Front matter
Reading edition
Mimulus Lewisii Pursh. (⅔ Nat.) Red Monkey-Flower.
Alpine Flora of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
By Stewardson Brown
Curator of Herbarium Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia
Illustrated with Water-Colour Drawings and Photographs
By Mrs. Charles Schäffer
G. P. Putnam’s Sons New York and London The Knickerbocker Press 1907
Copyright, 1907 BY G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
OFFERED TO THE LOVERS OF ALPINE FLORÆ IN THE MEMORY OF DR. CHARLES SCHÄFFER OF PHILADELPHIA, WHO WAS> AMONG THE PIONEER BOTANISTS OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES, AND WHO EARLY RECOGNISED THIS REGION AS A NEW AND INTERESTING FIELD FOR STUDY
PREFACE
The present volume, though prepared in manual form, is meant only as a guide to the rich and interesting flora of the Canadian Rockies and Selkirks or those portions traversed by the Canadian Pacific Railway between Banff and Glacier. While many of the plants herein described are found throughout the entire region, yet the species characteristic of the two mountain ranges are vastly different. For the most part those of the Rockies might be characterised as plants adapted to the withstanding of severe conditions of drouth and cold, being mostly low and tufted, with small surfaces of leaf exposure, either thick and leathery or in many instances with an ample covering of protecting hairs; while those of the Selkirks, owing to the more humid atmospheric conditions, are essentially moisture-loving forms, with a luxuriant growth of stems and leaves; it is only where the conditions are similar in the two regions that we find the same or similar forms existing. Few of the more characteristic Rocky Mountain species extend west of the divide, while of those of the Selkirks, few extend east of it, except where there is a luxuriant forest growth, with the consequent retention of moisture, and then only at altitudes of from 2000 to 3000 feet greater.
Contrasting the plants of this region with those of the European Alps it is interesting to note, that while the species are for the most part vastly different, yet there is a certain close resemblance in the families and genera which are represented; the Anemones are here, but not in the scarlets and crimsons, running more to whites and purples, and so are the Buttercups, dwarf many of them, but with large, showy flowers; the Saxifrages and Drabas are innumerable as are the Vetches and also the Heaths, but the latter with fewer and very different species. Some plants, however, like the White Mountain Avens (Dryas octopetala), the Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), the Moss Campion (Silene acaulis), the Mountain Cranberry (Vitis-idæa) and the Low Cranberry (Oxycoccus), the One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora), the Forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris) and others are found on both sides of the Atlantic, yet we have no such array of Primroses or Gentians as our European brothers, though both genera are represented with us, while on the other hand they can boast of nothing comparable to our Indian Paint-Brush, found throughout the region on the river shores and bars during late June and early July and later through the summer in its innumerable forms and colours in the moist alpine meadows and slopes.
The ferns and their allies with the more striking of the trees and shrubs have been included in the present work, together with the majority of the herbaceous flowering plants, though some of the largely represented but less striking groups such as the Grasses, Sedges, and Willows have been entirely omitted, not seeming of sufficient general interest to warrant the space required for their intelligent treatment. The species are arranged in accordance with their scientific relationships, with keys to the genera and a general key to the families. Among the illustrations herein contained, many of the plants of the Northwest are figured for the first time.
Acknowledgment is here made to Messrs. David McNicoll, Robert Kerr, and other officials and employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company through whose courtesy was made possible the gathering of the data for the basis of this work.
