ROSE FAMILY. Rosaceac. 



This is the only kind of Stellariopsis; perennial herbs; 

 the leaves with many, minute, crowded, overlapping 

 leaflets; the flowers white, in open clusters; bractlets, 

 sepals, and petals five; stamens fifteen; pistil one, sur- 

 rounded by bristles. 



The leaves of this odd little plant look 

 Pussy-tails Hk cat ki ns or the sleek, gray tails of 



Stellariopsis 



santolinoldes some little animal. They are cylindrical 

 (Ivesia) in form, three or four inches long, com- 



White posed of many minute leaflets, crowded 



closely around a long, central stem. 



These little leaflets, hardly more than 

 green scales, are smothered with soft, white down, which 

 gives the whple "tail" a silky, silvery-gray appearance. 

 From the midst of a bunch of these curious leaves, which 

 are mostly from the root, spring several very slender stems, 

 widely branching above, from six to twelve inches tall, 

 and at the ends^f -the branches are airy clusters of pretty 

 little flowers, like tiny strawberry-blossoms. These little 

 plants grow in sandy soil, at high altitudes, and are plenti- 

 ful on the gravelly "domes" around Yosemite. 



There are a good many kinds of Horkelia; perennial 

 herbs, with compound leaves, usually with many leaflets, 

 and flowers in clusters; calyx cup-shaped, or saucer-shaped, 

 with five teeth and five bractlets; stamens ten; pistils two 

 or many, with long slender styles, and borne on a receptacle 

 like that of Potentilla, which these plants resemble, though 

 the flowers are usually smaller, in closer clusters. 

 Hcrkllia fusca A rather attractive plant, for the foliage 



White is pretty, though the flowers are not very 



Summer conspicuous. The rather stout, roughish 



Cal., Oreg., Nev. stenij o ften purplish, is from one to two 

 feet tall and the leaves are rather dark green, slightly 

 sticky and sometimes downy. The flowers are about half 

 an inch across, with white petals, tinged with pink, and 

 are well set off by the dark reddish or purplish calyxes and 

 buds, but the petals are too .far apart, and there are not 

 enough flowers out at one time, for the effect to be good. 

 This varies a good deal in hairiness and there are several 

 varieties. It is common in Yosemite. 



224. 



