in our drying woods. The herbage is pleasantly fragrant. The more hairy
form, which suggested the specific name, is found in the south.
Another species--_M. lanceolata_, Gray--common in the Sierras and south to
San Diego, is a very handsome plant with lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate,
entire leaves, an inch or two long, and having its bright rose-colored or
purple corollas sometimes dark-spotted. This is known among the
Spanish-Californians as "poléo" (pennyroyal), and is valued as a remedy for
various ailments.
_M. odoratissima_, Benth., found abundantly in the Sierras, and known as
"wild pennyroyal," is a bushy, many-stemmed plant, whose flowers usually
have a faded lavender hue. But the plant is exceedingly fragrant, perfuming
the air all about.
[Illustration PENNYROYAL--_Monardella villosa_.]
LUCERN. ALFALFA. CHILEAN CLOVER.
_Medicago sativa_, L. Pea Family.
Perennials, with roots sometimes reaching down eight or ten
feet. _Stems._--Two to four feet high. _Leaflets._--Three;
toothed above. _Flowers._--Violet. _Calyx._--Five-toothed.
_Corolla._--Papilionaceous; six lines long. _Stamens._--Nine
united; one free. _Pod._--Spirally coiled; without spines.
_Hab._--Usually escaped from cultivation.
The value of this little plant has been known for many centuries. It was
introduced into Greece from Media, whence it received the name _Medicago_,
and was cultivated several centuries before Christ. It has reached us
through Mexico and Chile, where it is called "alfalfa" and "Chilean
clover."
It is but sparingly naturalized among us, but on account of its very
nutritious herbage it is largely cultivated for feed. Its very deep root
enables it to seek moisture from perennial sources, and to thus withstand
the dryness of our summers. It requires considerable care to start the
plants; but once established, the roots will continue under favorable
circumstances to produce crops of herbage almost indefinitely. When grown
upon good soil and irrigated, it will yield several crops a year. When
cured for hay, it is cut just before flowering. But it is of greatest value
for feeding green to dairy cows and other animals. An alfalfa field is a
beautiful and grateful sight amid the drouth of our late summer. In Chile
sprays of this plant are laid about in the houses to drive away fleas.
SQUAW'S CARPET. MAHALA MATS.
_Ceanothus prostratus_, Benth. Buckthorn Family.
Hardy, evergreen, trailing shrubs, carpeting the ground.
_Leaves._--Opposite; short-petioled; obovate or spatulate;
cuneate; leathery; several-toothed above; three to twelve lines
long. _Flowers._--Bright blue; in loose clusters on stout
peduncles. _Fruit._--With thick, often red, flesh; with three
large wrinkled, somewhat spreading horns from near the apex,
and low intermediate crests. (See _Ceanothus_.) _Hab._--The
Sierras and northern Coast Ranges.
[Illustration ALFALFA--_Medicago sativa_.]
Upon half-shaded slopes in the Sierras, where great firs rear their
noble shafts, forming an open forest, this little trailing shrub makes a
clean, delightfully springy carpet underfoot. Early in the season it is
an exquisite thing, when covered with its delicate clusters of
bright-blue flowers, and it is no less attractive in late summer, when
its odd scarlet fruit studs the rich green foliage.
The children of our mountain districts know it as "squaw's carpet" and
"mahala mats." Among the Digger Indians the word "Mahala" is applied as a
title of respect to all the women of the tribe indiscriminately, and they
always refer to one another as "Mahala Sally," "Mahala Nancy," etc.
ACONITE. MONK'S-HOOD. FRIAR'S-CAP. BLUEWEED.
_Aconitum Columbianum_, Nutt. Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.
_Stems._--Two to six feet high. _Leaves._--Alternate; palmately
three- to five-cleft, three to five inches across.
_Flowers._--From blue to almost white; in a terminal cluster.
_Sepals._--Five; petaloid; very irregular; the upper one
helmet-shaped. _Petals._--Two to five; the upper two
stamen-like, concealed within the helmet; the lower three
minute or obsolete. _Stamens._--Numerous. Filaments short.
_Pistils._--Usually three; becoming divergent follicles.
_Syn._--_A. Fischeri_, Reichb. _Hab._--The Sierras and the
northern Coast Ranges.
The blossoms of the monk's-hood, or aconite, may be found with those of the
tall blue larkspur and the little alpine lily along our mountain streams in
late summer. Owing to the shape of the upper sepal, these flowers have
received several of their common names, such as "helmet-flower,"
"friar's-cap," and "monk's-hood."
The genus _Aconitum_ has been known from remote times and noted for the
poisonous qualities of its species. From the roots and leaves of _A.
napellus_, the officinal species, supposed to be native of Britain, is made
the powerful drug, aconite. Our own species is also poisonous, and among
the mountaineers it is called "blueweed," and remembered only for its
disastrous effect upon their sheep, who are sometimes driven to eat it when
other feed is scare. The helmet varies greatly in breadth and length.
[Illustration MONK'S-HOOD--_Aconitum Columbianum_.]
BLUE GENTIAN.
_Gentiana calycosa_, Griseb. Gentian Family.
_Stems._--Six to twelve inches high. _Leaves._--Eighteen lines
to less than an inch long. _Flowers._--Deep, rich blue.
_Corolla._--An inch or two long; plaited into folds between the
lobes; the sinuses with two long, toothlike appendages; the
lobes green-dotted. _Stamens._--Five; alternate with the
corolla-lobes. Filaments flattened and adnate to the corolla
below. _Ovary._--One-celled. Style awl-shaped. Stigma
two-lobed. _Hab._--The Sierras.
This genus was named for Gentius, an ancient king of Illyria, who is said
to have discovered the medicinal virtues of these plants. The drug called
"gentian," a bitter tonic, is made from the root of a German species--_G.
lutea_--with yellow flowers.
