Chapter II: Yellow (1)

[_Yellow or occasionally or partially yellow flowers not described in the Yellow Section._

_Described in the White Section:--_

CALOCHORTUS VENUSTUS--Mariposa Lily, or Tulip.
LILIUM PARRYI--Lemon-Lily.
VIOLA OCELLATA--Heart's-ease.

_Described in the Pink Section:--_

LESSINGIA GERMANORUM--Yellow Lessingia.

_Described in the Blue and Purple Section:--_

FRITILLARIA PUDICA--Yellow Fritillary.
IRIS MACROSIPHON--Ground-Iris.
SISYRINCHIUM CALIFORNICUM--Golden-eyed Grass.
TRILLIUM SESSILE--Californian Trillium.

_Described in the Red Section:--_

CASTILLEIA PARVIFLORA--Indian Paint-Brush.
CEREUS EMORYI--Velvet Cactus.
PENTSTEMON CENTRANTHIFOLIUS--Scarlet Bugler.

_Described in the Miscellaneous Section:--_

CYPRIPEDIUM CALIFORNICUM--Californian Lady's Slipper.]

SUN-CUPS.

_OEnothera ovata_, Nutt. Evening-Primrose Family.

_Root._--A thick tap-root. _Leaves._--All radical;
oblong-lanceolate; smooth; ciliate. _Flowers._--Solitary in the
axils; bright golden yellow. _Calyx-tube._--Filiform; one to
five inches long; limb of four lanceolate, reflexed divisions.
_Petals._--Four; three to ten lines long. _Stamens._--Eight.
_Ovary._--Four-celled; underground. Style filiform. Stigma
capitate. _Fruit._--A ribbed capsule. _Hab._--Near the coast
from San Francisco to Monterey.

This little evening primrose is an exceedingly interesting plant, although it is not of very wide distribution. The flat rosettes of leaves sometimes measure over a foot across, and are thickly sown with the bright golden flowers, large in proportion to the size of the plants. A flower or bud is found in the axil of every leaf, diminishing in size toward the center, one plant sometimes having a hundred blossoms and buds. These flowers are peculiarly fresh and winsome, and were they not so abundant where they grow they would doubtless be considered very beautiful.

A strange feature of the plant is its flower-stem, which is not a flower-stem at all, but a very much prolonged calyx-tube, the seed-vessel being just within the surface of the ground.

We wonder how these imprisoned seeds are going to escape and find lodgment to start new colonies elsewhere. Perhaps the moles and gophers could tell something about it if they would.

The leaves of these little plants are sometimes used for salads.

These blossoms are often erroneously called "cow-slips."

COMMON BUTTERCUP.

_Ranunculus Californicus_, Benth. Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.

_Stems._--Slender; branching; six to eighteen inches high.
_Radical-leaves._--Commonly pinnately ternate; the leaflets cut
into three to seven usually linear lobes. Divisions of the
stem-leaves usually narrower. _Flowers._--Five to ten lines in
diameter; shining golden yellow. _Sepals._--Green; strongly
reflexed. _Petals._--Ten to fourteen; obovate; each with a
small scale at the base. _Stamens._--Numerous. _Pistils._
Numerous; on a receptacle. Ovaries flattened. Stigmas
recurved. _Hab._--Throughout Western California into Oregon.

"The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice;
And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace."

The first clear, beautiful note of a lark has been heard; skies are blue and fields are green; little frogs are filling the air with their music;--and the buttercups are here. The fields are full of them, and their bright golden eyes starring the meadows, bring a gladness to the face of nature. The children wade knee-deep in their gold, filling their hands with treasure; and yonder, where their golden masses cover the slopes, King Midas may have passed, transforming the earth with his magical touch.

Because some of the buttercups grow where frogs abound, Pliny bestowed the Latin name _Ranunculus_, meaning "little frog."

The Indians, who seem to have a use for everything, parch the seeds of our common buttercup and beat them to a flour, which they eat without the further formality of cooking. This flour is said to have the peculiar rich flavor of parched corn.

We have a number of other species of buttercup--some of them denizens of marshy spots; but the common field buttercup is widest-spread and best known.

CREAM-CUPS.

_Platystemon Californicus_, Benth. Poppy Family.

Delicate hairy herbs. _Stems._--A span or two high.
_Leaves._--Mostly opposite; sessile; two to four inches long.
_Flowers._--Axillary; long-peduncled; an inch or so across.
_Sepals._--Three; falling early. _Petals._--Six, in two rows;
cream-color, often with a yellow spot at base.
_Stamens._--Numerous. Filaments broad; petaloid.
_Pistils._--Six to twenty-five; united in a ring at first;
afterward separating. Stigmas terminal. _Hab._--Throughout
California.

The cream-cups are delicate, hairy plants of the early springtime, which often grow in masses and take possession of whole fields. They seem to be more vigorous in the south, and produce larger flowers there than in the north, often having as many as nine petals. The delicate, nodding green buds (like miniature poppy-buds) soon throw off their outer wrappings, and, emerging from captivity, gradually assume an erect position and unfurl their lovely, pure, straw-colored petals to their widest extent. These blossoms open for several successive days.

The genus takes its name from the flat filaments. The numerous slender pistils are so cleverly joined together into a cylinder, that they appear like a hollow, one-celled ovary. But a cross-section will show the separate ovaries under a glass.

Some people like the odor of these flowers; but I must confess to a lack of appreciation of it. I suspect its charm must exist in some pleasant association.

COPA DE ORO. CALIFORNIA POPPY. TOROSA.

_Eschscholtzia Californica_, Cham. Poppy Family.

_Stems._--Twelve to eighteen inches high; branching.
_Leaves._--Alternate; finely dissected; glaucous.
_Flowers._--Two or three inches across; usually orange; but
ranging from that to white. Summit of the peduncle enlarging
into a cup-shaped torus or disk, upon the upper inner surface
of which are borne the calyx, corolla, and stamens. _Calyx._--A
pointed green cap, falling early. _Petals._--Four.
_Stamens._--Numerous, in four groups, in front of the petals.
Anthers linear. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style short. Stigmas four
to six; unequal. _Capsule._--Cylindrical; ten-nerved; two or
three inches long. _Hab._--Throughout California.

Thy satin vesture richer is than looms
Of Orient weave for raiment of her kings!
Not dyes of olden Tyre, not precious things
Regathered from the long-forgotten tombs
Of buried empires, not the iris plumes
That wave upon the tropics' myriad wings,
Not all proud Sheba's queenly offerings
Could match the golden marvel of thy blooms.
For thou art nurtured from the treasure-veins
Of this fair land; thy golden rootlets sup
Her sands of gold--of gold thy petals spun.
Her golden glory, thou! On hills and plains,
Lifting, exultant, every kingly cup
Brimmed with the golden vintage of the sun.

--INA D. COOLBRITH.

It is difficult to exaggerate the charms of this wonderful flower. When reproduced in countless millions, its brilliant blossoms fairly cover the earth; and far away upon distant mountain-slopes, bright patches of red gold denote that league after league of it lies open to the sun. It revels in the sunshine, and not until the morning is well advanced does it begin to unfurl its tightly rolled petals.

