Yellowstone's

wild beauties

Recently we introduced you to the wonders of the world's first national park, the Yellowstone National Park situated in the United States of America.

Its rich diversity and beauty leaves many a visitor breathless and totally fascinated. Even though the park's geothermal features are a major attraction, the fauna and flora too never fail to titilate (stimulate) the senses of those who come to the park.

A wide variety of plant species are found at Yellowstone; it boasts of around 1700 species of vascular (plants that contain tissue through which food and water moves) plants and 85 species of conifer alone. Today, we thought of featuring just a few of the beautiful flowers found here. Even though they are not unique (one of its kind) they are rare and a sight to behold.

Fairy Slipper

The name will no doubt immediately bring to mind a delicate looking flower shaped like a fairy's slipper, we often

 see in fairytale books. You are not wrong in picturing such a flower because it really is shaped so, (as you could see in the picture) and in fact , gets its name from the shape.

It is a very rare perennial (lasting more than two years) plant which belongs to the orchid family. It is one of the 12 orchids found in this area, and is considered endangered.

This fascinating terrestrial (land) orchid is native to North America and Eurasia and is the only species in the genus (class).

It is found in Canada, Europe and various other parts of USA.Considered the 'gem of the forest,' this beautiful flower is also known as the Lady slipper, Venus slipper, Hider of the North and the Calypso Bulbosa (in Latin).

According to history, the Latin name Calypso is given after the sea nymph, Kalypso of Homer's Odyssey. It means 'covered or hidden from view.' Like the nymph Kalypso, the plants too are beautiful and prefer secluded areas. The word bulbosa means 'with bulbs.'

The Fairy slipper, which grows from a bulb and is a purplish-pink flower, is about 1.5"- 2" in size, and has a height of 6"-8" inches. The plant produces a single round leaf near the ground. The broad, basal (low) leaf which has a crinkled look, dries up once the flower blooms.

It has a sheathed (covered) stem and a showy, drooping flower comprising three sepals and three petals. While two petals look the same, the centre petal is different. It is like a sac and is called the lip by many. The flowering season is from May to June.

This striking and distinguished flower with a fresh, spicy fragrance grows in wet, boggy coniferous woods or near decayed stumps and logs.

Wyoming paintbrush

A member of the figwart family, it is a parasitic (living off another) plant that uses its roots to penetrate and steal nutrients and water from other plants.

According to Inter-mountain Plan, about 200 species of paintbrush plants mostly grow in North America, though several species are also found in eastern parts of North America and Asia with 15 species growing in Central South America alone. The flowers come in many colours and often the colours represent distinct species.

The plant which also has medicinal value is protected in the park. The flowers blossom in June through July.

The Wyoming paintbrush is usually tall for a paintbrush plant and grows to a height of 18 to 36 inches. The common name for this plant is Narrow leaf paintbrush.

It is also called the Sagebrush and Grass meadow. The plant favours moist areas,

 but is drought tolerant too.

The plant is bright red and shiny and often the red portion is mistaken for the flowers. But, they are actually the leaves.

The narrow, linear leaves with an alternate branching pattern hide the flowers inside each of the loosely to densely clustered upper leaves.

They form scarlet tubulars (tube like leaves) around the flowers which too are tubular and yellow and green in colour. The flowers which are not so attractive, protrude from the scarlet bract (leaf-like and often brightly coloured part of plant, growing before the flower). The stems range in colour from grey to green and crimson to purple.

In 1917 the Wyoming Legislature selected this species as the state flower.

Elephant head

If you look closely at the picture featured here (on the left), you would realise why this spike of tiny pink/purplish flowers which grows in clusters, is so named. A member of the Snapdragon or figwart family, the plant grows to a height of about three feet.

The flowers which are no more than 0.5" in length, not including the trunk-like part, grows in a cluster at the top of the stem. The narrow, green leaves which alternate along the stem resemble fern fronds (leaf or leaf-like part) and grow to about 10 inches in length.

The plant usually grows in wet meadows and near cold streams at elevations between 3000, to 10,000 feet.

Named after its shape which resembles miniature elephants, the flowers bloom generally in August. The petals look like flared ears of an elephant and an upward curved trunk. Some flowers are bright red.

It is also known as Bull elephant, Red elephant or Head little.

Yellow Monkey flower

An erect, slender stemmed annual plant currently placed in the family, Phrymaceae, the Monkey flower is divided

 into two large groups of species. Also known as the Wide throat, Mimulus or Musk flower, it is a highly diverse plant genus of about 150 species.

With brilliant yellow flowers and the plant grows in variable heights ranging from 4 inches to 32 inches.

The flowers which develop on a short stem, blossom from April to July.

The flowers can be few to several in top clusters or solitary, depending on the species.

The leaves too vary from irregular, ovate to rounded or kidney shaped. The plant could be smooth or hairy, sticky or clammy and has a two inch long corolla with a two-lobed upper lip. The calyx is five-cleft and woolly, and about 3/4 of an inch long.

The plant is pollinated by different species of bumblebees in different geographical regions. Though the plant provides a large amount of pollen (fertilising dust or powder) it provides very little nectar as a reward for insect visitors.

Glacier lilly

It is a perennial wild flower which belongs to the lilly family, and is similar to the Avalance Lilly. It is commonly known as the Fawn lilly and Dogtooth.

The flowers are cream to pale yellow or golden in colour, often with a greenish tinge near the base and outer surface. They extend from a single branchless stem which is about 35 cm in height.

The three to six petals which are bell shaped bend sharply backward, and the flower seems to be drooping. The basal leaves are not mottled (marked with blotches). They are narrowly to broadly oblong in shape. Some believe that this flower, which is considered to be rather rare, has only three real petals while the other three are only sepals that resemble petals.

Flowers, in whatever shape, size or colour they bloom in, never fail to capture our attention. They are generally a soothing sight and help us to relax our minds.

They are a gift to us from Mother Nature and we should always protect them because they are a part of our wonderful environment. We hope to bring you more interesting facts about other beautiful wild flowers in our future issue.