#gray's lovage

Many wildflower plants are making the shift from blooms to seedheads or berries in the subalpine meadows, but some late-season wildflowers can still be found. Mountain bog gentian (Gentiana calycosa) is having a big year in subalpine meadows around Paradise as well as at Mowich Lake. Other common late-season wildflowers include pearly everlasting and fireweed.

Remember to please stay on trail! It doesn’t take many steps to trample the wildflowers you are coming to see. Many trails offer great opportunities for that perfect mountain + wildflower photo. Where are you finding wildflowers?

For updates on what’s blooming where visit https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflower

Unfamiliar with Mount Rainier’s wildflower species? Check out the wildflower guide at https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflowerGuide

Landscape Language

Umbel (noun) – a curved or flat-topped flower cluster where flower stalks arise from same point

Last week’s post featured a raceme type of flower, which has blooms arranged in a line along a stem. Another type of inflorescence (flower cluster) is called an umbel. An umbel has numerous stems that originate from the same point to form a flat or curved cluster of flowers, like an umbrella. Gray’s lovage (Ligusticum grayi) has compound umbel flowers: each inflorescence is made up of several umbels. Gray’s lovage is a common subalpine wildflower.

Gray’s lovage (Ligusticum grayi) can be overlooked when it is just one of many wildflowers in a subalpine meadow. However, this late-season wildflower can have big clusters of white flowers on branched stems up to 36 in (91 cm) high. This patch was found thriving on the shores of Mowich Lake, but Gray’s lovage can be found throughout the park in wetter mid-to-subalpine elevations.  

For updates on what’s blooming where check out https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm