WIGAXDIA 



WILD FLOWERS 



3513 



caracasana, HBK. Fig. 3999. Erect robust sub- 

 shrub, up to 9 ft. high, softly golden or silky-pubescent : 

 Ivs. rather long-petioled, ovate, obtuse, base subcor- 

 date, 18 x 10 in., coarsely, doubly and irregularly 

 crenate, white-tomentose beneath: infl. golden silky- 

 pubescent, terminal, elongate, strict (a thyrspid cin- 

 cinnus): corolla violet, tube white: caps, equaling or a 

 little longer than the calyx. S, Mex. to Venezuela and 

 Colombia. B.M. 4575 (adapted in Fig. 3999). B.R. 

 1966. F.S. 8:755. Gn. 4, p. 503; 8, p. 198. R.H. 1859, 

 p. 653. J.F. 2:132. Var. macrophylla, Brand (W. 

 macrophylla, Cham. & Schlecht.), is a larger-lvd. form 

 which also grows rather taller than the tvpe and has 

 the infl. white-silky-pubescent. R.H. 1861:371. It is 

 the Mexican form of the species and the one mostly 

 in cult. 



Kunthii, Choisy (W. itrens, HBK., not Choisy). Very 

 hispid subshrub, not golden pubescent, about 6-15 ft. 

 high: Ivs. doubly sharp-serrate, not white-tomentose: 

 infl. not at all thyrsoid, but paniculate, very hispid, 

 rarely pubescent or dirty tomentose: corolla violet, 

 tube white: caps, slightly longer than the calyx, very 

 densely hispid. Mex. to Honduras. 



urens, Choisy, not HBK. (W. penuriana, W. Mill. 

 Hydrolea urens. Ruiz & Pav.). Stout erect subshrub 

 up to 12 ft. high, very densely dirty white-hispid: Ivs. 

 short-petioled, 8-12 x 6-7 in., broadly ovate, irregularly 

 dentate-serrate, base cordate or truncate, apex obtuse: 

 fls. arranged in a broad terminal raceme (cincinnus); 

 sepals lanceolate-acute, hispid; corolla violet, parted to 

 the middle, lobes elliptical, densely silky outside: caps, 

 oblong, twice shorter than the "calyx. Peru. R.H. 

 1867, p. 470. 



TT. imperialis is listed as a very ornamental plant, but is not 

 treated by Brand- IT. Viffieri, Carr., is not treated in Brand's 

 monograph and is apparently a horticultural form, perhaps of W. 

 caracasana. Carriere merely said it was a silvery plant instead of 

 somber and glutinous like W. caracasana. It is frequently listed in 

 the trade and is said to have lilac-blue or wine-colored fls. 



F. TRACY HUBBARD.! 



WIKSTRCEMIA (named after J. E. Wikstrcem, pro- 

 fessor of botany at Stockholm, 1789-1856). Thymdaea- 

 cex. Shrubs or trees, occasionally grown in the warm- 

 house or greenhouse: Ivs. opposite or rarely alternate: 

 fls. in short terminal or axillary racemes, spikes or 

 heads: perianth tubular, limb spreading, 4-lobed, with- 

 out scales in the throat; stamens 8; ovary villous, 1- 

 celled: fr. a berry-like drupe. About 40 species, Trop. 

 Asia. Austral., and the islands of the Pacific. 



canescens, Meissn. (W. pauciflbra, Franch. & Sav.). 

 Small shrub, 1-3 ft. high: Ivs. 1-3 in. long, thin, alter- 

 nate and opposite, oblong-lanceolate: perianth 3-4 

 lines long: fr. silky. Himalayas, Ceylon, China. The 

 Japanese plant is W. Ganpi. Maxim. (W. canescens 

 var. Ganpi. Miq.); from its bark apparently is made 

 the celebrated Japanese copying-paper. 



WILCOXIA (named for Brig.-Gen. Timothy E. 

 Wilcox. U. S. Army). Caetaceie. Usually low weak 

 plants growing from a cluster of dahlia-like roots: sts. 

 slender, with low inconspicuous ribs covered with 

 clusters of delicate spines: ovary and fr. bearing clus- 

 ters of spines; seeds black. Three species native of 

 Texas and Mex. 



