Chapter V: RED

[_Red or occasionally or partially red flowers not described in the Red Section._

_Described in the Yellow Section_:--

ANAGALLIS ARVENSIS--Pimpernel.
MECONOPSIS HETEROPHYLLA--Wind-Poppy.
MIMULUS GLUTINOSUS--Sticky Monkey-Flower.
OPUNTIA ENGELMANNI--Prickly Pear.]
COTYLEDON PULVERULENTA.

INDIAN WARRIOR.

_Pedicularis densiflora_, Benth. Figwort Family.

Root woody. _Stems._--Six to twenty inches high.
_Leaves._--Alternate; oblong-lanceolate; pinnate; leaflets
lobed and toothed; diminishing into the flower-bracts.
_Calyx._--Campanulate; five-toothed. _Corolla._--Club-shaped,
bent downward above the calyx and oblique to it; one inch long;
the two upper lobes united and containing the stamens; the
three lower mere teeth. _Stamens._--Four. Style filiform;
exserted. _Ovary._--Two-celled. _Hab._--Throughout Western
California.

These blossoms, which come early in the season, seem "warmed with the new wine of the year." They often stand in little companies in openings among the trees, and the rays of the afternoon sun slanting in upon them brighten and vivify them into a rich, warm claret-color. The leaves, finely dissected, like certain fern-fronds, are often of a bronze tone, which harmonizes finely with the flowers.

To the casual observer, this flower resembles the Indian paint-brush. In reality, it belongs to a closely allied genus. But in this blossom the bracts do not constitute the brilliant part of the inflorescence, and the calyx, instead of being the showy, sheathing envelop it is in the paint-brush, is quite small and inconspicuous.

Mrs. Blochman has quaintly and aptly alluded to the corolla of this flower as a long and slender mitten, just fit for some high-born fairy's hand.

Among the children of our mountain districts this flower is known as "Indian warrior."

WILD GOOSEBERRY.

_Ribes Menziesii_, Pursh. Saxifrage Family.

Shrubs two to six feet high, with naked glandular-bristly or
prickly branches and stout triple thorns under the fascicled
leaves. _Peduncles._--With one or two drooping, Fuchsia-like
flowers. _Calyx._--Half an inch long; garnet; the five oblong
lobes somewhat longer than the tube, but hardly longer than the
stamens, which surpass the five white petals with inrolled
edges. Styles exserted. Anthers sagittate. _Berry._--Four to
six lines in diameter; thickly covered with long prickles.
(Otherwise as _Ribes glutinosum_.) _Hab._--From San Diego to
Humboldt County; also in the Sierras.

The wild gooseberry, considered as a fruit, is very disappointing, as its large, prickly berries are composed mostly of skin and seeds. But as an ornamental shrub it is very pleasing. In February its long, thorny branches are densely clothed with small but rich green leaves, under which hang the perfect little miniature red and white Fuchsias.

A closely allied species--_R. subvestitum_, Hook. and Arn.,--has long exserted filaments and glandular-prickly berries.

FUCHSIA-FLOWERED GOOSEBERRY.

_Ribes speciosum_, Pursh. Saxifrage Family.

Shrubs six to ten feet high, with spreading branches, armed
with large triple thorns. _Leaves._--Evergreen; three- to
five-lobed; an inch or so long. _Flowers._--Bright cardinal; an
inch long. _Calyx._--Petaloid; its tube adnate to the ovary;
the limb is usually five-cleft (sometimes four). _Petals._--On
the sinuses of the calyx. _Stamens._--As many as the petals;
twice the length of the calyx. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style
two-cleft. _Fruit._--A dry, densely glandular berry.
_Hab._--From Monterey to San Diego.

One of the most charming shrubs to be found in the southern part of the State is the Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry. Early in the season the long sprays of its spreading branches are thickly hung with the beautiful drooping cardinal flowers, which gleam against the rich green of the glossy leaves. The stems often rival the flowers in brilliance of coloring, but they harbor a multitude of formidable thorns which serve to cool our impetuous desire to possess ourselves of the blossoms. Though far more brilliant than the flowers of _R. subvestitum_, these are not so truly counterparts in miniature of the garden Fuchsia as they.

WILD PEONY.

_Paeonia Brownii_, Dougl. Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.

