Notf'^ 0)1 the Flora of Dakota and Montana — Leibi'Vij. ()5 



there in Minnesota as an introduced plant, is first met with in its 

 indigenous state in Pyramid Park near the Little Missouri river. 

 There also, and nowhere else in the territory under consideration, 

 Cleome lutea^ Hook., was observed. Polanisia graveolens^ Raf., 

 was frequently noticed along the water-courses, differing some- 

 what from its character in Minnesota, in having a more clammy 

 pubescence and longer and more lurgid pods. 



Viola Nuttallii\ Pursh, was met with abundantly, but does not 

 extend to any great distance west of the Missouri river, and was 

 not observed east of Jamestown. Viola cucullata. Ait,, was not 

 rare in the region covered by the drift, but was confined to the 

 borders of the numerous small ponds. 



A Cerastium and two species of Arenaria^ not determined, 

 were very common. One of the Arenarias was met with only on 

 the top of the buttes west of the Missouri, forming dense tufts, 

 the short stems closely covered with small rigid leaves giving it a 

 spiny appearance, 



A rather common and showy plant was Malva.strani coccineum, 

 Gray, the only one of the Malvaceae seen. 



Two species of Linum^ L. rigidiim^ Pursh and L. perenne^ L., 

 were found. The latter grows very rank, with showy blue 

 flowers, often more than an incli in diameter. The seed-vessels 

 were observed later in the season, and were found to be nearly as 

 large as in the cultivated flax {L, usitatissimiim^ L.) with seeds 

 about half as large, of a shining dark brown color, and apparently 

 containing a considerable proportion of oil. The question arises, 

 whether this wild flax could be improved by cultivation so as to 

 equal in fiber, if not in oil, the L. usitatissimum. It is well worth 

 experiment to determine these points, more especially as it is a 

 perennial, while the cultivated flax is an annual . 



Polygala vtrticiHataJ.., and another species of which no pub- 

 lished description could be found, were frequently collected west of 

 the Missouri, extending into Montana. 



As might be expected, the L?(/uniinosw were well represented, 

 but a lack of authorities and published descriptions prevented full 

 and complete determinations of the many interesting species col- 

 lected. Fourteen sf)ecies of Astragalus were observed, among them 

 A. simplicifolius^ ^^I'^y, and A. triflorus^ Gray. The former was 

 observed only in Montana, on the hills between McClennan and 

 Hodges stations on the Northern Pacific railroad. Psoralea 



