Fireweed
55. WOODLAND PINEDROPSIndian Pipe Family
Pterospora andromedea
In the rich soil of the Ponderosa Pine forest of the high plateaus you may occasionally see this peculiar plant called Pinedrops. It has a single reddish-brown stalk (no green parts at all) about a foot or two high, apparently without leaves (they are mere scales), and numerous round or bell-shaped blossoms or seed pods hanging from short stems. The stalk is generally sticky with a material much like the pitch of the pine trees. It is a parasite that lives on the roots of pine trees.
Woodland Pinedrops
56. YELLOW VIOLETViolet Family
Viola praemorsa
There are five different species of Violets in Zion, two of them with yellow flowers and the others with white or purple. They are found blooming in May or June on the high plateaus or sometimes later in the wet meadows of Cedar Breaks or in shady canyons. Violets are closely related to the cultivated Pansies. The flowers are irregular, as one petal has a saclike spur which contains nectar. They have five sepals, five petals and five stamens. This species is found most commonly in the shady forest, while the purple and white species are more common in the very moist and cool areas of the shady canyons.
Yellow Violet