All the Gentians are natives of the cooler portions of the world,
inhabiting northern latitudes and mountain heights. We have several fine
species, which are found in the Sierras and the northern Coast Ranges.
_G. calycosa_ is a truly beautiful flower, rivaling the sky with its deep
blue blossoms, which are to be found in the fall in many an alpine meadow,
called by Mr. Muir "gentian-meadows."
TALL MOUNTAIN LARKSPUR.
_Delphinium scopulorum, var. glaucum_, Gray.
Buttercup or Crowfoot Family.
Mostly smooth; more or less glaucous. _Stems._--Two to six feet
high. _Leaves._--Palmately five- to seven-parted; the divisions
slashed into sharp-pointed lobes. _Flowers._--Blue; in narrow,
slender racemes; on rather short, slender pedicels.
_Sepals._--Rather narrow; six lines long or less; minutely
tomentose. Spur crapy; rather slender. _Ovaries._--Smooth.
(Flower-structure as in _D. nudicaule_.) _Syn._--_D.
scopulorum_, Gray. _Hab._--The Sierras, at about six thousand
feet; from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Yukon River.
[Illustration BLUE GENTIAN--_Gentiana calycosa_.]
By July and August the slender spires of the tall mountain larkspur are
conspicuous along the watercourses of the Sierras, where they are usually
found in the company of their near relatives, the monk's-hoods and the gay
scarlet columbines. A ramble down one of these mountain streams affords a
succession of most delightful surprises. Willow copses, alternating with
tangles of larkspur, great willow-herb, and monk's-hood, are followed by
open, velvety meadows, starred by white and blue daisies, or diversified by
the pure spikes of the milk-white rein-orchis, or the lovely blossoms of
the pink mimulus; while further down, the stream perchance suddenly narrows
and deepens, flowing by some jutting rock-wall, resplendent with crimson
pentstemons or brilliant sulphur-flowers.
COMMON ASTER.
_Aster Chamissonis_, Gray. Composite Family.
_Stems._--Two to five feet high; loosely branching. _Leaves._--Alternate;
sessile; lanceolate; three to six inches long; the upper becoming small or
minute. _Flower-heads._--Five or six lines long; composed of yellow
disk-flowers and violet or purple rays. _Rays._--Twenty to twenty-five;
half an inch long. _Involucre._--Campanulate; of many small imbricated
scales. _Hab._--Throughout California.
We have not as many species of _Aster_ as are found in the Eastern States,
but we have some very beautiful ones. _A. Chamissonis_ is one of our
commonest and most widespread species. Its blossoms begin to appear in late
summer and linger along through the fall. Many species of _Erigeron_ (very
closely allied to _Aster_) are called "asters" among us, and comprise some
of our most charming flowers. These are found chiefly in the mountains,
though _E. glaucus_ is found upon the sea-beach and ocean cliffs.
LAVENDER MOUNTAIN DAISY.
_Erigeron salsuginosus_, Gray. Composite Family.
_Stems._--A foot or two high. _Radical and lower
leaves._--Spatulate to nearly obovate; tapering into a margined
petiole. _Upper leaves._--Ovate-oblong to lanceolate; sessile.
_Uppermost leaves._--Small and bract-like.
_Flower-heads._--Solitary; large; of yellow disk-flowers and
lavender rays. _Disk._--Over half an inch across.
_Rays._--Fifty to seventy; six lines or more long; rather wide.
_Bracts_ of the involucre numerous; loosely spreading.
_Syn._--_Aster salsuginosus_, Richardson. _Hab._--Sierra
meadows, at an altitude of from six to ten thousand feet.
[Illustration COMMON ASTER--_Aster Chamissonis_.]
Of all the beautiful flowers of the Sierras, not one lingers so fondly in
the memory, after our return to the lowlands, as this exquisite lavender
daisy. Late in the summer it stars the alpine meadows with its charming
flowers, or stands in sociable companies on those natural velvet lawns of
the mountains. It resembles the feathery, white mountain daisy, and grows
in the same region; but its rays are wider and give the blossoms a somewhat
more substantial look.
BLUE FORGET-ME-NOT. STICKSEED.
_Echinospermum floribundum_, Lehm. Borage Family.
_Stems._--Two feet or so high. _Leaves._--Oblong to
linear-lanceolate; two to five inches long. _Flowers._--In
numerous, slender-panicled racemes; on short, slender pedicels.
Racemes often in pairs. _Calyx._--Five-parted; minute.
_Corolla._--Sky-blue (rarely white); salver-form, with short
tube and spreading, five-lobed border; two to five lines
across, with conspicuous arching crests in the throat.
_Stamens._--Five; included; on the corolla. _Ovary._--Of four
nutlets; each having a deltoid, keeled disk and margined by
long, flat prickles. _Hab._--From California to British
Columbia and eastward.
The beautiful blossoms of the wild blue forget-me-not will be readily
recognized by all lovers of flowers. They may be found in the Sierras in
midsummer. The tall stems rise amid the lush grasses upon the sides of
steep cañons, where the air is humid and vegetation is rank. The flowers
are unfortunately followed by very troublesome burs, which are much dreaded
by sheep-herders.
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."
[Illustration INDIAN WARRIOR--_Pedicularis densiflora_.]
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.
[Illustration FUCHSIA-FLOWERED GOOSEBERRY--_Ribes speciosum_.]
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.
[Illustration WILD PEONY--_Paeonia Brownii_.]
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.
[Illustration CALIFORNIAN BEE PLANT--_ScrophulariaCalifornica_.]
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.
[Illustration INDIAN PAINT-BRUSH--_Castilleia parviflora_.]
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!