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BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE).

Some of the most common plants of the park are included in this family. Locally the Buckwheat family is composed of annual or perennial herbs with simple and generally alternate (sometimes opposite or whorled) leaves. The flowers are small and are borne in a variety of types of inflorescenee. A field key to the four native genera follows:

Tall Buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum). A tall, handsome plant with a stout, erect, simple stem 8"-14" high which bears a dense, mostly compound, umbel of white or yellowish flowers. The base of the umbel is characterized by the presence of numerous linear bracts, less than 1/2 inch long; branches of the umbel are short and the involucre (the series of bracts which surround the clusters of small flowers) is thinly covered with fine soft hairs. The leaves are oblong-ovate in outline and heart-shaped at the base with the underside densely white-wooly and their upper side grey-green. Leaves are 1-1/2" - 4" long on stems of the same length, or longer, which arise from the base of the stem so that the leaves appear basal. This plant occurs in rocky to gravelly soils.

Eriogonum (Eriogonum ovalifolium). A short, much branched, tufted plant 2"-8" tall that is characteristic of the upper Hudsonian and Arctic-alpine zones. The entire plant, except the flowers, is covered with a dense mass of white, woolly hair. Leaves are ovate in outline, 1/4"-1/2" long and the yellowish flowers are borne in a dense head-like umbel.

Mountain Buckwheat (Eriogonum pyrolaefolium var. coryphaeum). A very common plant of the Arctic-alpine and upper Hudsonian zones in the park. It is rarely more than 2-4 inches tall and has rose colored flowers in dense umbels. The leaves are oblong to obovate in outline, densely matted with woolly white hairs on the underside and dark green on the upper side, and 3/4"-1" long. The entire plant is loosely tufted; leaves basal.

Mountain Sorrel (Oxyria digyna). A perennial alpine herb common in the arctic-alpine zone in rocky soils. It has succulent, long-petioled, generally basal, kidney-shaped leaves. Stipules sheath the stems at base. The entire plant is from 4"-12" tall with the flowers, which are green tinged with red, borne in a panicle. The fruit is bright red.

Sheep-sorrel Dock (Rumex acetosella). A common perennial weed with creeping rootstalks that is quite common in the park, particularly at the lower elevations along roads and trails where it often forms dense patches. It is from 4-18 inches tall with slender simple and sometimes branched stems. The alternate, rather narrow leaves (1-4 inches long and 1/4-3/4 inches wide) are characterized by two spreading lobes at the base. The flowers are very small, greenish to red and borne in either a simple or compound raceme.

Mountain Dock (Polygonum bistortoides). One of the most common plants of the moist Hudsonian meadows where it is readily recognized by the dense terminal clusters (spikes) of white flowers upon the erect, simple, jointed slender stem. This flower cluster upon its slender stem has often been compared in appearance to a bottle brush by many visitors. It is perennial, 8-18 inches tall and the leaves are of two types; those that arise from the base of the stem are oblong and pointed at the tip, 2-8 inches long and 1 - 1-1/4 inches wide, while those that occur upon the upper portion of the stem are lanceolate.

Knotweed (Polygonum newberryi). A perennial, minutely hairy throughout, 4-12 inches tall with stout, succulent, flexible stems that while generally simple, may sometimes be branched. The leaves are a dull yellow green, ovate to ovate-oblong and tapering to a point at the tip, 1/2 - 1-1/2 inches long with short petioles. Sheaths short, brown, entire and scarious; thin, dry and not green. The flowers are greenish and in few-flowered spikes, (1/4-1/2 inch long) which are axillary in the upper leaves. This plant is characteristic of dry rocky soils, of the Hudsonian and lower Arctic-alpine zones and is very common in the Yakima Park region. In addition to the foregoing two species, which are the most common in this genus, there are six other species of Polygonums, all of which are annuals. Polygonum convolvalus may be recognized chiefly by its twining or prostrate stem and its leaves which are heart-shaped at the base. Polygonum aviculare has prostrate stems that are much branched, and this species occasionally forms mats of vegetation. Polygonum douglassii has elongated slender spikes of greenish flowers in the leaf axils. Polygonum kelloggii bears its flowers in compact, terminal spikes. Polygonum minimum has red stems that are usually much branched at the base and Polygonum lapathifolium has rather large, lanceolate leaves and generally drooping spikes of flowers.