In the early days, when Spanish vessels sailed up and down the newly-discovered coast, the mariners, looking inland, saw the flame of the poppies upon the hills and called this "the land of fire." They said that the altar-cloth of San Pascual was spread upon the hills, and, filled with a devotional spirit, they disembarked to worship upon the shore.

This flower is now cultivated in many parts of the world. But one can form no conception of it, pale and languishing in a foreign garden. One must go to its native hillsides to get any idea of its prodigal beauty.

The common title, "California poppy," though it has been widely used, is open to the objection that it belongs more properly to another flower, _Papaver Californicum_. The generic name is dissonant and harsh. Why not replace it by one of the more euphonious Spanish titles--"amapola," "dormidera," "torosa," or, most charmingly appropriate of all, "copa de oro,"--"cup of gold"?

There are many forms of _Eschscholtzia_, and of late the original species, _E. Californica_, has been divided into a number of new species, which are, however, difficult of determination.

The Indians of Placer County, it is said, boil the herbage, or roast it by means of hot stones, lay it in water afterward, and then eat it as a green. A drug made from this plant is used in medicine as a harmless substitute for morphine and as a remedy for headache and insomnia, and it has an especially excellent effect with children. The Spanish-Californians make a hair-oil, which they prize highly, by frying the whole plant in olive oil and adding some choice perfume. This is said to promote the growth of the hair and to make it glossy.

MOCK-ORANGE. GOURD. CHILI-COJOTE. CALABAZILLA.

_Cucurbita foetidissima_, HBK. Gourd Family.

_Stems._--Long; coarse; trailing. _Leaves._--Alternate;
petioled; triangular-cordate; six to twelve inches long; acute;
rough. _Tendrils._--Three- to five-cleft. _Flowers._--Solitary;
yellow; three or four inches long; monoecious.
_Calyx-tube._--Six lines long, equaling the five linear lobes.
_Corolla._--Campanulate; five-cleft to the middle or lower;
with recurved lobes. _Stamens._--In the male flowers two with
two-celled anthers, and one with one; in the female all three
rudimentary. _Ovary._--Three-celled. Style short. Stigmas
three; two-lobed. _Fruit._--Orange-like, but with a hard rind.
_Syn._--_C. perennis_, Gray. _Hab._--San Diego to San Joaquin
County.

The rough, ill-smelling foliage of the Chili-cojote is a common sight in Southern California, where it may be seen trailing over many a field; but woe to the negligent farmer who allows this pest to get a foothold--for it will cost him a small fortune to eradicate it. It sends down into the earth an enormous root, six feet or so long, and often as broad. When the gourds are ripe, these vines look like the dumping-ground for numerous poor, discarded oranges.

Notwithstanding its unsavory character, the various parts of this vine are put to use--specially among the Spanish-Californians and the Indians. The root is a purgative more powerful than croton-oil. When pounded to a pulp, it is used as soap by the Spanish-Californians, who aver that it cleanses as nothing else can; but rinsing must be very thorough--for any particles remaining in the garments prove very irritating to the skin. The leaves are highly valued for medicinal purposes, and the pulp of the green fruit, mixed with soap, is said to remove stains from clothing. The Indians eat the seed, when ground and made into a mush. The early Californian women used the gourds as darning-balls.

This vine is a near relative of the pumpkins and squashes of our gardens.

The flowers are said to be violet-scented.

WATER-HOLLY. MAHONIA.

_Berberis nervosa_, Pursh. Barberry Family.

_Stem._--Simple; a foot or so high; bearing at summit a crown
of large leaves, mixed with many dry, chaffy, persistent
bracts. _Leaves._--One or two feet long, with from eleven to
seventeen ovate, acuminate, prickly, somewhat palmately nerved
leaflets. _Flowers._--Yellow, in elongated, clustered racemes.
Bractlets, sepals, petals, and stamens six, standing in front
of one another. Anthers two-celled; opening by uplifting
valves. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style short or none.
_Fruit._--Dark-blue, glaucous berries; four lines in diameter.
_Hab._--Deep coast woods, from Monterey to Vancouver Island.

The water-holly is one of the beautiful plants to be found in our deep coast woods within the cool influence of the sea-fogs. The plants are very symmetrical, with their crown of dark, shining leaves, with numerous prickly leaflets, and in spring, when the long graceful racemes of yellow flowers are produced in abundance, and hang amid and below the leaves, they are very ornamental. The stems are densely clothed with numerous dry, awl-shaped scales, an inch or more long.

Another species--_B. repens_--the creeping barberry, or Oregon grape, is a low, prostrate shrub, less than a foot high, with from three to seven leaflets. These leaflets are pinnately veined, and have not the beautiful, shining upper surface of those of the water-holly, and the few racemes of yellow flowers which terminate the branches are quite short--only an inch or two long. This is found throughout the State and northward upon rocky hills.

TREE-POPPY.

_Dendromecon rigidum_, Benth. Poppy Family.

Shrubs two to eight feet high. _Leaves._--One to three inches
long; leathery. _Flowers._--Solitary; yellow; one to three
inches across. _Sepals._--Two; falling early. _Petals._--Four.
_Stamens._--Many. _Ovary._--Linear; one-celled. Stigma
two-lobed. _Capsule._--Eighteen to thirty lines long.
_Hab._--Dry hills from San Diego to Butte County.

The tree-poppy is the only truly woody plant in the poppy family. Its pale leaves are quite rigid, and resemble those of the willow in form. The bright golden flowers are sometimes three inches across, and one can readily imagine the fine effect produced when many of them are open at once upon a hillside. Though found through quite a range, this shrub attains its most perfect development in Santa Barbara County.

YELLOW PANSY.

_Viola pedunculata_, Torr. and Gray. Violet Family.

_Stems._--Leafy; two to six inches or more high.
_Leaves._--Alternate; long-petioled; ovate; cuneate; crenate;
with lanceolate stipules. _Flowers._--Large; long-peduncled;
deep golden yellow. _Calyx._--Five-parted. _Petals._--The two
upper tinged with brown outside; the three lower veined with
purple; the two lateral bearded; the lower one with a short
spur at base. _Stamens._--Five. Anthers nearly sessile; erect
around the club-shaped style. _Ovary._--One-celled.
_Hab._--Southern to Middle California.

Pansies! Pansies! How I love you, pansies!
Jaunty-faced, laughing-lipped, and dewy-eyed with glee;
Would my song might blossom out in little five-leaved stanzas
As delicate in fancies
As your beauty is to me!

But, my eyes shall smile on you and my hands infold you,
Pet, caress, and lift you to the lips that love you, so
That, shut ever in the years that may mildew or mold you,
My fancy shall behold you
Fair as in the long ago.

--JAS. WHITCOMB RILEY.

On wind-swept downs near the ocean, on the low hills of the Coast Ranges, or upon the plains of the interior, this charming golden pansy spreads itself in profusion in early spring. It is the darling of the children, who on their way to school gather great handfuls of its brown-eyed blossoms.

You may often see myriads of them dancing on their long stems in the breeze, and showing glimpses of red-brown where their purplish outer petals are turned toward you for the moment. In the shelter of quiet woodlands, its stems are longer and more fragile.