S. B.
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, October 28, 1907.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface v
Glossary xxv
General Key to the Families xxxiii
Adder’s-Tongue Family 1
Fern Family 3
Horsetail Family 14
Club-moss Family 18
Selaginella Family 22
Pine Family 23
Yew Family 34
Arum Family 35
Bunch-Flower Family 36
Lily Family 41
Lily-of-the-Valley Family 45
Iris Family 52
Orchid Family 53
Willow Family 68
Birch Family 70
Mistletoe Family 72
Sandalwood Family 73
Buckwheat Family 75
Purslane Family 80
Pink Family 81
Crowfoot Family 90
Barberry Family 109
Poppy Family 110
Mustard Family 111
Stone-Crop Family 125
Grass-of-Parnassus Family 126
Saxifrage Family 128
Gooseberry Family 146
Rose Family 150
Apple Family 165
Plum Family 167
Pea Family 168
Flax Family 182
Crowberry Family 183
Staff-Tree Family 184
Maple Family 185
St. John’s-wort Family 186
Violet Family 187
Oleaster Family 191
Evening Primrose Family 193
Ginseng Family 199
Celery Family 201
Dogwood Family 205
Wintergreen Family 207
Heath Family 211
Huckleberry Family 220
Primrose Family 226
Gentian Family 231
Buckbean Family 236
Dogbane Family 237
Water-Leaf Family 238
Borage Family 240
Mint Family 244
Figwort Family 248
Butterwort Family 262
Madder Family 263
Honeysuckle Family 264
Valerian Family 271
Bellflower Family 273
Chicory Family 275
Thistle Family 283
Index 323
ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATE FACING PAGE
Mimulus Lewisii Pursh. Red Monkey-Flower Frontispiece
1 Pinus albicaulis Engelm. White Pine 24
1 Pinus Murrayana Oreg. Com. Jack Pine 24
2 Larix Lyallii Parl. Lyall’s Larch 26
2 Thuja plicata Don. Giant Cedar 26
3 Abies lasiocarpa (Hook) Nutt. Balsam Fir 28
3 Pseudotsuga mucronata (Raf.) Sudw. Douglas Fir 28
4 Tsuga Mertensiana (Bong.) Carr. Mountain Hemlock 30
4 Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. Hemlock 30
5 Picea albertiana. S. Brown. Alberta Spruce 32
5 Picea albertiana. S. Brown. Alberta Spruce 32
6 Zygadenus elegans Pursh. Tall Zygadenus 38
6 Zygadenus gramineus Rydb. Zygadenus 38
7 Stenanthella occidentalis (A. Gray). Rydb. Stenanthium 40
7 Clintonia uniflora Kunth. Clintonia 40
8 Tofieldia intermedia Rydb. False Asphodel 42
8 Vagnera stellata (L) Morong. Star-Flowered Solomon’s Seal 42
9 Erythronium grandiflorum. Pursh. Snow Lily 44
10 Lilium montanum A. Nels. Red Mountain-Lily 46
10 Kruhsea streptopoides (Ledeb) Kearney. Kruhsea 46
11 Cypripedium passerinum Rich. Small White Lady’s Slipper 54
11 Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper 54
12 Corallorhiza Corallorhiza (L). Karst. Coral-Root 56
12 Lyschiton kamtschatcense (L.) Schott. Western Skunk-Cabbage 56
13 Cytherea bulbosa (L.) House. Calypso 58
13 Orchis rotundifolia Pursh. Small Round-Leaved Orchid 58
14 Limnorchis dilatatiformis Rydb. Purplish-Green Bog-Orchid 62
14 Peramium Menziesii (Lindl.) Morong. Menzies’ Rattlesnake Plantain 62
15 Ophrys borealis (Morong). Northern Twayblade 64
15 Ophrys nephrophylla Rydb. Heart-Shaped Twayblade 64
15 Cœloglossum bracteatum (Willd) Parl. Long-Bracted Orchid 64
15 Limnorchis fragrans Rydb. Fragrant White Bog-Orchid 64
15 Lysiella obtusata (Pursh) Rydb. Small Northern Bog-Orchid 64
16 Comandra pallida DC White Comandra 74
16 Eriogonum subalpinum Greene. Tall White Eriogonum 74
17 Claytonia lanceolata Pursh. Spring Beauty 80
17 Claytonia parvifolia Moc. Small-Leaved Spring Beauty 80
18 Silene acaulis L. Moss Campion 82
18 Lychnis apetala L. Nodding Lychnis 82
19 Alsine borealis (Bigel.) Britton. Northern Stitchwort 86
