[The Genus Frasera East of the Cascade Mts.]
Giant Frasera

Frasera speciosa

formerly Swertia speciosa

The photo above shows a close-up of the flower of giant Frasera as seen from Meacham, OR...............June 25, 2008.
Characteristics:

1. 4-petaled flowers have their petals widely reflexed outward. The flowers are whitish to yellow-green, with a dark bluish to purplish mottling.

2. Flowers are located in loose to tight racemes on elongated stems.

3. Stems are thick, erect, and stiff.

4. The basal leaves are linear-oblanceolate in shape, to occasionally spatulate.

5. The cauline (stem) leaves are in whorls of 3 to 5 leaves. They are much reduced upwards on the stem, and linear-oblanceolate in shape. The basal leaves are much larger (3-15 cm long)

Habitat:

A plant of open to wooded slopes and valleys, found well up into the mountains, including in alpine habitats.

Range:

Giant Frasera is found from eastern Washington southwards through eastern Oregon into California and to northern Mexico, and extending eastward to the Dakotas and New Mexico.

Sideview of flower of Frasera speciosa

The photo above shows a close-up sideview of the flower of giant Frasera as seen from Meacham, OR...............June 25, 2008.

Sideview of calyx and petals of Frasera speciosa

The photo above shows a close-up of the calyx and petals of giant Frasera as seen from Meacham, OR...............June 25, 2008.

Frasera speciosa

The photo above shows giant Frasera as seen from a grassy slope just east of Meacham, OR...............June 25, 2008.

Frasera speciosa

The photo above shows a close-up of the flower of giant Frasera from the Steens Mt, central Oregon............late June, 1997.

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Giant frasera asseen near the summit of the Steens Mt............. August 3, 1995.
Paul Slichter