TWIN-BERRY.

_Lonicera involucrata_, Banks. Honeysuckle Family.

Shrubs eight to ten feet high. _Leaves.-_-Three inches long or
so. _Flowers._--A pair; at the summit of an axillary peduncle;
with a conspicuous involucre of four bracts, tinged with red or
yellow. _Calyx._--Adherent to the ovary; the limb minute or
obsolete. _Corolla._--Tubular; irregular; half an inch or more
long; viscid-pubescent; yellowish. _Stamens._--Five.
_Ovary._--Two- or three-celled. Style filiform. Stigma capitate.
_Berries._--Black-purple. _Hab._--Throughout the State;
eastward to Lake Superior.

A walk through some moist thicket, or along a stream-bank in March, will reveal the yellow flowers of the twin-berry amid its ample, thin green leaves. These blossoms are always borne in pairs at the summit of the stem, and are surrounded by a leafy involucre, consisting of two pairs of round, fluted bracts. As the berries ripen and become black, these bracts deepen to a brilliant red and make the shrubs much more conspicuous and ornamental than at blossoming-time.

OREGON GRAPE. HOLLY-LEAVED BARBERRY. MAHONIA.

_Berberis Aquifolium_, Pursh. Barberry Family.

Shrubs two to six feet high; branching. _Leaves._--Alternate;
pinnate. _Leaflets._--Seven to nine; glossy; ovate to
oblong-lanceolate; one and one half to four inches long;
acuminate; sinuately dentate, with numerous spinose teeth; the
lowest pair distant from the stem. _Racemes._--Eighteen lines
to two inches long; clustered near the ends of the branches.
(Otherwise as _B. nervosa_.) _Hab._--Coast Ranges and Sierras
from Monterey and Kern County northward into Oregon.

The holly-leaved barberry, or Oregon grape, is a very ornamental shrub and one much prized in our gardens, where it is known as _Mahonia Aquifolium_. In the spring, when yellow with its masses of flowers; or in its summer dress of rich, shining green; or in the autumn, when its foliage is richly touched with bronze or scarlet or yellow, amid which are the beautiful blue berries, it is always a fine shrub. In its native haunts it affects greater altitudes than our other species.

Among our Californian Indians, a decoction made from the root is a favorite tonic remedy, and it has become a recognized drug in the pharmacopoeia of our Coast, being used as an alterative and tonic. The root is tough and hard, of a bright golden yellow, and intensely bitter. The bark of the root is the part that is used medicinally.

The shrub is very plentiful in the woods of Mendocino County, where it covers considerable areas.

SUNSHINE. FLY-FLOWER.

_Baeria gracilis_, Gray. Composite Family.

Six inches or so high; branching freely. _Leaves._--Mostly
opposite; linear; entire; an inch or so long.
_Flower-heads._--Yellow; of disk and ray-flowers. _Rays._--Ten
to fourteen; three or four lines long.
_Involucre._--Campanulate; of a single series of small
lanceolate, herbaceous scales. _Hab._--From San Francisco
southward.

Considered singly, the blossom of this plant is a simple, unassuming little flower; but when countless millions of its golden stars stud the nether firmament, it becomes one of the most conspicuous of all our _Compositae_. It literally covers the earth with a close carpet of rich golden bloom, and other plants, such as scarlet paint-brushes, blue Phacelias, and yellow and white tidy-tips, rise out of its golden tapestry. Mile after mile of it whirls by the car-window as we journey along, or long stretches of it gild the gently rounded hill-slopes of the distant landscape.

There are several other species of _Baeria_, but this is the most abundant and widespread. In some localities this little plant is so much frequented by a small fly, which feeds upon its pollen, that it is called "fly-flower." It then becomes a serious nuisance to horses and cattle, which grow wild and restive under the persecution of this insect.

In the Spanish deck of playing-cards in the early days, the "Jack of Spades" always held one of these flowers in his hand. By the Spanish-Californians it was called "Si me quieres, no me quieres"--"Love me, love me not,"--because their dark-eyed maidens tried their fortunes upon it in the same manner that our own maidens consult the marguerite.

Growing in brilliant beds by themselves, or intermingling their gold with that of the _Baeria_, the charming feathery blossoms of _Pentachaeta aurea_, Nutt., are found in midspring. They have from fifty to seventy rays and their involucres consist of several rows of scarious-margined bracts.

MEADOW-FOAM.

_Floerkia Douglasii_, Baillon. Geranium Family.

Smooth, succulent herbs. _Stems._--A foot or so long.
_Leaves._--Much dissected. _Flowers._--Axillary; solitary.
_Sepals._--Narrow; acute. _Petals._--Nine lines long or so;
yellow, sometimes tipped with white, white, or rose-tinged.
_Stamens._--Ten, in two sets; a gland at the base of those
opposite the sepals. _Ovary._--Of five carpels, becoming
distinct. Style five-cleft at the apex. _Syn._--_Limnanthes
Douglasii_, R. Br. _Hab._--Oregon to Southern California.

When the spring is well advanced, our wet meadows are all a-cream with the meadow-foam, whose dense masses blend exquisitely with the rich red of the common sorrel, which is in blossom at the same time.

This plant is a near relative of the redwood-sorrel, and its flowers are similar in size and veining, and also in their habit of closing at night. It is much admired and has long been in cultivation.

PIMPERNEL. POOR-MAN'S WEATHER-GLASS.

_Anagallis arvensis_, L. Primrose Family.

_Stems._--Prostrate; spreading. _Leaves._--Usually opposite;
sessile; ovate. _Flowers._--Solitary on axillary peduncles;
orange-vermilion (rarely blue or white); six lines or so
across. _Calyx_ and rotate corolla five-parted.
_Petals._--Rounded; purple at base. _Stamens._--Five; opposite
the petals. Filaments purple, bearded. _Capsule._--Globose; the
top falling off as a lid. _Hab._--Common everywhere. Introduced
from Europe.

The little orange-vermilion flower of the pimpernel is a plain little blossom to the unassisted eye, but it becomes truly regal when seen under a glass, where its rich purple center displays itself in glistening splendor. It is a forcible example of the infinite care bestowed upon all of Nature's children, even to the humblest weeds.

This little plant has come to us from Europe, and it makes itself perfectly at home among us in many widely-differing situations. From the fact that it furls its petals upon cloudy days, or at the approach of rain, it is called in England "poor-man's weather-glass."

The plant is an acrid poison and was extensively used in medicine by the ancients. It seems to act particularly upon the nervous system, and was used as a remedy for convulsions, the plague, gout, and hydrophobia.

* * * * *

_Encelia Californica_, Nutt. Composite Family.

Bushy; two to four feet high; strong-scented. _Leaves._--Mostly
alternate; short-petioled; ovate-lanceolate; an inch or two
long. _Flower-heads._--Solitary; long-peduncled; large.
_Disk._--Eight lines across; of black-purple, tubular flowers,
with deep-yellow styles. _Rays._--Sterile; over an inch long;
five lines wide; four-toothed. _Involucre._--Open-campanulate
of several series of coriaceous, imbricated scales.
_Hab._--Santa Barbara to San Diego.

