770 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



CALIFOENIAN DRY-WINTER FLOWERS. 



Bt Professor BYKON D. IIALSTED. 



THE writer spent three months of the winter of 188G-'87 in and 

 around the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara in Southern 

 California, The previous summer had been no exception to the rule, 

 and the whole country received no rain from the last of April until the 

 close of the 5'ear. In fact, the long-expected rains did not come until 

 the middle of February, and we left in the midst of the I'aging floods. 

 The wild plants, therefore, which were in bloom from December until 

 February, had not felt the invigorating influences of water from the 

 clouds for nearly ten months. 



It is the purpose of this paper to call attention to the winter-bloom- 

 ing plants found upon the highlands, or at least not growing along 

 the streams or within easy reach of water coming from any natural 

 springs or other perennial sources of moisture. The roadways, for 

 example, during the winter, were deep with dust, and every passing 

 breeze carried the impalpable powder in a fine cloud over all surround- 

 ing objects. 



The first plant bearing blossoms that attracted our attention was 

 the western bindweed {^Convolvulus occidentalis, Gray). This peren- 

 nial, twining herb seemed to flourish in the driest earth, and hung 

 out its white or purplish flowers to catch the dust as well as the winter 

 sunshine. Unlike its first cousin, the common morning-glory, as we 

 see it in the East, this wild convolvulus keeps its flowers open the 

 whole day through, and, for aught we know, for several days in suc- 

 cession. This would only be in keeping with other living things in 

 that quiet, lazy climate, where there is no real winter, or the activity 

 exhil)ited among plants in localities where they must prepare for im- 

 pending frosts. A very common species in flower was Galium angus- 

 tifoliuni, Nutt. This is one of the larger " bed-straws," and may be 

 found in almost any thicket climbing to the height of three or more 

 feet over the dusty and leafless branches of the surrounding shrubbery. 

 The flowers are very small and inconspicuous, but are present in large 

 numbers. The fact that this is one of the polygamo-dioecious species 

 adds interest to it. Botanists have puzzled over it to some extent on 

 account of there being male and female plants, which difl'er somewhat 

 in general appearance. Upon this species it was interesting to observe 

 the long, slender, and apparently lifeless stems from which sprang at 

 frequent intervals the green, leaf -bearing branches with their large 

 clusters of small flowers. There was an adaptation to circumstances, 

 and young shoots were developed v/here they would do the most good. 

 One species of the "painted cup" {Castilleia parviflora, Bon.) was 

 occasionally met with in the open grounds, but it looked the worse for 



