Additions to the Flora of Crater Lake National Park
During the seasons of 1949 and 1950, while doing extensive work or the plants of Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County, Oregon, a considerable number were collected which proved to be new records Other collections were made which helped to substantiate reports of plants previously listed as growing here but for which no study material was available. Several species appeared to be adventive since the last publication on the flora.
The plants discussed in this report are either not mentioned in “Plants of Crater Lake National Park” by E. I. Applegate (1939) or have proved to be of sufficient interest to warrant additional discussion. All were the writer’s own collections except as indicated in the text. Specimens are deposited in the Herbarium at Headquarters, Crater Lake National Park.
Bromus tectorum L. Downy Brome – Grass.
Dry ground, near the south entrance. No. 6896. Very abundant throughout eastern Oregon. Introduced from Europe.
Glyceria pauciflora Presl. Few-Flowered Manna-Grass.
Along Red Blanket Creek in the southwest section of the park, at the boundary marker below Red Blanket Creek Spring. No. 6422. This plant is widely distributed in swampy ground from California to Alaska, and eastward to the Rocky Mountains.
Deschampsia danthonioides (Trin.) Munro.
Annual Hair-Grass. Moist ground, lower Annie Creek Canyon near the south entrance to the park. No. 6914. Grows throughout western region, at lower elevations, from Alaska to Mexico.
Carex campylocarpa Holm. Crater Lake Sedge.
Munson Meadow just below the park headquarters. No. 6441. Crater Lake is the type locality for this interesting species. Some authors include it with C. gymnoclada Holm, the Sierra Alpine Sedge. It appears to be sufficiently different, however, to maintain it as a separate entity. The species is commonly found on alpine stream banks in the Cascade and Wallowa Mountains of Oregon and in the mountains of Washington.
Carex epapillosa Mack. Smooth-fruited Sedge.
Along a small stream on the east slope below the crater rim, south of Kerr Notch. No. 6270. This plant is recorded from mountain meadows in the high Cascades of Oregon and Washington, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada.
Eriogonum compositum Dougl. Heart-Leaved Eriogonum.
Collected by Elmer I. Applegate on Crescent Ridge just north of National Creek. No. 11338. A common species of the arid regions of eastern Oregon. It has been found in the Calapooya Mountains a little farther to the northwest by the writer. The Crescent Ridge collection represents an interesting occurrence of the plant on the west slope of the Cascades. In the park it has been confused with E. elatum Dougl., Tall Eriogonum, which is found around Klamath Falls in the park region.
Polygonum cascadense W. H. Baker. Cascade Knotweed.
North wall of Red Blanket Canyon, southwest corner of the park. No. 6995. The type was collected on the south slope of Fairview Mountain in the Calapooya Range, Oregon. The known range is from the McKenzie Pass to Crater Lake National Park in the Cascades and in the Calapooya Mountains. Previous collections of this plant in the park have been confused with other species of Polygonum.
Trifolium hybridum L. Alsike Clover.
Along the highway at Polebridge Creek. No. 7185. Introduced; a common cultivated plant.
Lathyrus nuttalii S. Wats. Nuttall’s Pea.
Open woods at Copeland Creek Crossing. No. 7206. Occurs usually west of the Cascades in Oregon but it is recorded locally in Klamath County. Found from Vancouver Island and western Washington south to northern California. It differs from L. nevadensis Wats., Nevada Pea, in having thin leaves with inconspicuous veining and pubescent pods.
Lathyrus bijugatus White var. Sandbergii White. Pine-Woods Pea.
Open woods and hillsides in the vicinity of Copeland Creek Meadows. No. 7205. A plant of the open woods growing along the eastern base of the Cascades from Klamath County northward to Washington and Idaho. It is distinguished from other species ofLathyrus in the park by its very narrow linear or linear-lanceolate leaves.
Lomatium nudicaule (Pursh) C. & R. Naked Desert Parsley.
North wall of Red Blanket Canyon, southwest corner of the park. No. 7006. It is easily recognized by the naked stem and because the peduncles are strongly dilated at the summit. Recorded as growing in dry sterile ground from Oregon, Washington, and California, eastward to Idaho.
Phyllodoce empetriformis (Smith) G. Don. Red Mountain Heath.
Woods near the rim on the east slope just south of Kerr Notch. No. 6276. Along a stream below the crater rim south of Kerr Notch. No. 7146. Wooded ridge south of Kerr Notch. No. 7137. Applegate lists this in his publication but states that he did not collect it within the, park. It is recorded by Wynd, No. 2390, from Llao Rock. The plan appears to be fairly common on the east slope below the crater rim.
Collomia heterophylla Hook. Varied-leaved Collomia.
North wall of Red Blanket Canyon, southwest corner of the park. No. 6992. Widely distributed in open woods and thickets from Vancouver Island to California.
Rudbeckia occidentalis Nutt. Western Cone-Flower. Niggerhead.
Wet marshy ground at Copeland Creek Crossing. No. 6327. The ray flowers are absent in this species. It presents a rather unusual appearance and is sometimes known as niggerhead. The plant has been confused in the park with a related species, R. californica Gray, California Cone-Flower, which has rays present and grows commonly farther south. Abundant is the Siskiyou and Blue Mountains, but is present locally in the southern Cascades of Oregon as well.
Agoseris heterophylla (Nutt.) Greene. Annual Agoseris.
Lower Annie Creek Canyon near the south entrance to the park. No. 6915. It is widely distributed on dry open ground from British Columbia to California and east to Utah.
Eupatorium occidentale Hook. Western Boneset.
This plant is not recorded by Applegate, “Plants of Crater Lake National Park,” although he had apparently collected it in the park, No. 10044 from Wineglass and No. 9215 from the lava flow on the west side of Wizard Island. It was collected by the writer on Wizard Island among the lava rocks on the south shore near the boat landings: No. 6358. Wizard Island along the west shore at the base of large lava boulders on the west flow: No. 6364. It is also present on the Phantom Ship and on the Lake and Garfield Peak Trails.