19 Mœhringia lateriflora (L.) Blunt-Leaved Sandwort 86
19 Arenaria capillaris nardifolia (Ledeb.) Regel. Rock Sandwort 86
20 Caltha leptosepala Hook. Caltha leptosepala 104
20 Trollius albiflorus (A. Gray) Rydb. Western Globe-Flower 104
21 Aquilegia brevistyla Hook. Small Blue Columbine 102
22 Aquilegia flavescens S. Wats. Yellow Columbine 106
22 Aquilegia formosa Fisch. Western Columbine 106
23 Delphinium Brownii Rydb. Mountain Larkspur 108
23 Anemone globosa Nutt. Wind-Flower 108
24 Anemone Drummondii S. Wats. Alpine Anemone 92
24 Anemone parviflora Michx. Northern Anemone 92
25 Pulsatilla hirsutissima (Pursh) Britton Pasque-Flower 94
25 Pulsatilla occidentalis (S. Wats.) Freyn. Western Anemone 94
26 Atragene columbiana Nutt. Purple Virgin’s-Bower 90
27 Ranunculus saxicola Rydb. Ranunculus saxicola 100
27 Ranunculus alpeophilus. A Nels. Ranunculus alpeophilus 100
27 Ranunculus Eschscholtzii Schl. Snow Buttercup 100
28 Ranunculus eremogenes Greene Ditch Crowfoot 98
28 Ranunculus Purshii Richards. Pursh’s Buttercup 98
28 Ranunculus inamœnus Greene Ranunculus inamœnus 98
29 Thalictrum megacarpum Torr. Thalictrum megacarpum 96
29 Thalictrum occidentale A. Gray. Western Meadow Rue 96
30 Delphinium Menziesii DC. Blue Larkspur 110
30 Lithophragma parviflora (Hook.) Nutt. Lithophragma 110
31 Physaria didymocarpa (Hook.) A. Gray. Bladder-Pod 116
31 Smelowskia calycina (Desv.) C. A. Meyer. Smelowskia 116
32 Draba oligosperma Hook. Whitlow-Grass 112
32 Draba andina (Nutt.) A. Nels. Mountain Whitlow-Grass 112
33 Draba glacialis Adams Whitlow-Grass 114
33 Draba aurea Vahl. Golden Whitlow-Grass 114
34 Parnassia montanensis Rydb. & Fern Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus 126
34 Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir. Swamp Gooseberry 126
35 Mitella nuda L. Naked Bishop’s-Cap 132
35 Pectiantia pentandra (Hook.) Rydb. Mitrewort 132
36 Saxifraga cernua L Nodding Saxifrage 136
36 Saxifraga rivularis L. Alpine Brook Saxifrage 136
37 Micranthes Nelsoniana (D. Don.) Small. Nelson’s Saxifrage 140
37 Micranthes Lyallii (Engler) Small. Lyall’s Saxifrage 140
38 Muscaria cæspitosa (L.) Haw. Tufted Saxifrage 138
38 Micranthes rhomboidea (Greene) Small. Mountain Saxifrage 138
39 Spatularia Brunoniana (Bong.) Small. Tall Saxifrage 142
39 Leptasea austromontana (Wiegand), Small. Common Saxifrage 142
40 Tiarella unifoliata Hook. Western Foam-Flower 150
40 Lutkea pectinata (Pursh) Kuntze. Cut-Leaved Lutkea 150
41 Rubus pedatus Smith. Creeping Raspberry 152
42 Rubus parviflorus. Nutt. Salmon-Berry 156
43 Fragaria glauca (S. Wats.) Rydb. Wild Strawberry 158
43 Amelanchier florida Lindl. Service-Berry 158
44 Dryas octopetala L. White Mountain Avens 164
44 Dryas Drummondii Rich. Drummond’s Mountain Avens 164
45 Geum strictum Ait. Yellow Avens 162
45 Sieversia ciliata (Pursh) Don. Long-Plumed Purple Avens 162
46 Phaca americana (Hook.) Rydb. Arctic Vetch 172
46 Homalobus aboriginorum (Rich) Rydb. Indian Vetch 172
47 Aragallus deflexus. (Pall.) Heller Drooping Vetch 176
47 Aragallus viscidulus Rydb. Sticky Oxytrope 176
48 Aragallus Lamberti (Pursh) Greene. Loco Weed 180
48 Lathyrus ochroleucus Hook. White Vetch 180
49 Empetrum nigrum L. Black Crowberry 182
49 Linum Lewisii Pursh. Wild Blue-Flax 182
50 Pachystima myrsinites (Pursh) Raf. Mountain Lover 184
50 Viola adunca longipes (Nutt.) Rydb. Dog Violet 184
51 Elæagnus argentea Pursh. Silver-Berry 190
51 Lepargyræa canadensis (L.) Greene Buffalo-Berry 190
52 Epilobium luteum Pursh. Yellow Willow-Herb 194