Coarse, leathery herbs, with woody roots. _Stems._--Stout;
branched; ten to eighteen inches high. _Leaves._--Alternate;
once- or twice- ternately compound; the leaflets ternately lobed.
_Flowers._--Solitary; _Sepals._--Green; often with leaflike
appendages. _Petals._--Five to ten; dark red.
_Stamens._--Numerous. _Pistils._--Two to five; becoming
leathery follicles. _Hab._--Almost throughout California.

Our wild peony, which is the only species of North America, grows through a wide range of territory, from the hot plains of the south to the region of perpetual snow in the mountains of the north. As might be expected, it manifests considerable variation in form and character. Indeed, some authors have thought these variations sufficiently marked to warrant the division of the species into two.

After the first rains in the south, the plant pushes up its broad, scarlet-tipped leaves, and by January, or earlier, produces its flowers, which are deep red, shading almost into black, an inch or so across, and quite fragrant. These blossoms are at first erect; but as the seed-vessels mature, the stems begin to droop, till the fruit rests upon the ground.

The Spanish-Californians consider the thick root an excellent remedy for dyspepsia, when eaten raw; while the Indians of the south use it, powdered or made into a decoction, for colds, sore throat, etc. In the north its leaves are reputed to be poisonous to the touch.

In some localities it is known as "Christmas-rose," and in others the children call its dark, round flowers "nigger-heads." In the mountains it blossoms in June and July near snow-banks.

CALIFORNIAN FIGWORT. CALIFORNIAN BEE-PLANT.

_Scrophularia Californica_, Cham. Figwort Family.

_Stems._--Two to five feet high; angled.
_Leaves._--Oblong-ovate or oblong-triangular; two or more
inches long. _Flowers._--Small; dull red; three to five lines
long; in loose terminal panicles. _Calyx._--Five-lobed.
_Corolla._--Bilabiate; upper lip four-lobed; lower of one lobe.
_Stamens._--Four perfect; in pairs; and a fifth scalelike,
rudimentary one. _Ovary._--Two-celled. Style exserted.
_Hab._--Almost throughout the State.

The tall stems of the Californian figwort are common along roadsides, and become especially rank and luxuriant where the soil has been freshly stirred. The plants are so plentiful and so plebeian in appearance, that we are apt to class them in the category of weeds; but the fact that their little corollas are almost always stored abundantly with honey for the bees, saves them from this reproachful title.

They are cultivated by the keepers of bees. The odd, little dull-red or greenish flowers have a knowing look, which is enhanced by two of the stamens, which project just over the lower rim of the corolla, like the front teeth of some tiny rodent.

FALSE ALUM-ROOT.

_Tellima grandiflora_, R. Br. Saxifrage Family.

_Radical-leaves._--Long-petioled. _Stem-leaves._--With shorter
petioles, round-cordate; variously lobed and toothed; very
hairy, with coarse, bristle-like hairs; two to four inches
across. _Stems._--One to three feet high. _Flowers._--In long
racemes; on short pedicels; green or rose-color.
_Calyx._--Campanulate; five-toothed; ribbed; three to six lines
long; adnate to the ovary below. _Petals._--Five; short-clawed;
slashed above; two or three lines long; on the calyx.
_Stamens._--Ten; very short. _Ovary._--One-celled; with a
disklike summit, tapering into two stout styles with large
capitate stigmas. _Hab._--From Santa Cruz to Alaska.

This robust plant bears no resemblance to its delicate relative, _T. affinis_. It is far more like the alum-root in habit and appearance, and its leaves are prettily blotched in the same manner. It grows along rich banks by shaded roads, and blooms from early spring onward. Its tall racemes of either rose-colored or greenish, obscure flowers look rather like the promise of something to come than a present fulfillment. The petals are small and inconspicuous at a distance; but when closely examined, reveal a delicacy and beauty of form entirely unsuspected.

INDIAN PAINT-BRUSH. SCARLET PAINT-BRUSH.

_Castilleia parviflora_, Bong. Figwort Family.

Hairy, at least above; six inches to two feet high.
_Leaves._--Laciniate-cleft or incised; sometimes entire; two
inches or so long; mostly alternate. _Flowers._--With
conspicuous colored bracts. _Calyx._--Tubular; about equally
cleft before and behind; tinged with scarlet or yellow.
_Corolla._--Tubular; six lines to over an inch long; the upper
lip equaling the tube; the lower very short; three-toothed; the
whole tinged with red or yellow. _Stamens._--Four; inclosed in
the upper lip. _Ovary._--Two-celled. Style long; exserted.
_Hab._--Throughout California.

