Denali National Park, in Alaska, contains over 450 different species of plants, 54 of which are flowering plants. Most people consider the flowering plants to be wildflowers but botanists have classified them as herbaceous flowering plants or forbs. Alaska's state flower--the Alpine forget-me-not--poppies, gentian, goldenrod, fireweed, larkspur and lupine are widespread in Denali National Park. Many times, people hiking through the park will take pictures of the flowers and take notes of their height and other features. Once they return home, they compare their pictures to a flower guide to identify what flowers they encountered on their trip.
The Alpine forget-me-not can be easily identified by its fragrance during the evening and nighttime. This flower grows between six to 12 inches tall. The Alpine forget-me-not's blooms are generally a pale blue and comprised of five petals with a yellow or white center.
According to the National Park Service, Denali has over 59 species of flowers in the aster family. These wildflowers can be identified by their purple flowers and resemblance to garden asters. Each flower is comprised of over two dozen narrow petals. Asters have unbranched stems that grow up to four feet tall. Other wildflowers that can be identified are buttercups, pinks and saxifrage.
Fireweed can be found growing along the roads in Denali National Park and in clearings. One main identifying feature of the fireweed is that it can grow anywhere from one foot to seven feet tall. The flowers that bloom along the plant's shaft appear as a lavender or mauve color.
Lupine is a spiky plant and is able to grow very tall, much like the fireweed. Its fat purple, white and red flowers distinguish the lupine from other plants in Denali National Park and it is similar to the gladiolus. Lupine is one of Alaska's most poisonous plants, if eaten.
The Alaska poppy found in Denali National Park generally grows between six and 12 inches tall. The poppy grows a pale yellow flower, comprised of four petals that almost create a cup. One distinctive feature of the poppy is that it turns its petals to follow the sun.
