The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-04-24

Ing.
Tho hAicrican lotus tniumbo)
easily claims tho largest and most
stately blossoms Of any plant native
to tho United states It's maguifl
cen; pale yellow Nowcy8 are from
six to 10 inchs in diameter and
ara borne on stems from three 20
soven feet long, according 20 the
depth Of tho water in which the
huge, tuberous roots are anchored.
The leathery, shield shaped leaves
are often two fcot across and are
lifted above the surface Of the pond
I'm which they grow, not however 80
far as tho flowers which stand high
In tho air. The blossoms come from
July TO tho first of September and
are followed by large seed pods like
an Inverted cone, the top fun of
holes through which may be seen
the round black seeds rolling loose
~ In the cavities ins de. Many an
early settlers baby has shaken a
lotus pod for n rattle and the set
tiers children learned from the In
dlans hat Che socds were good 10
cat The Indians also ate The farm
accous roots. They called the plant
the water Chiuqunpin bccaus" Of the
resemblance OF the seeds to those
OF the chinquapin chestnut The
great nclumbo or lotus. IL found
spnringiy In the eastern states, In
Isolated spots as far north as on
tnrlO, and more commonly from
Michigan 10 oklahoma, but It IL
gradually disappearing and, like the
buffalo, may some day become tx-
tinct This Is more the pity be-
cause It Is found nowhere else Ia
the world.
Doomed to Extinction.
Moreover these is only ono other
species in the world and that is the
pink lotus OF the Nile, native OF
Asia, Japan and Australia. There
n Is called the water bean and the
sacred bean, the latter referring to
It's place In the Egyptian and Budd-
hist religions. 1t appears often in
tn" carved decorations Of the tenn
pies In India and Japan. The great
lotus bowl, spilling water before the
buddhist temple OF Hongwanji in
kioto CITY and the Jars Of lotus
plants. done in bronze, that stand
before the colossal Dai Butsu az
kamakura, are conspicuous exam
pies OF It's use In Japanese art. In
India representations OF the lotus
leaf and flower are constantly found
In connection with Buddha. The
Lahore museum has wonderful
relief OF the Lord Buddha seated in
the midst OF lotus flower. In
Egypt the lotus has been a sacred
Flower on "A sacred river for over a
thousand years. Probably no other
flower has held so conspicuous
place In the great religions of the
world from antiquity TO the present
time.
The passion flower. that ~ette |
darling of tho northern green
houses, becomes n wayside post in
its native haunts from Virginia to
Oklahoma, where the vine climbs
cornstalks and drapos itself over
Fences u thing of beauty but not a
! JOY to farmers who prefer to have
their cornfields undecorated. Like
the dandelion and the burdoCk, IL
has learned to take advantage OF
cultivated soil, although most wild
| flowers disappear at the approach
| OF cultivation. The wonderful white
| or purple blossoms appear from
May to August and are followed by
an egg shaped, whitish green, ed-
| Bile fruit commonly called maypops
| The name, passion flower, comes
1 from translation of the old Italian
| name meaning flower of the passion
| or cruCifixlOn. To n lively imagina
| ton the stigmas could easily pass
| for horseshoe nails the stamens for
| double headed hammers, while the
| fringe everything the petals. makes q
good crown. This northward stray
ing type OF a very numerous tropi-
cal family has only one other spe-
cics growing as far north as Mis-
souri, and that IL small lowered
but little resembling its gorgeou!
| ~ hA 80 1t
| nave dazzling scarlet blossoms.
Visitor From Mexico.
Another OF our conspicious wild
flowers is the trumpet crecpcr (te'
coma.) The family to which It be.
longs has only two other repre-
sentatives IN the United states, tho
catalpa and the cross vine; but 4
has many tropical relations. Tn,
name, tecoma. is an abbreviation o
the Aztec name. tecomachitl. Al
through the heat of late July anC
OF August the clusters OF flame col
ored flowers may be seen in damn
woods from Pennsylvania to Florida
and from Illinois to Texas. The ele
giant foliage and showy blossoms o.
this vine have made Il a favurite II
northern gardens where II Is trained
over trellises and porches. At HON,
1t climbs forest trees, growing from
twenty to forty feet long and 1
flaunts its orange scarlet trumpeti
high In air above the reach OF crawl
ing things but in plain view OF tn,
humming birds whose visits IL in
vites. The trumpet throat Is TO,
long TO be convenient for any in
sect honey seeker except the sphinl
moth and as the two pairs of STAN
ems. one short. one long. are f,
placed that self fertilization Is i'm
possible, one might say that th'
humming bird was the trumpe
creeper's best friend. BY a curious
coincidence, the majority of ou
bright red flowers such as colum
bine, cardinal flower. scarlet honey
suckle, and trumpet creeper, arr
long throated and whether tn
humming bird is attracted by th'
color or by untouched store OF necta
Is n question, The bird may lov'
scarlet but he has a hard time find
ing Il in the temperate zone, Scar
let and orange red are very scarce
> colors among wild flowers eNcep
in the tropics. Probably the reade
can count on the fingers OF on'
hand all such examples known L
him.
"One exception 20 the trumpe
shaped scarlet flower is that OF th'
pleurisy root which, like all mill