246 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



already when they reach the Trinity river, and 

 once across its wooded valley and before }^ou is the 

 open prairie, rolling in every direction for miles 

 and miles, alternating with deciduous woods. 



The f)ine, covering nearly the whole of the 

 eastern section of the State, is Pinus tfeda, and 

 another kind, the name of which I do not know 

 though it grows south-east between the Neches 

 and the Sabine. The same pine is found in 

 Louisiana between Niblett's Bluff on the 

 Sabine, and St. Charles Lake on the Calcasien, 

 forming splendid woods, trees often two hundred 

 feet high. This pine is peculiar, growing 

 straight up without a branch for say fifty feet, 

 then sending .in every direction strong but naked 

 branches, which again send forth side shoots, 

 and it is from the tip ends of these only that 

 the heavy bundles of needles hang down perpen- 

 dicularly. These needles are soft and pliant, 

 and at least a foot and a half long. A young 

 pine of this kind will shoot up eight to ten feet 

 before branching. Throwing from its top a big 

 bundle of needles all round it looks exactly like 

 a young palm from a distance. The timber of 

 these two pines is cut on innumerable sawmills. 

 Some railroads have been built solely to carry 

 the lumber to market. Nor will it be so very 

 long before the woods will be exhausted. 

 . Whilst in the south-east of the State the pines 

 are seldom interrupted by other woods, you 

 meet in the north-east all at once with fine 

 woods of oak and elm, mixed with other kinds 

 such as ash, gum, etc. 



Before proceeding, I would here point out a 

 mistake very often met with, particularly in 

 Europe, and spread over in text books, viz.: the 

 assertion that the Texas flora consists partly of 

 Mexican and partly of North American plants. 

 Now whilst individuals of either are found largely 

 in Texas, it still is a fact that the greater num- 

 ber of Texas plants are peculiar to that State, 

 forming a group wjiose members are not found 

 elsewhere in the world. The striking character 

 of the Texas flora is variety of kinds, multipli- 

 city and beauty of form and exuberance of 

 growth. Texas has enriched already with many 

 plants our civilized countries, for instance with 

 Phlox Drummondii, which just now covers hill 

 and prairie with blood-red, pink and white flowers; 

 with Cercis reniformis, Ungnadia heterophylla, 

 the red and yellow Qi^uotheras,' Abutilon, As- 

 clepias. Verbenas, Eupatoiium. Gaillardia, Eu- 

 phorbia bicolor, Ixiacfjelestina, the Yucca Palm 

 and an infinite number of Caoti and Opuntise. 



Again there are found in Texas, plants which 

 are also found in Mexico, in the United States, 

 in Europe, and even in Africa, and these plants 

 were found before any people settled there. Of 

 such are the Mexican Troximon, of Cape plants 

 the Sisyrinchium Bermudianum, and Amaran- 

 thus greecizans ; of European ones Oxalis 

 corniculata, Chenopodium hybridum and al- 

 bum. 



As Mexico has been called the land of Cacti, 

 Brazil that of Melastomaceae, the United Sta,tes of 

 Quercus and Caryas, so Texas may be called 

 the land of Onagracese, as relatively speaking 

 their representation is the strongest here. As 

 native plants of Texas, amongst others may be 

 named Hypericinese, Vaccinias, Lentibularise, 

 Primulacere, Plantaginese, Orchidacea?, Opuntice, 

 Mammillarise, Echinocacti, Cerei, Echinocysti, 

 Sophoroe, Solani, Convolvulacete, Phlox, Oeno- 

 therete, Salvite, Verbena}, Euphorbia Helianthia, 

 Mimosfe, etc. These plants are scattered over 

 the whole State, some all over, east and west, on 

 mountain and on prairie, others are i-estricted 

 to particular sections. Of the latter are notably 

 the trees, which give their character to the land- 

 scape. 



Wherever deciduous woods appear amongst the 

 pine rigions of the east, there they are generally 

 of but one kind of tree. But in the wooded val- 

 leys the greatest variety prevails. There strikes 

 us first the splendid Magnolia with its snow 

 white flowers, as large as a plate, and its rich 

 dark-green leaves. This Magnolia generally 

 grows in clumps, intermingled with pines, in 

 damp places, often forming woods by itself, and 

 is found all over between the Neches and Butlalo 

 Bayou, but only in the south-east section of the 

 State. It disappears completely about a hun- 

 dred miles from the coast. Another Magnolia, 

 large smooth leaves and smaller pinkish flowers, 

 grows in the valleys of the extreme east. There 

 we also find the Catalpa and a tall dark 

 Juniper. 



Other trees of these valleys are Elms, Ulmus 

 Americana and fulva, Platanus occidentalis 

 Quercus cinerea and alba. Black Walnut, a 

 Poplar, Populus angulata, and what the natives 

 call " gumtree." Innumerable creepers and 

 climbers, some with stems as thick as an 

 arm, are to be mentioned, such as Clematis, 

 Rhus toxicodendron, Cucusta systyla, which 

 cover whole clumps of trees. Of grapes we see 

 Vitis cordifdlia, and also the blue Passion 

 flower, Passillora texensis. 



