WILD FLOWERS OF THE CALIFORNIA ALPS. 355 



In open, rocky places one is apt to come across the downy, 

 pink and white "pussy's paws" (Spraguea umbellata), together 

 with clumps of gorgeous lupines lilac, yellow, or rose-color and 

 patches of golden coreopsis, purple pentstemons, and lovely gilias, 

 godetias, and Indian pinks ; while tall columbines, larkspurs, and 

 wild roses peep from the tangled shrubbery. The beautiful Mari- 

 posa lily, or " butterfly tulip/' a member of the calochortus fam- 

 ily, derives its name 

 from the large dark 

 spots on the petals and 

 through June delights 

 the eye with its yellow, 

 violet, or snow-white 

 chalices. 



In the early spring 

 the wild flowers run riot 

 everywhere, carpeting 

 sunny, open spots with 

 a veritable crazy quilt 

 of bloom, chief among 

 them being the large, 

 purple-spotted Nemoph- 

 ila, or " baby -eyes," the 

 white forget - me - not, 

 the blue, white, and yel- 

 low violets, the wild 

 agapanthus, the yellow 

 iris, the wild strawberry 

 blossom, and the far- 

 famed Eschscholtzia, or 

 California poppy, the 

 emblem of the State. In 

 these mountains there 

 are a good many va- AZALEAS. 



rieties of old-fashioned 



herbs, which have been used medicinally for ages, and are sacred 

 to the memories of the spicy garrets of New England country 

 farms. The chamomile and the aromatic peppermint and penny- 

 royal head the list; then come the aconite, or monk'shood, the 

 flannely-leaved mullein, useful for lung troubles of man or beast, 

 the woodsy yarrow, the yellow tansy, the wintergreen, and the 

 Brunella, or self-heal a cure for quinsy and all sorts of wounds. 



On the outskirts of the Mount Shasta meadows, where the plow- 

 man stands knee deep in rolling billows of red clover, timothy, 

 and redtop, there grows a singular floral torch, known as the 

 California veratrum. This plant is a member of the lily family, 



