 |
Plants
of the Lewis and Clark Trail Clearwater National Forest  |
One of the responsibilities given to Lewis and Clark before their epic journey west was to study the flora and fauna of the United States' newly aquired land. They collected hundreds of plant speciemens with approximately 170 being new to science.
As a tribute to their efforts,
several species are named for them.
 |
When they
crossed the Bitterroot and Clearwater Mountains in the fall of 1805
they probably did not make much note of the flora. This would have
been due to the lateness of the season and their desperate situation.
However, while waiting in the valleys and prairies to cross the mountains on their return trip, they would have witnessed a plethora of diverse plants in bloom. |
The Clearwater Basin of north central Idaho has very diverse life zones ranging from high subalpine and timberline plant communities to hot and arid basalt canyon grasslands. The forests can be dry or moist. Even coastal plant communities are disjunct here due to the warm, moist characteristics of parts of the region.
The highest elevations
are near timberline and support open subalpine parklands and cool forests
such as subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, Engelman spruce and lodgepole
pine. The middle elevations are dominated by grand fir and Douglas fir,
which are slightly drier species. At these middle and upper elevations,
grasslands are not uncommon. These sites occur along the higher portions
of the trail traveled by Lewis and Clark. Some plants in the area are
limited to these places.
| Further down the slope western redcedar forests become dominant. These moist communities support lush vegetation and in warmer areas hold many species typically found west of the Cascade Mountains. Western redcedar forests are common over much of the Clearwater National Forest, but on the Lewis and Clark Trail they are most often found in the Lolo and Eldorado drainages and adjacent areas in the southwest portion of the Forest. These forests are also frequent along Highway 12 for much of its length along the Lochsa River. |
 |
Grand fir, Douglas
fir and Ponderosa pine can dominate drier aspects throughout the area.
The mainstem of the Clearwater River is the site of Douglas fir forests
that eventually give way to Ponderosa pine forests further downstream
to the west as moisture becomes more limited. This change happens faster
on the north side of the river due to the warmer aspects on the south-facing
slopes. Flowering shrubs are abundant in this area and contribute greatly
to the wildflower display.
 |
As the trees fade out the shrubs generally continue until open grasslands in the exposed basalt canyons dominate the vicinity of Lapwai and Lewiston. Here shrubs and occasional trees are found on moist aspects only. Occasionally small grassy openings or shrublands can be found further upstream in the moister forests. These usually occur as a result of edaphic (soil) features and the plant communities found here have many unique species. |
The final significant plant community would the meadow communities. Wet, shrubby riparian meadows have a distinct flora and the broad camas meadows in the vicinity of Weippe have cultural significance.
Following are
approximately 275 plant species that would be visible somewhere along
the Lewis and Clark Trail or to the interested traveler along Highway
12. The flowers are grouped by life form and flower color to create more
manageable categories and to aid in identification. Each species photo
has a short statement about where the plant may occur in the area and
when it is in bloom. This information is approximate and may be variable
depending upon the season, level of spring rains, elevation and other
site factors.
 |
Please
note: Some of the
plants in the Clearwater Basin are rare. Reasons for this rarity range
from the species' own biology, to competition from the advance of weeds
that have displaced native species from hundreds of thousands of acres
in the basin.
Please do not pick the wildflowers.
Doing so will further the decline of some species and deprive other people
of the enjoyment of seeing them. Also, by accidentally picking weedy species,
one may aid weed dispersal and invasion of desirable plant communities.
Please consider taking photos rather than picking. Thank you.
Life Form Species List by Flower Color:
Shrubs with:
Forbs with:
Ferns and Allies