This shrubby _Composita_ is quite abundant in the south, and when covered with its large yellow flowers with purple-brown centers is very showy. We have seen mesas covered with the bushes, which have much the same spreading habit as the white marguerite of the garden. It thrives particularly well near the coast, but is also at home upon some of the hills of interior valleys as well. It is quite strong-scented, but the flowers are very handsome, rivaling in decorativeness many of the cherished plants of our gardens.

YELLOW FORGET-ME-NOT. WOOLLY-BREECHES.

_Amsinckia_, Lehm. Borage Family.

Hispid annuals. _Leaves._--Alternate; oblong-ovate to linear.
_Flowers._--Small; yellow or orange, in coiled spikes or
racemes. _Calyx._--Five-parted; persistent.
_Corolla._--Salver-shaped, or somewhat funnel-form; with
five-lobed border; the throat naked or with minute hairy tufts
opposite the lobes. _Stamens._--Five. _Ovary._--Of four
seedlike nutlets. Style filiform. Stigma capitate.

We have several species of _Amsinckia_, all of which have small yellow flowers, resembling in form our little white forget-me-nots. The genus is a Western American one, and the species are very difficult of determination. They are all hispid plants, very disagreeable to handle, and are generally of rank growth. They often occur in great masses, when they become rather showy.

The largest-flowered species, which is also the most common one in the south, is _A. spectabilis_, Fisch. and Mey. The corolla of this is often half an inch long and half an inch across, of an orange-yellow, with deeper orange spots in the throat.

TREE-TOBACCO.

_Nicotiana glauca_, Graham. Nightshade Family.

Loosely branching shrubs, fifteen feet or so high.
_Leaves._--Alternate; petioled; ovate; smooth.
_Flowers._--Clustered at the ends of the branches.
_Calyx._--Campanulate; five-toothed. _Corolla._--Tubular;
eighteen lines long; with constricted throat; and border
shortly five-toothed. _Stamens._--Five, on the base of the
corolla, adnate to the tube below. Anthers with two diverging
cells. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style slender. Stigma capitate;
two-lobed. _Hab._--Throughout Southern California; introduced.

The tall, loosely branching, spreading form of the tree-tobacco is a familiar sight in the south about vacant lots and waste places. Its clusters of long, greenish-yellow flowers hang gracefully from the ends of the slender branches, and the ovate leaves are rather long-stalked. It is supposed to have been introduced from Buenos Ayres, and old inhabitants remember the time when but one or two plants were known. In thirty years it has spread rapidly, and is now exceedingly common.

WIND-POPPY. BLOOD-DROP. FLAMING POPPY.

_Meconopsis heterophylla_, Benth. Poppy Family.

Smooth herbs. _Stems._--Slender; a foot or two high.
_Leaves._--Mostly petioled; pinnately divided into variously
toothed, oval to linear segments. _Flowers._--Solitary; on long
peduncles; orange-vermilion to scarlet. _Sepals._--Two; falling
early. Petals.--Four; two to twelve lines long.
_Stamens._--Numerous. Filaments filiform; purple. Anthers
yellow. _Ovary._--Top-shaped; ribbed; one-celled. Style short.
Stigma large; capitate; four- to eight-lobed. _Hab._--Throughout
Western California.

The wind-poppy is an exceedingly variable flower. In the central part of the State it is large and showy, its beautiful flame-colored blossoms being two inches across; while in the south it is usually very small, making tiny flecks of red in the grass, for which reason it is there called "blood-drop." It is an exquisite thing. Its petals have the delicate satin texture of the poppy; and their showy orange or scarlet blends suddenly at the center into a deep maroon. The bright-green, top-shaped ovary stands up in the midst of the slender stamens, whose yellow anthers show brilliantly against the dark maroon of the petals.

It blossoms in spring upon open hillsides, seeming to prefer those which are shaded for at least part of the day. It is very fragile, and falls to pieces at a touch, which makes it an unsatisfactory flower to gather.

WHISPERING BELLS.

_Emmenanthe penduliflora_, Benth. Baby-eyes or Waterleaf Family.

Six inches to a foot high; branched above; hairy; somewhat
viscid. _Leaves._--An inch or more long; pinnatifid.
_Flowers._--Straw-colored; at length pendulous.
_Corolla._--Campanulate; about six lines long. (Flower
structure as in _Phacelia_.) _Hab._--Lake County to San Diego.

In midspring, when passing among the plants upon our dry, open hillsides, our attention is often attracted by a certain delicate, rustling sound, which we find emanates from the little papery bells of the dried blossoms of the _Emmenanthe_, which retain the semblance of their first freshness for many weeks.

Though not at first apparent, a little examination will reveal the fact that these plants are very closely related to the _Phacelias_, the chief difference being in the yellow corollas.

YELLOW STAR TULIP.

_Calochortus Benthami_, Baker. Lily Family.

_Leaves._--Much elongated; two to five lines broad.
_Stems._--Slender; three to six inches high. _Buds._--Nodding.
_Flowers._--Erect; yellow. _Petals._--Six or seven lines long;
spreading; mostly obtuse; rather densely covered with yellow
hairs. _Gland._--Shallow; lunate. _Capsule._--Nodding; six to
nine lines long. _Hab._--Sierra Nevada foothills, throughout
their length.

This is a very pretty little star tulip, with graceful, flexuous stems and erect flowers, whose spreading petals are covered with hairs. Sometimes there is a dark-brown, almost black, spot upon the petals, and when such is the case the plant is called _C. Benthami, var. Wallacei_.

CREAM-COLORED WALL-FLOWER.

_Erysimum grandiflorum_, Nutt. Mustard Family.

_Stems._--Six to eighteen inches high. _Leaves._--Spatulate or
oblanceolate; entire, toothed or lobed; lower long-petioled.
_Sepals._--Four; one pair strongly gibbous at base.
_Petals._--An inch long; long-clawed; cream-color or yellowish.
_Stamens._--Six; two shorter. _Ovary._--One-celled; linear.
Style stout; short. Stigma capitate. _Pod._--Nearly flat;
thirty lines or less long. _Syn._--_Cheiranthus asper_, Cham.
and Schlecht. _Hab._--The seaboard from Los Angeles to Oregon.

Growing along sandy stretches, or upon open mesas by the seashore, we may find the showy blossoms of the cream-colored wall-flower from February to May. These flowers are less stocky and much more delicate than the garden species; and when seen numerously dotting a field carpeted with other flowers, they stand out conspicuously, claiming the attention peculiarly to themselves. They have not the delicious fragrance of the Western wall-flower. At first yellowish, they become pale cream-color after fertilization has taken place.

_E. asperum_, DC., the Western wall-flower, is widely distributed, and may be known from the above by its four-sided pods, and by its flowers, which are usually orange-color--though they occasionally vary to yellow or purple. These blossoms are especially abundant in the mountains and valleys of the south, where their brilliant orange is conspicuous amid the lush greens of springtime. They are very fragrant, and are favorites among our wild flowers.

BUR-CLOVER.

_Medicago denticulata_, Willd. Pea Family.

