higher altitudes

Showing 13–24 of 25 results

  • Juniperus scopulorum / Rocky Mountain juniper

    • small, rounded evergreen tree (or shrub)
    • fibrous, red to grey, shredded bark
    • pollen and seed cones at branch tips on separate plants
    • female cones blue berries with a waxy, whitish bloom
    • leaves on mature plants scale-like
    • leaves on young plants are prickly, needle-like

  • Ligusticum filicinum / fern-leaf licorice root

    • found at higher altitudes in moister, forest areas
    • compound umbel with white flowers in comparatively widely spaced umbellets
    • large, very finely divided leaves; leaflets long and thin - "fern-like"

  • Oxytropis sericea / white-point vetch

    • white "pea" flowers in clusters of up to 25
    • banner petal white with purple/blue veins
    • hairy, pinnately compound leaves, all basal
    • disturbed areas, especially exposed to cold, drought, high light etc.
    • pretty, but toxic to grazing animals

  • Packera cana / woolly groundsel

    • yellow, daisy-like blossoms with 8-13 ray florets ("petals")
    • golden, central disks
    • blossoms in flat-topped clusters of up to 15
    • mostly basal leaves - unlobed, hairy, ovate, up to 2 inches long
    • overall silvery appearance

  • Pedicularis contorta / curved-beak lousewort

    • alpine and subalpine habitats
    • fern-like leaves at base
    • tall, spikey inflorescence
    • white flowers with coiled upper beak and flat, 3-lobed lower lip

  • Phacelia hastata / silverleaf scorpionweed

    • flowers - dull white-ish/purple-ish, numerous in short, compact, coiled clusters
    • stamens extend well past petals
    • leaves - basal with prominent veins; usually covered with silvery hairs; usually entire
    • multiple flowering stems on a single plant
    • in a variety of habitats

  • Phacelia heterophylla / varied leaf scorpionweed

    • spirally arranged, teeny white flowers with very long stamens
    • flowers turn brown soon after opening
    • all parts of the plant are hairy
    • not all that common, but widespread

  • Phacelia sericea / silky phacelia

    • deep purple flowers with really long stamens and orange anthers
    • many flowers arranged in a tight coil up to 2 feet long
    • silky, divided (fern-like) leaves
    • exposed, higher altitude, rocky places; often with sagebrush

  • Phlox diffusa / spreading phlox

    • low, spreading, moss-like (before blooming)
    • flowers 5-petaled, a variety of colors, and with a tube below the petals
    • many habitat types incl. mountain slopes, rocky terrain, dry forests or with sagebrush
    • blooms in early spring to early summer
    • confusable with P. hoodii

  • Picea pungens / Colorado blue spruce

    • conical, layered crown; whorled branches
    • frequent epicormic branches; "woolly" look
    • stout, yellow-brown twigs with sterigmata (woody pegs)
    • cones greater than 2.5" long
    • cone scales stiff at base, diamond shaped, not wavy at tips
    • in mixed conifer forests

  • Pinus flexilis / limber pine

    • high elevation, rocky or talus, dry, high-stress habitat
    • often - stunted and deformed by wind
    • highly flexible branches
    • needles in bundles (fascicles) of 5
    • often - semi-rotted cones on ground below

  • Solidago multiradiata / alpine goldenrod

    • the only (?) goldenrod at alpine altitudes
    • clusters of 5-100 small, yellow composite flowers with a dozen-ish rays and 3 doz disc florets
    • medium green lance/spoon shaped leaves, bigger at base of the plants; toothed/hairy edges

Showing 13–24 of 25 results