GOOSEFOOT FAMILY (CHENOPODIACEAE).

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album). A rather unattractive weed plant that has a mealy greenish appearance throughout. The stems are stout, erect and from 1-3 feet tall. The leaves are triangular in outline, alternate, 1/2 - 1-1/2 inches long with wavy or dentate margins, green on the upper side and a lighter mealy green color on the underside. The leaves near the top of the stem, however, are almost lanceolate in outline and do not have wavy or dentate margins. The flowers are small, green and are borne in compact spikes that are terminal on the stem or in the axils of the leaves.

PURSLANE FAMILY (PORTULACACEAE).

Nine species of this family, included in three genera (Claytonia, Lewisia and Spraguea), are native to Mt. Rainier National Park. Several of these are very common plants of this region. In general, all are succulent or fleshy plants, having entire leaves (leaf margins without teeth) and white, pink or purple flowers. Petals of the flowers are thin and delicate; sepals are two in number.

Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia asarifolia). A succulent perennial with simple stems arising in a loose tuft from a rootstalk. Stems 6-12 inches tall. Stems have a single pair of opposite leaves just below the inflorescence, these leaves being sessile and broadly ovate. Leaves arising from the rootstalk are long stemmed, broadly ovate, somewhat obtuse and from 1/2 - 1-1/2 inch long. Found in moist situations along streams in the upper Canadian and Hudsonian zones.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia siberica). A very common succulent plant in moist places up to about 5000 feet. The simple stems 6-15 inches tall, arise from fibrous roots in a loose tuft. The leaves that arise from the base of the tuft are ovate in outline and acute, contracted at the base into long, margined stems. The leaves on the stem are ovate and sessile with but one pair of opposite leaves per stem. The flowers are white to pinkish, veined with red and are borne on long pedicels in a loose, open raceme.

Pink-flowered Spring Beauty (Claytonia lanceolata). The succulent simple stems arise from a tuber in an open tuft 6-12 inches tall. Leaves arising from the base of the tuft are few in number (or none), long stemmed, lanceolate and acute. A pair of opposite lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate leaves are borne upon each stem and the flowers are pink.

Linear-leaved Spring Beauty (Claytonia linearis). A succulent annual with alternate, linear leaves 3/4-inches long, the stem leaves numerous. The flowers are in a somewhat one-sided raceme.

Pink Spring Beauty (Claytonia parvifolia). The entire plant is pinkish. It is a perennial and the stems are much branched from the base. The stem leaves are numerous and alternate, 1/4-3/4 inch long with the lower ones with short stems. The flowers are pink and in racemes. Frequent in moist locations.

Lewisia (Lewisia columbiana). The genus to which this plant belongs was named in honor of Capt. Merriweather Lewis. This species is a fairly common plant of the Hudsonian zone. The leaves are in a dense basal tuft, green, oblanceolate to spatulate, fleshy but flat and 1/2-2 inches long.

The flower stems are erect and from 4-12 inches tall with oblong, pinkish bracts. The attractive pink to rose red flowers are numerous and borne in a loose panicle. Two other species are listed - L. triphylla and L. exarticulata, but neither of these are common.

Pussy Paws (Spraguea multicea). This is a common plant of the rocky or pumice soils from 6000 to 9000 feet. The thick spatulate green leaves are densely crowded upon very short branches at the crown of the thick fleshy root and appear to be in a dense tuft at the base of the spreading flower stems which are 1 - 1-1/2 inches long and pink in color. The flowers are cream colored to rose purple and clustered in dense heads.

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Descriptions continued...