[Sidenote: =Desert Dandelion=
_Malácothrix Féndleri_
=Yellow
Spring
Arizona=]
An attractive little desert plant, about five inches tall, with
stiffish, pale bluish-green leaves, forming a rosette, and pretty,
very pale yellow flowers, nearly an inch across, like a delicate sort
of Dandelion. It is a near relation of the common Dandelion and blooms
early in the spring.
[Sidenote: =Salsify, Oyster Plant=
_Tragopògon porrifòlius_
=Purple
Spring, summer
West, etc.=]
This is the common Salsify, the root of which is used as a vegetable.
It is naturalized from Europe and is now quite common in the West as
a "stray" and also in the East. It has a smooth, stout, hollow stem,
from two to over four feet tall, rather dark green, smooth leaves,
clasping at base, and handsome flowers from two to four inches across,
which are a very peculiar shade of reddish-purple, not usually seen in
flowers. They open early in the morning, closing by midday and fading
almost immediately when picked, and may be seen growing along the edges
of fields and just outside garden fences where they are often quite
conspicuous. This plant has many common names, such as Jerusalem Star,
Nap-at-noon, and Vegetable Oyster.
[Sidenote: =Desert Chicory=
_Nemosèris Neo-Mexicàna (Rafinesquia)_
=White
Spring
Ariz., New Mex.=]
A straggling desert plant, from a few inches to a foot and a half
high, with smooth branching stems and smooth, very pale bluish-green
leaves, rather thick in texture. The pretty flowers are from one to
two inches across, white, tinged with pink or cream-color and a little
yellow in the middle, often striped with magenta on the outside, and
the bracts of the involucre tinged with pink and bordered with white.
_N. Califórnica_ is a branching plant, from one to five feet tall,
with a stout stem and smooth oblong leaves, lobed, toothed, or almost
toothless, and quite pretty flowers at the ends of the branches. They
are about an inch across, white, often tinged with magenta on the
outside. This grows in California and Oregon, usually in shady or moist
places.
There are several kinds of Cichorium, natives of the Old World. The
name is from the Arabic.
[Illustration: Salsify--Tragopogon porrifolius.
Desert Chicory--Nemoseris Neo-Mexicana.