Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-07-06
A BOtaniSt'S Trip
TO MT. Ashland

plants that bloom in such bewilder-
ing profusion in the fine valleys and
on the noble mountain slopes OF
Southern Oregon will find himself
growing almost as enthusiastic as
the professional botanist while watch
ing the wonderful floral panorama
passing under his vision, as he climbs
| by easy stages from the Ashland
Chautauqua Park to the summit OF
Mt. Ashland.
The present writer visited this
! jewel of Oregon mountains twice dur
ing the ChautauQua session of 1918,
for the purpose of studying the flora,
and brought away with him splen-
did addition to his collection and to
his knowledge of Oregon plants. II
is rare indeed that a traveller on foot
or horseback can pass so easily and
quickly through territory represent
ing in its vegetation such a vast
range of climatic conditions. At the
foot of the mountain grow the COM
mon and familiar plants of the plains
and valleys of the Pacific Slope; at
it's summit are many strange forms
characteristic of the sub-arctic life
zone. Between these two extremes
are distributed species that represent
a wide latitudinal range.
Let us start early some fine morn
ing, about the middle of July, for a
one days trip up Mt. Ashland; or, if
we prefer, we may make it a two
days trip, camping at Longs Cabin,
the most convenient place. If we are
good walkers and climbers we may
go on foot, otherwise on horseback.
On foot we will see more of the plant
life. For, though we are going to
enjoy the scenery, which constantly
increases in beauty and grandeur as
we climb, we are going to give due
attention to the vegetation, no less
wonderful in its way, and speak
mainly of that.
For the first few miles up the can
yon there is little of particular inter-
est in the way of plants. The ocean
spray (Schizonotus discolor) and
mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii)
are out of bloom, and the so-called
mountain lilac (Ceanothus intenim-
us), with its sprays of tiny blue flow
ers, has also nearly ceased to bios
som. The wood Strawberries have
all disappeared, and an early aster
(Aster radulinus) with harsh leaves
and white flowers has begun to
bloom. Quite a variety of deciduous
trees and shrubs inhabit the canyon,
among them the Oregon maple (Acer
macrophyllum) and the Douglas ma
pie (Acer douglasii). The latter is
shrub with small leaves and is not
common. The most conspicuous flow
ers, though neither of them found in
great numbers, are species of wild
tiger lily (Lilium pardalinum) and
the magnificent Washington lily
(Lilium washingtonianum), noblest
of all Oregon wild flowers. We will
find this more plentiful farther up
the mountain. Everywhere among
the rocks grows the small-flowered
alum root (Henchera micrantha)
recognizable by it's numerous round
hairy leaves, all at the base, and
naked stem bearing a finely branched
flower cluster with minute white
flowers. A little campanula (Cam.
panula scoulerD is also present
mostly with tufted stems less than a
foot high, narrow leaves and pretty
bell-shaped, pale blue or white flow
ers half an inch in diameter.
AS we near Longs Cabin we begin
to notice a change in the vegetation
Several plants appear that we die
not see at the outset. One of these
is the beautiful little twin flower
Linnaea americana, the American
form of the favorite flower of the
first great systematic botanist, Lin
naeus, and named after him. 1t is 8
delicate woody vine with small shiny
green leaves and slender upright
Towering stems, each with pair oi
pink or white slenderly bell-shapeC
flowers at the top. We may find also
lata), a low shrubby plant will
whorls of thick narrow leaves anC
small clusters of fleshy pinkish OIL
whitish flowers at the ends of the
stems. The increased altitude is in
dicated no less by some of those spe.
cies of plants we met with at the
very start. For example, mock or
ange, ocean spray and mountain lilac
are here in full bloom, and woot
Strawberries are still to be found
! The course of the season is beint
reversed and we are going back to-
ward spring.
After passing Longs Cabin anC
leaving the canyon the changes il
the flora become more marked, new
plants appearing in rapid succession
but we have time to notice only
few of them. The magnificent sugar
pine here becomes plentiful, though
1t must formerly have been common
much farther down. The most indif
ferent observer would be sure to no
tice the bear grass (Xerophyllun
tenax) which here grows abundantly
with its tall, wand-like stalk ant
club-shaped clusters of flowers
springing from a thick tuft of long
stiff, grass-like leaves, formerly uset
by the Indians for making baskets.
BY the time we have gone four o.
five miles beyond Longs Cabin w
notice that the ocean spray is jus
beginning to blossom, and much o
the other vegetation is in a CORE
spending stage of advancement. II
springy places beside the road ar
tall orchids (Limnorchis leucos
tachys), three feet or more in height
with long spikes of white flowers
and in the same localities a YER
large wild onion (Allium validum
with large clusters Of pinkish flow