Editing Sanders County, Montana (section)

===Flora===
Sanders County is part of the mountainous western third of Montana. It lies entirely on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains with a [[mixed coniferous forest]] dominating the plant community. Douglas fir/Ponderosa pine (Montana state tree) climax plant community dominate much of the county, but there are numerous other conifers found there as well in pockets of micro-climates suited to their needs. These include [[Western red cedar]], Western Hemlock, Mountain Hemlock, White Spruce, Subalpine Fir, Grand Fir, Western White Pine, Lodgepole Pine and one of the most spectacular, [[Western larch]], one of a handful of deciduous conifers that turn gold in the autumn before dropping their needles.

Numerous broadleaf species proliferate in Sanders County: [[Rocky Mountain Maple]], Red Alder, Paperbark Birch, Chokecherry, cottonwood, and poplar.

Arguably the most popular broad-leaf shrub in Sanders County is the Rocky Mountain huckleberry (''[[Vaccinium membranaceum]]''). Trout Creek, Montana 59874 is considered the "Huckleberry Capital of Montana" and holds an annual huckleberry celebration in August. Though related to the common blueberry (''[[Vaccinium corymbosum]]'') very few have managed to grow Rocky Mountain huckleberry in domestic cultivation. It is found in plant communities with beargrass (''[[Xerophyllum tenax]]''), a perennial found in burned or logged-over areas of the county's mountains.

The [[bitterroot]] (''Lewisia rediviva''), the state flower, is found in limited quantities in Sanders County.