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 MONKSHOOD The white to purple, hoodlike flowers make this an unusual and
easily recognizable plant. The flowers are arranged in loose racemes
on tall, stout stems, two to five feet tall. The five sepals,
resembling petals-the petals actually are hidden within the flower
or they are mere vestiges-are colorful, and the upper sepal forms
a monk's hood, as worn by medieval monks. The leaves are large,
two to eight inches wide, and palmately three- to five-lobed with
lance-shaped teeth. HABITAT/RANGE: Monkshood is a dweller of moist
woods and stream banks to subalpine meadows. Widely distributed
from Alaska to Alberta, south to New Mexico and California, it
blooms from early June until late July. FACTS/USES: This plant
is considered poisonous to wildlife but it seldom is consumed
in enough quantity to cause serious harm. The poisonous toxin
is aconite.
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 BANEBERRY Actaea rubra This erect, leafy, perennial
herb arises one to three feet from a thick, branching rootstock.
The large leaves are pinnately divided, mostly into threes,
with each leaflet sharply toothed. Tiny whitish or cream-colored
flowers are arranged in a terminal raceme. The petallike sepals
(petals are smaller and inconspicuous) are short-lived and drop
off soon after flowering. The ovary matures to a berry that
contains several large seeds. When ripe, the berries vary in
colorfrom white to red- or the two colors swirled together.
HABITAT/RANGE: Baneberry prefers moist sites along streams,
especially in shaded woods. It is distributed widely from Alaska
across Canada and the northern United States, south to New Mexico
and California. Blooms from May to July. FACTS/USES: The specific
name means sharp-toothed. The moderately poisonous berries can
cause cardiac arrest.
"The Essenstials
for Planning your
Trip to Yellowstone Park" |
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 CLIFF
ANEMONE Anemone multifida Cliff anemone is a herbaceous
perennial ascending from thick, woody taproots year after year.
The five to nine sepals are colorful, ranging from cream to deep
rose-pink or red to purple. One to three flowers usually are borne
at the end of an eight- to 20-inch silky-hairy stem. The leaves
generally are basal on long petioles or they form a dense involucre
on the flowering stem. Each leaf is divided into three or more
long, linear, lanceolate lobes. The seed heads are conspicuous
globe-shaped cotton balls, composed of acenes that form dense
white-woolly cotton. HABITAT/RANGE: Found on a wide range of habitats
from foothills to alpine, it prefers dry to moist soils and sunny
sites. It can be abundant locally when it flowers during midsummer
and is well-distributed from Alaska across southern Canada and
south to New Mexico, California and even into South America. FACTS/USES:
The specific name means parted many times.
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 PASQUEFLOWER Anemone nuttalliana Pasqueflower is a short-up to one foot
tall-and hairy plant with several stout, thick stems growing from
perennial taproots. The leaves are mainly basal, with three leaves
in a whorl just below the flower. Each silky leaf is deeply dissected
into narrow fingertike lobes. Each stem terminates in a cup-shaped,
silky, lavender-blue flower with numerous yellow stamens. As the
flower matures, the sepals turn brown and a long, plumose, feather-like
fruit develops. HABITAT/RANGE: One of the earliest spring bloomers,
it pushes through old, weathered grass in well-drained soils of
prairies or mountain meadows. Found from Washington to Alaska,
along the northern plains to Illinois, and the eastern slope of
the Rocky Mountains to Texas. FACTS/USES: Pasqueflower is derived
from the old form of the word pasch and refers to the feast
of the Passover at Easter. Native Americans had many medicinal
uses for this plant.
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 YELLOW
COLUMBINE Aquilegia flavescens This flower is
similar in appearance to Colorado columbine, except the sepals
are reddish and the hollow spurs of the petals are yellow. The
fruit is a hairy pod, containing many seeds. HABITAT/RANGE: This
common wildflower prefers moist, acidic soils of rocky ledges
and screes, mountain meadows and alpine slopes. It is distributed
from British Columbia to Alberta, south to Colorado, Utah and
Eastern Oregon. Blooms from June to August. FACTS/USES: The generic
name is derived from the Latin word, aquila, meaning eagle,
and refers to the eagle-like spurs or claws of the flower. Columbine
has a number of medicinal uses. Tea made from the roots and leaves
is good for diarrhea, or most any kind of stomach and bowel troubles.
To cure a headache, a tea can be brewed by gathering the tiny
black seeds and crushing them in hot water. The dried roots can
be used to cause perspiration on the skin.
