Mouse click a thumbnail to see a larger image and informational details below the photos. Most thumbnails have three clickable views; flower, plant, and foliage. The selected image will stay visible until another slide is clicked.
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Pine Drops -or- Woodland Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), family Ericaceae (Heath). Weber has them in Monotropaceae (Pine Sap), as does the USDA Plant Database. However even Weber mentions the common inclusion of Pine Drops in the Heath family. Mark was on a dual sport mootorcycle ride in the Rampart Range area when he saw this specimen. This perennial herb is the only species in the genus. It is native to North America from southern Canada to the mountains of Mexico, per WIKIPEDIA. These are interesting from a botanical perspective in that they lack the normal plant presence of chlorophyll. These plants instead feed on organic material in surrounding soils. From WIKIPEDIA: 'They live in relationship with mycorrhizal fungi that is not yet well understood, described as either parasitic or symbiotic upon the fungus by different experts. Whatever the exact relationship, they derive all their carbon from their associated fungus, which entirely covers the outside surface of the roots.' End quote.
USES: From the website Native American Ethnobotany are the following uses of this species by Native Americans: Keres, Western Boiled plant used as an emetic. Cheyenne Cold infusion of ground stems and berries taken for lung hemorrhages. Cold infusion of stem and berries taken for "bleeding at the lungs." Infusion of ground berries and stems used as an astringent. Cold infusion of ground stems and berries used as snuff for nosebleeds, and to prevent nosebleeds. Cold infusion of ground stems and berries taken for lung hemorrhages. Okanagan-Colville Infusion of roots taken for gonorrhea. Kawaiisu Stems eaten raw, "roasted" or baked below the fire "like mushrooms." Jemez (Ceremonial Items) Leaves smoked in the kiva.
Plant location: Seen on Hidden Valley Road, Sedalia Colorado - GPS coordinates: N39°11.483 W105°03.973 - Elevation: 8731'. August 11, 2010, Pike National Forest. This species is found in the following United States: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MI, MT, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WY - and a good amount of Canada too.
Bloom season: Don't see any foliage in this 'foliage' slide? This species does not produce recognizable foliage! So here is a different common view of the plant during it's blooming time, the range is from June through August. -
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Spotted Coralroot -or- Western Coralroot -or- Summer Coralroot -or- Coralroot Orchid (Corallorhiza maculata), family Orchidaceae (Orchid). We finally found the plants in bloom!! Nudging up to two years ago we saw a strange bulbous red plant on a hike that intrigued us greatly. Ann Henson from the Colorado Native Plant Society gave us the identity. Flower finally meets fruit two years later. These daintly little blooms complete the picture. The Orchid family is huge, having the most species in it, although the genus Corallorhiza has only 7 members. This species is not always abundant in the huge territory where it is found. In Arizona the plants are restricted from salvage. They are classed as endangered in Kentucky, threatened in Illinois, Iowa, AND Tennessee. New York calls the species Exploitably Vulnerable, and finally in Rhode Island they are of special concern. The species is native to North America. There are 3 varieties of maculata: var. maculata, var. occidentalis, and var. ozettensis.
USES: From the Colorado State University Extension website (excllent site) are the following uses: 'an infusion of the plant has been used as a lotion in the treatment of ringworm and skin diseases; an infusion of the dried, whole plant bits has been used in the treatment of colds; a decoction of the stalks has been used to 'build up the blood' of people suffering from pneumonia.'
TECHNICAL: 'This plant lacks chlorophyll and gets its nourishment from fungi in its coral-like underground stem; the orchid family has the greatest number of species of all the plant families and contains more rare and endangered species than any other family; this family has sensitive pollination mechanisms that are specific to individual pollinators; the extinction of a specific pollinator means extinction for an orchid species; pollen is aggregated into 2 sticky bags (pollinia) that must be transmitted whole by an insect from one flower to another; germination depends on the presence of symbiotic fungus species.' End quote Colo U Extension.
See the complete panel on the plant's fruit stage here.
Plant location: Found whike hiking the Lodgepole Loop trail in Meyer Open Space - Colorado - on May 16, 2010. GPS coordinates: N39°32.502 W105°16.847 - Elevation: 8010' Found in most of the United States: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
Bloom season: May through August. The plants have very little if any discernible foliage. This is a shot of the original plant we saw that was already in the fruit stage. Habitats (from Plants For a Future) include - On leaf mold in woods. Moist to dry coniferous and deciduous woods, and conifer plantations, often in florests with little other herbaceous cover.
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Wyoming Paintbrush -or- Orange Paintbrush -or- Wyoming Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia), family Orobanchaceae (Broomrape). Was in the family Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) and is still often placed there. We picked this photograph for the flower slide because it shows an important distinguishing characteristic of this species. Note the mostly green area in the center of the flower, with two narrow orange 'fingers' (calyx) showing on either side. The 'cut' or 'cleft' of one side is higher than the other. In this photo, the left cut is higher, with the deeper, or lower, cut on the right.
We learned this information about linariifolia from the excellent website by Al Schneider - Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. See more about this species at his site, here.
Plant location: Photographed on June 28, 2011 off Squaw Pass Rd, Idaho Springs, Colorado - GPS coordinates: N39°41.709 W105°36.812 - Elevation: 8951'.
Bloom season: June through August in Colorado. Can be as long as May through October in some areas. -
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Scarlet Indian Paintbrush -or- Red Indian Paintbrush -or- Meadow Paintbrush -or- Great Red Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), family Orobanchaceae (Broomrape). Was in the family Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) and is still often placed there. No amount of gushing can accurately describe the radiant, vibrant RED of this paintbrush. It was literally stunning. The color was so outstanding that seconds after spotting it along the roadside coming down from Mt. Evans, we were turning around to simply gaze at it. And lo-and-behold ... we had a new (to us) species before us. A number of recorded native american uses of this species will add their own interest. Stay tuned.
Plant location: Photographed along Mt. Evans Rd, Colorado - GPS coordinates: N39°39.252 W105°35.739 - Elevation: 10,775'. The date was June 29, 2011.
Bloom season: May through September. -
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Alpine Groundsel (Packera pauciflora), family Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflower).
This pleasing little plant packed a powerful color punch for it's size. We saw it snuggled in with quite a few other species at the summit of Cottonwood Pass (the one near Granby Colorado), along the trail that is right at the parking lot of the summit. Nice easy hike, go as far or near as you like. Great views.
Weber mentions in his book of Eastern Slope keys that this plant is infrequently seen. A diagnostic of the identity is the purple phyllaries. Our original sighting of this species was in the Medicine Bow area in Wyoming but our images of the specimen entire was incomplete.
Plant location: Photographed on Cottonwood Pass towards Buena Vista on July 30, 2011. GPS coordinates: N39°49.665 W106°24.552 – Elevation: 11,506'. Found in the following United States: AK, CA, CO, ID, MI, MN, MT, NV, WA, WY.
Bloom season: July through late August.
Note the rounded basal foliage versus the distinctly pointed leaves on the stem holding the flower. Distinctive of the species. -
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