Proceedings 47 
seven species apparently indigenous to California and 
found also in Great Britain, Five of these are aliens in 
England. 
Some of the introduced weeds are spreading very fast 
in California, and occupy waste lands where they must 
be choking indigenous species, Amongst these intruders 
I may name the Mallows, Horehound, Shepherd’s Purse, 
Groundsel, Medick, and most noticeably Black Mustard 
(Brassica nigra), which covers acres of ground and grows 
from six to twelve feet high, with long, wiry stems. 
But you would rather hear something of the beauties of 
the native flora. The most glorious flower for effect is the 
California Poppy, the Zschecholtzia of our gardens. Its 
rich orange blossoms, covering acres of ground in the 
spring, shining in the sunshine, give dashes of colour to 
the landscape that can be seen from miles away. ‘To the 
poppy fields” the cars are labelled, and women and children 
come out from the city for the keen enjoyment of picking 
handfuls of nature’s marvels. 
Our home gardens owe much to California. Lupines, 
Larkspur, Collinsia, Godetia, Clarkia, Nemophillas, Gillias, 
Phacelias, Giant Sunflower, Fleerkia, Mimulus, Mirabilis, 
Bartonia, are all well-known to English florists. What a 
delight to see these old familiar flowers on their native hill- 
sides. Amongst the most lovely adornments of the spring 
is the Mariposa Tulip (Cadochortus venustus, Benth), with 
three large pale lilac petals, marked at the base with cur- 
iously bee-like stains. On the same: hillside banks you 
may find the Azure Pentstemon of the most intense sky 
blue, and perchance the Scarlet Bugler, another Pentste- 
mon of brilliant colour. 
Of flowering bushes not a few are worthy of mention. The 
Ceanothus of our gardens tinges Mount Lowe in March or 
April with sheets of French blue. Californian Lilac is its 
popular name. Finest of all is the Matilija Poppy which 
makes a magnificent show with its white petals three or 
four inches across. The Sticky Mimulus is sometimes 
grown in greenhouses in our country. It helps to form 
__ the brushwood tangle on the Californian hillsides, 
