Michael,
A few photos didn't turn out all that great, in particular some of the smaller flowers. It is in my timeline to obtain a macro lense, and I will go back and retake a few pictures and I will update those in the future for my own personal catalogue. Feel free to borrow any pictures you would like to use, and more pictures will be posted in the oncoming weeks of some of the other plants and trees. For a couple of the pictures (Oregon Iris) it is worth clicking on it to view the photo full size. =]
~Patrick
Friday, June 8, 2012
Prosartes hookeri
Prosartes hookeri
Collected: Tolt MacDonald Park 27/4/12
Sample 20
Hooker's Fairybells are usually found in the damp areas beneath shaded forest canopies. They are found throughout Washington, British Columbia, and as far West as parts of Montana. They are easily identified because beneath the leaves the flowers hang down. They prominently display their reproductive organs beyond the skirt of their pedals for all pollinators to see.
Corallorhiza maculata
Corallorhiza maculata
Orchidaceae
Collected: Tradition Lake Plateau 11/5/12
Sample 19
The lower lip of the flower is white with reddish/magenta spots. This is the easiest way to distinguish this from other similar orchids. Like the Striped Coralroot, the spotted coralroot is a saprophyte. It doesn't photosynthesize and it gets its energy from fungi beneath the surface of the forest floor.
Acer macrophyllum
Acer macrophyllum
Aceraceae
Collected: 13/4/12 Cougar Mountain Redtown Meadow
Sample 18
Acer macrophyllum is a tall Maple tree which provides a distinct canopy cover. It starts the spring by allowing a vast amount of light, and by late spring it blocks out a majority of the brightest rays with its large leaves that it receives its namesake from. The leaves can be well over a foot wide and turn from green to brown in the fall. In Northwest forests it is not uncommon to see the licorice fern growing on the trunks and branches of the Big Leaf Maple. Quick growing plants typically occupy the space beneath the canopy, for they take quick advantage of the early spring.
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Polypodiaceae
Collected: Cougar Mountain Redtown Meadow 13/4/12
Sample 17
This plant is easy to identify because it almost exclusively grows on Big Leaf Maples. It also has a distinct licorice taste when chewed. Some native tribes used it to make a cough medicine of sorts.
Iris tenax
Iris tenax
Iridaceae
Collected: Cougar Mountain Redtown Meadow 30/5/12
Sample 16
This Iris is not found in Washington, with the exception of this sample and a few other specimens. It has a beautiful flower which ranges from a soft lavender to a strong violet in color. The pedals are veinated with the purple color and there are yellow and white zones near the base of the pedals. The whole plant can be upwards of a foot tall with a narrow stalk and narrow leaves.
Oxalis Oregana
Oxalis Oregana
Oxalidaceae
Collected: Cougar Mountain Redtown Meadow 13/4/12
Sample 15
These little guys are a delectable treat, though don't eat more then 10 or your stomache may turn sour. Sour is exactly the word too, for they have a slightly astringent taste (similar to a purple unripe blueberry). They pop up just a few inches above the ground and their tiny white or pinkish flowers can be seen overhead.
Lunaria annua
Annual Honesty, Money Plant, Silver DollarLunaria annua
Brassicaceae
Collected: 9/5/12
Sample 14
Not a native species to North America, though it has been introduced favorably amongst gardens. It has unique seed pods which are reminiscent of Silver dollars or the full moon. The flowers are bright purple. The previous years pods can be seen in the class picture. Originally from Southwest Asia.
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Asteraceae
Collected: Tumwater Canyon 19/5/12
Sample 13
These grow in clumps of 2- 50 flowers on rocky slopes where water can't pool or stand. This specimen was seen at a midland sub-alpine height. It is no surprise that they are in the Sunflower family, for they look like a weathered alpine version of one.
Corallorhiza striata
Corallorhiza striata
Orchidaceae
Collected: Icicle Canyon 2/6/12
Sample 12
Very similar to the Spotted Coralroot, except for the obvious difference found upon the pedals of the plant. These unique species are not photosynthetic (hence the lack of green chloroplast) and derive their energy from a mutualistic relationship with fungi near their bulbs.
