Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea)
Snow Plant is the free-thinking radical of wildflower society, eschewing photosynthesis altogether in favor of a symbiotic relationship with underground fungi. As a result, the entire aboveground section of the plant is free to be a traffic-stopping bright red. Snow plant is equally spectacular when it's blooming or when, like the specimen above, it's just poked above the soil.
Snow Plant is named for its color, which is said to resemble snow over which a bear has just vivisected an unwary tourist. *
Habitat: Humus-rich, shady areas from 4,000 - 9,000 feet. You can find it along Highway 41 near Glacier Point Road, along Glacier Point Road itself, and along Tioga Road near Crane Flat.
Size: The tube-shaped flowers are less than an inch in diameter. The plant ranges from 6 - 12 inches tall.
Flowering Season: May - July
This Photo: Along Highway 41 near the Glacier Point Road turnoff, May 20, 2005. Elevation around 6,000 feet.
* Some people claim instead that Snow Plant got its name because it's one of the first spring flowers to appear, just after snowmelt. Are you really going to believe that theory?
More Snow Plants
 Young Snow Plant |
 Blooming Snow Plant |
 More Blooms |