ROCKY MOUNTAIN ALPINES
John and Hilary Birks
Rocky Mountain Alpines
Introduction
Utah and Idaho
State of floristic knowledge
Wyoming and Montana
Vegetation zonation
Canadian Rockies
Tree-line in the Rockies
Possible floristic history
Main types of alpines in the
Rockies
Threats to survival and
conservation
Richness of alpines
Final comments
Species richness patterns
What about the fauna?
Colorado
Acknowledgements
Introduction
10 visits to
western North
America, 6 to
the Rockies,
combined into
1 visit now
Topography of N America
Rockies have a total length of 2100 miles, and a
width of 75 to 400 miles. Northern boundary
conventionally placed just south of the Yukon –
British Columbia border between 59th and 60th
parallel.
One of the longest mountain chains in the world.
Highest peak is 4399 m (Mt. Elbert, Colorado).
Spectacular scenery with deep valleys and steep
mountain slopes.
Main mountain
ranges
Plan of our botanical tour today is to start in central
Colorado, and explore one of the most accessible mountains,
Mt. Evans (4348 m), just west of Denver.
Then move to the Continental Divide mountains of Colorado,
and then south to Pikes Peak, and to the San Juan Mountains
of southern Colorado.
Then travel west to Utah and Idaho, and then east into
Wyoming and Montana to visit the Bighorns limestone, and
then on to the Medicine Bow, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and
Beartooth areas.
Conclude in the north in the spectacular Canadian Rockies of
Alberta.
Travel of about 1000 miles, from south to north.
But first, some background information.
State of Floristic Knowledge
Mainly state floras of variable quality and age
1952
1983
1984
1992
1993
1996
1996
2002
Flora of North America - Started in 1993
8 volumes of a projected 30 volumes
ca. 17 000 species, 1 200 genera, 220 families
Alpine Flora of the Rocky Mountains I. The Middle
Rockies 1995 Richard W. Scott
ca. 609 species,
204 genera,
51 families
Vegetation Zonation
Two major climatic gradients in
the Rockies
1. Mean annual precipitation –
high along the coast and on
the west side of the
mountains
2. Decreasing summer
temperature with both
latitude (south to north)
and altitude
41ºN – latitude of Salt Lake City
permanent snow and ice
Altitude (m)  Temperature
4000
3500
3000
1500
wet meadows
Populus
tremuloides
dry grassland
Abies
lasiocarpa
Picea
engelmannii
SUB-NIVAL
open fell-field
Pinus
albicaulis
Juniperus
spp.
ALPINE
Pinus
aristata
SUBALPINE
Picea-Abies-Pseudotsuga forest
MONTANE
FOOTHILLS
mixed coniferous forest
Tsuga-Thuja-PiceaAbies-SequoiaSequoiadendron
Pinus
woodland
temperate
forest
(Quercus)
open
woodland
/savannah
steppe
PLAINS
1000
500
0
W
snowbeds
2500
2000
NIVAL
temperate
rainforest
3000
2000
1500
1000
Annual precipitation (mm)
prairie
desert
200
E
Tree-Line in the Rockies
Main
species
Picea engelmannii, Abies
lasiocarpa, Pinus albicaulis,
P. aristata, Juniperus
occidentalis, (Populus
tremuloides)
Altitude at 55ºN
1500 m
50ºN
2300 m
45ºN
3000 m
40ºN
3500 m
Rate of tree-line decrease
per 1º latitude
130 m
Descent of tree-line and alpine zone from south (New
Mexico) to north (British Columbia)
Tree-line
Left Projector
1 Ten Miles Peak & Dillon Lake, CO
2 Bald Mountain, UT
Right Projector
Leidy Peak, UT
Picea engelmannii
Alpine tundra areas
Main Types of Alpines in the Rockies
compared to the Alps
Rockies
Alps
Low-growing creeping or prostrate shrubs
++
++
Graminoids (grasses, sedges, etc.) forming
tussocks
++
++
Herbaceous perennials, usually with rosettes
++
++
Cushion plants
+
++
Spiny cushions ('vegetable hedgehogs')
-
(+)
Giant rosettes
-
-
Succulents
+
+
Geophytes (bulbs, tubers)
+
+
(+)
(+)
Annuals
++ = many
+ = some
(+) = few
- = none
Major families in the Rockies:
Asteraceae
Poaceae
Cyperaceae
Major genera in the Rockies:
Carex
Erigeron
Potentilla
Draba
Salix
Poa
Saxifraga
Ranunculus
Eriogonum
Senecio
Of 204 genera present in the Middle Rockies,
96 are represented by one species only
High species and genus richness
Richness of Alpines
Global
10 000 – 15 000 species
(6% world's flora)
Europe
2 500 species
(20% Europe's flora)
Rockies
ca. 1 000 species
(6% N American flora)
Species Richness Patterns
26 mountain areas well studied in the Rockies
Richness 132-278 species; median 195 species
Richness decreases with altitude and with latitude,
but not with longitude
30 species decrease per 100 m altitude
5 species decrease per 1° latitude
No consistent pattern with longitude; slight tendency
for richness to be highest in central areas
Rockies
Alps
Species richness on
different mountains
