OUR NATIVE PLANTS. 143 



The Hibiscus, or Rose-Mallow, is a showy genus, having 

 flowers from four to six inches in diameter. H. Moscheutos grows 

 four feet high, and has white or whitish flowers. H. 7nilitaris 

 has somewhat similar flowers but is more floriferous. H. grand- 

 ijlorxis has red flowers. 



A ver}' valuable genus is the Baptisia or False Indigo, growing 

 from two to four feet in height and producing large spikes of 

 flowers in earlj- summer. B. australis has blue flowers ; B. alba 

 and B. bracteata, white; while tinctoria, perfoliaM, lanceolata, 

 sivijilicifolia, sphairocarpa^ and microphylla are yellow ; and vil- 

 losa and leucop/tcea have yellow and white flowers. 



The Thermopsis is similar to the foregoing. All the six species 

 have yellow flowers and all are worth growing. T. Carolin- 

 iana is the best of the genus ; it grows about four feet high and 

 flowers in June and July. The other species are Californicu, 

 fiaxinijolia., mucrophylla^ montana, and mollis. 



The geuus Astragalus, with about one hundred and seventy 

 species and varieties, is also horticulturally interesting, but at 

 present the}^ are only known by herbarium specimens, with the 

 exception of A. Caiiadentis, wliich has yellowish flowers. 



The genus Lupiuus is also very numerous and most of the 

 species are veiy ornamental; especially perennis., marilimus, 

 NootJiate)isis^ ji'dyphyllus, and littondis, mosti}" with blue or pur- 

 ple flowers, but some are white or yellow. 



Cas.sia Marilandicu, the Wild Senna, is very ornamental on 

 accouut of its large spikes of yellow flowers. 



Out of the several species of Liatris, or Blazing Star, only 

 sj^icata, scariosa, and pyaiostachya are adapted to general culture. 

 Thej-are very showy, having long spikes of rose or purple flowers. 



The Eupatoriums are also very numerous but are noi all hardy. 

 E. purpiirewm^ with deep purple flo:.ers in large clusters, and E. 

 altissimum, E. 2:)erfoliatum., and E. ogtratoides are very good 

 plants. 



The Boltonia, resembling the Aster but much larger, is a very 

 valuable genus, of three species. B. asteroides grows from four 

 to" seven feet in height and produces an innumerable quantity of 

 white flowers, while the rare B. latisqua^na is more compact and 

 dwarfer but produces its beautiful lilac flowers with as much free- 

 dom as the former; the third, B. diffusa, is not much known. 



The Monarda, or Horse-Mint, is a genus of showy and sweet- 



