such as Christmas wreath, ground pine, and staghorn moss. 
It is often collected in the foothills of the mountains before Christmas 
and shipped to the cities for decorative purposes. Sometimes it is 
stained or dyed after the manner of the so-called “air plants” of the 
Japanese and woven around pillars or strung from one place to 
another. The artificial color will last longer than the natural. 
There is also a shorter and more erect species often growing with 
the above called L. lucidulum. The slope of the Tatoosh Range 
near the trail leading down into Stevens Canyon is thickly inter¬ 
woven with the former species. There is a marked difference between 
that grown in the dense woods and that on an exposed slope. 
No plants contribute more to the beauty of the shady part of 
the park than the ferns. Everyone in this vicinity is familiar with 
the sword fern, which reaches its highest development in the rich 
soil of these shady retreats. The deer fern, Struthiopteris spicant, 
which is more slender than the sword fern, is also abundant. It 
has two kinds of fronds; one grows erect from the center and bears 
the spores for reproductive purposes, while the other, which spreads 
out in radiate form, is much broader and greener and is well adapted 
to perform the vegetative functions. The latter fronds are ever¬ 
green, while the contracted spore-bearing fronds die down at the 
