Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-01-05
Written for the Holiday Herald.
THE FLORA OF MONTANA.

BY PETER KOCH.
A traveller crossing the American continent
in the latitude of Montana finds three very
distinct belts of vegetatiOn-the Atlantic
forest region, the interior plains and noun
tains, and the Pacific forest belt. The CEN
tral region may again be divided into three
sections-the eastern plains, sloping upwards
from Minnesota to the foot of the Rocky
Mountains, the central mountain region prop
er, and the treeless plains ON the upper Co.
lumba. The Territory of Montana lies en-
tirely within the two former sections, its
western and southwestern portions being COW
cred by the Rocky Mountain SYSTEM form
ing an intricate combination of mountains,
valleys and parks, while the northern and
eastern parts belong to the great plains, slop-
ing generally north and east from an altitude
Of 4S0O feet at the foot Of the mountains to
2,2OO feet at the confluence of the Missouri
and Yellowstone rivers. OF the flora of this
region / will try to give short sketch.
In accordance with the general laws gov
erning climate, the central plateaus of large
continents are usually deficient in rainfall,
and therefore sparsely timbered, while there
is a general tendency of herbacious plants to
become somewhat shrubby, or at least woody
at the base. Vegetation forms a less dense
covering for the soil than in moister climates
&c ;,%o ffc or
punches" leaving a large portion of the
ground uncovered. These features charac-
terize the plant growth of Montana every
where except in the mountains and their i'm
mediate vicinity. The plains are treeless eX-
cept for few stunted evergreens, generally
appearing where the erosion has been great
enough to produce broken bluffs. Whenever
the traveller sees in the distance a line of
trees he may be sure that he is approaching
a stream. A narrow belt of tree growth
usually skirts the larger water courses, but
streams run through their valleys for miles
without having their course marked with
anything more conspicuous than an occasion
al willow thicket few feet high. Groves of
cottonwood, covering thousand acres, are
found in a few places in the bends of the
Missouri and the Yellowstone, but nothing
deserving the name of q forest is seen outside
of the mountains.
Where these reach high enough to inter-
sect the vapor laden air currents from the
Pacific the result is sufficient precipitation
though exceptions are formed by local influ-
ences, the mountains are, as rule, tree-cov-
cred in all the higher ranges from near the
base to the timber line, which in Montana
lies between nine and ten thousand feet OF
altitude. Much of this timber is quite small
and of little economic value except for tenc-
ing and fuel but usually sufficient supply
of good timber is found for all the wants Of
the settlers. Even through great portion
OF the plains country are isolated mountain
masses at least partially forest-clad, and as
sparsely peopled the supply will probably be
equal to the demand. 1t is only north of
the Missouri river that we find extensive
tracts entirely destitute OF any kind Of tim
Der, where the hunter and traveller are forced
to have recourse to bois de rache for cooking
their meals and cheering the desolation OF
their camps, and where one may journey for
days without seeing even bush.
OF all the Western Territories, except
Washington, Montana has by far the largest
acreage of forest. To discuss the causes OF
this lies outside the limits of this article.
The three principal factors are:
1. The openings in the coast ranges, ad-
hitting the passage Of the moist, warm air
currents of the Pacific Ocean.
2. The northern latitude Of the Territory.
3. The distribution and form of our noun
tain ranges,
These and other more intricate causes con-
bine to give the greater part of Montana, es-
pecially the western a good supply of timber.
but it is q surprise to the botanist to discover
of how few species this considerable forest
Gray on "the Vegetation of the Rocky Noun
tain Region" list is given of all the trees
growing in this section from Mexico to Alas
ka, and although he includes such mere
shrubs Tin this latitude at least) as the service
berry and the snow berry, he enumerates
only about fifty species. OF these large
number are found in the southern Territories
only. and the meagreness OF the Montana
sylvia is extreme Counting only those which
attain such size as to be Of some economic
value. at least for fuel, we have the follow
ing: ..a-tH..
Ash-leaved Maple or Box-elder.... species
Ash
Elm
Cottonwood or Poplar. a
Pine
Fir and Spruce. :.
Iarch or Tamarack.
tlE Total
If we include, all arborescent growth, to
the above NAV be added: A species OF ma