Scarlet flowers are so rare, and nature is so chary of that beautiful hue, that these blossoms are especially welcome. Their dense tufts make brilliant dashes of color, which are very noticeable amid the vivid greens of springtime. Strange to say, most of their brilliancy is due not to the corollas, but to the large petal-like bracts under the flowers and to the calyxes. In the vicinity of the seashore these blossoms may be found at almost any time of the year, while inland they have their season of bloom in the spring, resting for the most part during the summer.

They are known in some localities as "Indian plume." The specific name is a very misleading one--for these flowers, far from being small, are in reality comparatively large and fine. The species was probably first named from poor or depauperate specimens. It is in every way a larger, more showy flower than the closely allied species--_C. coccinea_, Spreng.--of the East, commonly known as the "painted cup."

We have a number of species closely resembling one another. _C. foliolosa_, Hook. and Arn., may be easily recognized by its white-woolly stems and foliage.

NORTHERN SCARLET LARKSPUR. CHRISTMAS-HORNS.

_Delphinium nudicaule_, Torr. and Gray. Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.

_Stems._--A foot or two high; naked or very few-leaved.
_Leaves._--One to three inches in diameter; deeply three- to
five-cleft, or barely parted into obovate or cuneate divisions.
_Flowers._--Scarlet; in loose, open racemes; on pedicels two to
four inches long. _Sepals._--Five; petaloid; the upper
prolonged upward into a spur containing the smaller spurs of
the two upper petals. Spur six to nine lines long.
_Petals._--Usually four; the two lateral small, not spurred.
_Stamens._--Many. _Pistils._--Mostly three; becoming divergent
follicles. _Hab._--The Coast Ranges from San Luis Obispo to
Oregon.

Though not so intensely brilliant and striking as the southern scarlet larkspur, this is a delightful flower, the sight of which gracing some rocky cañon-wall or making flecks of flame amid the grass, gives us a thrill of pleasure. It would require no great stretch of the imagination to fancy these blossoms a company of pert little red-coated elves clambering over the loose, slender stems. In our childhood we used to hear them called "Christmas-horns."

SCARLET FRITILLARY.

_Fritillaria recurva_, Benth. Lily Family.

Bulb as in _F. lanceolata_. _Stems._--Eight to eighteen inches
high; one- to nine-flowered. _Flowers._--Scarlet outside;
yellow, spotted with scarlet, within. _Perianth._--Campanulate;
urn-shaped. _Segments._--Twelve to eighteen lines long; with
recurved tips. _Stamens_ and style not quite equaling the
segments. _Capsule._--Rather obtusely angled. (Otherwise as _F.
lanceolata_.) _Hab._--The Sierras, from Placer County northward
into Oregon.

The scarlet fritillary is without doubt the most beautiful of all our species. It is a wonderful blossom, which seems as much of a marvel to us every time we behold it as it did at first. Usually there are from one to nine of the brilliant bells; but the effect can be imagined when as many as thirty-five have been seen upon a single stem!

_F. coccinea_, Greene, is another beautiful scarlet-and-yellow species, found in the mountains of Sonoma and Napa Counties. This has from one to four flowers, which are an inch long, with simple campanulate outline, without recurving tips.

COLUMBINE.

_Aquilegia truncata_, Fisch. and Mey. Buttercup or Crowfoot
Family.

_Stems._--One to three feet high; very slender.
_Leaves._--Mostly radical; divided into thin, distant leaflets.
_Flowers._--Scarlet; tinged with yellow; eighteen to
twenty-four lines across. Parts in fives. _Sepals._--Petaloid;
rotately spreading. _Petals._--Tubular; produced into long
spurs or horns. _Stamens._--Numerous on the receptacle; much
exserted. _Pistils._--Five; simple. _Hab._--Throughout
California.

Sprung in a cleft of the wayside steep,
And saucily nodding, flushing deep,
With her airy tropic bells aglow,--
Bold and careless, yet wondrous light,
And swung into poise on the stony height,
Like a challenge flung to the world below!
Skirting the rocks at the forest edge
With a running flame from ledge to ledge,
Or swaying deeper in shadowy glooms,
A smoldering fire in her dusky blooms;
Bronzed and molded by wind and sun,
Maddening, gladdening every one
With a gypsy beauty full and fine,--
A health to the crimson columbine!

--ELAINE GOODALE

To enjoy the exquisite airy beauty of this lovely flower, we must seek it in its own haunts--for there is a touch of wildness in its nature that will not be subdued; nor will it submit to being handled or ruthlessly transported from its own sylvan retreat.