52 Chamænerion latifolium (L.) Sweet. Broad-Leaved Willow-Herb 194
53 Chamænerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. Fire-Weed 196
53 Berberis aquifolium Pursh. Trailing Mahonia 196
54 Echinopanax horridum. (Smith) Dec. & Planch. Devil’s Club 200
55 Cornus canadensis intermedia Farr. Bunch-Berry 204
56 Pyrola asarifolia Michx. Liver-Leaf Wintergreen 208
56 Pyrola uliginosa Torr. Bog Wintergreen 208
56 Moneses uniflora (L.) A. Gray. One-Flowered Wintergreen 208
57 Chimaphila umbellata (L.) Nutt. Prince’s Pine 210
57 Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. Bear-Berry 210
58 Oxycoccus oxycoccus (L.) MacM. Small Cranberry 212
58 Gaultheria ovatifolia A. Gray. Ovate-Leaved Wintergreen 212
58 Vitis-idæa Vitis-idæa (L.) Britton. Mountain Cranberry 212
59 Cassiope Mertensiana (Bong.) Don. White Heath 216
59 Phyllodoce empetriformis (Smith) Don. Red False-Heather 216
59 Phyllodoce glanduliflora (Hook.) Rydb. White False-Heather 216
60 Ledum grœnlandicum Œder. Labrador Tea 218
60 Azaleastrum albiflorum (Hook.) Rydb. White Mountain Rhododendron 218
61 Menziesia ferruginea Smith. Smooth Menziesea 220
61 Kalmia microphylla (Hook.) Heller. Dwarf Swamp-Laurel 220
62 Vaccinium erythrococcum Rydb. Alpine Bilberry 222
62 Vaccinium globulare Rydb. Thin-Leaved Bilberry 222
62 Vaccinium ovalifolium Smith. Blueberry 222
63 Primula Maccalliana Wiegand. Maccalla’s Primrose 228
63 Androsace carinata Torr. Sweet Androsace 228
64 Trientalis arctica Fisch. Arctic Star-Flower 230
64 Dodecatheon conjugens Greene. Shooting-Star 230
65 Gentiana affinis Griseb. Large Gentian 234
65 Romanzoffia sitchensis Bong. Romanzoffia 234
66 Phacelia sericea (Graham) A. Gray. Mountain Phacelia 238
66 Phacelia heterophylla Pursh Phacelia heterophylla 238
67 Lappula floribunda (Lehm.) Greene. False Forget-me-not 242
67 Lithospermum linearifolium Goldie. Narrow-Leaved Puccoon 242
68 Collinsia parviflora Dougl. Small-Flowered Collinsia 248
68 Elephantella grœnlandica (Retz.) Rydb. Long-Beaked Elephantella 248
69 Pentstemon confertus Dougl. Yellow Beard-Tongue 250
69 Pentstemon pseudohumilis Rydb. Pentstemon pseudohumilis 250
70 Pentstemon fruticosus (Pursh) Greene. Large Purple Beard-Tongue 262
70 Pinguicula vulgaris L. Butterwort 262
71 Linnæa americana Forbes. American Twin-Flower 266
71 Lonicera ebractulata Rydb. Fly Honeysuckle 266
72 Lonicera involucrata (Rich.) Banks. Involucred Fly Honeysuckle 270
73 Valeriana sitchensis Bong. Wild Heliotrope 272
73 Lobelia Kalmii strictiflora Rydb. Brook Lobelia 272
74 Hieracium umbellatum L. Narrow-Leaved Hawk-weed 276
74 Agoseris aurantiaca (Hook.) Greene. Agoseris aurantiaca 276
75 Erigeron acris L. Blue Fleabane 288
75 Erigeron salsuginosus (Rich.) A. Gray. Large Purple Fleabane 288
75 Saussurea densa Hook. Saussurea 288
76 Erigeron discoideus Rydb. Cut-Leaved Fleabane 292
76 Erigeron melanocephalus A. Nelson. Black-Headed Fleabane 292
76 Erigeron multifidus Rydb. Cut-Leaved Fleabane 292
77 Aster Lindleyanus T. & G. Aster Lindleyanus 298
78 Erigeron aureus Greene. Golden Fleabane 302
78 Gaillardia aristata Pursh. Great-Flowered Gaillardia 302
79 Arnica cordifolia Hook. Heart-Leaved Arnica 304
79 Arnica louiseana Farr. Pale-Flowered Arnica 304
GLOSSARY
Acaulescent: with stem so short that leaves appear to arise
directly from root.
Achene: a small, dry, one-seeded indehiscent, seed-like fruit.
Acuminate: tapering gradually to a point.
Acute: with an abrupt point.
Adnate: growing together as the stamens with the petals,
or the anthers with the filament.
