28 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
petal, sometimes called the tongue of the bird, is long-lanced 
and keeled through the middle, and is of deep azure color, 
making a gorgeous contrast with the upper petals. 
Plants of S. Reginae are easily cultivated, requiring heavy 
soil and plenty of water and sunlight. When grown in tubs 
they are serviceable for the conservatory and for the porch 
or lawn in summer. However, the best results, from the 
standpoint of flower production, are obtained from planting 
directly in the ground in the conservatory. 
VANISHED PLANTS OF OUR LOCAL FLORA 
The territory here considered as covering our local flora, 
is that defined in the ‘‘Preliminary Check List of the Crypto- 
gams and Phanerogams in the Vicinity of St. Louis, Mo.,’’ 
published by the Engelmann Botanical Club, 1911, as follows: 
‘*K'rom the mouth of the Missouri River east to the top of the 
Illinois Bluffs, south along the tops of these bluffs to a point 
opposite the mouth of the Meramee River; following the 
Meramec River and including the bluffs on both sides to a 
point opposite Pacific, Mo., from there directly east to the - 
Missouri River and following the south side of the river to 
the starting point.’’ 
The area includes the so-called American bottoms, through 
which flows the Mississippi River. This bottom varies in 
width from four to eight miles, the greater portion of which 
is in the state of Illinois. A part of it is occupied by bodies 
of water, some being connected with the river. On the Mis- 
souri side, at some places, the limestone bluffs approach the 
river’s edge. The Missouri plateau is of a rolling nature, 
intersected by numerous small valleys. The surface is partly 
wooded, partly open, covered with a growth of herbs and 
shrubs. A notable feature of this plateau is the sink-holes, 
funnel-shaped depressions which form natural drains for the 
immediate surroundings. Where these sink-holes have been 
partly filled with sediment, water has collected, forming 
ponds. The principal modification of the upland plateau is 
the ravines which have been cut by water and through which 
the surface waters drain into the rivers. Along the Meramec 
and Missouri rivers are large areas of bottom land, subject 
to occasional floods. 
Our local flora has been modified within recent years by 
varizus physical influences, causing the elimination and dis- 
