Spring wildflowers of Palouse grasslands
Among the clumps of bunchgrasses in the grasslands of the Palouse are various herbaceous perennials, many of which have showy flowers. Herbaceous perennials do not have woody stems above ground, but they grow and flower year after year. Herbaceous perennial plants have underground structures (stems and roots, which can be very large) that store enough energy through the hot summer and winter to grow new leaves and flowers each spring. When the weather warms, the snow melts, and the spring rains come, these plants send up new shoots from underground. The flowers bloom, in some cases as early as February. In July, most herbaceous perennials of the Palouse grassland look dead because above-ground parts have dried and withered; however, these plants have not died, they are dormant. If we look underground, we find thick stems, which store nutrients and water, and on these stems are tiny buds that hold the branches and leaves that will come above-ground during the next growing season.
The common native wildflowers of Palouse grasslands include blue-eyed grass (Sisirynchium inflatum), prairie stars (Lithophragma species), several species of biscuitroot (Lomatium), arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) shooting stars (Dodecatheon species), Douglasıs brodiaea (Triteleia grandiflora), bluebells (Mertensia longiflora), red kittentail (Besseya rubra), and prairie smoke (Geum triflorum).
Sisyrinchium inflatum |
Lithophragma parviflora |
Lomatium grayi |
Balsamorhiza sagittata |
Dodecatheon cusickii |
Triteleia grandiflora |
Mertensia longiflora |
Besseya rubra |
Geum triflorum |
