OXYTROPIS LAMBERTI. COLORADO LOCO-VETCH. I9I 



scruple he seized on the labors of others whenever he had the 

 opportunity, and passed them off as his own. Referring to the 

 way in which he came to the knowledge of this plant Mr. Nuttall 

 says, in his " Genera of North American Plants : " " Mr. Pursh's 

 character is taken from a solitary luxuriant and cultivated speci- 

 men, which I obtained from seeds, and is inapplicable in nature ;" 

 which is well as affording an opportunity to show how Mr. Pursh 

 became acquainted with the plant ; but what is called cultivation 

 does not change the characters of wild flowers to the extent the 

 extract indicates. Our drawing was taken in 1878 from a plant 

 growing in the garden since 1873 ; and on comparing the draw- 

 ing with an herbarium specimen gathered in 1873 at the same 

 place, no difference was apparent, not even in size ; and this we 

 find to be true in almost all cases. The specific name was given 

 in honor of Mr. Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Vice-President of the 

 Linnsean Society, who was one of the most accomplished botan- 

 ists of that time. He was indeed the real editor of Pursh's work, 

 and well deserves the honor which this connection of his name 

 with an American plant may bring. 



Though so interesting for the beauty it gives to Colorado 

 scenery, it is a dangerous plant to cattle. From a California 

 paper, the " Las Animas Leader," the following paragraph is 

 taken : " This is a good country for catde, but not for horses. 

 The 'loco-weed' grows here in great abundance; and which 

 when eaten by a horse kills it very soon after. Mr. Sheetz has 

 seen a horse run for about a hundred yards and then drop dead. 

 He believes it is not the plant, but an insect which is found on 

 the under surface of the leaf that does the injury. Little Robe, 

 the Cheyenne Indian chief, says positively that it is the small 

 green insect which does the mischief. Describing the effect Mr. 

 Sheetz says : 'After the animal has eaten the leaves for a little 

 while, the animal seems much exhilarated. It is impossible to 

 handle him. He will not drink water for four or five days. 

 When horses commence to recover, water has to be given to them 

 sparingly. When a horse is 'locoed' it is easily perceived. 



