June and July are great months for spotting alpine wildflowers. On Mt. Washington during my first hike of the season (back in June) I saw Diapensia, Lapland Rosebay, Alpine Bilberry, and False Hellebore (my favorite of the day). I took pictures of the flowers as I hiked and looked them up in a book called Wildflowers of the White Mountains after the climb. The book provides a good image and description of each plant. Read below for descriptions on the four plants from the text of Wildflowers of the White Mountains, and links to images of each flower. Unfortunately, I lost the pictures I took during the hike, but the links below have good images of all four plants.

Diapensia (Diapensia lapponica) grows one to three inches tall with half-inch white, waxy, bell-shaped corolla flowers. They have five round spreading lobes and five low stamens. Flowers grow singly from short stalks. Leather-like narrow leaves grow in tight basal rosettes and form a spongy thick evergreen mat that enables this uncommon native flower to withstand severe wind and cold. Found at high altitude on barren ledges and sheltered beneath rocky ledges in the alpine areas of the White Mountains.

You can find more information and images on Diapensia on the Appalachian Mountain Club website.

Lapland Rosebay (Rhododendron lapponcium)

Purple to magenta corolla flowers have five deeply lobed segments and several protruding stamens. Leather-like leaves are narrowly oval with pointed tips and have scale-like undersides. This rare aromatic, low-growing, native evergreen shrub forms mats above the timberline near protected rocky areas. Grows 4 to 12 inches tall with flowers 5/8 to 1 inch wide.

View an image of Lapland Rosebay on the Mount Washington website.

Clusters of small bell-shaped flowers, each with five recurved pointed tips, bloom at the end of low bushy branches. Leaves are simple, alternate, and oval to shape with finely toothed, red-tinged edges. Seen in diverse areas from the rocky soil of alpine regions to low moist woodlands. The fruit of this native shrub is a small blue berry with a sweet taste that is a favorite ingredient of baked goods and a favorite food of the bear as well. It grows 4 to 20 inches tall.

Go to the Appalachian Mountain Club website to find out more about Alpine Bilberry.

False Hellebore (Veratrum viride)

In the spring this plant’s large oval green leaves with their prominent parallel veins are seen in small to large stands in wetlands throughout the region. It grows two to seven inches tall with half-inch flowers. As the leaves wilt, a tall branching stem is covered with small star-shaped hairy greenish flowers. The bitter roots and leaves of this plant are potentially fatal if eaten. Legend says that some Native American tribes used False Hellebore to test the strength of their leaders. Those who consumed the largest quantities of the plant, and survived, were fit to lead the tribe.

Click here to view images of False Hellebore.

Friday, August 10, 2007 4:01:36 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)    Comments [4]