The herald., 1894-01-01
FLORA OF THE SECTION.
The Beautiful Botany OF Southern Cali
fornta In Part.

The Beautiful Botany OF Southern Cali
fornis In Part.
California is the land OF flowers. She
is the 1owery kingdom OF the American
continent. No other section OF the
union presents hall the wealth OF wild
flowers found in this part of California.
All months OF the year find the plains
and hills covered with flowers OF a
thousand hues. A botanist of note here
writes about them as follows:
I'm the early winter, when the eastern
manhas buried his cabbages and pota-
toes, housed his plants, bunkered his
coal, barricaded his barns and resigned
himself for the Borean Hiege, we begin
here to pluck our first spring flowers.
SPY February the hills are W hat
shall l say?-literally dolly-vardened
with buttercups, violets, dodecatheons,
giliae, nemophilas and the like. And
yet these are the mere skirmish line of
the mighty invading hosts whose uni
forms surpass the kingy robes of Solo
mon, and whoHe banners OF crimson and
yellow and purple will soon wave on
every hill slope and in every valley.
''In April and May the lover of nature
may psss into the seventh heaven OF
botanical delight. Then in favored eec-
tions the display reaches a gorgsousness
and profusion that surpass both de-
scription and imagination.
"The blue phacslias growing in large
tracts are mistaken in the distance for
lakes OF water.
1.-THE feecy gnaphaiiums look like
lakes Of silver.
"The golden petaled Eschschloltzias,
in compact masses of hundreds OF acres,
flashing back the rays of the morning
sun, give the slopes OF the Sierras the
appearance OF molten gold.
"But the best of all are the happy
surprises they have for you,
Rounding the sharp angle of hill,
you suddenly find yourself in the midst
OF a bewilderment of loyeliness and
beauty, that, like the Mount of Trans
fguration 10 the disciples OF old, imme-
diately suggested tabernacle. They
seem all to be here, 'tenting on the old
camp ground Lovingly growing to-
gether you may find gilias, calochor-
fuses, nemaphilas, Coilinsias, phacelias,
enotheras, bloomerias, b@rias, layies,
lupines, godetias, delphinums, and
many more, all on the same little half
acre.
zone Of the peculiarities OF our Pa
cific beauties is that they stubbornly
refuse to be classified or identified by
means OF an eastern botany. When
put upon the witness stand and asked
about their family relations they be-
come recalcitrant and refuse to answer
any and all questions unless propounded
from botany specially for their use. II
you do not believe this just try 1t, as
thousands of eastern people just arrived
have, and to their disgust.
Approach one of the little gilias with
Woods Botany, and the spunky little
thing won't say John Doe.
"While the bulk OF the flowers perish
with the grass in the early summer, the
botsnist need not lose his occupation by
any meane.
fora peculiar to themselves, and very
interesting. During this time the COM
posit@ predominate.
''In the month of July in a short
trip to Antelope valley, in this county,
the writer collected at least $50 species,
la of which were new to him.
''Of these the most abundant and in
teresting were the eriogonums and
chorizanthes.
1T iH not the eastern people alone
that are coming to enjoy our climate
the flow ers are coming too.
IF you should be passing along the
street. and are botanist, you will OBJ
eerve at the edge OF the sidewalk,
strange-looking little plant. 1t belongs
to the amaranth family, and comes all
the way from Florida.
THE thorny solanum, solanum ros.
tatum, has crossed the great Rockies
from Mississippi, and settled near Santa
Monica. 1t has learned, also, like the
most OF our summer wild flowers, to
subsist on climate. 1 will now make
up bouquet Of 25 choice California
howerH.
"Pentstemon spectabilis, delphinum
cardinale, calochortus splendens, calo-
chortus aurea, Rodetia bottee, nenaophila
insignis, msnizelia lmvicaulis, zauchnes
ria Ca,ifornica, Collinsia tri-color, gilia
dianthoides. lilium Humboldtii. mimu-
lus Glutinosus, Olarkia elegans, lsyia
platyglossa, phscelis whitlsvia, lobelia