Poselgeri, Brit. & Rose (Echinocereus tuber teas, 

 Rumpl. Cereus tuber osus, Posel.). Roots black, several, 

 borne near the surface: sts. 2 ft. or less high, with 

 about 8 ribs, the lower and older part naked, spiny 

 above, the spines almost hiding the ribs; spines ap- 

 pressed, delicate, pubescent, radials 9-12; central one 

 ascending, black-tipped: fls. purple, 2 in. long: seeds 

 pitted or rugose, ^|in. long. This species, although 

 often cult., does not do well under glass when grown on 

 its roots, but when grafted on various species of Seleni- 

 cereus, it does extremely well. j x. ROSE. 



WILD FLOWERS : Their appeal and conservation. 

 In manv countries some kind of wild flower holds first 

 place in the love and sentiment of the inhabitants. The 

 rose, the thistle, the shamrock, the iris, the edelweiss 

 and alpine rose, the chrysanthemum, the poppy and 

 the lotus have all contributed their share to the litera- 

 ture and art of the Old World. Thirty of the states 

 have adopted some native American plant for the 

 state flower, including the arbutus, bitter-root, black- 

 eyed Susan, columbine, gentian, goldenrod, laurel, 

 lupine, magnolia, mistletoe, moccasin-flower, Oregon 

 grape, pasque flower, golden poppy, pine cone and tas- 

 sel, rhododendron, rose, Sego lily, sunflower, syringa, 

 and violet. Of these the goldenrod and violet lead in 

 popularity, with the arbutus, magnolia, and rhododen- 

 dron next in public favor. Nine states have chosen 

 either cultivated plants of economic value or intro- 

 duced weeds like the daisy. Thus far, no national flower 

 has been adopted, principally because no wild flower 

 grows or could be grown in all the states and territories, 

 owing to the diversity of climate and flora. An attempt 

 has been made recently to adopt the mountain laurel, 

 but as this is a plant which grows only in the Appala- 

 chian regions of the eastern states it Has not met with 

 unanimous approval. 



That a widespread interest in native plants exists 

 there can be no question. Local and popular floras 

 abound, poems and songs appear frequently, yet the 

 people as a whole are still barbarians when it is a 

 question of real love and protection. Arbutus is still 

 pulled up from the roots and sent through the mails 

 in frail and broken pasteboard boxes, having been 

 nearly or quite exterminated where formerly it was 

 abundant. Orchids and lilies are gathered by the 

 basketful to adorn college commencements and church 

 services. Ropes of laurel and ground-pine are used at 

 balls and Christmas festivities, and the holly which 

 used to be abundant is rapidly becoming scarce and 

 hard to find. All these supplies come from wild sources 

 and few of them would pay to cultivate. Moderation 

 and protection are recommended for all of them. Some 

 few of our wild flowers take kindly to cultivation, and 

 are grown for their beauty: laurel, rhododendron, 

 azalea, dogwood, and magnolias perhaps lead in 

 popularity, but some of the smaller herbaceous plants 

 such as bloodroot, hepatica, columbine, lilies, jack- 

 in-the-pulpit, forget-me-nots, and many of the native 

 ferns may be readily grown if given suitable condi- 

 tions of soil, moisture, and shade. Most wild flowers 

 prefer an acid soil with plenty of leaf-mold to the ordi- 

 nary garden soil, and should be planted in some place by 

 themselves where natural conditions can be maintained. 



A hopeful sign of advancing appreciation is that the 

 best landscape architects and park superintendents are 

 recommending the planting and preservation of native 

 plants and in many of the national parks and public 

 reservations the native flora is protected from depre- 

 dation. With the increase of motors has come an inter- 

 est in good roads and roadside planting, but some of 

 the railroads in Colorado still run "flower excursions" 

 where a lot of vandals are taken to some beautiful spot 

 and come home loaded with wild flowers which they 

 promptly throw away. It is this spirit of selfish and 

 thoughtless destructiveness which should be combated 

 by all true lovers of native plants, and various organi- 

 zations for their conservation have been formed to try 

 to accomplish it. Arbor Day might fitly be called Con- 

 servation Day and used to impress on school children 

 the importance of this work. 



The following associations are interested and will sup- 

 ply information to those wishing to cooperate: Con- 

 servation Department, General Federation of Women's 

 Clubs; Conservation Society of National Educators; 

 American Association of Forestry; State Associations 

 of Forestry; Garden Clubs of America, Philadelphia; 

 Lincoln Highway Commission; Society for the Protec- 