High
High
Generic richness
High
Medium
Endemic richness
Low
High
Range size
Large
Medium-Small
Genetic diversity
High
Low
Mount Evans, Colorado (4348 m) Highest paved road in N Am – altitude effects
Left projector
Right projector
3
Abyss Lake, Mt Evans, CO
4
Castilleja meadows, CO
Castilleja miniata
5
Castilleja rhexifolia
Castilleja cusickii
6
Tundra grassland, CO
7
Trifolium parryi
Trifolium nanum
8
Potentilla fruticosa
Frasera speciosa
9
Aquilegia caerulea
Pedicularis groenlandica
10 Gentiana prostrata
Saxifraga rhomboidea
11 Dodecatheon pulchellum
12 Lupinus tundra, CO
13 Oxytropis campestris
14 Dryas octopetala heath, CO
15 Lloydia serotina
16 Phyllodoce empetriformis
17 Ranunculus adoneus snowbeds, CO
Pinus aristata
Polemonium viscosum
Zygadenus elegans
Lupinus sericeus
Oxytropis nana
Dryas octopetala
Silene acaulis
Eritrichium aretioides
Ranunculus adoneus
Left projector
18 Caltha leptosepala flushes, CO
19 Trollius laxus
20 Primula angustifolia
Right projector
Caltha leptosepala
Primula parryi
Lewisia pygmaea
21 Besseya alpina
Chionophila jamesii
22 Habenaria dilatata
Cirsium scopulorum
23 Eriogonum subalpinum
24 E. flavum var. xanthium
E. umbellatum var. porteri
Smelowskia calycina
25 Claytonia megarhiza
Arenaria obtusiloba
26 Saxifraga serpyllifolia var. chrysantha
Saxifraga flagellaris
27 Screes, CO
Ligularia holmii
28 Phlox multiflora
Phlox pulvinata
29 Penstemon hallii
30 Hymenoxis grandiflora
Penstemon eriantherus
Hymenoxis grandiflora
31 Summit Lake, CO
Draba crassifolia
32 Saxifraga hirculus
Clementsia rhodantha
33 Koenigia islandica
Gentiana algida
Continental Divide Mountains, Colorado (3500 – 4000 m)
(Weston Pass, Hoosier Ridge, Mosquito Pass, Mount Bross)
Left projector
Right projector
34
Continental Divide, CO
Mount Bross, CO
35
Ipomopsis globularis
36
Aster coloradoensis (=
Machaeranthera)
37
Papaver kluanense
38
Silene scouleri ssp. hallii
39
Physaria alpina and
mine, CO
Physaria alpina
40
Ligularia soldanella
Astragalus molybdenus
Saussurea weberi
Aquilegia saximontana
Armeria scabra var. sibirica
Calochortus gunnisonii
Pikes Peak, Colorado (4300 m)
Left projector
Right projector
41
Pikes Peak, CO
Mertensia alpina
42
Oreoxis humilis
Hymenoxis acaulis ssp.
caespitosa
43
Double Cut Overlook, CO
Telesonix jamesii
San Juan Mountains, Colorado (3600 – 3810 m)
Many endemics
Left projector
Right projector
44
San Juan Mountains, CO
45
Corydalis caseana ssp.
brandegei
46
Aquilegia elegantula
47
Wyethia amplexicaulis
48
Ranununculus macauleyi
snowbed, CO
49
Engineer Pass, CO
50
Hymenoxis brandegei
Cinnamon Pass, CO
Polemonium delicatulum
Change trays
Aquilegia micrantha
Besseya ritteriana
Ranunculus macauleyi
Draba spectabilis
Marmota flaviventris
Utah (2500 – 3640 m)
Edge of desert Intermountain Basin and of Rockies
Left projector
Right projector
51
Wasatch Mountains, UT
Mount Timpanogos, UT
52
Castilleja meadows, UT
Castilleja applegatei
53
Castilleja hispida
54
Ivesia gordiana
Ivesia utahensis
55
Linananthus nuttallii
Albion Basin, UT
56
Penstemon whippleanus
57
Aquilegia flavescens
58
Gilia aggregata
Collomia debilis
59
Leidy Peak, UT
Penstemon uintahensis
60
Bald Mountain, UT
61
Deseret Peak, UT
62
Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum
63
Petradoria pumila
64
Naomi Mountain, UT
Veratrum californicum
Penstemon humilis
Aquilegia caerulea
Primula parryi
Physaria chambersii
Eriogonum ovalifolium
Polemonium pulcherrimum
Linum kingii
Idaho (2500 – 3500 m)
Least populated US state. Size of UK, 1.1 million people
Left projector
Right projector
65
Bear River Range, UT & ID
Borah Peak, ID
66
Geum triflorum
67
Calochortus macrocarpus
68
Penstemon eatonii
69
Oenothera caespitosa
70
Lewisia rediviva & Craters of the Moon, ID
71
Eriogonum ovalifolium
72
Doublesprings Pass, ID & Phlox bryoides
73
Sawtooth Range, ID
74
Dodecatheon jeffreyi
75
Camassia meadow, ID
Camassia quamash
76
White Clouds Peak, ID
Eriogonum caespitosum
77
Primula cusickiana
Astragalus utahensis
Lewisia rediviva
Penstemon palmeri
Phlox hoodii var. canescens
Lewisia rediviva
Castilleja covilleana
Oxytropis lagopus
Aspen woods, ID
Wyethia helianthoides
Synthyris pinnatifida
'Idamont' limestone, Idaho-Montana (2600 m)
Left projector
78
Lost River Range, ID
79
Kelseya uniflora habitat,
ID
Right projector
Petrophytum caespitosum
Kelseya unflora
Bighorns limestone, Wyoming - Montana (2600 - 3000 m)
Left projector
80 Bighorns, WY
81 Medicine Wheel Cliffs,
WY
82 Telesonix heucheriformis
83 Aquilegia jonesii
Right projector
Pulsatilla patens
Clematis columbiana var.
