THE FLORAL FEATURES OF CALIFORNIA 



29 



of small white flowers, the chaparral pea, mountain mahogany, hush 

 poppy and verba santa, all lend a charm that compensates for the long 

 periods of gray monotony. 



The preponderance of shrubs is a striking characteristic of Cali- 

 fornia. One familiar with the shrubs of the eastern states will discover 

 many surprises among the California varieties. To be sure, he will 

 find many familiar genera, such as roses, currants and snowberries, but 

 many strangers as well, such as the shrubby poppies, phloxes, mallows, 

 monkey-flower, and even senecio. His solitary bear berry, uva-ursi, is 

 here represented by about twenty species and Xew Jersey tea by over 







The Matilija Poppy in Early June, photographed by the writer. 



thirty, many of which are very attractive in bloom and appropriately 

 named California lilac. 



In southern California the wild buckwheat, the laurel-leaved sumac 

 and the black and white sage are prominent along the lower edge of the 

 chaparral. The buckwheat and sages are bee plants par excellence, and 

 produce tons of clear white honey. The Spanish-ba}^onet, a member of 

 the yucca family, is widely distributed through the chaparral. Most of 

 the year it is merely a tuft of dagger-like leaves, but in May and June 

 each tuft sends up a straight flower-stalk eight to twelve feet high, bear- 

 ing a huge pillar-like mass of creamy white flowers that may be seen 

 for several miles. On canyon floors one will occasionally meet the 

 matilija poppy. This is California's most gorgeous flower. It grows 

 in round clumps eight co ten feet high, bearing a profusion of delicate 



