101 



the iniit is iimiKctiirf . loiuitl in .■iKmul.-iiicf in saiid mid in llu- river liottoins ; 

 :Litl ^f^tr.•<ilill ifstita. Hook, and (in-v.. in Mnd aldiii- tlif iMiicky hanksol a pond 

 near I'erkins. Tliits luarsilia was two to tliree inclu's larj^er than the type. 



I'robahly ali pf these thirteen plants ought to l)e inclnded in (Jray's Manual, 

 beeanse of the great similarity ol the tlora of this region to that of southern Kan- 

 sas, The rliinatic and geologic conditions are furthermore so very similar in 

 hoth regit)ns, and this, comhined with the fact of the proximity of the Cimarron 

 and Arkansas rivers, flowing southw aid through tlic Territory from Kmisas, would 

 tend to maki' tlu- floras very alike. 



If jt is true, as has been saiil, that the Indian W(Uil OLIulioma means the 

 ■"lioiiic of the red earth," then it is a very apprt)priate iiiime, since the first thing 

 that strikes the traveler's eyi- is this redness of the soil. A large jtart of north- 

 eastern Oklahoma is distinguishetl by out-cropping "red beds." which also extend 

 northward into several counties of Southern Kansas, while salt marshes and 

 gypsum hills are associated with the red beds in l)oth regions. Much of the up- 

 lands is thus distinguished, while the lowlands are very sandy, some of the fertile 

 river bottoms, however, bearing a rich ;in(l diversified flora. 



Many of the plants collected show strikingly the transition from the eastern 

 to the western |ilains flora. Many show also the special characters jjeculiar to 

 tin- i)lants of sandy regions. They have to contend generally with an adverse en- 

 vironment — a dry, sandy (U- gravelly soil — from which the water is rapidlv drained 

 away. 



Rainfall in this extreme eastern <listrict of Okhilioma is extremely local. For 

 exannde, during the summer of lS5t3, the crops along the river bottoms and in 

 limited spots on the uplands thrived under the influence of the local lains, while 

 l>iit a few miles to the west, about (iiitliric, the corn crops were iiiiicli injured by 

 the drought. The Hora seems to reflect such local characteristics. The drier dis- 

 tricts present singularly dwarfed f(uins and show the gradual a.ssiimption of pro- 

 tective characters. Tlie plants are "'protected against to<i rapid transpiration bv 

 thickened leaves and epidermis, sunken stomata, absence or narrowness of leave.s, 

 or an unusual amount of woolines^ or hairiness." 



There is excellent timlii-r in some portions of tiiis eastern part, luil the trees 

 look dwarfed compared with our Indiana trees. There is quite a number of the 

 common oaks — Spanish o:ik, jutst oak, but most abundant in the u]>Iand reduced 

 forests is (Jnercii>< tiii/ra. 1. , the dwarfed, gnarled '' lilack jack." There are some 

 hickories, black walnuts, tall cotton-woods and elms alf)ng the river and creeks 

 tin- elms bcariiii: abiindantl v large liuiu-lii's of mistletoe. 



