Bodacious Botany: Trefoil Fans

We haven’t done pure botany for a while, have we? We found some vibrant specimens of the plant world growing happily in the Muddy River Gorge when we were visiting the south side of Mount St. Helens. Lots of plants seem to be rather thrilled with the lahar that scraped all the old-growth stuff away, opening up lots of opportunity for fine young things.

Image shows two leafy plants. They each have three leaves with ruffly edges.
Mystery Botany I

These were growing in shady areas along the trail. They’re pretty huge, actually, even though they’re not super-tall.

Image shows the same plants. I have my hand next to them for scale. They're about the size of my palm.
Mystery Botany II

This is one thing I’ve always appreciated about the Pacific Northwest: its ability to grow ginormous freaking plants. I know other places grow them as big and bigger, but I’ve not been to those places. I’ve lived in Arizona, where extravagant leaves are a definite liability. When water’s scarce, most plants keep their leaves on the smallish side so as not to lose too much moisture. So coming here and seeing gigantic leaves springing out all over the place has been quite interesting.

Whole banks of these seem to spring up.

Image shows a bank full of the trefoil plants.
Mystery Botany III

I’d be a lot more enchanted with them if I was a botanist. As a geologist, I kinda like them, but I do wish all these green growing things would stop obscuring the rocks. Something tells me they are disinclined to acquiesce to my request.

Image is nothing but the three-leaved plants, along with what seems to be a vine maple.
Mystery Botany IV

B and I are going to try to get back there in the fall, because we saw many things that look like they’ll turn spectacular colors. That’ll sorta make up for the fact that they hide a lot of the pretty rocks.

Right. So there ye go, some nice botany for you to identify. Now, I’m going to give you a choice as to what we’ll feature next: do you want me to do the Trail of Two Forests, the Lahar Viewpoint, or the entire loop around Lava Canyon? I have so much to show you from this trip that I don’t even know where to begin!

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Bodacious Botany: Trefoil Fans
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3 thoughts on “Bodacious Botany: Trefoil Fans

  1. 1

    I think this is Vanilla Leaf–Achlys triphylla. The genus is named for the goddess Mist, the personification of misery and sadness (going way back to Hesiod). And its specific epithet indicates its three leaflets–so very prominent as you have noted. It has narrow spikes of tiny white flowers.

  2. 3

    Harvest a good handful of vanilla leaf, and dry it. Hung up, it releases a mild vanilla scent. Better than spray household deodorants any day!

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