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 MARSHMARIGOLD Caltha Leptosepala The white buttercup-like
flowers arise from a basal cluster of heart-shaped, green, fleshy
leaves on a pinkish, naked stalk one to eight inches high. The
flowers are one to two inches wide and lack petals, butthe five
to 12 sepals are showy white. HABITAT/RANGE: A common wildflower
growing in dense mats along stream banks in wet alpine and subalpine
meadows; it's found from Alaska to Alberta and south to New Mexico,
Arizona and Oregon. Flowers from late May until early August,
depending upon latitude. FACTS/USES: The generic name, caltha, is from an early Greek name tor a yellow-flowered species, and
the specific name means thin-sepaled. The eastern species of marshmarigold (C. palustris) was cooked and eaten by Native Americans
and early settlers. Our Western species is, however, more bitter
and possibly toxic, due to poisonous glucosides, and so is not
widely known as a food plant for people.
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 COLUMBIA
CLEMATIS Clematis Columbians This perennial, woody,
creeping vine may grow to 10 feet in length. The large, two-inch-diameter,
pale purple flowers are borne singly on a peduncle that stems
from leaf axils. Each flower is comprised of four showy, long,
lanceolate sepals (there are no petals), which flare outward to
reveal a cluster of numerous yellow stamens. The ovary styles
elongate into a feathery plume. The opposite leaves are compound,
with three broad lanceolate leaflets. HABITAT/RANGE: Clematis
is a climbing vine and usually drapes over stumps and fallen trees.
It prefers dry to moist soils of shrubby or wooded sites of foothills
to the montane zone. It's a common flower from British Columbia
to Montana and south to Colorado, Utah and Oregon. Blooms May
to July. FACTS/USES: The specific name, columbiana, refers
to the Columbia River drainage or the region west of the Continental
Divide.
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 SUGARBOWLS Clematis hirsutissima Sugarbowls are a low, bush-like,
herbaceous perennial. The one- to two-foot-tall leafy stems terminate
with a single, nodding, leathery flower. Each flower is two-toned.
The outside of the four sepals have a grayish pubescence (this
genera lacks petals), while the inside is dark purple or maroon.
The sepals flare outward and give the flower a "sugarbowl"
appearance. The leaves are finely dissected into fingerlike projections
with a silver, hairy covering. The styles elongate into feathery
plumes nearly two inches long, with each plume bearing a single
achene. HABITAT/RANGE: It is found on dry grasslands and sagebrush
deserts to montane forests. Distributed from Oregon and British
Columbia to Montana, south to northern New Mexico and Arizona.
A spring and early summer bloomer. FACTS/USES: The specific name, hirsutissima, means very hairy.
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 VIRGIN'S
BOWER Clematis ligusticifolia Virgin's bower is a clambering
woody vine that grows to a length of 10 to 20 feet. At times,
the plant can cover or engulf its support shrub, tree, or fence
and, when in full bloom, is covered with a profusion of cream-colored
flowers. The flowers have four or five showy sepals, with no petals,
and staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants. As the
flower matures, the style of the pistil elongates into a tan one-to
two-inch plume. The leaves are opposite and pinnately compound
into five to seven toothed leaflets. HABITAT/ RANGE: This species
is found along creek bottoms, sagebrush deserts to ponderosa pine
forests. It is well-distributed from British Columbia to the Dakotas,
south to New Mexico and California. Flowers May to August. FACTS/USES:
This plant was used medicinally by Native Americans for sore throats,
colds, and as a tonic brew.
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 LITTLE
LARKSPUR Delphinium bicolor This flower is verysimilarto
upland larkspur (D. nuttallianum). The main difference
is that the two small lower petals, which overlap the two large
lower sepals, are deep blue and have a shallow notch. The sepals,
too, are unequal, the lower pair being the longest. HABITAT/RANGE:
Adwellerof grasslands and ponderosa pine forests to subalpine
meadows and scree. It has a small range, from Alberta to Saskatchewan,
South Dakota to Wyoming and central Idaho. Flowers in May and
June. FACTS/USES: There is an old Greek legend behind the genus
name: The Greeks believed that a fisherman lost his life while
saving a dolphin from being captured. In return, the dolphin carried
the man's body on its back to the god, Neptune, and begged that
he be restored to life in some manner. Neptune thus turned him
into a flowerthat is the color of the sea and whose bud is shaped
like a dolphin with a load on its back.
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 UPLAND
LARKSPUR Delphinium nuttallianum Upland larkspur is
a rather showy flower with large dark blue or purplish, irregular
flowers and an upper sepal projecting backward as a spur. The
common name refers to this prolonged sepal, comparing it to the
spur on the foot of a lark. The stems are seven to 16 inches tall,
with finely hairy, fingerlike lobed leaves that originate from
the base or along the stem. HABITAT/RANGE: Its habitat is varied
from dry to moist sagebrush deserts to mountain valleys and slopes.