Alternate: (leaves) not opposite but arising at different points on the
stem. Stamens are alternate with petals when they are situated
in the intervals.
Anther: the part of the stamen which contains the pollen.
Apical: pertaining to the top or apex.
Auriculate: with ear-like appendages at base.
Axial: pertaining to an axis.
Bilabiate: two-lipped.
Blade: the expanded portion of a leaf.
Bract: a modified and usually small leaf at the base of a flower or
flower-cluster. In the latter case it is usually associated with others.
Bracteolate: furnished with small bracts.
Cæspitose: growing in tufts.
Calyx: the outer whorl of floral leaves forming usually a green cup.
Campanulate: bell-shaped.
Canescent: greyish-white, due usually to fine hairs.
Capillary: hair-like.
Capitate: arranged in a head; knob-like.
Capsule: a dry, dehiscent seed-vessel.
Carpel: a pistil-leaf. The pistil is regarded as being composed of
one or more such carpels.
Catkin: the scaly, cylindrical flower-cluster of Willow, Birch, etc.
Caudate: with a tail-like appendage.
Caudex: the perennial rootstock of an otherwise annual plant.
Chartaceous: papery or parchment-like.
Ciliate: fringed with marginal hairs.
Cinereous: ashen or greyish.
Cleistogamic: (flowers) never opening as the late flowers of
violets, etc.
Connate: united.
Cordate: heart-shaped.
Coriaceous: leathery.
Corm: a solid bulb.
Corymbose: with a flat-topped or convex flower-cluster,
the flower-stalks of which arise at different
points on the axis, and of which the outermost
flowers are the oldest.
Crenate: with rounded teeth.
Crenulate: with small rounded teeth.
Cuneate: wedge-shaped.
Cuspidate: ending in a sharp, hard point.
Cyme: a flat-topped or convex flower-cluster, the flower-stalks of
which arise at different points on the axis, and of which the
corolla innermost flowers are the oldest.
Deciduous: subject to fall, as leaves of most trees and calyx and
corolla of most flowers before the fruit forms.
Decumbent: (stems) reclining on the ground with summit
tending to rise.
Decurrent: (leaves) with base prolonged below insertion
and forming a sort of wing.
Deltoid: broadly triangular.
Dentate: toothed, usually with teeth projecting outwards.
Denticulate: with little, outwardly projecting teeth.
Diœcious: having staminate and pistillate flowers
on separate plants.
Disc: the central part of a head as opposed to the ray,
e. g., in the sun-flower. Also a fleshy expansion
of the receptacle of the flower.
Drupe: a stone-fruit.
Drupelet: a small stone-fruit.
Elliptic: with the outline of an ellipse.
Entire: with the margin even and not toothed, lobed, or divided.
Erose: irregularly margined.
Fimbriate: fringed.
Floccose: with loose tufts of wool-like hairs.
Foliaceous: leaf-like.
Follicle: a fruit of one carpel (pistil-leaf) which splits only
by one suture.
Fusiform: spindle-shaped.
Galea: a helmet-shaped body.
Glandular: with small prominences which appear to have
a secreting function.
Glaucous: covered with a bluish or white bloom.
Globose: spherical.
Incised: sharply and irregularly cut into.
Indusium: the membrane covering the fruit-dots of ferns.
Inferior: (side of flower) the one away from the axis of the
flower-cluster; (ovary) united with the calyx tube, the
other floral parts apparently growing from its summit.
Inflorescence: the mode of arrangement of flowers on the
stem; the flower-cluster.
Internode: the portion of the stem between the places where
the leaves arise.
Involucre: a whorl of small leaves at the base of a flower
or flower-cluster.
Keel: the lower petals of the peculiar corolla of the
pea, etc., which are united in the form of the keel of a boat.
Laciniate: with deep, triangular, narrow lobes.
Lanate: woolly.
Lanceolate: narrow and tapering at each end.
Lateral: pertaining to the side.
Leaflet: one of the divisions of the blade of a compound leaf.
Linear: narrow and flat with the margins parallel.
Lyrate: lyre-shaped.
Monœcious: having the separate staminate and pistillate flowers
on the same plant.
Mucronate: with a short, abrupt point.
Node: the point of the stem from which one or more leaves arise.
Oblanceolate: lance-shaped with the base tapering
downwards.
Obtuse: blunt.
Orbicular: circular.
Ovate: egg-shaped (applied to flat bodies).
Ovoid: egg-shaped (applied to solids).
