On the southern slopes of Grouse
Mountain grows an interesting plant,
the Newberrya congesta Torr. It is a
saprophyte, that is, a plant which lives
on dead organic matter.

Its flowers arise in a dense cluster,
but stand very little above the ground.
They are of a fleshy pink color. Be-
cause of its lowly growth, and rather
quiet colouring, it 1s an inconspicuous
plant in the gloom of the forest.

Another plant of the same family is
Pterospora andromedea Nutt., or Pine
drops. It is a root parasite, and occurs
under pine or fir trees near, or in the
dry belt of the Interior. Its dark brown
or purplish stems which are from one
to three feet in height, are covered
with glandular and viscid pubescent
scales. It bears long racemes of whitish flowers. The Indians of the Interior
regard it with dread, as boding no good to the observer. In the same way,
amongst the Coast Indians, the Indian Pipe, Monotropa uniflora L. has an
evil reputation. It is a plant of the same family.

NEWBERRYA CONGESTA

One of the most interesting of our wild raspberries was noted on Mount
Hopeless in the Hope Mountains. Unlike the common raspberry, it is trailing.
Its flowers are white, and its fruit is yellow, the flavour of which is of a fine
quality.

Henry says it may be looked for in the Cascade Mountains. So far, this is
our only record of it in B. C. Its botanical name is Rubus lasiococcus A
Gray.

A common perennial of our gardens is the Bugbane. It blooms in the fall.
Our local plant is Cimicifuga elata Nutt. Its vulgar name indicates that it
possesses the virtue of driving away bugs. Certainly, its odor would suggest
some such quality. Its peculiarly curved raceme of white flowers makes it
easy of identification. Our record of it comes from the base of Mount
Liumchum, not far from where it was originally recorded, at Mount Cheam.

Some of the common Knot weeds may become very troublesome in our
gardens, but there is one, known as the Polygonum Kelloggii, Green, which
will never be. This rare plant is recorded in B. C. from the Botanie valley
near Lytton, only. It is an Annual, and grows at an altitude of 4,500 feet,
where its rosy pink compact flowers immediately attract the eye. It delights
in situations which are depressed, and tending to dampness. In the United
States it occurs in Colorado and in California.

Everyone is acquainted, I am sure with our salal, which is highly prized at
Kew Gardens; few, however, know of the existence of its small prostrate
relation which grows very near the Grouse Mountain Chalet. It is known to
botanists as Gaultheria ovatifolia Gray. The name is derived from the French
Naturalist Gaultier. It occurs also at Garibaldi. Its solitary pinkish bell-
shaped flowers arise from the axils of the leaves, and its bright scarlet, fine-
flavoured fruit must not be mistaken for the fruit of our small dogwood,
with which it is frequently associated.

A member of the buttercup family, (Ranunculaceae) commonly known by
the Old English name of “The Traveller’s Joy” must not be forgotten. It is
very common in the Dry Belt of the Interior. Though the flowers of this
plant are usually creamy white, those of our native plant are of a beautiful
violet blue. We found our specimen on a creek-side above Spence’s Bridge.
Its botanical name is Clematis Douglasii Hook.

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