Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)

[ranunculus]

Magnificent thread, Lori ... superb images of true alpines!  Many thanks for such enjoyable postings.

[cohan]

Cohan, I wasn't even aware of Kootenay Plains but have just looked it up... looks like a nice place to explore.  At that relatively low elevation, "silvery rosettes" may be antennaria or artemesia, as a couple of possibilities?  It doesn't seem to me like native Brassicaceae ("cabbages", yes?) make up a very big part of the flora here...
Yes, the genus Saussurea is present in Europe, Asia, and North America (according to the Google entry... what would I do without Google?) 
   It's good to have a battery of books in the former category, to help interpret the books in the latter category (in other words, to provide some nice, colourful pix to look at!)

lori, i will have to post some pics from kootenay plains, even though i havent been there in mid season, yet; there is lots of Antennaria--its a very tiny rosette species, in nice size patches;i did get some cuttings from a roadside area outside the protected zone and they are doing very nicely in my garden--we also have 2 or three local species, but the smallest is just a bit bigger...
there are artemisia also, and i got some of that for my garden too--very very common in those areas--something like A frigida, though i dont know about really id'ing artemisias...lol
i probably have pics of the rosettes i'm referring to, and will post it with kootenay pictures; its much bigger than Antennaria, and not divided leaves like Artemesia..i have a feeling its Compositae, not sure what though..

i know what you mean about the books; i dont have the Flora; i have Plants of Alberta by Royer/Dickson--which is not bad, and covers non flowering plants somewhat also--; some only have flower close-ups, others have good overall shots; i also have a book on flowers of the rocky mountain parks (cant lay my hands on it right now to check details) which has small watercolours, good for some things, too

[cohan]

Other plants of the drier, somewhat lower elevation areas:

the eriogonums are high on my list--beavercreek has a number, and i think somewhere i have seen alberta species listed--maybe ALCLA or Bedrock by edmonton..
i just looked at the Campanula above--it is nice--C rotundifolia is  SO ubiquitous here that i am a bit prejudiced against the genus--they are pretty, but so common that easily overlooked; i still have lots of pictures of them anyway...lol; i havent yet tried planting to see how it looks growing on its own..

[Lori S.]

Well, Campanula spp. tend to be quite highly valued in both the alpine garden, and in the perennial border, if that says anything.   

I've grown C. rotundifolia for many years, and have not found it problematic (though in "softer" climates, I think I have read that  it can get to be a  bit of a thug; perhaps someone can comment?) - our conditions seem to keep it in check very nicely.  Since it blooms all summer long, it's a very nice addition to the border (along with a multitude of other campanula spp.). 

[cohan]

Well, Campanula spp. tend to be quite highly valued in both the alpine garden, and in the perennial border, if that says anything.   

i know the lists are full of campanula...lol
also not always my fave colour--although i dont feel the same with violets., and i do like shades all around it...lol
i'm sure there are many campanulas of the thousands that i'd like; but starting from scratch, there are so many things to try, i havent worried about challenging my few prejudices...lol--BUT,  for cute and native species i will certainly remain openminded

[Lori S.]

A few more...
Erigeron humilis
Cassiope tetragona -there are no true heathers here, only cassiope and phyllodoce.
Cassiope tetragona
Crepis nana
Phyllodoce glanduliflora
Phyllodoce empetriformis
Saxifraga lyallii - can grow very densely on the banks of alpine stream and in snowmelt drainages.
Saxifraga lyallii close-up
Androsace chamaejasme

[Onion]

Lori,
can you say something about the soil, where the Cassiope tetragona grow?
We grow it in the nursery I work and have every year problems with the cultivation. Maybe we used a wrong pot mixture (rhododendron mixture) ?

Very nice pictures. For me total new, I'am an alpine plant newbie.

[Lori S.]

I'm afraid I can't say anything useful about its cultivation - I've tried to grow it here (in an acid bed, for lack of anywhere better) where it survives the summer, but is dessicated (we have dry conditions, chinook winds, thin and fleeting snow cover (usually) and low humidity here) by spring.

My observations from the wild is that it grows on substrates and outcrops of limestone (the lithology of this area of the Rockies is  overwhelmingly limestone).  Granted, there is a turfy buildup of organic matter, but assuming the roots must penetrate deeply, I think they must come into contact with alkaline rock.  Also, where a substrate of carbonate (i.e. limestone) rock exists, the shallow groundwater must become alkaline from contact with the rocks it flows through, so I have always assumed that Cassiope and Phyllodoce must be tolerant of lime... 

[Lori S.]

Thank you, ranunculus and onion!

Saxifraga oppositifolia
Salix reticulata? and Saxifraga bronchialis
Salix spp.
Arnica spp., growing thickly in a hanging meadow.
Some of the amazing flower colour variation in Castilleja ssp.. (There are 10 species (and hybrids)* but unfortunately I haven't yet figured out how to distinguish them!)

(*- In Alberta.)

[cohan]

more nice ones--i really like the willows, and willow with this sax is a really great combination--great idea for the garden..

[Onion]

Thanks Lori for the information. I see the same problems as with rhododendrons growing in areas with limestone. These species a a bit different than the other one's.

Here you have a link for the Castilleja

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja

Uli

[Lori S.]

Thank you, onion.
I need to get down to reading and absorbing the differences between the Castilleja species that occur here... I even have a key, which I'm sure is very useful, if only I would apply it, LOL!

[cohan]

my immediate surroundings have several 'colours' ..i'm not even sure if they are distinct species, though some species descriptions i have seen seem to suggest it

[Lori S.]

And here is (are?  I swear I used to know grammar!) the Dolomites (pictured earlier) from yesterday... a photo from my husband's backcountry ski trip.

After another 8" of snow overnight, our yard looks much the same, minus the peaks.     (Will this very unusual, incredibly snowy winter never end?)

[Lori S.]

Well, the bulbocodiums had melted out today, but another 5 cm of snow is forecast for overnight... and down it comes... 

It's sort of interesting to see, but I don't imagine this alpine ever makes it onto the show bench... Minuartia austromontana. 
Saxifraga cernua
Saxifraga occidentalis
Hoary marmot.