August, 1955 



EvERs: Hill Prairies of Illinois 



431 



was encountered in five prairies, where it 

 grew also in the wooded coves. 



Lespedeza repens (L.) Bart. A few 

 plants of creeping bush-clover were found 

 in Sampson and Ursa hill prairies. 



X Lespedeza simulata Alack. & Bush. 

 This species was collected from loess 

 prairie at Renault and Fults, also on 

 rocky prairie slopes of the latter. 



*Lespedeza stipulacea Maxim. Korean 

 clover or lespedeza was seen in 13 hill 

 prairies. At Rock Creek it had been 

 planted : elsewhere it apparently was an 

 escape from the nearby pasturelands. 



Lespedeza violacea (L.) Pers. Al- 

 though usually found only in thickets and 

 rocky woods, this lespedeza was seen in 

 five prairies. It was more common, how- 

 ever, in the nearby wooded coves than on 

 the prairie slopes. 



Lespedeza lirginica (L.) Britt. Slen- 

 der bush-clover, a plant of woods, thick- 

 ets, prairies, and glades, was seen growing 

 in 18 prairie sites, from Clendenny and 

 Richwood south to Government Rock 

 and Cave Creek. 



*Medicago lupuUna L. Black medic, 

 a European species, was observed in East 

 Henry and Mud Creek prairies. 



*Melilotus alba Desr. White sweet 

 clover was seen in 25 hill prairies. It ap- 

 peared to have been planted at Clendenny. 

 It formed a very dense stand at Hidden 

 Lake. 



*Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. bel- 

 low sweet clover was less frequent than 

 white sweet clover; it was found at five 

 prairie sites. 



Petalostemum candidum ^^\ illd.) 

 Michx. White prairie-clover was col- 

 lected or observed at 19 prairie sites 

 fiom Government Rock northward. It 

 occurred abundantly in loess prairie at 

 Homan, but at Phegley it was restricted 

 to rocky wooded coves. 



Petalostemum purpureum (\'ent.) 

 Rydb. Purple prairie-clover occurred in 

 43 prairies from El Rancho and Devil's 

 Backbone south to Government Rock. 



Psoralea tenuiflora Pursh. The many- 

 flowered psoralea occurred in 27 hill prai- 

 ries from \'almeyer north to Ursa and 

 Standard. In some sites if was the most 

 conspicuous species in early summer. It 

 is a distinctly western species and is verj' 



infrequent i^ Illinois other than in hill 

 prairie. 



Robinia pseudo-acacia L. Black locust, 

 not native in Illinois, has spread from nu- 

 merous plantations and was seen in four 

 loess prairies. 



Strophoslyles hehola (L.) Ell. This 

 wild bean of sand, rocky woods, or thick- 

 ets was observed infrequently in seven 

 hill prairies. 



Strophoslyles leiosperma (T. & G.) 

 Piper. This species was observed in two 

 places, at Hill-Top and Rock Island 31. 



Stylosanthes biflora (L.) B.S.P. Pencil- 

 flower, a plant of rocky woods and also 

 glades, was collected at Fountain Bluff 

 on both rocky and loess prairie slopes and 

 at Sampson in loess prairie near a cove. 



Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Pers. 

 Goats-rue. very common in the sand areas 

 of Illinois, and occasional in dry, open 

 woods with varying soil textures, was col- 

 lected in a rock prairie at Government 

 Rock, where it was abundant abo in the 

 woodland border, and in loess prairie at 

 Oblate Fathers, Valmeyer, and Renault. 



LiXACE.AE 



Lintim sulcatum Riddell. This annual 

 flax was observed in loess and occasion- 

 ally in stony soil in 28 hill prairies from 

 Bielema and Magnolia south to Allen 

 Lake. 



OX.^LIDACEAE 



Oxalis stricta L. L^pright yellow wood- 

 sorrel grew on rocky and loess prairie 

 slopes at nine sites. It was found in crev- 

 ices of ledges at two additional places. 



Oxalis violacea L. Violet wood-sorrel 

 was found at 25 sites. In some places it 

 blossomed in spring and again in early 

 autumn. 



Geraxiaceae 



Geranium carolinianum L. This weedy 

 cranesbill was seen in four hill prairies in 

 southwestern Illinois. 



RUTACEAE 



Ptelea triioliata L. Scattered small in- 

 dividuals of wafer-ash grew in 1 1 hill 

 prairies. This plant was more abundant 

 in coves or on basal slopes of the bluflfs 

 than in the prairies. 



