The Siskiyou Wild Rivers area in southwestern Oregon is one of the few regions in the lower 48 with such extraordinary biodiversity. This week's featured wildflower is actually a member of the rose family.

Partridge Foot, Luetkea pectinata

When hiking in the high Cascades and higher elevations of the Klamath-Siskiyous, look where late melting snow is replaced with clusters of cream colored flowers and multi-lobed leaves to see an alpine plant known as Partridge Foot, Luetkea pectinata.

Partridge Foot, which ranges as far north as Alaska, was named for Russian sea captain, geographer, and Arctic explorer Count Fedor Petrovich Lütke (1797-1882).  With botanist Heinrich Mertens (for whom Mt. Hemlock trees, Tsuga mertensiana, and other northwest plant species were named) Count Lütke made a globe circling, exploratory voyage between 1826-29.

Partridge Foot, is considered a "sub-shrub" whose runners or rhizomes form mats, securing delicate alpine soils. Classified in the Rose Family, if you look really close, you will notice that the flowers have approx 20 stamens, and 4 to 6 follicles (pistils) in the center of each individual flower.