CALIFORNIA PLANTS IN THEIR HOMES 



grains under the microscope, you will understand why they 

 rise ; every one is provided with two air bladders, each as 

 large as itself, and these serve as floaters. So, although the 

 seed-making cones are usually high up in the trees, they 

 get plenty of pollen. See if you can find pollen-producing 

 and seed-making cones on the cypress or other trees in 

 parks or gardens. Find out if other evergreen trees, the 

 orange, Hucalyptus, pepper, acacia and so forth, have the 

 spring time awakening ; perhaps irrigation interferes with 

 the natural habits of some of these trees. 



Then there are the smaller trees, the shrubs as we call 

 them. Some are wakened by the first rains. There are 

 California lilacs that send out flowers in December, and 

 other kinds that take their places later on. So for several 

 months there are sunny slopes that are misty-blue with lilac 

 flowers. Bach tiny delicate flower spreads a feast for insect 

 guests, but later on, puts pollen on its own stigmas. 



The poison oak is one of the first shrubs to waken and 

 several of its relatives have winter or early spring flowers. 

 The currant-gooseberry family, have very early habits. 

 Before the lovely pink and white currant flowers and the 

 fuchsia-like gooseberries are gone, other kinds are in 

 flower. There are slender, yellow currant flowers that 

 furnish honey to the earliest wild bees, and long, scarlet 

 gooseberry flowers that entertain humming birds and the 

 largest bees. The blackberries are quite awake in March. 

 In some parts of the state, tree poppies flourish on moun- 

 tain sides or in sandy washes. 



Before the snows have disappeared from the mountains, 

 the manzanita bursts into bloom ; and such exquisite 

 flowers as they are, those pink and white waxen bells ! 

 Their delicacy is a surprise too, for the manzanita is a very 

 rugged plant. Its thick, red stems branch and twist and 

 interweave so that they form an almost impassable thicket, 

 and the sturdy leaves stand erect and brave summer heat 



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