IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 109 



Muscatine, the only radical difference shown in our flora is 

 that occurring along the Missouri. About twenty-five western 

 and northwestern species occur and, according to the list of 

 Mr. Bush, nearly the same species occur from Sioux City, Iowa, 

 to St. Joseph, Mo. The region is not entirely devoid of 

 trees, in its northern portion, between the steep mounds a var- 

 iety of bur oak {Quercus macrocarpa var. olivaeformis) , Slippery 

 elm [TJlmus fulva), Cottonwood {Populus moniUflera), Plum 

 {Prunus Americana), Basswood {TiUa Americana), box elder 

 {Negundo aceroides), occur. Several shrubs also occur; Grape 

 {Vitis riparia), climbing bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), wahoo 

 {Euonymns atropurpnret(s). South, the timber area is more 

 extensive, as at Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley. At Glen- 

 wood and Logan there are fine specimens of Quercus rubra, 

 Tilia Americana and Ulmus fulva. They are abundant from one- 

 half to two miles from the hills. The trees on the loess about 

 Tarin and Sioux City are broad and spreading. 



Of the peculiar herbaceous plants, I shall content myself by 

 giving a list. The beautiful Spanish bayonet (Ti^cca angusti- 

 folia) so abundant everywhere in the west. The Apdopappus 

 spinulosus forms dense mats on the tops of the mounds. Grin- 

 delia squarrosa, now naturalized in other parts of Iowa. Liatris 

 punctata. Euphorbia marginata, E. lieteropliylla, a beautiful blue- 

 flowered lettuce {Lactuca pulchella) , Gaura coccinea, so abundant 

 everywhere in Nebraska and in the Rocky mountain region. 

 Oxyhaphus angustifolia, HeJianthus Maximiliani, Lycjodesmia 

 juncea, sua. abundant plant of the plains now exerting itself with 

 great force in the cornfields of northwestern Iowa. The 

 beautiful Mentzelia ornata is confined to Cedar Bluffs along the 

 Big Sioux a few miles north of Sioux City. Cleome integrifolia, 

 the celebrated Rocky Mountain bee plant. Two species of Dcdea 

 (D. alopecuroides and D. laxiflora) the Loco weed (Oxytrojns 

 Lamberti) and Astragcdus lotijlorus, var. brachypus. Professor 

 Hitchcock records Stipa comata, which belongs chiefly to the 

 Rocky Mountain region and rarely found in eastern Nebraska. 

 Shepherdia argentea occurs along the Missouri near Sioux City 

 undoubtedly a waif from the northwest. 



I may also add a gamma grass peculiar to the west, most 

 common species of Nebraska {Bouteloua oligostachya) Buffalo 

 grass {Buchloe dactyloides) from Lyon county. The most abun- 

 dant grasses on the hills are Androj^ogon scoparius, Bouteloua 

 racemosa, quite common in many parts of Iowa. Muldenbergia 