Palmate: (compound leaf) with the divisions so arranged that
they radiate from the petiole-like the fingers of the hand.
Panicle: a branched, flower-cluster with the older
flowers outermost.
Paniculate: with much branched open flower clusters.
Papillæ: minute, blunt projections.
Pappus: the bristles, awns, or hairs which crown the fruit
of the Composites.
Parietal: (placentæ) attached to the wall of the ovary.
Peduncle: a flower-stalk.
Perennial: lasting from year to year.
Perfoliate: (leaves) having the basal part so extended
and united as to make it appear as though the stem
grew through them.
Perianth: the calyx and corolla collectively.
Petal: a corolla-leaf.
Petaloid: petal-like.
Petiole: the leaf-stalk.
Pinnæ: the primary divisions of a compound leaf.
Pinnate: compound with leaflets arranged along a common axis.
Pinnatifid: pinnately cleft.
Pinnules: secondary pinnæ.
Placentæ: the parts of the ovary to which the seeds are attached.
Plumose: feathery.
Pollen: the fertilising powder of the anther.
Polygamous: having both perfect and imperfect flowers.
Prostrate: lying flat on the ground.
Puberulent: covered with tiny almost imperceptible hairs.
Pulvini: cushions or pads.
Raceme: a flower-cluster in which the stalked flowers are
arranged along an elongated axis.
Racemose: raceme-like.
Rachis: the axis.
Radical: arising from the root, or portion of the stem
resembling the root.
Receptacle: the usually somewhat enlarged portion of the stem
on which parts of a flower or of a flower-cluster are borne.
Reniform: kidney-shaped.
Repand: wavy-margined.
Reticulate: arranged like a network.
Revolute: rolled backward.
Rhizome: an underground stem; a rootstock.
Rhombic: having the shape of a four-sided figure with parallel
and equal sides which may be either perpendicular or
oblique to each other.
Rhomboid: of a somewhat rhombic shape.
Rotate: wheel-shaped.
Runcinate: coarsely cut into with the segments turned backward.
Sagittate: shaped like an arrow-head with the lobes
turned downward.
Samara: a simple, indehiscent, winged fruit.
Saprophyte: a plant which grows on dead organic matter.
Scale: a minute, rudimentary leaf.
Scape: a leafless or nearly leafless flower-stalk arising
from near the ground.
Scarious: dry, thin, membranous.
Scurf: minute scales on the epidermis (skin).
Sepals: the divisions of the calyx.
Serrate: with teeth pointing forwards.
Serrulate: with minute forward pointing teeth.
Sessile: (leaf) without any stalk.
Sheath: a tubular structure such as is formed by the
lower part of the leaves of grasses, etc.
Silicle: a short and broad silique.
Silique: the elongated two-valved and usually dehiscent
fruit of the Cress family. It is divided
by a partition and the placentæ are parietal.
Sinuate: with a strongly wavy margin.
Sinus: the recess between the lobes of a leaf.
Sori: the fruit-dots of ferns.
Spadix: a fleshy spike as in the Araceæ.
Spathe: a large bract or pair of bracts enclosing a
flower or an inflorescence.
Spatulate: spoon-shaped.
Spike: a flower-cluster in which the flowers are stalkless
on an elongated axis.
Sporanges: the sacs containing the spores.
Spore: the reproductive body of ferns.
Sporophyll: leaf-like organ or receptacle containing spores.
Stamen: the organ of the flower which produces the pollen.
Staminodia: sterile stamens or structures which are developed
in the place of stamens.
Stellate: star-shaped.
Stipe: the leaf-stalk of a fern.
Stipule: an appendage such as is found at the base of many
leaf-stalks.
Stolon: a trailing and rooting shoot.
Striate: marked with slender, longitudinal stripes.
Strict: straight and upright.
Style: (of pistil) the elongated portion at top of ovary.
Subulate: awl-shaped.
Superior: (side of flower) the one next the axis of a flower-cluster;
(ovary) free from calyx tube.
Terete: cylindrical, circular in cross-section.
Ternate: in threes.
Tomentose: clothed with matted wool-like hairs.
Torulose: knobby; swollen at intervals.
Truncate: as if cut off at the top.
Tubercle: a small knob-like outgrowth.
Turbinate: top-shaped.
Umbel: an umbrella-like flower-cluster.
Undulate: wavy.
Valvate: (leaves in bud) meeting by the margins, not overlapping.
Verticillate: whorled.