Fritillaria lanceolata
Fritillaria lanceolata
Liliaceae
Collected: Icicle Canyon 2/6/12
Sample 11
Confectioned by Wonka himself, this Lily was served as dessert for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Found in grassy meadows and woodland openings. The flower rises up above the leaves and nods downwards. The Pedals are a Chocolate brown with yellow dotted highlights. From the underside, the pedals absolutely glow in the sunlight.
Calypso bulbosa
Calypso bulbosa
Orchidaceae
Collected: Tumwater Canyon 19/5/12
Sample 10
This plant is hard to confuse with many others in the region. It has the most alluring aroma with a gentle sweetness. The green leaves stay low to the ground and the flowers rise up on reddish/pink stems about 4-6 inches. The flowers display all their beauty with a place for the most delicate fairy's foot to fit inside. This flower is only to be worn by day-fairies, for if it isn't returned to it's stalk by midnight, the fairy will be turned into a newt.
Goodyera oblongifolia
Rattlesnake PlantainGoodyera oblongifolia
Orchidaceae
Collected: Tradition Lake Plateau 11/5/12
Sample 9
This unique orchid is most easily identified by the leaves which can be seen on the forest floor. Their unique "rattlesnake" pattern gives them away at a casual glance. The flowers shoot straight up from the plant and fruit along the upper part of the 8-14 inch stalk. The flowers are a dull white-greenish. Pictured is a dead stalk from the previous year.
Adiantum aleuticum
Polypodiaceae
Collected: Tolt MacDonald Park 27/4/12
Sample 8
This delicate member of the fern family is very unique in its characteristics. It has a fine dark to black stalk which fans out another 4-8 stalks from the central stalk. Off of each fanned stalk the fernlike leaves are found. Found near water and in moist wet areas.
Trientalis borealis
Trientalis borealis
Primulaceae
Collected: Tradition Lake Plateau 25/5/12
Sample 7
The flowers on these little guys shoot up just above the level of the leaves on a thin stalk that is hard to see. The flowers are white to a creamy lavender, lighter centers and darker tips on the pedals typically. The stamen are yellow.
Erythronium grandiflorum
Erythronium grandiflorum
Liliaceae
Collected: Tumwater Canyon 19/5/12
Sample 6
The Yellow Glacier Lily stands up to about 30 cm tall. This specimen was found in a dried out area that looked to have previously been muddied from a melting snowbank. Which is typical, as they are typically found at the edge of snow melt. A single flower shoots far up and droops over, facing downward towards the wide outspread leaves beneath it.
Lysichiton americanum
Lysichiton americanum
Araceae
Collected: Mercer Slough 6/4/12
Sample 5
This is one of the most distinguishable plants in the Northwest. It has large green leaves and the a large yellow hood which shelters the enclosed inflorescence. The hood helps to contain heat during the night, and is a perfect place for bugs to make it through colder nights. It is first found with the nose, for it has an innocuous scent that only Lady Gaga would wear. It can be found in wetlands, lowlands, near streams, standing water, bogs, etc.
Claytonia siberica
Claytonia siberica
Portulaceae
Collected: Tolt MacDonald Park 27/4/12
Sample 4
Miner's Lettuce is a forest treat. The two main leaves are oppositely opposed and are both edible and tasty. The pedals of the flower are typically of a white background with two lavender to rose colored accents running up off center symmetrically up the pedals.
Asarum caudatum
Asarum caudatum
Aristolochiaceae
Collected: Tradition Lake Plateau 25/5/12
Sample 3
The Wild Ginger flower is found quite low to the ground under the forest canopy. and it is usually obscured by its large leaf which protects it from a few inches above. The leaf is a rich green. The flower is often a brownish-purple.
Lemna minor
Lemna minor
Araceae
Collected: Tradition Lake Plateau 25/5/12
Sample 2
Common Duckweed or Lesser Duckweed can be found on most of the world's continents. It is an aquatic plant that can be found on the surface of stagnant or slow moving bodies of water. This floating plant is so small that you can fit about 8-10 on the tip of your finger.
Betulapapyrifera
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
Betulaceae
Collected: Mercer Slough 6/4/12
Sample 1
The Paper Birch is typically found in lower regions in areas with a fairly regular supply of water. The White Bark flakes off in a unique paper-like manner, giving this Birch it's name.
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