Wildflowers of The Bob
By Emily Clark, 2020 WCC Intern
Whether it’s hiking through open burned areas or quaint green meadows, I am always able to find a pop of color. Sometimes it’s more obvious than others, like the hillsides covered in arnica or fields full of beargrass. And sometimes, on my way to get water, I find lone wildflowers, often enjoying the shade of a nearby shrub. Over the course of the season, I have attempted to identify each flower or neat plant I spot, and I have learned a few new ones along the way! Here’s a few of my favorites seen so far in the Bob:
Giant red Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) ｜10-32in｜Grows in forests, riparian areas & meadows. Stems erect, alternate leaves, red/orange colored. Native to Montana.
Fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa) ｜2-6in ｜Purplish flower with white and yellow pouch below with interior purple stripes. Leaves singular and basal. Grows in soils of evergreen forests. Native.
Western sweetvetch Hedysarum occidentale ｜12-35in ｜ Many stems originating from the base. Around 15 long leaflets. Pea shaped flowers, five petals, often purple/pink. Grows on scree and drier areas. Native.
False hellebore- Veratrum viride ｜2-6ft ｜ Leaves alternate, upright stem. Large clusters of green-yellow flowers on ends, when in bloom. Prefers damper spots, such as wet meadows, subalpine sunny slopes. Poisonous to humans and livestock if consumed in large quantities. Native.
Harebell or “bluebell”- Campanula rotundifolia ｜ 6-12in ｜ Slender stems with top branching flowers, sometimes multiple. Blue-purple petals (5). Grows on slopes, crevices, meadows. Native.
Heart leaf arnica Arnica cordifolia ｜ 4-24in ｜Erect single stems. Leaves opposite, 2-4 on each stem, heart shaped. Stems have velvety hairs. Flowers disc like, around ten petals surround the middle disc. Grows in moist forests and streambanks. Has medicinal properties. Important food source for elk and deer. Native.
Smallflower anmone- Anemone parviflora ｜ 2-8in ｜ Basal leaves, narrow stem. 4-7 white petals. Seeds in center, hairy, facing up. Common in moist meadows, scree, streambanks. Native.
Yellow columbine- Aquilegia flavescens ｜ 1-3ft ｜Basal leaves, flowers are nodding. Flowers often light yellow. The petals have yellow spurs with incurved tips. Grows in part shade to sun in moist meadows, forests, streambanks. Native.
Bush penstemon- Penstemon fruticosus ｜ 6-12in Multi stemmed woody shrub with flowering and nonflowering stems. Dense cluster of lavender flowers. Grows on scree and rock ledges. Native.
Silvery lupine- Lupinus argenteus ｜ 1-3ft ｜ Stems clustered & covered with silky, silvery hairs. Basal leaves, stems alternate with 6-9 folded leaflets, looks like a star. Flowers are pea-shaped, color varies from whitish-bluish-purple. Grows in sunny locations, open forests. Native.
Darkthroat shooting star Primula pauciflora ｜4-20in ｜Leafless stem. Petals facing up & reflexed, often magenta colored with a yellow tip. Found in wet meadows, slopes, grasslands. Native.
Sticky purple geranium- Geranium viscosissimum ｜1-2ft ｜Branched stems with sticky glands. 5-7 purple-pink petals. Grows in meadows & on dry slopes. Native.
Fireweed-Chamerion angustifolium ｜ 2-6ft ｜ Reddish stems, unbranched. Leaves alternate, willow like. Purple-pink flowers with 4 paddle shaped pink pedals, alternated with 4 purple slender pedals. Curled tip. Grows in open/burned areas, recent clearcuts, and mixed forests. Native.