166 PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 



BOTANY OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE AREA IN MADISON COUNTY. 

 By L. H. Pammel, Botanist. 



Tho plants of the Devil's Backbone area are of special interest. The 

 area is a wooded tract with the valley of the Loup -river cutting through 

 the area in a tortuous manner. Here and there are outcrops of limestone 

 with narrow ridges, and xerophytic plants like the red cedar, blazing 

 star and golden rods (Solidago nemoralis). The shady slopes where more 

 soil has been accumulated, have a denser vegetation and better tree 

 growth. On the Devil's Backbone I noticed prairie like openings shading 

 off intc the woods on the slopes. 



Among the more common plants observed in the unique prairies, I 

 may mention blue joint (Andropogon scoparius)), blazing star (Liatris 

 pymrttucliya), golden rod (Solidago rigida, S. nemoralis), asters (Aster 

 laevis, A. multiflorus), coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata), side oats (Boute- 

 loua curtipendula), Canadian blue grass (Poa compressa), blue grass 

 (Poa pratensis), partridge pea (Cassia chamaecrista), wild bean (Stro- 

 phostyles helvola), bush clover (Lespedeza violacea), Psoralea (Psoralea 

 lanceolate), lead plant (Amorpha canescens), New Jersey tea (Ceanothus 

 ovatus), skull cap (Scutellaria parvula var ambigua), horse mint (Monar- 

 da fistulosa), mock and pennyroyal (Hedeoma hispida), American penny- 

 royal (Hedeoma pulegioides), is common in the woods adjacent to the 

 prairie openings. Prairie clover (Petalostemum violaceum and P. candi- 

 dum), milk vetch (Astragalus canadense), tick trefoil (Desmodium cana- 

 dense), kuhnia (Kuhnia eupatorioides), boneset (Empatorium altissimum), 

 were also present. I noted the following trees: White oak (Quercus 

 alba), red oak (Q. rubra), quercitron oak (Q. velutina), bur oak (Q. 

 macrocarpa), chestnut oak (Q. acuminata), dwarf chestnut oak (Q. 

 prinoides), white ash (Fraxinus americana) ; in the lowlands (F. lanceo- 

 lata). Of the elms, the slippery elm (Ulmus fulva), American elm (U. 

 americana) ; the cork or rock elm (U. racemosa) on the rocky ridges 

 a small tree wholly unlike in form from the rock elm as one sees it 

 further north on the sandy bottom lands; red cedar (Juniperus vir- 

 giniana), on limestone out crops; basswood (Tilia americana), sycamore 

 (Platanus occidentalis) on the bottoms; black walnut (Juglans nigra) on 

 bottoms and slopes, hickory (Carya ovata and C. cordiformis), soft maple 

 (Acer saccharin-urn), black maple (A. nigrum), box elder (A. negundo), 

 black cherry (Prunus serotina), choke cherry (P. virginiana), wild 

 plum (P. americana), wild crab (Pyrus lowensis), hack berry (Celtis 

 occidentalis), almond leaved willow (Salix amygdaloides), black willow 

 (A. nigra), and sand bar willow (S. fluviatilis). 



The more interesting shrubs observed were nine bark (Physocarpos 

 opulifolius), a typical northern plant, buck thorn (Rhamnus lanceolata), 

 black cap raspberry (Rubus occidentalis), sumach (Rhus glabra), poison 

 ivy (R. toxicodendron), New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americana), dog- 

 wood (Cornus asperifolia), prickly ash (Xanthoxylum americanum), wild 

 grape (Vitus vulpina). Virginia creeper (Psedera quinquifolia) , bitter 

 sweet (Celastrus scandens), wahoo (Evonymus atropurpureus), hazel 

 nut (Corylus americana), moonseed (Menisperum canadense), buck 

 bush (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus). 