Fringing the stream, peering over the bank, as if to see its own loveliness reflected there, or hiding in the greenest recesses of the woodland, it is always a welcome blossom, and the eye brightens and the pulse quickens upon beholding it.

This species is at home throughout our borders; but there is another form which is said to be found occasionally in our very high mountains--_A. coerulea_, James. This is plentiful in the Rocky Mountains, and is the State flower of Colorado. Its blossoms, which are blue or white, are large and magnificent, with slender spurs an inch and a half or two inches long.

CLIMBING PENTSTEMON. SCARLET HONEYSUCKLE.

_Pentstemon cordifolius_, Benth. Figwort Family.

Woody at base, with long, slender branches, which climb over
other shrubs. _Leaves._--Cordate or ovate; an inch or less
long. _Calyx._--Campanulate; five-parted. _Corolla._--Bright
scarlet; eighteen lines long. Sterile stamen bearded down one
side. (See _Pentstemon_.) _Hab._--From Santa Barbara to San
Diego.

In spring we notice in the borders of southern woodlands and along the roadsides certain long, wandlike branches with beautiful heart-shaped leaves, which are suggestive of those of the garden Fuchsia. Our curiosity is naturally aroused and we wonder what blossom is destined to grace this elegant foliage. Early summer solves the mystery by hanging the tips of these wands with brilliant scarlet blossoms, in every way satisfying the earlier promise.

These flowers often look down at us in a sort of mocking, Mephistophelian manner, as they hang amid the rich greens of other shrubs and trees. Seen with a glass, they are quite glandular. The fifth stamen looks like a very cunning little golden hearth-brush.

HUMMING-BIRD'S SAGE.

_Audibertia grandiflora_, Benth. Mint Family.

Coarse plants, with woolly stems; one to three feet high.
_Leaves._--Opposite; wrinkly; white-woolly beneath; crenate;
the lower three to eight inches long; hastate-lanceolate; on
margined petioles; upper sessile; pointed.
_Inflorescence._--Over a foot long, with many large, widely
separated whorls of crimson flowers. _Corollas._--Eighteen
lines long. Stamens and style much exserted.
_Flower-bracts._--Ovate; sharp-pointed; often crimson-tinged.
(Otherwise as _A. stachyoides._) _Hab._--The Coast Ranges, from
San Mateo southward.

This, the largest-flowered of all our _Audibertias_, becomes especially conspicuous by April and May in southern woodlands, where its large, dark flower-clusters may be seen in little companies amid the shadows. The leaves and bracts are quite viscid, and have a rather rank, unpleasant odor; but the flowers are not without a certain comeliness. The long, crimson trumpets are arranged in whorls about the stems, projecting from many densely crowded bracts. Tier after tier of these interrupted whorls, sometimes as many as nine, mount the stems. The bracts and stems are usually of a rich bronze, which harmonizes finely with the color of the flowers. The joint in the filament is quite conspicuous in this species.

"Humming-birds that dart in the sun like green and golden arrows"

seem to be the sole beneficiaries of the abundant nectar in these deep tubes.

CALIFORNIAN SWEET-SCENTED SHRUB.

WESTERN SPICE-BUSH.

_Calycanthus occidentalis_, Hook. and Arn. Sweet Shrub Family.

_Shrubs._--Six to twelve feet high. _Leaves._--Ovate to
oblong-lanceolate; three to six inches long; dark green;
roughish. _Flowers._--Wine-colored (sometimes white); solitary;
two inches or so across. _Sepals_, petals, and stamens
indefinite, passing into each other; all coalescent below into
the cuplike calyx-tube, on whose inner surface are borne the
numerous carpels. _Petals._--Linear-spatulate, usually
tawny-tipped. Carpels becoming akenes. _Hab._--From the lower
Sacramento River northward.

This is one of our most beautiful shrubs. Upon the banks of streams, or often upon a shaded hillside where some little rill trickles out from a hidden source, it spreads its branches and lifts its canopy of ample leaves. There is a pleasant fragrance about the whole shrub, and the leaves, when crushed, are agreeably bitter. From April to November the charming flowers, like small wine-colored chrysanthemums, are produced; and these are followed by the prettily veined, urn-shaped seed-vessels, which remain upon the bushes until after the next season's flowers appear, by which time they are almost black. It is from these cuplike seed-vessels that the genus takes its name, which is derived from two Greek words, meaning _flower_ and _cup._

INDIAN PINK.

