GENERAL FLORA OF NEBRASKA. 83 



Americanum and E. albidum often make their appearance when 

 snow still covers some of the hillsides. Three species of Lily 

 grow wild, and the almost universal Solomon's seal. One of the 

 most peculiar of all species is the so-called Soap Plant (Tucca an- 

 gustifolia). It is exceedingly abundant in western Nebraska, and 

 very rarely met with in the eastern counties. It contains a large 

 amount of alkaline matter in its tissues, and hence its popular 

 name, it frequently being used by " voyageurs ," in the absence of 

 soap, for washing. The plants do not bloom every year, but when 

 a flower-stalk is produced it bears from a dozen to one hundred 

 and twenty large, greenish, cream-colored, lily-like flowers. Its 

 leaves are long, narrow, numerous and pointed. 



Abundant among the plants of the State are the sedges. They bear 

 such an external resemblance to the grasses that they are commonly 

 confounded with them. There are at least one hundred and fifty- 

 four species in the State, varying in size from forms only a few 

 inches high, to flags, in ponds and sloughs, six feet high. They 

 can generally be recognized by their three-cornered stems and 

 solid culms, differing in this respect from the grasses, whose culms 

 are round and hollow, or, at least, are not angled. As everywhere 

 else, the genus Carex is represented by the most species, more than 

 two-thirds of all in the State belonging to it. 



The higher Cryptogamia (Flowerless Plants) are well repre- 

 sented in the State. Thirty -six species and varieties of ferns 

 flourish in our woodlands. Four species of Lycopods are also met 

 with. Over one hundred species of mosses have been identified. 

 At least sixty-two species of lichens are scattered over the State. 

 The Fresh Water Algae are exceeding abundant, and of these 

 ninety-two species have been detected. In this department I have 

 only skimmed the surface, but hope to renew my labors in this 

 field, when many more will be added to the number of our species. 



As some features of our flora have a special interest, I will dis- 

 cuss them more in detail in the following chapters. 