tenuiloba
Hunt Mountain, WY
Kelseya uniflora
Medicine Bow Mountains, Wyoming (3400 m)
Left projector
84
Bellamy Lake, WY
85
Ranunculus eschscholtzii
Right projector
Erythronium grandiflorum
Picea engelmannii
Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Wyoming (2000 – 3200 m)
Left projector
Right projector
86
Split Rock, WY
Cody, WY
87
Old Faithful, WY
88
Physaria didymocarpa
89
Grand Teton, WY
Clematis columbiana var.
columbiana
90
Calypso bulbosa
Rendezvous Mt. WY
91
Townsendia leptotes
Gentiana detonsa
Penstemon deustus
Phacelia sericea
Beartooth Plateau, Wyoming - Montana (2500 – 3334 m)
Most scenic road in USA
Left projector
Right projector
92
Chief Joseph's Highway,
WY
93
Fritillaria pudica
94
Beartooth, WY & MT
95
Polemonium confertum
96
Tundra, WY
97
Douglasia montana
98
Townsendia alpigena
99
Beartooth West Summit,
WY
100
Saxifraga caespitosa
Lesquerella alpina
Eritrichium howardii
Twin Lakes, MT
Draba incerta
Erigeron pinnatisectus
Pedicularis oederi
Kalmia microphylla
Astragalus kentrophytus var.
implexus
Change trays
Saxifraga cernua
Canadian Rockies, Alberta (1800 – 2500 m)
More boreal, northern, & arctic species. Alpine now at 1800 m
Left projector
Right projector
101
Chapman Rock, AL
Cypripedium passerinum
102
Xerophyllum tenax
Xerophyllum tenax
103
Maligne Lake & Spirit Island, AL
Moraine Lake, AL
104
Lake Louise, AL
Mount Lefroy, AL
105
Mt Edith Cavell, AL
Anemone occidentalis
106
Campanula lasiocarpa
Cassiope mertensiana
107
Luetkea pectinata
108
Rhododendron lapponicum
Rubus chamaemorus
109
Silene uralensis
Athabasca Glacier, AL
110
Hedysarum mackenzii
111
Epilobium latifolium
112
Rubus arcticus
113
AGS, Wyoming 1998
Pedicularis kanei
Dryas drummondii
Eriophorum scheuchzeri
Medicine Lake, AL
AGS, Colorado 2000
Possible Floristic History
1. Little direct fossil
evidence – very few
studies
Beringia
plants
Ice-sheets in North
Circum-arctic
plants
2. Low frequency of
endemics
Basin plants
3. Species ranges and
genetic diversity
generally large
Ice-free
mountain
areas
Threats To Survival And Conservation
Live in a period of rapid environmental change – climate,
land-use, atmospheric nitrogen, plant introductions,
mountain developments.
Provide potential threats to the survival of alpines.
Introduced species
Land-use changes
Hydroelectric development
Ski development
Atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Global warming
++ = high threat
+ = some threat
Rockies
+
+
+
++
++
Alps
++
+
+
++
++
- = no likely threat
Final Comments
1. The Rockies have a wonderful, attractive, and interesting flora.
2. Striking differences between the southern and the northern
Rockies in terms of tree-line and extent of alpine zone,
probably due to the major differences in latitude and hence
temperature and also in glacial history.
3. Many areas remain to be explored and documented.
4. Much remains to be brought in cultivation.
5. Rocky alpines, like alpines elsewhere, are threatened by
impacts of 'global change', especially global warming and
atmospheric nitrogen deposition.
6. More to the Rockies than 'yellow composites and nasty Draba'!
7. Fantastic scenery.
What About the Fauna?
Besides pikas, marmots, bears, chipmunks, etc., should
not forget the Western Jackalope!
Acknowledgements
Phil & Gwen Phillips
Loraine Yeatts
Cathy Jenks