_Silene Californica_, Durand. Pink Family.

_Root._--Deep. _Stems._--Several; procumbent or sub-erect;
leafy. _Leaves._--Ovate-elliptic or lanceolate; eighteen lines
to four inches long. _Flowers._--Brilliant scarlet; over an
inch across. _Calyx._--Five-toothed. _Petals._--Five;
long-clawed; the blades variously cleft, and with two erect
toothlike appendages at the throat. _Stamens._--Ten; exserted
with the three filiform styles. _Ovary._--One-celled.
_Hab._--Widely distributed.

The Indian pink is one of the most beautiful of our flowers, and it appeals to the aesthetic sense in a way few flowers do. Its brilliant scarlet blossoms brighten the soft browns of our roadsides in early summer, and gleam amid the green of thickets like bits of fire. Its corolla is elegantly slashed, and it is altogether a much finer flower than the southern form, _S. laciniata_. Its rather broad leaves are often quite viscid to the touch, in which respect it shares in the character from which the genus was named in allusion to Silenus, the companion of Bacchus, who is described as covered with foam.

_S. laciniata_, Cav., is a similar species found from Central California southward. It is usually a taller plant, with many stems and narrow leaves. It is also quite viscid, and many small insects, mostly ants, are almost always to be seen ensnared upon its stems. We are at a loss to account for this until we remember what Sir John Lubbock says in this connection. He suggests that ants are not very desirable visitors for promoting cross-fertilization among plants, as their progress is slow, and they cannot visit many plants far apart. On the other hand, winged insects, such as bees, butterflies, and moths, making long excursions through the air, are admirably adapted for bringing pollen from distant plants. Hence plants spread their attractions for such insects, while they often contrive all sorts of ingenious devices for keeping undesirable ones, like ants, away from their flowers.

The Spanish-Californians call this plant "Yerba del Indio," and make it into a tea which they esteem as a remedy for all sorts of aches and pains, and use as a healing application to ulcers.

Another species--_S. Hookeri_, Nutt.--is easily known by its large pink flowers, often two and a half inches across, and delicately slashed. This is found in our western counties, growing upon wooded hillsides, where its charming flowers show to excellent advantage.

COAST LILY.

_Lilium maritimum_, Kell. Lily Family.

_Bulb_.--Conical; twelve to eighteen lines thick, with closely
appressed scales. _Stem._--One to three feet high; slender.
_Leaves._--Seldom, if at all, whorled; linear or narrowly
oblanceolate; obtuse; one to five inches long. _Flowers._--One
to five; deep blood-red; spotted with purple; long-pediceled;
horizontal. _Perianth-segments._--Six; lanceolate; eighteen
lines long; the upper third somewhat recurved. _Hab._--Near the
Coast, from San Mateo to Mendocino County.

The little Coast lily is found most abundantly in the black peat bogs of Mendocino County, though it ranges southward to San Mateo County and northward to Humboldt County.

Mr. Purdy says of it: "It is seldom seen farther than two miles from the ocean. On the edges of the bogs the lily is often a dwarf, blossoming at three or four inches. In the bogs it roots itself in the tufts, and becomes a lovely plant five feet high with ten or fifteen fine blossoms."

The leaves are dark, glossy green and the blossoms are more cylindrical than funnel-form, the three inner segments spreading more than the outer, which remain almost erect. The little oval anthers, with cinnamon-colored pollen, almost fill the narrow tube and conceal the fact that the segments are yellow below and more decidedly spotted.

CHOLLA-CACTUS.

_Opuntia prolifera_, Engelm. Cactus Family.

Leafless, spiny, arborescent shrubs, three to ten feet high,
with elongated, cylindrical joints, covered with oblong
tubercles which bear from three to eight spines. Longest spines
twelve to eighteen lines long. _Stems._--Two to seven inches
thick. _Flowers._--Purplish-red; densely clustered at the ends
of the branches. _Sepals_, petals, and stamens, many.
_Ovary._--One-celled. Style one. Stigmas several. _Fruit._--Green;
obovate; concave on the top; having no spines, only bristles;
usually sterile; often producing other flowers. _Hab._--From
Ventura to San Diego and southward.

Upon dry hills, even as far north as Ventura, the cholla cactus is a familiar feature of the landscape. In many places it forms extensive and impassable thickets, which afford an asylum to many delicate and tender plants that retire to it as a last refuge from sheep and cattle.

