THE LARKSPUR 235 



as to the amount of latex or milk produced by 

 the various individual plants. 



All in all, then, there is scarcely another tribe 

 of plants that shows a wider range of interesting 

 qualities for observation of the experimenter. 



Another wildling offering attractions of a 

 different character is the so-called painted cup, 

 or Indian's paintbrush, classified by the botanist 

 as Castilleia. 



The most familiar form of this plant is the one 

 known for its brilliant scarlet color. But the 

 tribe is exceedingly variable, and the different 

 members present flowers that range from scarlet, 

 crimson, orange, yellow, and purple to pure 

 white. Some are variegated. Individual plants 

 growing on the same cliff along the ocean shore 

 may show the widest range of variation in the 

 color of their blossoms. All colors are sometimes 

 combined in the flowers of a single plant. 



In other cases one will find a small patch of 

 yellow flowers in one place, and in the neighbor- 

 hood another patch of orange or white ones. 



The only color that is missing is blue. It 

 would thus be an interesting quest for some plant 

 developer to see whether he could develop a blue 

 painted cup, somewhat as I was able to develop 

 a blue poppy. Even failing in this, the oppor- 

 tunity to study heredity of color, and to isolate 