Vexillum: the standard of the peculiar flower of pea, etc.
Villous: with long soft hairs.
GENERAL KEY TO THE FAMILIES
PLANTS WITHOUT FLOWERS
Ferns and their Allies
Leaves large, fern-like.
Sporanges in a spike or panicle above the sterile leaf. Ophioglossaceæ.
Sporanges borne in sori, on the backs or margins of the leaves Polypodiaceæ.
Leaves small, reduced to scales.
Stems erect, hollow, jointed, rush-like; leaves reduced to sheaths
at the joints; sporanges in the terminal, cone-like spike. Equisetaceæ.
Stems not hollow, creeping; leaves numerous, scale-like; sporanges
of one kind, solitary in the axils of the leaves. Lycopodiaceæ.
Stems creeping, moss-like; leaves numerous; sporanges of two kinds
in the axils of the upper leaves, which are formed into a
quadrangular spike. Selaginellaceæ.
PLANTS WITH FLOWERS
Woody Stemmed Plants; Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
TREES OR SHRUBS WITH RESINOUS JUICE; LEAVES USUALLY EVERGREEN.
Fruit a cone, either dry or berry-like. Pinaceæ.
Fruit a fleshy crimson berry. Taxaceæ.
TREES, SHRUBS, OR VINES WITH WATERY JUICE.
Leaves deciduous.
Flowers in catkins.
Staminate and pistillate catkins on different plants;
seed with white, silky hairs. Salicaceæ.
Staminate and pistillate catkins on the same plant;
fruit cone-like. Betulaceæ.
Flowers not in catkins.
(A) Trees.
Leaves simple, not lobed; flowers white. Drupaceæ.
Leaves lobed; flowers greenish-yellow. Aceraceæ.
Leaves pinnate; flowers white. Pomaceæ.
(B) Shrubs or vines.
*Stems spiny erect or trailing.
(a) Leaves simple or lobed.
Flowers small in dense terminal racemes. Araliaceæ.
Flowers few in axillary clusters or racemes. Grossulariaceæ.
(b) Leaves pinnate or palmate. Rosaceæ.
**Stems not spiny but with minute scales;
fruit silver, scarlet or orange berries. Elæagnaceæ.
***Stems erect, smooth.
(a) Petals distinct.
†Leaves simple.
Flowers small, in flat heads or clusters.
Petals 4; stamens 4. Cornaceæ.
Petals 5; stamens numerous. Rosaceæ.
Flowers in axillary clusters or racemes; petals 5; stamens numerous.
Fruit a berry. Drupaceæ.
Fruit a pome. Pomaceæ.
††Leaves pinnate; flowers yellow. Rosaceæ.
(b) Petals united.
Flowers small, short-campanulate in axillary
or terminal heads. Caprifoliaceæ.
Flowers large, funnel-form, in terminal
or axillary clusters. (Azaleastrum) Ericaceæ.
Flowers bell or urn-shaped, few, axillary Vacciniaceæ.
****Stems creeping or twining, smooth or hairy.
Flowers with distinct petals, blue or purple. (Atragene). Ranunculaceæ.
Flowers with united petals.
Corolla tubular. Caprifoliaceæ.
Corolla bell-shaped. Ericaceæ.
Leaves evergreen; shrubs or vines.
Leaves pinnate; flowers yellow. Berberidaceæ.
Leaves simple.
Flowers inconspicuous; fruit a black berry. Empetraceæ.
Flowers showy, open, campanulate or urn-shaped,
white or pink. Ericaceæ.
Herbaceous Plants
Plants without leaves.
Parasitic on branches or stems of evergreens. Loranthaceæ.
Not parasitic on trees; roots coral-like. (Corallorhiza) Orchidaceæ.
Plants with leaves.
Leaves parallel-veined.
(A) Flowers small, collected on a spadix. Araceæ.
(B) Flowers not collected on a spadix.
*Flowers regular; corolla lobes 6; stamens 6.
(a) Leaves grass-like, mostly at the base.
Flowers white or greenish. Melanthaceæ.
Flowers pink. (Allium). Liliaceæ.
Flowers blue. (Sisyrinchium). Iridaceæ.
(b) Leaves not grass-like, mostly on the stem.
Flowers white or pink. Convallariaceæ.
Flowers green. Melanthaceæ.
Flowers yellow or orange. Liliaceæ.
Flowers red or wine-color. (Kruhsea.) Convallariaceæ.