_Stems._--Prostrate or ascending. _Leaves._--Trifoliolate.
_Leaflets._--Cuneate-obovate or obcordate; toothed above.
_Flowers._--Papilionaceous; small; yellow; two or three in a
cluster. _Stamens._--Nine united, one free. _Pods._--Coiled
into two circles; armed with hooked prickles. _Hab._--Common
everywhere; introduced.

The bur-clover is a little European weed which has become very widespread and very much at home among us. It is an excellent forage-plant, and in late summer, when our cattle have eaten everything else, they feed upon the little burs, which are very nutritious in themselves. But these same little coiled burs, with their numerous firm hooks, work great damage to wool, imbedding themselves in it so firmly as to make it very difficult to remove them without seriously injuring its quality. These plants invade our lawns, where they become very troublesome.

COMMON MONKEY-FLOWER.

_Mimulus luteus_, L. Figwort Family.

Varying greatly in size. _Stems._--One to four feet high.
_Leaves._--Mostly smooth; ovate-oval or cordate; coarsely
notched. _Flowers._--Yellow. _Calyx._--Sharply five-angled;
unevenly five-lobed. _Corolla._--One or two inches long; lower
lip usually spotted with brown purple. _Stamens._--Four; in
pairs. Anthers with two divergent cells. _Ovary._--Two-celled.
Style long and slender. Stigma with two rounded lips.
_Hab._--Common throughout California.

The bright canary-colored blossoms of the common monkey-flower are a familiar sight upon almost every stream-bank. The plant varies greatly in size, according to the locality of its growth. I once saw it flourishing in the rich soil of a lake-shore, where its hollow stems were as large as an ordinary cane, and its blossoms grotesquely large.

_M. moschatus_, Dougl., the common musk-plant of cultivation, is usually found along mountain-streams. It may be known by its clammy, musk-scented, light-green herbage. Its flowers are larger than in cultivation.

_M. brevipes_, Benth., is common from Santa Barbara to San Diego, upon hillsides in spring. It has stems a foot or two high, lanceolate leaves one to four inches long, and large, handsome yellow flowers, having a pair of ridges running down their open throats.

* * * * *

_OEnothera bistorta_, Nutt. Evening-Primrose Family.

From several inches to a foot or two high. _Leaves._--Three or
four inches long; denticulate; the upper mostly rounded at
base. _Petals._--Yellow; four to seven lines long; with usually
a brown spot at the base. _Stigma._--Large and spherical.
_Capsule._--Four to nine lines long; a line or so wide;
attenuate upward; contorted. (See _OEnothera_.) _Hab._--Ventura
to San Diego.

This is a very common species of evening primrose in the south, and may be found blooming until June. It is very variable in its manner of growth. In moist, shaded localities it becomes an erect plant a foot or two high; while upon open, exposed plains it is often only two or three inches high, but seems almost to emulate the "sunshine" in its attempt to gild the plain with its bright blossoms. It frequently grows in gravelly washes. Its flowers have a peculiarly clean, brilliant, alert look, and may usually be known by the brown spot at the base of the petals. The specific name is in reference to its twice-twisted capsule.

The "beach primrose," _OE. cheiranthifolia, var. suffruticosa_, Wats., often grows in great beds upon the dry sands of the seashore, from Monterey to San Diego. Its decumbent stems are thickly clothed with small, ovate, stemless leaves, and its silvery foliage makes a beautiful setting for its large golden flowers.

FAWN-LILY. DOG'S-TOOTH VIOLET. CHAMISE-LILY.

_Erythronium giganteum_, Lindl. Lily Family.

_Corm._--Usually elongated. _Leaves._--Oblong; six to ten
inches long; dark green, usually mottled in mahogany and dark
brown. _Scape._--One- to many-flowered. _Perianth._--Broadly
funnel-form, with six deciduous segments; at length revolute to
the stem. _Segments._--Straw-color, with orange base, with
often a transverse, brownish band across the base; broadly
lanceolate; eighteen lines or so long. _Stamens._--Six.
Filaments filiform. Anthers basifixed. _Ovary._--Three-celled.
Style slender. Stigma three-lobed. _Hab._--The interior of the
Coast Ranges, from Sonoma County to the Willamette Valley.

The dog's-tooth violets expand into larger, finer creations upon our shores than were ever dreamed of elsewhere. They seem to imbibe new vigor in the sweet life-giving air of our Coast Range forests. In Southern Oregon, they reach their maximum development, manifesting themselves in numerous beautiful species. With us the common title becomes still more inappropriate than for the Atlantic species--for nothing could be farther from a violet than these large pale flowers, which in reality look far more like lilies. Indeed, in Mendocino County they are commonly known as "chamise-lilies." Another name is "Adam and Eve," bestowed because the plant often bears a large and a small flower at the same time.

Personally, I am inclined to favor Mr. Burroughs' suggestion of "fawn-lily." It is both appropriate and pretty. The two erect leaves are like the ears of a fawn; their beautiful mottling is not without a hint of the fawn's spots; and the blossom is lily-like. The plant is shy, too, keeping to the seclusion of our deep cañons. In such situations we may find them in groups of a few, or occasionally in beds of hundreds. No more delightful surprise could be imagined than to come suddenly upon such a garden far from the habitations of man. The pale flowers, with orange centers, when fully open, roll their petals back to the stem, like those of the leopard-lily; but in cloudy weather they often maintain a campanulate outline. Plants have frequently been seen with from eight to sixteen flowers upon a stem, the flowers three or four inches across!

These are great favorites in gardens, and in cultivation are known as _E. grandiflorum_. We have several species of _Erythronium_, all of them beautiful.

STICKY MONKEY-FLOWER.

_Mimulus glutinosus_, Wend. Figwort Family.

Glutinous shrubs two to six feet high. _Leaves._--Narrowly
oblong to linear; one to four inches long; with margins at
length rolled backward. _Flowers._--Corn-color to red; eighteen
lines to three inches long. _Calyx._--Irregularly five-toothed.
_Corolla._--Funnel-form; five-lobed; the lobes gnawed.
_Stigma._--White. (See _Mimulus_.) _Hab._--San Francisco to San
Diego, and southward.

During a walk upon the hills, at almost any time of year, we may find the corn-colored blossoms of the sticky monkey-flower, but they are most abundant in spring and summer. When in full flower the small bushes are very ornamental, as they are a perfect mass of bloom. They are said to be especially handsome as greenhouse plants.

The flowers vary through a wide range of color, from almost white to a rich scarlet, but the commoner hue is the corn-color. The scarlet-flowered form, found at San Diego, constitutes the _var. puniceus_, Gray. Another form, with red-brown to salmon-colored flowers on very short pedicels, is the _var. linearis_, Gray. The very long-flowered form is the _var. brachypus_, Gray. The sensitive lips of the stigma close upon being touched or after receiving pollen.

CREEPING WOOD-VIOLET.

_Viola sarmentosa_, Dougl. Violet Family.

_Stems._--Creeping. _Leaves._--Round-cordate; six to eighteen
lines broad; finely crenate; often rusty beneath; usually
punctate with dark dots. _Peduncles._--Slender.
_Flowers._--Small; light yellow without and within. (Flower
structure as in _V. pedunculata_.) _Hab._--Coast Ranges, from
Monterey to British Columbia.

