ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



377 



Water Oak, Quercus agiiatica,Cateshj, [Q.uUginosa, 



Var. hyhrida, Chap. South. 



Bhvck Jack, Quercus nigra, l,.,(Q.ferTuginea,ti^i^\i-s.. 



Var. tridentata, (Q, trideniata, Eng.) 

 Black Scrub Oak, Quercua ilicifoUa, AVg., {Q. Ban- 

 ideri, Michx.) 



Spauish Oak. Quercus falcata, Michx., (Q. elongaUi. 

 Willd.) 



Var. triloha, ( Quercus triloba, Michx.) 



Var. guinqudoha, {Q. quinqveloha, Eng.) 

 Georgia Oak, Quercus Georgiana, Curtis.) South. 

 Scarlet Oak, Qatrcus coccinea, Wang. 

 Black Oak. var. tl/idoria, Gr., {Q. Hnctorla, Bart.) 



Var, amlii(/uii, Gr., (Q. ambigua and borealis, 

 Michx.) 



Var. microcai'pa, Ent. and Bot. 



Var. dcpressa, " " 



Bed Oak, Quercus rulra, L. 

 Pin Oak, (Juercus palustris,D\\Ro\. 

 Catesl<y's Oak, Quercus Caiesbei, Michx. Sciutli. 



SOME INTERESTING PLANTS OP WESTERN MIS- 



There are many plants growing iu the border 

 counties of western ^Missouri, which range south 

 and west, but are not found eastward. In the fol- 

 lowing notes I propose to call attention to some 

 interesting plants of this region, particularly of 

 Cass and adjoining counties. 



On a rocky limestone slope, in the southern part 

 of Jackson county, it was my pleasure three years 

 ago to tind a single plant of ^we?»owe Carolini- 

 ana — only one, but it seemed very pretty in its 

 loneliness. On these rocky glades the Peiici- 

 danuvi, with its pretty and fragrant leaves, the 

 Prairie Dandelion {Troximon cuspidatuin) , two 

 species of Vetch or Astralagus, and a very jiale 

 Larkspur (Delphiniimi) are often abundant. In 

 richer soil we find Corydalis aurea. A beauti- 

 ful and showy plant, generally growing on 

 limestone slopes is the Oenothera speciosa, 

 waving its large, white flowers graeefully with 

 the breeze. It is common in the western bor- 

 der counties of Missouri, ranging soutliwest- 

 wardly into Kansas, but not found eastwardly. 

 The Talinum teretifolium, a succulent leaved 

 plant, with a modest, sweet looking pink-purple 

 flower, is rarely found on rocky glades in Cass 

 county. I have also found it in lion, Cole and 

 Newton counties, always occupying elevated, 

 bold, rocky points. 



On our creeks may be found Thalictrum Cor- 

 nuii, Isopymm biternatum., the beautiful scar- 

 let Lobelia, and the blue Lobelia syphilitica, 

 the modest Collinsia verna, with its blue and 

 white petals, the Mertensia Virginica, some 

 times called Blue-bell, the American Bellflower 



(Campanula Americana), and Diptei-acanthus 

 strepens, with its pretty, pale, purple flower. 



In early summer the prairies are adorned 

 with Petalostemon violaceum and P. candidum, 

 with JJodecathion Meadia, AmorpJia fruticosa 

 and canescens, Ceanothus Americanus and C. 

 ovalis. Later they are rich iu a profusion of 

 flowers, including Echinacea purpurea, Liatris, 

 two species, several species of Aster and Soli- 

 dago, Polyyala incarnata, and the Gentiana 

 puberula, lingering the very last flower of the 

 season, of a deep, rich, purplish blue. 



The Leguminosce is well represented, and 

 ofters to us such plants as Desmanthus brachy- 

 lobus and Schriankia uncinata, or Sensitive- 

 brier. On limestone slopes is sparingly found 

 that curious leaved plant, 3Ienteelia obligosper- 

 ma, covered over, leaf, stalk and calyx, with 

 minute barbed hairs, presenting under the 

 microscope the appearance of a forest of fir 

 trees with pendent limbs. 



Among Endogenous plants we have two 

 species of Ladies Slipper {Cypripedium), the 

 Wild Hyacinth, {Scilla Fraseri) the White 

 Dogtooth Violet {Erythronium albidum), the 

 Tradescantia Virginica, T. pilosa, and others 

 more common. 



Besides those enumerated I will only mention 

 Sedum pulchellum, Boltonia latisquama, a 

 very tall, large flowered Helianthus [probably 

 H. Maximilian— Ed.] , two species of Wild Sage, 

 Salvia azurea and S. trichostemoides, and Am- 

 2Machyris dracunculoids, a showy, yellow flow- 

 ered plant, resembling a Solidago, and some 

 times called Tumble-weed on account of the 

 dead bushy plants being blown about by the 

 autumnal winds. 



The arborescent grasses constitute one ot the 

 most beautiful adornments of tropical vegetation. 

 These grasses belong cliiefly to the Bambusa 

 (Bamboo; and other related genera. In India 

 the seeds of the Bamboo are mixed with honey 

 and eaten like rice. In South America an ar- 

 borescent grass, the gigantic Guadua, attains a 

 height of from 50 to 60 feet. Another species, a 

 powerful climbing grass, twines round the trunks 

 of large trees, reaching to their tops. A species 

 of Cane {Arundinaria) grows iu large tufts, 

 reaching a height of 30 to 40 feet, of which the 

 first joint rises without a knot to a height of 16 

 feet before it begins to bear leaves. These joints 

 being hollow, are used as blowing tubes by the 

 Indians, for the discharge of their arrows. Even 

 in the Southern United Stales the stalks ofvlnm- 

 dinaria furnish fishing-rods of the best descrip- 

 tion. 