The young joints, which are clustered at the ends of the branches, are from three to nine inches long. By means of their barbed spines, these adhere to any passing object, and as they break off very readily, they are thus often transported to a distance. As they root easily, this seems to afford a means of propagation, in the absence of seed--for the fruit is usually seedless.

The spines are quite variable in length, the longest being sometimes an inch and a half. Each one is covered by a papery sheath, which slips off easily.

Upon the ground about these shrubs may usually be found the skeletons of old branches. These are hollow cylinders of woody basket-work, which are quite symmetrical and pretty.

_O. serpentina_, Engelm., found at San Diego, and often growing with the above, resembles it somewhat, but may be known by its much longer spines, which are from three to nine inches long, and by its greenish-yellow flowers. The plants are usually found near the seashore and scattered--_i.e._ never forming thickets.

Upon the sea-coast at San Diego is found another plant similar to the above--_Cereus Emoryi_, Engelm.--the "velvet cactus." Instead of being covered with tubercles, these plants have from sixteen to twenty vertical ribs, upon which are borne the bunches of slender spines. These spines are from a quarter of an inch to one and three quarters inches long, and without barbs. The flowers are greenish-yellow, and not particularly pretty or attractive.

SCARLET BUGLER.

_Pentstemon centranthifolius_, Benth. Figwort Family.

Very glaucous and smooth. _Stem._--One to three feet high.
_Leaves._--Ovate-lanceolate; mostly sessile; the upper
cordate-clasping; thick. _Panicles._--Narrow; a foot or two
long. _Corolla._--Bright scarlet; an inch or more long; hardly
bilabiate. (See _Pentstemon_.) _Hab._--From Monterey to Los
Angeles.

The tall spires of the scarlet bugler are such familiar sights along southern roadsides and sandy washes that people almost forget the enthusiastic admiration their bright beauty first elicited. It is said that acres of mountain lands are sometimes a solid mass of vermilion during the blooming season of this lovely plant.

The panicle is often two feet long, with its string of scarlet horns. The individual flowers bear quite a likeness to those of the honeysuckle, common in Eastern gardens, and by those who encounter the plant for the first time, it is usually spoken of as "honeysuckle." The blossoms are sometimes yellow near San Bernardino.

_P. Bridgesii_, Gray, met more frequently in the Yosemite than elsewhere, though it occurs in the Sierras from the Yosemite southward, is a very similar plant to the above. But it differs in having its corolla quite distinctly bilabiate, though of the same general tubular, funnel-form shape.

LARGE VETCH.

_Vicia gigantea_, Hook. Pea Family.

Climbing. Stems.--Five to fifteen feet long.
_Leaves._--Alternate; pinnate; terminated by a tendril.
_Leaflets._--Ten to thirteen pairs; linear-oblong; obtuse;
mucronulate; one or two inches long. _Stipules._--An inch long;
semi-sagittate. _Racemes._--Dense; one-sided; five to
eighteen-flowered. _Flowers._--Dull red.
_Corolla._--Papilionaceous. Petals not spreading.
_Stamens._--Nine united; one free. _Style._--Hairy all around
under the stigma. _Pod._--An inch or so long. (See
_Leguminosae_.) _Hab._--From San Francisco Bay northward to
Sitka.

This vine is usually found in moist places. Its blossoms are never attractive for they have a faded, worn-out look, even when they are fresh. The pods are black when ripe, and the seeds are said to be edible.

SCARLET GILIA.

_Gilia aggregata_, Spreng. Phlox or Polemonium Family.

_Stems._--One to three feet high. _Leaves._--Pinnately parted
into seven to thirteen linear, pointed divisions. Upper leaves
more simple. _Flowers._--In a loose panicle. _Calyx._--Deeply
five-cleft; glandular. _Corolla._--Scarlet, pink, or rarely
even white; with funnel-form tube, one inch long; and rotately
spreading five-lobed border. Lobes three to six lines long.
(See _Gilia_.) _Hab._--Throughout the Sierras.

The scarlet _Gilia_ is a familiar flower in the Sierras in late summer, growing everywhere in dry places. It may be easily recognized by its rich, glossy, flat, green leaves, pinnately divided into linear divisions, its tall, loosely branching habit, and its bright, delicate scarlet flowers, standing out horizontally from the stem. The corolla-lobes are often flesh-pink or yellowish within, splashed or streaked with scarlet. The whole plant is quite viscid.

