2020 Wildflower Checklist
Pyrola asarifolia, July 28, 2020
Common & scientific name
Pink pyrola or wintergreen, Pyrola asarifolia
Family
Wintergreen, Pyrolaceae
Location
Grottos, 9,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Grows in wetter forests or shaded meadows, and owing to its color and shape can’t easily be confused with other wintergreens. Look for it when it starts to go to seed—it looks like an elephanthead!
Pedicularis bracteosa, July 23, 2020
Common & scientific name
Bracted lousewort, Pedicularis bracteosa
Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man, 12,400
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Smaller than towering lousewort, Pedicularis procera, but bigger than all the other Pedicularis species, this is commonly found in wetter meadows and forests from the montane to the alpine. It has the typical fern/ladder-like leaves of the genus, this one with a spike of yellow flowers that begin growing from the bottom up.
Bistorta vivipara, August 7, 2020
Common & scientific name
Alpine bistort, Bistorta vivipara
Family
Buckwheat, Polygonaceae
Location
Tabor Creek , 12,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
"Vivipara" is Latin for "brings forth alive.” A viviparous plant reproduces from buds that form plantlets while still attached to the parent plant. In the case of Bistorta vivipara, little red bulblets (that can be seen on the left side of the plant in the photo) are produced below and next to its small, white flowers.
Ranunculus pygmaeus, July 23, 2020
Common & scientific name
Pygmy buttercup, Ranunculus pygmaeus
Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man, 12,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Standing just a few inches tall, usually tucked up against a wet rock or cliff area for protection, this tiny buttercup is always a treat to find! Its palmate, wider-than-tall leaves, with a single middle lobe and double side lobes, are diagnostic, as is its small size.
Erigeron elatior, July 23, 2020
Common & scientific name
Tall fleabane, Erigeron elatior
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Upper Lost Man trailhead, 11,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Despite its common name, what sets this daisy apart is its extremely fuzzy, purple phyllaries. Can be found in subalpine aspen forests and wet alpine areas.
Oxyria digyna, June 30, 2020
Common & scientific name
Mountain sorrel, Oxyria digyna
Family
Buckwheat, Polygonaceae
Location
Grizzly Lake & Upper Lost Man, 12,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Heart-shaped leaves and red and green flowers then seeds make this charming alpine plant unmistakeable. The leaves are edible and have been enjoyed by humans and wildlife alike millennia.
O. digyna, July 23, 2020
Delphinium barbeyi, July 23, 2020
Common & scientific name
Subalpine larkspur, Delphinium barbeyi
Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man, 11,500
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A giant of the subalpine, look for it growing over six feet tall near monkshood, bluebells, cow parsnip, and triangle-leaved senecio. “Delphinium” is from the Latin “delphinus” meaning dolphin. With a little imagination its spike of purple flowers looks like a pod of swimming dolphins.
Solidago multiradiata, July 22, 2020
Common & scientific name
Rocky Mountain goldenrod, Solidago multiradiata
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Lost Man trailhead, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This common, late-summer flower can be distinguished from its cousin, Solidago simplex, by the short, fine hairs on the edges of its lower leaf petioles (stems). A loop or microscope may be needed to see them.
From Wikipedia: “The name solidago means "to make whole." Goldenrod has also been used to treat tuberculosis, diabetes, enlargement of the liver, gout, hemorrhoids, internal bleeding, asthma, and arthritis.” With what kind of success, I’m not sure . . . .
Erigeron coulteri, July 22, 2020
Common & scientific name
Coulter’s daisy, Erigeron coulteri
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Lost Man trailhead, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This is one of our most common late-summer daisies, blooming from the montane to the alpine in meadows and moist woodlands. It is of medium height (usually less than a foot), has bright white, very thin ray florets (petals), and has white and black hairs on the underside of its flowerhead (on its phyllaries—see photo below). If you see a giant version of this, standing several feet tall, with fewer but wider petals, you are seeing Engelmann’s aster, another late-summer bloomer.
E. coulteri, July 22, 2020
Oreochrysum parryi, July 22, 2020
Common & scientific name
Parry’s goldenrod, Oreochrysum parryi
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Lost Man trailhead, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
For many years this flower was in the Solidago (goldenrod) genus, and it certainly looks a great deal like our Solidago multiradiata or S. simplex—just bigger. The flower heads are bigger, its leaves are wider and longer, and its phyllaries and bracts are leaf-like (aka bigger!)