This modest little violet is found commonly in woods,--often in redwood forests,--where it carpets the ground with its shapely little round leaves.

Its specific name refers to its running habit.

COMMON BLACK MUSTARD.

_Brassica nigra_, Koch. Mustard Family.

_Stems._--Six inches to twelve feet high. _Lower
leaves._--Lyrate; with large terminal lobes. _Upper
leaves._--Lobed or entire. _Flowers._--Yellow. _Sepals._--Four.
_Petals._--Four; three to four lines long. _Stamens._--Six.
_Ovary._--Two-celled. Style long. _Pod._--Six to nine lines
long, with seeds in one row. _Hab._--Common everywhere;
introduced.

I can give no truer idea of the manner of growth of this common plant in California than by quoting Mrs. Jackson's charming description of it from "Ramona":--

"The wild mustard in Southern California is like that spoken of in the New Testament, in the branches of which the birds of the air may rest. Coming up out of the earth, so slender a stem that dozens can find starting-point in an inch, it darts up a slender, straight shoot, five, ten, twenty feet, with hundreds of fine, feathery branches locking and interlocking with all the other hundreds around it, till it is an inextricable network, like lace. Then it bursts into yellow bloom, still finer, more feathery and lacelike. The stems are so infinitesimally small and of so dark a green, that at a short distance they do not show, and the cloud of blossoms seems floating in the air; at times it looks like a golden dust. With a clear, blue sky behind it, as it is often seen, it looks like a golden snowstorm."

The tall stems are favorite haunts of the red-winged blackbird, who tilts about among them, showing his scarlet wings and occasionally plunging into the depths below, as though he found a spot there much to his mind.

A very superior oil is made from the seed of the mustard, which is one of the strongest antiseptics known. It is especially adapted to the needs of the druggist, because it does not become rancid. The flour of mustard is now much used by surgeons to render their hands aseptic. Tons of the seed are exported from California every year.

ECHEVERIA.

_Cotyledon lanceolata_, Benth. and Hook. Stonecrop or Orpine Family.

Fleshy plants, with tufted radical leaves. _Leaves._--Narrowly
lanceolate; the outer ones two to four inches long; acuminate.
_Scapes._--Fifteen inches high; their lower leaves lanceolate;
becoming above broadly triangular-ovate, clasping, acute;
bearing on their summit a branching flower-cluster.
_Calyx._--Five-parted. _Corolla._--Cylindrical; of five almost
distinct, oblong, acute petals, four to six lines long,
reddish-yellow. _Stamens._--Ten. _Ovaries._--Five; distinct;
one-celled. _Hab._--Los Angeles to San Diego.

These plants, which are of frequent occurrence in the south, usually affect dry, sandy soils. The fleshy foliage is of a warm tone, owing to a suffusion of pink in the leaves. These have a loose, erect habit, and are not crowded in dense rosettes, as are those of some species, and they are so weak that they pull apart easily. The tall flowering stems have but few leaves, and are sometimes nearly naked.

In early summer these plants put forth a strong effort, quickly sending up several tall, vigorous flower-shoots, drawing upon the nourishment stored in the fleshy leaves, which then become limp and shriveled.

Growing upon the coast at San Diego is a very curious and interesting species--_C. edulis_, Brew. This has cylindrical leaves, about the size of a lead-pencil, which grow in tufts, often a foot or two across. Its flowers are greenish-yellow. It is commonly known as "finger-tips." Its young leaves are considered very palatable by the Indians, who use them as a salad.

HEN-AND-CHICKENS.

_Cotyledon Californicum_, Trelease. Stonecrop or Orpine Family.

(For flower structure, see _Cotyledon lanceolata_.)
_Hab._--Central California.

The word "cotyledon" signifies any cup-shaped hollow or cavity, and has been applied to the plants of this genus on account of the manner of growth of the leaves, which is usually in a hollow rosette. The fleshy leaves are often covered with a bloom or a floury powder. These plants are familiar to most of us, as some of the species are extensively cultivated in our gardens as border-plants. Owing to their habit of producing a circle of young plants around the parent, they are commonly called "hen-and-chickens." We have several native species, which are usually found upon warm, rocky hill-slopes, or upon rocks near the sea.

_C. Californicum_ is a beautiful form, with pointed, ovate leaves, of a light glaucous green, often tinged with pink. Its flowers are yellow, and have their petals distinct almost to the base, and its carpels are distinct. We are told that the Indians make soothing poultices of these leaves.

Another species--_C. pulverulenta_, Benth. and Hook.,--found from Santa Barbara to San Diego, is a very beautiful plant. It bears its leaves in a symmetrical rosette, like a diminutive century-plant. These leaves are usually covered with a dense white bloom, and the outer ones are spatulate, abruptly pointed, and two to four inches broad at the tip, while the inner are pointed. The plants are sometimes a foot and a half across, and send up as many as eight of the leafy flowering stems, which look like many-storied, slender Chinese pagodas. The blossoms are pale-red.

BLADDERPOD.

_Isomeris arborea_, Nutt. Caper Family.

Shrubby; evil-scented. _Leaves._--Alternate; compound, with
three leaflets. _Flowers._--With their parts in fours.
_Petals._--Yellow; five to eight lines long. _Stamens._--Eight;
of equal length. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style short.
_Pod._--Pendulous; inflated; pear-shaped; on a long stalk.
_Hab._--Santa Barbara to San Diego.

This low shrub is somewhat plentiful upon the mesas of the south. Its yellow flowers attract one to it, only to be repulsed by the dreadful odor of its foliage. It certainly ought to have some compensating utility for so repellent a characteristic. The ovary is so long-stalked, even in the flower, that it looks like an abnormal, inflated stigma.

This is the only species of the genus.

YELLOW GLOBE-TULIP. DIOGENES' LANTERN. GOLDEN LILY-BELL.

_Calochortus pulchellus_, Dougl. Lily Family.

_Stems._--Somewhat flexuous, with spreading branches; two
inches to a foot or more high. _Radical leaf._--Equaling or
exceeding the stem; four to twelve lines broad.
_Sepals._--Greenish or yellow; eight to twelve lines long.
_Petals._--Yellow; strongly arched; glandular ciliate.
_Gland._--A deep pit, conspicuously prominent on the outside of
the petals, covered within by appressed hairs. (See
_Calochortus_.) _Hab._--Coast Ranges, from Monterey to
Mendocino County.

We have no more charmingly graceful flower than the yellow globe-tulip. A single, long, grasslike leaf precedes the flexuous stem, with its quaintly arched and delicately fringed blossoms. There is a certain quizzical look about these flowers--something akin to the inquiring look of Diogenes, as he thrust his lantern into all sorts of out-of-the-way places in broad daylight. The margins of the petals look as though they had been snipped into a very fine, delicate fringe, unlike the slender, tapering hairs of _C. alba_.

The Indians are fond of the bulbs, which they eat with great relish, calling them "Bo."

YELLOW SAND-VERBENA.

_Abronia latifolia_, Esch. Four-o'clock Family.