SCARLET MONKEY-FLOWER.

_Mimulus cardinalis_, Dougl. Figwort Family.

Stout; viscid; hairy. _Stems._--One to five feet high.
_Leaves._--Sessile; ovate to ovate-lanceolate; ragged-margined;
several-nerved; two or three inches long. _Peduncles._--Three
inches long. _Corolla._--Scarlet; two inches or more long.
Upper lip erect; its two lobes turned back. Lower lip
three-lobed; reflexed. _Stamens._--Exserted. (See _Mimulus_.)
_Hab._--Throughout Oregon and California along watercourses.

One day in June, when riding upon the shores of Bolinas Bay, I came upon a spot where a cañon stream flowed out upon a little flat at tide-level, making a small fresh-water marsh, in which mint, bulrushes, and scarlet _Mimulus_ were striving for the mastery. But the _Mimulus_ was the most wonderful I ever saw. It stood four or five feet high--a patch of it--strong and vigorous, and covered with its handsome, large scarlet flowers, a sight to be remembered. This species is often cultivated in gardens.

SNOW-PLANT.

_Sarcodes sanguinea_, Torr. Heath Family.

Fleshy, glandular-pubescent plants; six inches to over a foot
high; bright red; without green foliage; having, in place of
leaves, fleshy scales, with glandular-ciliate margins.
_Flowers._--Short-pediceled. _Sepals._--Five. _Corolla._--Six
lines long; campanulate; with five-lobed limb. _Stamens._--Ten.
Anthers two-celled; opening terminally. _Ovary._--Five-celled;
globose. Style stout. Stigma capitate. _Hab._--Throughout the
Sierras, from four to nine thousand feet elevation.

I shall never forget finding my first snow-plant. It was upon a perfect August day in the Sierras. Following the course of a little rill which wound among mosses and ferns through the open forest where noble fir shafts rose on every hand, I came unexpectedly upon this scarlet miracle, standing in the rich, black mold in a sheltered nook in the wood. A single ray of strong sunlight shone upon it, leaving the wood around it dark, so that it stood out like a single figure in a _tableau vivant_. There was something so personal, so glowing, and so lifelike about it, that I almost fancied I could see the warm life-blood pulsing and quivering through it. I knelt to examine it. In lieu of leaves, the plant was supplied with many overlapping scalelike bracts of a flesh-tint. These were quite rigid below and closely appressed to the stem, but above they became looser and curled gracefully about among the vivid red bells.

I had heard that the plant was a root parasite; so it was with much interest and great care I dug about it with my trowel. But I failed to find its root connected with any other. I have since learned that it is now considered one of those plants akin to the fungi, which in some mysterious way draw their nourishment from decaying or decomposing matter.

I carried my prize home, where it retained its beauty for a number of days. I afterward found many of them. They gradually follow the receding snows up the heights; so that late in the season one must climb for them.

The name "snow-plant" is very misleading, because from it one naturally expects to find the plant growing upon the snow. But this is rarely or never the case, for it is _after_ the melting of the snow that it pushes its way aboveground.

Late in the season the plant usually has one or more well-formed young plants underground at its base. These are all ready to come forth the next season at the first intimation that the snow has gone, which easily accounts for its marvelously rapid growth. By the end of August, the seed-vessels are well developed, and as large as a small marble, but flattened; and by that time the plants have lost their brilliant coloring, and become dull and faded.

It is said that the stems have been boiled and eaten, and found quite palatable; but this would seem to the lover of the beautiful like eating the showbread from the ark of Nature's tabernacle.

SOUTHERN SCARLET LARKSPUR.

_Delphinium cardinale_, Hook. Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.

_Stems._--Three to ten feet tall. Leaves.--Large; five- to
seven-lobed nearly to the base, the lobes three- to five-cleft,
with long-pointed segments. _Flowers._--Large.
_Sepals._--Lanceolate; eight lines or more long; rotately
spreading; the spur an inch or more long; pointed. _Upper
petals._--Orange, tipped with red; pointed; standing
prominently forward. (Otherwise as _D. nudicaule_.) _Hab._--The
mountains, from Ventura County to San Diego.

During all the long springtime, Nature has been quietly making her preparations for a grand floral _denouement_ to take place about mid-June. If we go out into the mountains of the south at that season, we shall be confronted with a blaze of glory, the like of which we have probably never witnessed before. This is due to the brilliant spires of the scarlet larkspur, which sometimes rise to a height of ten feet!