It is found from British Columbia to Alberta, south to Wyoming,
Nebraska, Arizona and California. Blooms from early spring to
early summer. FACTS/USES: All parts of this plant contain poisonous
alkaloids, mainly delphinine, and it Is considered highly toxic
to cattle in the spring, but not poisonous to domestic sheep.
Early settlers used the seeds as poison baits in exterminating
lice.
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 DUNCECAP LARKSPUR Delphinium occidentale Duncecap larkspur is
a very tall, stout perennial herb that reaches a height of three
to six feet. The whitish-streaked or pale-blue flowers have five
petallike sepals, with the upper sepal projecting backward into
a hollow spur. The leaves are palmately divided into five to seven
lobes, which usually are lance or diamond-shaped and finely hairy.
HABITAT/RANGE: This plant prefers rich loam soils of moist mountain
meadows or stream banks and flourishes in open or shaded sites.
It often is associated with aspen stands. Distributed throughout
the western United States, except for the southern states. Blooms
during June and July. FACTS/USES: The Latin specific name means
western, referring to the plant's range. This species is considered
highly poisonous to livestock, especially when they graze mountain
meadows in the early spring, as new shoots are emerging.
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 SUBALPINE
BUTTERCUP Ranunculus eschscholtzii This perennial
plant has brilliant, shiny yellow flowers that fade to white as
they mature. The leaves help distinguish this species from the
other numerous buttercups. The leaves are three-lobed; the middle
lobe may be divided again into three segments or undivided; and
the side lobes are divided into three to seven segments, making
the leaves appear as numerous narrowfingers. HABITAT/RANGE: A
plantof moist mountain meadows, ridges, and talus slopes. Varying
in height from two to 12 inches due to environmental extremes,
this widely dispersed mountain flower grows from Alaska to Alberta,
south to New Mexico and southern California. Blooms late June
to early August. FACTS/USES: Buttercups are considered poisonous,
though the toxicity depends on the species and the part of the
plant, with the flowers being the most toxic. The toxin, protoanemonin,
dissipates when the plant is boiled or dried.
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 WATER
BUTTERCUP Ranunculus aquatilis Easily identified by
its aquatic habitat, this plant is mainly submersed, with the
brownish stems and finely divided leaves floating on the surface
of the water. The small, delicate, five-petaled, white flowers
are held above the water by stalks. The plant grows in dense patches
and can bear a profuse number of white blossoms that gently wave
in the current. HABITAT/ RANGE: A native of sluggish streams and
ponds from lowlands to higher elevations throughout much of North
America and Europe, it blooms from May until August, depending
upon elevation. FACTS/USES: The genus Fianunculuswas named
by the first-century Roman scholar, Pliny. The Latin specific
name is derived from rana, meaning frog, in reference to
most of the species' aquatic habits. This plant provides excellent
breeding beds for aquatic insects, which, in turn, provide food
for trout and waterfowl.
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 SAGEBRUSH
BUTTERCUP Fianunculus glabemmus This shiny,
bright yellow, five-petaled and many-stamened flower is one of
the first plants to appear in the spring, following the receding
snow. The long, fleshy basal leaves are elliptic to roundish in
shape, and the stem leaves are three-lobed. The two- to eight-inch
plant ascends from thick, fleshy roots and, in the fall, new shoots,
or buds, form and remain dormant under the snow until spring.
HABITAT/RANGE: This flower is one of the earliest spring bloomers
of sagebrush and grasslands and blooms during summer in mountain
meadows. It is distributed widely from British Columbia to the
Dakotas, Nebraska, New Mexico and California. FACTS/USES: The
specific name, glabberimus, means very smooth, referring
to the waxy-shiny appearance of the flowers and leaves. The common
name of buttercup comes from the resemblance of the shiny yellow
flowers to a cup of butter.
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 GLOBEFLOWER Trollius laxus Globeflower is a perennial herb
that grows in clumps with five to nine whitish or yellowish petallike
sepals, which often become dingy when they begin to fade. The
leaves are palmately cleft into five lobes, which again are deeply
toothed. Both leaves and stems are glabrous with the clustered
stems each bearing a single terminal flower. HABITAT/RANGE: This
inhabitant of swamps and streams to above timberline in wet alpine
meadows is distributed from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia
and east to Connecticut and south along the Rocky Mountains to
Colorado. Blossoms in the early spring near snowline. FACTS/USES:
The specific name mans lax, open or loose, referring to the open
flowers. The common globeflower, however, comes from other garden
species, which have a round or globe-like shape. Globeflower easily
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