Alpine flora of the Canadian Rocky MountainsBrown, Stewardson
Science
Alpine flora of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Brown, Stewardson
Mountain plants -- Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)
Moss-like plants with branching stems and scale-like leaves which are
many ranked and uniform, or 4-ranked and of two types spreading in two
planes. Sporanges solitary in the axils of the leaves which are so
arranged as to form more or less quadrangular spikes.
[Sidenote: =Selaginella selaginoides= (L.) Link. _Low Selaginella._]
Sterile stems, prostrate and creeping, small and slender; fertile
stems thicker, ascending, simple 1—3 inches high; leaves lanceolate,
acute, spreading, sparsely spinulose-ciliate; spikes solitary at the
ends of the fertile branches, bracts lax, ascending lanceolate or
ovate-lanceolate, strongly fringed.
A light green moss-like plant growing in wet sandy grounds in the
Rockies; not infrequent.
[Sidenote: =Selaginella densa= Rydb.]
Densely tufted sterile branches very short and crowded; leaves, densely
crowded, many-ranked linear or needle-shaped in age, slightly flattened
and grooved on the upper side, the margin fringed, tipped with a white
bristle; fertile branches erect, the spikes quadrangular ½—¾ of an
inch long, bracts folded together, thick, triangular-ovate, fringed on
the margin and tipped with a white bristle half as long as that of the
leaves.
In sterile dry ground and on exposed rocks throughout the region from
the bases to the tops of the highest mountains, forming grayish-green
mats on the ground.
PINACEÆ.
_Pine Family_
Resinous trees and shrubs mostly with evergreen, narrow, entire or
scale-like leaves; the pollen sacks and ovules borne in separate
spikes; fruit a cone with numerous, several or few, woody, papery or
fleshy scales, sometimes berry-like; seed wingless or winged.
Scales of the fruit numerous, alternate; leaf-buds scaly.
Leaves in clusters.
Clusters ensheathed at the base, containing 2, 3, or 5 leaves.
=Pinus.=
Clusters not ensheathed at the base containing many leaves. =Larix.=
Leaves solitary.
Cones erect; scales deciduous. =Abies.=
Cones pendent; scales persistent.
Branchlets smooth; bracts 3-toothed. =Pseudotsuga.=
Branchlets roughened by the persistent leaf bases.
Leaves petioled, not pungent. =Tsuga.=
Leaves sessile, pungent. =Picea.=
Scales of the fruit few, opposite; leaf-buds naked.
Fruit fleshy and berry-like. =Juniperus.=
Fruit a dry cone. =Thuja.=
[Sidenote: =Pinus albicaulis= Engelm. _White-bark Pine._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account