The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-05-28
Cherokee Wild Flowers.

RA1ANH WV NOAAbA ~NN~"N
Vinita must be impressed with the
variety and beauty Of the wild
dowers. From early April to late
October the prairies are an ever
changing kaleidoscope Of color,
While the woodlands hold an
equally interesting if less brilliant
dora. Before We fairly realize
hat winter is over, the dog.tooth
yiolet. spring beauty, and ane-
none are blooming in woods and
'heltered places; while one need
OF go beyond ones own dooryard
D observe the tiny lavender stars
Il bluets, or the ubiquitous false
arIic whose white lily like clus-
ks deserve a better name. The
= etter plant is remarkable for its
period Of bloom, beginning in
pril, bearing profusely for
Month and more sparingly until
phte summer. Among the early
pring flowers should be numbered
iolets, SoIomon's seal, strawberry
lum, phlox, black berry, red bud,
hitethorn, the peculiar bloom
the paw-paw, dogwood, yellow
|ed grass and blue eyed grass,
Which are no grasses at all but
nembers Of the lily family.
A little later come the showy
fed verbena, pale spiked verbena,
yellow and red oxslis, mallow,
yenus' glass, corydalis, wild
pnion. larkspur, toxglove, milk
eed, spider lily, rose, wild hya-
eth, buttercup, primrose, aster,
barry pea and host Of others. In
ummer and autumn the COM
posite family is much in evidence.
3reat masses Of coreopsis, golden
0d and asters make the roadsides
.ay Cone flowers, black eyed
susans and rudbekias are every
where.
Notable among this host Of yell
y low bloom is the beautiful blue
sc, close relation OF the Guilt.
ked salvias Of our gardens In
deed many Of fthese wild flowers
4 yeaual the cultivated ones bearing
\ lhe same names. 10 size and color.
Anew conner is inclined to believe
lat the large red verbena growing
BIZ the road has escaped from some
garden, or that the masses Of cor
aopsis have been sown by man.
The oxalis, foxglove and larkspur
afs other rivals Of their cultivated
listers.
Besides the indigenous fora
there are many plants particular
" noxious weeds like the clot. bur
1 which have been introduced by
railroads. Burs clinging to cattle
and smaller seed in hay are fruit
fol travellers which soon add to
The fora along tracks and in stock
! pastures. II may be due TO the
fact that there is more cattle trans
portation in the Indian Territory |
than in Oklahoma that the fora
J Of this country bears a greater re.
semblance to that Of Kansas and |
Illinois than do the flowers of Ok
lahoma, although climate and soil |
must play an important part.
A catalogue of all the wild
! flowers Of the Cherokee Nation,
before it ceases to be a nation, and
kasfore the natural prairie pastures
have been plowed into farm lands
thus bringing the destruction Of
some of the old fora aud the in
PRODUCTION OF new weeds-such a
catalogue should be made and pre-
lserved in the interest Of science.
Below is a partial list Of the
showy lowered plants, no account
being taken of trees, grasses, etc.
! violet large , violet (smaIl
purplel pale bluel
3 violet yellow violet (@hite)
violet birdsfoot s dogtooth violet
spring beauty anemOne
I 3 redbud 10 dogwO0d
Ill white thorn II plum
sl3 pa spaw u locust
S15 yellow primrose l6 butteTcup
I7 even. primrose is St.IOhns wort