CALIFORNIA PLANTS IN THEIR HOMES 



inconspicuous that you can hardly find it, as in the pond 

 weeds. 



The palm family is by far the most useful one in the 

 group. In our climate we cultivate palms for ornament, 

 but in tropical countries they furnish food, drink, clothing, 

 houses, boats,, furniture, utensils, ornaments, in short 

 everything the people of these countries require. You can 

 find out many interesting things about the most useful of 

 these trees, the cocoa palm, date palm, sago palm, etc., in 

 text books on Physical Geography or in Encyclopedias. 



By far the most useful group of endogens is the one 

 that consists of the grass family and the nearly-related sedges. 

 When you know that the grass family includes wheat, rice, 

 oats, barley, corn, sugar-cane and bamboo, you will admit that, 

 of all plant families in the world , this must be the one most 

 useful to man. In tropical countries some grasses become 

 almost trees, the bamboo, for instance; the cooler countries 

 furnish many of the most valuable of this group, and there 

 are some grasses, such as the bunch grasses of our western 

 plains, that can adapt themselves to drought as well as to 

 cold. 



But in spite of all differences in size and habit, there is 

 a strong family resemblance among the grasses. What 

 seems to be always true of the stems of the leaves ? The 

 flowers you have, perhaps, not recognized as flowers, because 

 they are green and inconspicuous, but if you think for a 

 moment, you will know that the heads of wheat, the ears 

 and tassels of corn, and the plume-like tops of the oats, are 

 all flower clusters. You can find the stamens and pistil of 

 the flower, and perhaps you will have patience to make out 

 the wrappings. Of course the absence of bright color 

 means that this family does not ask for insect help, but 

 trusts entirely to the wind for pollination. See how the 

 ripe anthers hang, like banners, from slender stems so that 

 every breath of wind shakes out pollen ; then notice the 



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