378 



THE AMERICAN 



THE GERAKDIAS. 



BAILEY, 



[Fig. 228] 



The genus Oerardia furnishes some of the 

 most charming wild flowers of the late summer 

 or early autumn in New England. It is to be re- 

 gretted that these lovely plants cannot be culti- 

 vated, but I believe that owing to their being 

 root parasites all efforts to domesticate tlieni 

 have hitherto failed. I do not know how care- 

 fully or persistently the attempt has been made, 

 but as the plants seem hai-dy in their native loca- 

 tions it is possible that by study of their habits, 

 and by the removal of much surrounding earthy 

 so as to transplant the nourishing stems at the 

 same time with the Oerardias, success might 

 yet attend the gardener. Still this experiment 

 must have been tried, or Dr. Gray would not 

 pronounce them " uncultivable." 



This showy genus is a member of the order 

 Scrophulariacea. In my rambles about Provi- 

 dence I have secured five species. Of these G. 

 flava blooms earliest, and may be found in open 

 woods. It has large, yellow, handsome flowers, 

 in their appearance suggesting the fox-glove. 

 The interior of the tube, as well as the anthers 

 and filaments, is woolly. The leaves are large 

 and entire, or, according to Gray's Manual, 

 " the lowei usually sinuate toothed or pinnati- 

 fid " The G. quereifoUa I have not found so 

 frequently. It is known by its oak-shaped 

 leaves, and in general appearance closely re- 



sembles the preceding. The G. pedicularia is 

 (Fig. 228,a) exceedingly common with us. I have 

 often found it over three feet high. It is much 

 branched, the flowers of a delicate texture, yel- 

 low, and very fragrant. They are much fre- 

 quented by humble and other bees and insects. 

 The corolla is covered both outside and in with 

 minute glandular hairs, slightly viscid to the 

 touch, and the interior of what ma)" be called 

 the lower lip is marked by two parallel rows of 

 reddish dots. The leaves, and even the lobes of 

 the calyx, aie beautifully serrate. All these 

 yellow flowered species are difiicult to preserve 

 neatly. Despite all my care I have never been 

 able to prevent their blackening iu the press. 

 If any one has been more successful in preseiT- 

 ing their color, I should be glad to learn the 

 process. 



The two purple varieties are much more deli- 

 cate in appearance than either of the preceding, 

 and bloom simultaneously. They are the species 

 purpurea (Fig. 228, &) and tenuifolia. They are 

 both common here — the purpurea along the 

 road sides and in swampy grounds, which are, 

 however, at this time dry; the tenuifolia in 

 dry woods. Both of them are much branched. 

 The flrst has quite short peduncles, and rather 

 larger flowers than the teriuifoUa, whose pedun- 

 cles are long and thread-like. My illustrations 

 represent merely the extreme end of the flower- 

 ing branches of G, jiedicularia and purpurea. 

 I have not on hand at present any specimens of 

 the other species I have mentioned from which 

 to make drawings. I hope, however, that the 

 sketches I have presented, and these few words, 

 may call attention next year to a beautiful 

 genus, finely represented at, the West. 



DISTRIBUTION OF IMMIGRANT PLANTS. 



BY DB. FRED 



The distribution of immigrant plants, and the 

 year of the first appearance of such, should be 

 carefully noted for each locality by the botanists 

 of the West. Such records would be of great 

 benefit to the study of botanical geography and 

 the history of plants. 



Here follows the statistics of vegetable immi- 

 gration in the vicinity of Peoria, 111. 



1. Immigrant plants common and entirely 

 naturalized since an unknown period : 



Sisymbrium officinale, Sinapis nigra, Cap- 

 sella bursa-pastoris, Hypericum perforatum, 

 Portulaca oleracea, Malca rotundifolia, Sida 

 spinosa, Abutilon Avicennos, Trifolium pra- 

 tense, Xanthium strumarium, Maruta cotula, 



