RICHARDSON MOUNTAINS
Contributed by Alan Tracey
FACTS
Country: Canada
Location: Dempster Highway, Yukon Territory
Round trip: Varies
Start elevation: Varies
Final Elevation: Varies
Map: Yukon Road Maps: Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada, Topographical maps (1:50000).
GETTING THERE
From Whitehorse, Yukon, take the Klondike Highway north to about 45 km southeast of Dawson City, then north on the Dempster highway which is an all-weather gravel road.
PARTIAL PLANT LIST
Anemone multiceps
Astragalus umbellatus
Castilleja elegans
Dodecatheon frigida
Douglasia arctica
Loiseleuria procumbens
Minuarta arctica
Minuarta macrocarpa
Oxytropis nigrescens
Papaver lapponicum
Papaver mcconnelli
Petasites frigidus
Polygonum bistorta
Phlox alaskensis
Polemonium acutiflorum
Ranunculus nivalis
Senecio kjellmanii
(S. atropurpureus ssp. tomentosus)
Spiraea beauverdiana
Salix chamisoonnis
Thlaspi arcticum
Viola epipsila ssp. repens
The western slopes of the Richardson mountains were not glaciated, and relict plant species are frequently encountered in this area. About 2 million years of arctic weathering has smoothed many of the mountains. The bedrock is predominantly sedimentary in composition and the soil derives principally from the associated bedrock. Outcrops are common and generally provide a rich diversity of flowering plants. Such diverse plants as Silene acaulis, Phlox alaskensis, Synthyris borealis, Potentilla uniflora, and Papaver mcconnelli are readily located in such areas while in associated herbmats, willows, anemones, ranunculus, pedicularis and numerous other flowering plants of a variety of species are common.
RICHARDSON MOUNTAINS GALLERY.
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