One writer likens the appearance of these blossoms, as they grow in dense masses, to a hill on fire; and Mr. Sturtevant writes: "To come upon a large group of these plants in full bloom for the first time, is an event never to be forgotten. I first saw a mass of them in the distance from the top of a hill. Descending, I came upon them in such a position that the rays of the setting sun intensified the brilliancy of their fiery orange-scarlet color. I gathered a large armful of stalks, from three to seven feet high, and placed them in water. They continued to expand for several weeks in water."

There is a general resemblance between this and the northern scarlet larkspur, but the clusters of this are far larger and denser, and the individual flowers are finer. The half-opened buds more resemble the open flowers of _D. nudicaule_; but the fully expanded flowers have the form of some of the finest of the blue larkspurs.

The plants affect a sandy soil or one of decomposed granite.

WESTERN CARDINAL-FLOWER.

_Lobelia splendens_, Willd. Lobelia Family.

_Stems._--Two to four feet tall; slender, smooth or nearly so.
_Leaves._--Alternate; mostly sessile; lanceolate or almost
linear; glandular-denticulate. _Flowers._--In an elongated,
wandlike raceme; cardinal red. _Calyx._--Five-cleft.
_Corolla._--With straight tube, over an inch long and split
down the upper side; border two-lipped; upper lip with two
rather erect lobes; lower spreading and three-cleft, with lobes
three to six lines long. _Stamens._--Five; united into a tube
above. Anthers somewhat hairy. _Ovary._--Two-celled. Style
simple. Stigma two-lobed. _Hab._--San Diego, San Bernardino,
and Los Angeles Counties, and eastward to Texas.

The Western cardinal-flower quite closely resembles _L. cardinalis_ of the East, differing from it in a few minor points only. I have never been fortunate enough to see it; but I am told that it is a magnificent plant, and that from July to September many a wet spot in our southern mountain cañons is made gay with its brilliant blossoms.

Of the Eastern plant Mr. Burroughs writes: "But when vivid color is wanted, what can surpass or equal our cardinal-flower? There is a glow about this flower, as if color emanated from it as from a live coal. The eye is baffled and does not seem to reach the surface of the petal; it does not see the texture or material part as it does in other flowers, but rests in a steady, still radiance. It is not so much something colored as it is color itself. And then the moist, cool, shady places it affects usually, where it has no rivals, and where the large, dark shadows need just such a dab of fire! Often, too, we see it double, its reflected image in some dark pool heightening its effect."

HUMMING-BIRD'S TRUMPET. CALIFORNIA FUCHSIA.

_Zauschneria Californica_, Presl. Evening-Primrose Family.

Woody plants, more or less villous. _Stems._--Much branched; ascending or decumbent; one to three feet long. _Leaves._--Mostly alternate; sessile; narrowly lanceolate to ovate; six to eighteen lines long. _Flowers._--Bright scarlet; in a loose spike; funnel-form; twenty lines long. _Calyx._--Scarlet; four-cleft. _Petals._--Four; obcordate; borne on the calyx-tube. _Stamens._--Eight. Filaments and style more or less exserted. _Ovary._--Four-celled; inferior. Stigma four-lobed. _Hab._--From Plumas County to Mexico; and the Rocky Mountains east of the Great Basin.

In late summer and through the autumn, the brilliant blossoms of the California Fuchsia brighten the sombre tones of our dry, open hill-slopes. Its aspect is one of gay insouciance, which would drive away melancholy despite oneself, and though other plants have been put to rout, one by one, by the sun's fierce glare, nothing daunted, it puts on its brightest hues, like a true apostle of cheerfulness. It has been cultivated for some time, and is highly prized in Eastern gardens, where it has earned for itself the pretty title of "humming-bird's trumpet." It is not confined to our limits, but extends southward into Mexico, and eastward to Wyoming. We have seen it flourishing in the Sierras, where it is particularly beautiful.

It is called "balsamea" by the Spanish-Californians, who use a wash of it as a remedy for cuts and bruises.

It varies greatly in the size and hairiness of its leaves, in the form of its flowers, which are broadly or narrowly funnel-form, and in the exsertion of the stamens and style. The _var. microphylla_ has a woolly pubescence, linear leaves often very small, three or four lines long, and other small leaves crowded in their axils. This is found in the south.

There is no glory in star or blossom
Till looked upon by a loving eye;
There is no fragrance in April breezes
Till breathed with joy as they wander by.

--WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.