_Stems._--Prostrate; rubbery. _Leaves._--Opposite; unequal;
roundish; an inch or so across; petioled; leathery; gummy.
_Flowers._--Yellow; five or six lines long; in dense clusters,
subtended by an involucre of five distinct bracts.
_Perianth._--Salver-shaped. Tube green; its base strongly
angled or winged. Limb yellow; four or five-lobed.
_Stamens._--Mostly five, within the perianth.
_Ovary._--One-celled. Style filiform. Stigma club-shaped.
_Hab._--The seashore from Vancouver Island to Monterey.

The fragrant blossoms of the yellow sand-verbena may be found upon the beach at almost any time of year. The stout root, which often becomes several feet long, is sometimes eaten by the Indians.

SEA-DAHLIA.

_Leptosyne maritima_, Gray. Composite Family.

_Leaves._--Alternate; sometimes six inches long; two or three
times divided into rather sparse, linear divisions; quite
succulent. _Flower-heads._--Solitary; on naked peduncles from
six inches to two feet long; large; three or four inches
across; yellow; of disk- and ray-flowers. _Rays._--Narrowly
oblong; ten-nerved; three-toothed. _Involucre._--Double; the
outer part of several loose, leafy scales; the inner of eight
to twelve, erect, more chaffy ones. _Hab._--The seashore of San
Diego and the islands.

On the cliffs overlooking the sea, where its merry yellow faces can watch the white-crested breakers as they chase one another ashore in never-ending succession, and where the pelicans sail lazily over in lines, and gulls circle and scream, the sea-dahlia flaunts its large yellow flowers. They closely resemble the yellow single dahlias of our gardens; but the foliage is cut into long lobes, and has the appearance of a coarse, very open lace. The odor of the flowers is not especially agreeable, but the plant merits a place in the garden for its beauty.

FALSE LUPINE.

_Thermopsis Californica_, Wats. Pea Family.

_Stems._--Two feet tall. _Leaves._--With leafy stipules an inch
long. _Leaflets._--Three; obovate to oblanceolate; an inch or
two long; somewhat woolly. _Flowers._--Yellow; in
long-peduncled recemes. _Calyx._--Deeply five-cleft; the two
upper teeth often united. _Corolla._--Papilionaceous; eight
lines long. _Stamens._--Ten; all distinct.
_Ovary._--One-celled. _Pod._--Silky; six- to eight-seeded.
_Hab._--Marin County and southward.

The false lupine very closely resembles the true lupines, but may be distinguished from them by the stamens, which are all distinct, instead of being united into a sheath. Its silvery foliage and racemes of rather large canary-colored flowers are common upon open hill-slopes by April.

TIDY-TIPS. YELLOW DAISY.

_Layia platyglossa_, Gray. Composite Family.

_Stems._--A foot or so high; loosely branching.
_Leaves._--Alternate; sessile; the lower linear and pinnatifid,
the upper entire. _Flowerheads._--Solitary; terminal; of
disk- and ray-flowers. _Disk-flowers._--Yellow, with black
stamens. _Rays._--Bright yellow, tipped with white; six lines
long; four lines wide; three-lobed. _Hab._--Throughout Western
California; in low ground.

Among the most charming of our flowers are the beautiful tidy-tips. In midspring, countless millions of them lift themselves above the sheets of golden _Baeria_ on our flower-tapestried plains. The fresh winds come sweetly laden with their delicate fragrance. Were they not scattered everywhere in such lavish profusion, we would doubtless cherish them in our gardens.

Growing among these blossoms is often found another flower, somewhat similar to them. This is _Leptosyne Douglasii_, DC., the false tidy-tip. It has not the clean, natty appearance of _Layia platyglossa_; for the gradual blending of the light tips into the darker yellow below gives it an indefinite, unattractive look. There is a difference in the involucre, which has two series of bracts, and there are no touches of black among the disk-flowers.

GOLDEN BUTTERFLY-TULIP.

_Calochortus clavatus_, Wats. Lily Family.

_Hab._--Los Angeles County to San Luis Obispo and El Dorado
County.

Of all our Mariposa tulips, this is the largest-flowered and stoutest-stemmed, and once seen is not readily forgotten. Its magnificent flowers are sometimes six inches across, though not usually so large, and have the form of a broad-based cup. The sturdy, zigzagging stems and glaucous leaves and bracts, combined with the large rich, canary-colored or golden flowers, make a striking plant. The first glance within the cup shows the ring of club-shaped hairs, characteristic of this species, and the anthers radiating starlike in the center; and as the latter are often a dark, rich prune-purple, the effect can readily be imagined.

I saw this charming Mariposa blooming in abundance in May near Newhall, where its golden cups were conspicuously beautiful against the soft browns of the drying fields and hill-slopes. It is usually found growing upon lava soil.

_C. Weedii_, Wood., found from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, is a charming species, somewhat similar to the above. Its flowers are yellow, purple, or pure white, and it may be known by several characteristics. Its bulb is heavily coated with coarse fibers; it has a single, long radical leaf, like _C. albus_, but unusual among the Mariposas; and its cups are covered all over within with silky hairs.

* * * * *

_Malacothrix Californica_, DC. Composite Family.

_Leaves._--All radical; pinnately parted into very narrow
linear divisions. _Scape._--Six inches to a foot high; bearing
a solitary, large, light-yellow head. _Flower-head._--Composed
of strap-shaped ray-flowers only; five-toothed at the apex.
_Involucres._--Of narrow acute scales in two or three series.
_Receptacle._--Nearly naked. _Hab._--San Francisco to San
Diego, and eastward.

These beautiful _Compositae_ are conspicuous upon our open plains in late spring, and are among the handsomest plants of the family. The fine flowers seem to be sown like disks of light over the flower-carpet of the plain.

BUTTER-AND-EGGS.

_Orthocarpus erianthus_, Benth. Figwort Family.

Slender, with many erect branches; stems and bracts usually
dark-reddish; soft pubescent. _Corolla._--Deep sulphur-yellow;
the slender falcate upper lip dark purple; the tube very
slender, but the sacs of the lower lip large and deep, their
folds hairy within. (See _Orthocarpus_.) _Hab._--Monterey
County and northward; very common.

There are many species of _Orthocarpus_, and they are more numerous in Middle and Northern California and in the Sierras, few of them reaching the south. They are very difficult of determination, and are not well understood by botanists yet. A common name for the plants of this genus is "owl's clover."

BRASS BUTTONS.

_Cotula coronopifolia_, L. Composite Family.

_Stems._--Six inches to a foot long. _Leaves._--Alternate;
lanceolate or oblong-linear; pinnatifid or entire.
_Flower-heads._--Solitary; yellow; three to six lines across;
without rays. _Involucre._--Of two ranks of nearly equal,
scarious-margined scales. _Hab._--Common everywhere.

These little weeds are natives of the Southern Hemisphere, but are now common everywhere. They affect wet places, and their little flowers, like brass buttons, are very familiar objects along our roadsides. The foliage when crushed gives out a curious odor, between lemon-verbena and camphor.

DEER-WEED. WILD BROOM.

_Hosackia glabra_, Torr. Pea Family.

