The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-08-08
FLOWERS OF THE WEST.
THEY ARE NOTED FOR THEIR BRIL-
llANCY OF coLORlNG.

another 1t Is tor DfllllanCy oI coEorlHS.
II is always a positive red or yellow or
pink. with very little of the delicate
half tints and gradations seen in the
flora of the Atlantic slope. Then, too,
the flowers of the west bloom in such
lavish ~profusion. The plains and slopes
blaze with immense patches of color for
miles and miles. Perhaps some of the
blossoms are not so sweet scented as are
many of our eastern favorites, but what
these western flowers lack in sweetness
they make up in brilliancy.
1t is not always easy to trace out the
genus of any particular plant, for the
reason that this elevated region has not
yet been thoroughly explored by the
botanist. and we have no one book to
which we can point as authority like
Gray's Manual for the eastern states
and Chapnan's for the southern. But
it is generally possible to determine the
alliances and place each plant in its
proper family.
SIMILAR PLANTS.
Thus we recognize the beautiful white
and purple iris, even though it is not like
any iris with which we are already ac-
auainted. And we know the large,
handsome, white doomed evening prim-
rose from its resemblance to our familiar
eastern yellow species, and feel safe in
calling this western one an @nothera.
What the people on the plains of Wyom-
ing call bluebell is described in Gray as
'lungwort.' 1t is a dainty little blue
Powered member of the b~oraginace9 OF
forget-me-not tribe; its botanical name
is pulmonaria or mertensia. This is eX-
ceedingly fragrant. 1t is found in some
places as far east as Virginia.
But west of the Wasatch range two
other flowers are called, in popular lam
guage, the bluebell, although neither is
a true c%ampanula any more than the
lungwort is. One of these so called blue
bells is a veritable h~yacinth, only the
blossoms are arranged in a n umbel, like
a geranium. The other bluebell is prob
ably a SALIVA or sage-at least it is a real
labiate plant. 1t is tall and handsome,
and in general aspect resembles our
great blue lobelia."
The legummasae, or pea family, Is well
represented. | counted eight distinct
species belonging to this order. All are
called, indifferently, wild sweet pea
although from the shape of the leaves of
seven one might conclude that these
were more nearly allied to the glycine
or wistaria. The yellow lowered species,
from its smooth, pale green foliage, may
be a true lathyrus. The others comprise
one white, two blue, two pink and two
crimson. Some of these grow but a few
inches above the surface of the plain,
while the taller ones cling to the rocks
and bushes on the mountain side.
The composite, or compound Powered
plants, are also well represented. A
curious little daisy or chamomile has
five broad white petals. A pretty pale
blue aster or erigeron recalls our own
autumnal fora. \ tall, handsome vel
low lowered plant is very similar to our
own ~hawkweed. There is but one spe-
cies of pixie, or pyxidanthera, men.
toned in Gray. This is pink Powered
and belongs to the Jersey pine barrens."
But here on the plains may be found a
white pixie. This belongs to the pole
monaece or phlox family. This order
is well represented in the west. The
Wasatch mountain range is rich in a
delicate pink species Of phlox. The peo-
pie here call it wild sweet William, just
as the people of Nebraska do the purple
species, although the real sweet William
is a dianthus or pink.
SOME BRIGHT ONES.
A deep crimson Powered umbelliferous
plant is undoubtedly a member of the
liliacea, or lily family. The plant is
low, the blossoms are small, but the
clusters are dense. Some call it wild
onion'-perhaps it is an album. An
other plant Is said to be a lily-it may
be, although it looks more like a tiger
flower or a trillium. 1t is as large as a
tulip and has three broad, rounded petals
and three narrow, bladelike ones. The
color is white, painted at the base of
each petal with a curious spot of red and
yellow. The stems and leaves are sim
pie, straight and whitish.
Then we may notice several low plants,
bearing dense, rounded clusters of tiny
white blossoms, tipped with pink. Some
have a sweet scent, too strong, however,
to be agreeable. These suggest the vim
cetoxicum and amianthemum, with sim
liar ~liliaceous plants of the New Jersey
barrens. We also notice two distinct
species Of pink purple wild geraniums,
more abundant, perhaps, but not quite
SO beautiful as our own geranium mac
ulatum.
A curious little flower of the mallow
or hibiscus order grows but afew inches
in height, but it is noteworthy by reason
Of its petals Of vivid scarlet. Then
there is the handsome alyssum, or gold
basket, resembling the brilliant wall
flower, and like it a member Of the cru
cifere OF cabbage family. At this sea-
son of the year may be noticed two
kinds of cactus-a yellow lowered
''prickly pear" like the Jersey cactus,
and a pink blOssomed species whose solid
green lump, taking the place of leaves,
has been called the devils pincushion."
According to Jul eastern ideas it does
seem very strange that such lovely wild
flowers should grow 50 abundantly
where there are no woods; where there
are only a few trees, and these princi-
pally high on the mountain sides OF
along the banks Of streams, and where
there is SO little of what we call thick
cts or underbrush. The bare, reddish
and grayish plains and slopes, dotted
sparsely with dull tinted sage brush, APP
pear at a distance like the very picture
IF 1aSo1ation Pint az biOtad aboya