Growing
Zones
 ALPINE
(above 10,000 feet)
Above treeline, plants adapt to wind, snow, and lack of
soil by growing close to the ground. Alpine plants take
advantage of a brief growing season by flowering soon after
the snow melts. Some species grow only in the alpine area;
others grow tall at lower elevations but are dwarfed in
the alpine.
CANYONS
AND SUB-ALPINE (7,000 – 10,000 feet )
Between the crags of the Tetons, Ice Age glaciers have
carved deep canyons. Today the canyons contain dense conifer
forests and open meadows of wildflowers. As elevation
increases, wildflowers abound while trees become stunted
and eventually shrublike. “Krummholz” (German
for “crooked wood”) plants are dwarfed forms
that are treelike at lower elevations.
VALLEY (6,400 – 7,000 feet)
Porous valley soils support plants able to tolerate hot
and dry conditions. In addition to abundant sagebrush,
numerous wildflowers and grasses grow. During June and
July, a profusion of color enlivens the valley: the yellow
of balsamroot, the blue of lupine, and the red of gilia.
During August, sunflowers replace balsamroot.
Common
Trees
 Most
of the trees in the park are conifers because of the short
growing season. Conifers retain their leaves (needles)
throughout the year and can produce food (photosynthesize)
on warm spring days. Deciduous trees shed their leaves
in the fall and must grow new ones each spring before
they can photosynthesize. Aspens and cottonwoods have
chlorophyll in the bark and so can photosynthesize before
produc-ing leaves.
Lodgepole
pine, the most obvious and abundant conifer in the
park and parkway, grows on the lower slopes of the Tetons
and on well-drained glacial soils throughout the valley.
Needles are 2 – 3 inches long, clustered in bundles
of two; cones are 1 – 2 inches long.
Douglas fir inhabits dry, south- and east-facing
slopes, although dense stands of young trees grow on some
north-facing slopes. Large diameter trees have coarse,
furrowed bark.
Subalpine fir occurs on wetter north-facing valley
sites and at higher elevations in the mountains. Smooth
bark and spire-like growth form identify subalpine fir.
Needles occur singly and feel soft. Cones grow upright
on branches.
Engelmann spruce occurs with subalpine fir, especially
along creeks in the canyons between Teton peaks. Rough
bark and abundant cones hanging down from upper branches
identify Engelmann spruce. Cones have papery scales and
are 1 1/2 inches long.
Blue spruce lines rivers and creeks in the valley.
Cones have papery scales and are twice as large as those
found on Engel-mann spruce. Spruce needles occur singly
and are sharp to the touch.
Individual limber pines grow on open, dry valley
sites. Needles grow in bundles of five. Cones are 4 –
8 inches long.
Whitebark pine grows above 8,000 feet in the mountains.
Needles are in bundles of five. Cones are purple and shorter
than those of limber pine. Aspen grows in stands on level,
moist sites and on dry slopes.
Aspen bark is smooth and cream-colored. Reproduction
is primarily from shoots sprouting from horizontal roots.
Common Shrubs
Cottonwoods, close relatives of aspens, grow along
rivers and creeks in the valley and lower parts of mountain
canyons. Bark on mature trees is heavily furrowed. The
species that occur in the park—lanceleaf cottonwood,
narrowleaf cottonwood and balsam poplar—hybridize
freely, so identifi-cation of individual species may be
difficult.
Common
Plants
 Enjoy
the wildflowers but please leave them for others to
appreciate also. Picking wildflowers is prohibited within
Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller,
Jr., Memorial Parkway. Edible berries, plants and mushrooms
may be gathered by hand for personal daily consumption.
Please be certain of plant identification before eating
parts of any wild plants.
Big
sagebrush thrives in dry habitats and carpets most
of the valley floor. Plants are one to five feet tall;
leaves are grayish green. Tiny yellow flowers bloom in
August.
Antelope bitterbrush occurs with sage-brush in
the southern half of Jackson Hole. Bitterbrush grows to
three feet tall. Cream-colored flowers bloom in June.
Huckleberry grows two to four feet tall in lodgepole
pine forests in the valley and mountain canyons. Purple
berries are produced in August.
Serviceberry grows to ten feet tall. Showy white
flowers bloom in spring, producing purple berries by late
summer.
Chokecherry is a large shrub that grows to twenty
feet tall. Cylindrical clusters of showy white flowers
bloom in spring.
Utah honeysuckle grows in open lodgepole pine forests.
Leaves are opposite. Paired cream-colored flowers bloom
in early June, producing fused red unpalatable berries.
Mountain ash grows on the lower slopes of the Tetons.
This tall shrub has compound leaves. Flat-topped clusters
of white flowers bloom in June. In fall bright orange
fruits complement vivid red leaves.
Willows occur in moist areas, especially along
stream banks. Twenty species are found in the park and
parkway.
Snowbrush ceanothus thrives in burned areas. Shiny,
leathery green leaves are retained through winter. Clusters
of aromatic white flowers bloom in June.
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