Woody at base; two to eight feet high; erect or decumbent.
_Stems._--Many; slender; branching; reed-like.
_Leaves._--Sparse; short-petioled; mostly trifoliolate.
Leaflets three to six lines long; oblong to linear-oblong;
nearly glabrous. _Flowers._--In numerous small axillary umbels;
yellow; four lines long. _Calyx._--Less than three lines long;
five-toothed. _Corolla._--Papilionaceous. _Stamens._--Nine
united and one free. _Pod._--Elongated; exserted. Seeds two.
(See _Leguminosae_.) _Hab._--Common throughout the State.

This graceful, willowy plant, whose slender branches are closely set with small golden-yellow flowers, in which there is often a hint of red, is as ornamental as any of the small-flowered foreign _Genestas_, or brooms, we grow in our gardens; but because it is so very abundant throughout our borders, we have become blind to its merits. It is especially beautiful and symmetrical in the south, where the low, bushy plants often spread over several feet of ground; and on the mesas of Coronado, the plants growing not far removed from one another, lend to the natural scene the aspect of a garden. There it is in full flower in April; but in the north the blossoms are usually later in arriving, and it is often June before they show themselves; then making whole hill-slopes dull-yellow among the chaparral.

It is a great favorite with the bees, and for them holds untold treasure in honey-making sweets. Among the mountaineers it is known as "deer-weed" and "buck-brush," as both deer and stock are said to feed upon it and flourish, when pasturage is scarce, though they rarely touch it when other food is plenty.

TREFOIL SUMACH. FRAGRANT SUMACH. SQUAW-BERRY.

_Rhus Canadensis, var. trilobata_, Gray. Poison-Oak or Cashew Family.

Shrubs two to five feet high; spreading.
_Leaves._--Three-foliolate. _Leaflets._--Sessile; wedge-shaped;
six lines to an inch long; pubescent, becoming smooth.
_Flowers._--Yellowish; minute; borne in short, scaly-bracted
spikes preceding the leaves. _Fruit._--Viscid; reddish; two or
three lines in diameter; pleasantly acid. _Syn._--_R.
aromatica, var. trilobata_, Gray. _Hab._--Dakota to Texas, and
west to California and Oregon.

The dense foliage of these little bushes has a strong odor, which is not altogether agreeable, while their small fruit has a pleasant acid taste, and is much relished by the Indians.

Dr. Edward Palmer writes that this shrub furnishes the Indians of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California with one of the most valuable of basket materials. The young twigs, which are much tougher than those of the willow, are soaked, scraped, and split. The baskets are then built up of a succession of small rolls of grass, over which the split twigs are closely and firmly bound. The baskets thus made are very durable, will hold water, and are often used to cook in, by dropping hot stones into them till the food is done. The wood exhales a peculiar odor, which is always recognizable about the camps of these Indians, and never leaves articles made from it.

This is grown in England as an ornamental shrub.

GOLDEN STARS.

_Bloomeria aurea_, Kell. Lily Family.

_Bulb._--Six lines in diameter. _Leaf._--Solitary; about
equaling the scape; three to six lines broad. _Scape._--Six to
eighteen inches high. _Flowers._--Yellow; fifteen to sixty in
an umbel. _Perianth._--About an inch across. _Stamens._--Six;
with cup-shaped appendages. _Ovary._--Three-celled. Style
club-shaped. Stigma three-lobed. _Hab._--The Coast Ranges, from
Monterey to San Diego.

Just as the floral procession begins to slacken a little before the oncoming of summer, the fields suddenly blossom out anew and twinkle with millions of the golden stars of the _Bloomeria_. These plants are closely allied to the _Brodiaeas_, and by some authorities are classed as such. They are especially characterized by the structure of the stamens, which rise out of a tiny cup. Under a glass this cup is seen to be granular, somewhat flattened, and furnished with two cusps, or points. The anthers are a very pretty Nile or peacock green.

Another species--_B. Clevelandi_, Wats.--is easily distinguished from the above by its numerous narrow leaves and its green-nerved perianth. This is found at San Diego, upon the mesas in midspring, growing abundantly in spots which, earlier in the season, have been mud-holes. Its open flowers are so outnumbered by the numerous undeveloped green buds, that, even though it grows in masses, it is not very showy, but makes the ground a dull yellow. But its flower-clusters are feathery and delicate.

There is another plant which closely resembles the _Bloomerias_. This is the "golden Brodiaea"--_Brodiaea ixioides_, Wats. But the filaments, instead of having a cuplike appendage, are winged, with the little anthers swinging prettily upon their summits. This is found in the Coast Ranges, from Santa Barbara northward, also in the Sierras. It is a beautiful flower; especially when seen starring the velvet alpine meadows in August.

Another plant--_Brodiaea lactea_, Wats.--the "white Brodiaea" has flowers similar to the above, but pure white (sometimes lilac), with a green mid-vein. This is common in late spring from Monterey to British Columbia.

YELLOW SWEET CLOVER.

_Melilotus parviflora_, Desf. Pea Family.

_Hab._--Widely naturalized from Europe.

In early summer the breezes come laden with fragrance from the sweet clover. This is easily recognized by its tall stems, its fragrant leaves, with three small, toothed leaflets, and its small crowded racemes of minute yellow flowers a line long.

A white form--_Melilotus alba_, Lam.--is found in the north. Its flowers are vanilla-scented.

This plant is a highly valued remedy in the pharmacopoeia for various ailments, and its sweet-scented flowers have been used for flavoring many products, such as Gruyère cheese, snuff, and tobacco. In Europe the blossoms are packed among furs to give them a pleasant odor and keep away moths.

CALIFORNIAN COMPASS-PLANT. SUNFLOWER.

_Wyethia angustifolia_, Nutt. Composite Family.

_Stems._--Six inches to two feet high.
_Leaves._--Long-lanceolate; pointed at both ends; the radical
and lower ones six to twelve inches long; the upper sessile,
shorter, and often broader. _Flower-heads._--Yellow; composed
of ray- and disk-flowers. Plume-like styles of the latter
conspicuous. _Ray flowers._--Numerous; one inch long; six lines
wide; early deciduous. _Involucre._--Broadly campanulate, of
numerous erect, loose, foliaceous, ciliate scales, in several
rows. _Hab._--Monterey, east to the Sierra foothills and north
to Oregon.

In late spring our open plains and hillsides are often plentifully sown with the large golden flowers of these Californian compass-plants, called "sunflowers" by many people. There is a belief prevalent that their erect leaves always stand with their edges pointing north and south, whence the common name. This trait is said to be true of all the species.

_W. helenioides_, Nutt., has large, broad leaves, which are white-woolly when young. Its flower-heads are often four inches or more across.

This plant is used as a common domestic remedy for coughs and colds by Californian housewives, and goes under the unmerited name of "poison-weed." It has also been adopted among physicians as an officinal drug. The root, which is slightly bitter and aromatic, is made into a tincture and administered for asthma, throat disorders, and epidemic influenza, with excellent results. It blooms in early spring, and is common upon hillsides.

Another species, very similar to the above, is _W. glabra_, Gray. This may be known by its smooth green leaves, which are often very viscid. It is found from Marin County southward, in the Coast Ranges, and probably northward.