124 R0SE FAMILY 



1. SPIRAEA. Spirea. 



1. S. densiflora Nutt. Stems woody. Leaves simple, ellip- 

 tic or short-oblong, very obtuse, sharply toothed above the 

 entire base, Yi to V/2 in. long, narrowed to petioles less than 

 *4 in. long. Flowers rose-color, in a compact roundish 

 terminal cluster ^ to V/2 in. across, the peduncle longer than 

 the leaves. Petals 5, rounded. Stamens 20 or more. Pistils 

 about 5, each becoming a small several-seeded pod. (S. betulae- 

 folia rosea Gray.) 



The leafy stems of this plant form dense clumps 2 ft. or 

 less high, and the rounded summit is rosy with the compact 

 flower-clusters. The species grows in rocky moist soil, as 

 at Yosemite Falls, Lake Tenaya, Lake Merced, and Matter- 

 horn Canon. 



2. HOLODISCUS. 



1. H. discolor var. dumosa Maxim. Ocean Spray. Stems 

 woody, intricately branched, 1 to 4 ft. high. Leaves simple, 

 obovate, narrowed to a nearly sessile base, obtuse, coarsely 

 toothed above the middle, about l / 2 in. long (^ to 1 in.), 

 whitish soft-tomentose beneath. Flowers numerous, small, 

 white, in oblong or pyramidal terminal panicles. Petals 5, 

 rounded. Stamens 20. Pistils 5, distinct, becoming hairy 

 akenes. 



Rocky ledges and cliffs form the natural habitat of this 

 plant, which may be tall or short, many or few-flowered, 

 depending on the soil conditions and altitude. It ranges from 

 Yosemite Valley and Lake Eleanor to 9000 ft. alt. and doubt- 

 less even higher. 



3. PIRUS. Mountain Ash. Rowan. 



1. P. occidentalis Wats. Western Mountain Ash. Stems 

 woody, 2 to 6 ft. high. Leaves pinnately compound, 4 to 8 

 in. long, glabrous. Leaflets 7 to 11, oblong, obtuse, toothed 

 above the middle, 1 to 2 J / 2 in. long. Flowers white, about % 

 in. across, in flat-topped clusters much shorter than the leaves. 

 Stamens 20. (P. sambucifolia, of Bot. Calif. Sorbus occidentalis 

 Greene.) 



The Mountain Ash is a rare, deciduous shrub, beautiful in 

 foliage and in flower, but especially striking in late summer 

 and autumn when the large clusters of berry-like fruits turn 

 to coral-red. It grows on stream banks or in other moist 

 places from Tuolumne Canon, Snow Creek, and Crescent 

 Lake to Mt. Lyell and the Sierran crest. The common name 



