26o 



Minnesota Plant Life. 



their peculiar forms; but rather on account of the presence in 

 the soil of salt in such quantities that, if the plant had a large 

 evaporative surface, it would absorb so much salt-water from 

 the soil to meet the evaporation that its tissues would become 

 surfeited with saline deposits. 



The other saline plant, known as the western blite, occurs 

 in the Red ri\er \alley. in ilic region of Pembina and St. \'in- 

 cent. It is a fleshy herb, with thick or cylindrical leaves quite 

 sessile upon the twigs. It maintains the same generally suc- 

 culent character that characterizes the glasswort, but has not 

 underc'one so ""reat a reduction of its leaf-tract. 



Fk;. l:il. I'oUewffd. .AfUr ClRsiiiit. I-'. Tl. 8t!, l\ S. Dcpt. Ag. 



Russian thistle. Another \ariet\- of pigweed, not native to 

 the state, btit introduced in large munbers, has excited a great 

 tleal of attention on account of its rapid development in the 

 wheat fields of the Red river valley. This is tlie Russian thistle, 

 a mnibling weed, succulent when young, but turning hard, dry 

 and thorny when older. A \ariet\ of ])lant \ ery similar to the 

 Russian thistle is found along the Atlantic seacc^ast. It has 

 not. howexer. the bushy branches of the tliistle. 



Coxcombs. The amaranths or coxcombs also include a very 

 connnon tuniblew eed which grows in globular form, two or 