**Flowers irregular, frequently with broad or inflated lip and spur. Orchidaceæ.
Leaves not parallel-veined.
(A) Flowers small, in close heads surrounded by an involucre.
Flowers all alike, florets ligulate. Cichoriaceæ.
Flowers not alike, central ones tubular, marginal usually with rays. Carduaceæ.
(B) Flowers in umbels at the ends of the stems or branches.
Umbels broad, flat or nearly so, flowers white, yellow, or purple. Apiaceæ.
Umbels round.
Flowers greenish; leaves compound. Araliaceæ.
Flowers white or pink; leaves simple. (Eriogonum.) Polygonaceæ.
(C) Flowers not in umbels.
*Flowers regular.
(a) Flowers with 2 sepals and 5 petals; corolla pink. Portulacaceæ.
(b) Flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals; seeds triangular. Polygonaceæ.
(c) Flowers with 4 sepals and 4 petals.
Stem angular; leaves in whorls. Rubiaceæ.
Stem round; leaves not in whorls
Stamens 6, erect. Brassicaceæ.
Stamens 8, spreading. Onagraceæ.
(d) Flowers with 5 sepals or petals, distinct.
†Stamens as many or twice as many as the corolla lobes.
Stems swollen at the nodes. Caryophyllaceæ.
Stems not swollen at the nodes
Stem leaves numerous, entire, thin; flowers in
terminal or axillary clusters, white or greenish. Santalaceæ.
Leaves basal, entire; flowers solitary on a 1-leaved scape. Parnassiaceæ.
Leaves mostly basal, lobed or cut; flowers in
a close spike or head. Saxifragaceæ.
Leaves and stems fleshy.
Follicles 2. Saxifragaceæ.
Follicles 4. Crassulaceæ.
Leaves numerous, stiff, awl-shaped; stems low, tufted. Saxifragaceæ.
††Stamens more than twice as many as the corolla lobes
§Leaves basal or mostly so.
Leaves evergreen, simple or lobed, flowers yellow
or white, solitary on naked scapes. (Dryas.) Rosaceæ.
Leaves not evergreen, simple, lobed, or much divided
Smooth.
Stems erect or floating. Ranunculaceæ.
Stems creeping.
Flowers white or pink. Rosaceæ.
Flowers yellow. Ranunculaceæ.
Rough-hairy.
Flowers yellow or pink. Rosaceæ.
Flowers white, blue or purple. Ranunculaceæ.
§§Leaves mostly on the stem.
Leaves finely cut; stems creeping; flowers white. Rosaceæ.
Leaves entire.
Leaves bright green, black-dotted; flowers yellow. Hypericaceæ.
Leaves glaucous, without black dots; flowers blue. Linaceæ.
(e) Flowers with 5 sepals and 5 united petals or lobes.
†Stamens 3; flowers small, in terminal clusters. Valerianaceæ.
††Stamens 5.
Opposite to the corolla lobes. Primulaceæ.
Alternate with the corolla lobes.
Stems smooth, leafy; corolla campanulate.
Stem leaves broad; flowers pink. Apocynaceæ.
Stem leaves narrow; flowers blue. Campanulaceæ.
Stems rough-hairy.
Corolla salver-form; stamens included. Boraginaceæ.
Corolla tubular; stamens exserted. Hydrophyllacæ.
†††Stamens 10; flowers mostly in terminal heads or singly. Pyrolaceæ.
**Flowers irregular.
(a) Leaves all entire and basal, forming rosettes; flowers blue. Lentibulariaceæ.
(b) Leaves all heart-shaped; flowers blue, white or yellow. Violaceæ.
(c) Leaves not heart-shaped, simple or much cut, not pinnate.
Stems square; flowers in close verticels in the axils of
the leaves or in terminal heads. Menthaceæ.
Stems round; flowers numerous in elongated terminal leafy heads
or few on slender stems in the axils of the upper leaves. Scrophulariaceæ.
(d) Leaves palmate; flowers blue in elongated spikes. Ranunculaceæ.
(e) Leaves pinnately divided; flowers pea-like. Papilionaceæ.
(f) Leaves compoundly lobed, not pinnate.
Stems low, spreading, flowers small in dense terminal.
or axillary spikes. Papaveraceæ.
Stems erect; flowers drooping in open terminal heads, either showy and spurred
or not showy and without spurs; leaves maiden-hair fern-like. Ranunculaceæ.
Alpine Flora of the Canadian Rocky Mountains