juniperus communis

March 16, 2013
Up on the western sidehill of Kusawa lake.

Cody distinguishes  between two ssp of the Juniperus communis in the Yukon.
I cannot find that distinction elsewhere on the Internet . The Juniper communis an extremely varied species over the world.

I know believe what Cody distinquishes as the Juniperus communis ssp alpina, where he states the glaucous stomatal band is broader then the green margin.  ( which when you look it is) Elswhere on the Internet i can only find that what i am looking at is the Juniperus communis ssp depressa.

added  April 2023 a comment on inat from Bruce:We have supposedly 2 varieties, although they tend to blend here. See Adams 2019 Juniperus of Canada and the United States: Taxonomy, Key and Distribution which discusses var. kelleyi. IN variety kelleyi the white band on the needles is wider, the needles are curved and the fruit is larger than the needles. Most of what I have seen in Yukon is called variety depressa with long straight needles.

comandra

Geocaulon lividum

Santalaceae sandelwood family

Northern Comandra

Timberberry

August 2012

everywhere in the forest around here in Mendenhal subdivision

lividum - ? lead color, pale

also called dogberry, it is edible, but not palatable

June 29, 2016. in the forest here in mendenhall subd. I often see affected plants.

The Geocaulon lividum is a parasitic species, living on the roots of kinnikinnick or asters, that seems possible, see  the kinnikinnick in the picture. Yet upon reading here on the Internet, it links the yellow veins to Pine blister. which needs two hosts to live. As there are no pines around here, this seems implausible to me.

cloud berry

Rubus chamaemorous
Rosaecea rose family
June 15 2012
beneath nipple mountain

kinnikinnick

May 26 2012  mountain behind mendenhall subdivision

May 26 2013, in the subdivision

the berries stay on.

soap berry

sept 4 2012

They taste sweet at first and then there is this burst...of soapberry taste

and i have been using them to do dishes, and they actually work quite well

female flowers ( the ones producing berries)

Sheperdia canadenssis
Elaeagnaceae oleaster family

 photo taken on the hill here in Mendenhall subdivision May 12 2012
 It is blooming now, It's berries are bright red I do not pick the berries they are very tart, some people do make indian icecream with them. i do not know anybody who likes it. Yet to nibble on one berry is kind of refreshing, i will describe the taste in the fall when actually nibbling
 Shepherdia named after English botanist, W. Shepherd, 1764-1836
and soapberry because this berry contains saponin.

male flowers

a close up from the flower on May 27 2012,
update july 2016, as i have many soapberry bushes in the yard, and use them for doing dishes, I learn that they are dioecious yet i wonder in what way, because, the same plant will one year produce fruits and other years not and the other way around. The one closest to the house around the old swing poplar, hardly ever has fruit but does so , lots, this year ( 2016)

Juniperus horizontalis

sept.2012

on the bluffs along mendenhall river meadows

creeping juniper
The male flowers (top) on separate plants as the female flowers (bottom).
It apparently takes 18 months for the berries to ripen, and become a purple/blue berry.

the two bottom photos taken on May 11 2012 on the high banks of the Takhini river

Juniper

Juniperis horizontalis