I walked to the top of Saddle Mtn, mid-day Sunday, with one
of my sons. Very little bird activity, one Siskin calling in flight about
halfway between parking lot and summit. I was pleasantly surprised
to find some species of woody plant that I'd never seen before and
don't know the name of. It was widespread on sunny parts of the saddle, with a
large patch on the grassy slope below the north summit. Hard, lanceolate
leaves that appear to be evergreen, rather erect, on twigless erect stems
that grow waist high. At the top of these wiry stems were hard, yellow waxy
fruits, always in five segments, each segment spherical, the fruit saucerlike,
with a
a pistil looking thing sticking up in the middle.
If this description doesn't inspire recognition in someone I'll try to get
the
pictures my son took. I assume it's a native species. It's been a long time
since I saw a woody plant in nw Oregon I don't know.
Lars
