BOTANIZING IN THE FOSSIL FOREST 73 



Every fisherman knows the Pickerel-weed {Pontederia)^ which, 

 with its wand-like spikes of blue flowers and handsome cordate leaves, 

 affords shelter for many a fine fish. The PontederiacecB is not a large, 

 family containing only a few genera. It is of interest, however, from, the 

 fact that it contains the Water Hyacinth {Piaropus), that pretty plant 

 of cultivation which is proving such an obstruction to navigation in 

 the St. John's river, Florida. The family may be distinguished from 

 the Commelinaceas by its six-parted perianth, all the divisions of which 

 are similar instead of being in two series corresponding to sepals and 

 petals. 



The BromeliacecB, or Pineapple family, is a group of considerable 

 economic importance, as it includes that luscious fruit of the South, 

 the pineapple. A large proportion of the plants belonging to this fam- 

 ily are epiphytes, growing upon the trunks of trees, and in our country 

 restricted to southern Florida. The well known Long Moss ( Tilland- 

 sia iisneoides) which ornaments the live oaks so effectively throughout 

 the southern states belongs here. Its small flowers, with their dry, 

 husky perianth, are apt to be overlooked among the tangled strands of 

 the foliage, but they are good objects for study. 



BOTANIZING IN THE FOSSIL FOREST. 



By Myrtle Znck. 



AT first glance things look very unfavorable to the collector of 

 plants in Chalcedony Park in Arizona. One is surrounded 

 by badlands, and the ground is strewn with the mummies of 

 great pine trees. But over there is a dry, sandy warh, along 

 the banks of which may be found something interesting. 



One of the most conspicuous plants is a tall grass, Calamovilfa 

 longifolia, which the Mexicans call carrizo. Several species of Atri- 

 plex, commonly known as Saltweed and Sagebrush, are abundant. 

 Nestled under a small shrub {A triplex canescens) is a dainty plant with 

 white flowers and queer little flat pods — the " spectacle-fruited" mus- 

 tard, Dithyrea Wislizeni. Near by is the graceful, swaying Petaloste- 

 mon candidus^ the spikes of creamey white flowers exhaling a delicate 

 fragrance, something rarely found in these flowers of the desert. A 

 gorgeous bit of color attracts one's attention, and one finds the Indian 

 pink or Paint-brush, as the Castilleias are variously called. Though 

 its flowers are inconspicuous, the brilliant red bracts that subtend 

 them give the plant a beautiful and striking appearance. Growing in 

 the sand are some small plants of Anogra albicaulis, an evening prim- 

 rose with white flowers turning to rose color. 



