Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-11
Briet Notes on Its Physical Fea-
lures, Resources, and Development.
UTAH
UTAH x. NATIVE VEGETATION A Nd WILD ANIMALS
BY ]. II, Paul.

Utah comprises what is known as the
American desert region. To the early
geographers desert was a place de-
void of plants, a stony. sandy. or al
kaline waste, "a bowling Wilderness,
upon which neither man nor animal
could live. and over which, from lack
of water. they could scarcely travel.
Most of Utah in Its Wild state boro
the aspect and seemed TO Justify the
reputation of the traditional desert.
But closer investigation dlspels this IL
fusion of the past: for whilc desert
tracts with little or no vegetation are
not infrequent. there is wealth OF
curious beautiful. and useful as well
as of the more ordinary forms of vege-
table and animal life.
NATIVE VEGETATION.
The sagebrlsh covers hill and plain
everywhere, except In alkaline plains
and high mountains. 1t is a low, bushy,
silycr-gray shrub. and with its relative
tho slender white sage indicates good
soil. Oak brush grows in thick clumps
over the mountain sides The worth
less greasewood covers land more or
less alkaline: and various other salt
bushes thrive on saline soils where
every other form of vegetation per-
ishes. These are low, mealy -leaved or
sage-like plants that make good fodder
WHEN YOUNG, ana tulii utiNt Ills poWSt
of taking alkali from the soil. The
government distributes seed of certain
Australian varieties, especially useful
for the purpose in the hope OF re-
claiming the alkaline deserts. Native
species include the shadBcale, the WIN
ter fat, the Utah saltbush. and the
great tumbleweed, all good folders: but
the imported pest, the Russian thistle,
is ominously increasing ON the dry
lands, as Is the small bronze or juno
grass on the mountains. Cedars at
first covered many of the valleys and
hiIlsides, and pines and balsams the
higher mountains. Systematic restock-
ing OF the forest trees has only just
begun. Tho canyons contain boxelder,
maple, birch, cottonwood. chokecherry
eIdcrberry service berry, raspberry,
lockwood small mahogany. Willow
sauawberry sumach, and poison Ivy;
the plains, rabbit brush, cacu, torch
weed.
Flowering plants are numerous and
beautiful. The lilies include the white
and purple sego. the state flower
and It's relative, the poison sogu, blue
and golden lilies. water lily, Solomon's
seal, wild onion, etc: evening prlm-
roses are beautiful the mustard and
carrot families somewhat abundant;
the pinks. blue bells larkspurs, coll
umbines, Waterleafs, forget -me-u0ts.
The compositae are most numerous,
comprising almost a third OF the
common plants; there are few ferns
and moses but many grasses, curious
semi-desert plants and eriogonums
with bare thread-liko or sticlS-liSe
stems and few leaves; the strange
ephedra, or tee plant, toward tho
south: pale golden lowered mentsel-
las, with leaves covered with minute
hooked hairs: deep golden snap
dragons (mimulus), Indian paint
brush, the unique caotl. or prickly
pears. peculiar to Western America
with all these and many others in
spring, but except In tho mountains
and near stronins becomes practically
barren OF them during summer.
NUMBER OF PLANTS.
The flora Of Colorado according 10
Rydberg. comprises over 700 genera
and $500 species, "a number surpnss-
ed only by California and perhaps by
Florida out OF all the states of the
Union" The fora of Utah is perhaps
equally rich and varied, for while our
State lacks many OF the species of the
Great Plains that extend into Colo
RADIO. II probably includes enough or the
peculiar Great Basin nora to compen-
safe this difference. Otherwise, the
Colorado summary may be approxi-
mNtoly appllcaDlo 10 Utan. IHefe tns
composites number 56S species, or
about 1917 per cent. OF the flora; the
grasses. 2B7 species, or ph per cent;
the pea family. 1855, or 1-3 per cent;
the mustard family, 1l4 species, the
ilgwort family (blue-bell, painted
cup, mullen, toad flax. monkey flower,
hrooklime, yellow rattle, lousowort.
etc). log species. The sedges l0l
species; the bnokwheat family docks,
knotweeds, eriogonums, sorrel, smart
weet. etc.), ~ species; the crowfoot
family (cuJtha, globe flower cOlum-
bine. larltHpur, monkshood, or acomte,
virgins bower, vase-vine, bol-rue,
mouse tail, butter-cup, meadow-rue,
etc.). 02 species; the rose family
(raRpberry,. nine-barlS, Hnlmon-barry,
blackberry, cinque. foil strawberry. sill
yer-lear, goum or avens. mountain
holly, agI1mony, wild rose. sweet brier
etc), so species, or between 3 and
per cent, Colorado ferns number only
20 other farnworts, IS; those Of Utah
arc still fewer, The pine family. In
Guiding junipers, are only 20 IN num-
ber.
NATIVE MAMMALS AND BIRDS.
untn they were driven into remote
retreats. on sKterminated. the animal
life ~ Utah, whila not abundant was
varied and comprehensive Some OF
the more common mammals and
birds. tho Indian names supplied ny
DR. r. V. Chamberlin. hein follow.
uhe Indians knew the mountain, or