^6 The West American Scientist. 



is of a greenish sulpliLir-yellow, while the prominent exserted, 

 erect, spirally twisted antliers are ol a brilliant lenion-yellow. 

 The slender style and hlamtMits are white, the stigma of a delicate 

 sulphur-yellow. 



The blossoms close their eyes upon the going down of the sun, 

 turning their fresh faces to him again as he rises in the east. Not 

 until after the last rains of the season, and May Day is safely 

 past, does the canchalagua put out its stars ol color; but from 

 then on to the middle of July it replaces the earlier spring flow- 

 ers and gives the eager school children pretext for wandering 

 over hill and mesa in search of flowers. 



And such bouquets as they do gather ! Nothing but apple- 

 green and solferino which match well with the children's happy 

 faces ; and these flowers seem to mind their rough handling the 

 least bit in the world. Whether left by the roadside, or in the 

 hall to wither, or in a parlor vase without a drop of water, they 

 still persist lor days and weeks in turning a bright, independent 

 lace to the sunlight as if they were contented, as no doubt they 

 are. 



While the flower is usually nearest akin to solferino in color, 

 yet sometimes, though rarely, it is of a delicate pale lavender or 

 else pure white. In 1884 I gathered numerous examples of this 

 with pure white corollas, and on sending specimens to an emi- 

 nent botanist, he was at first inclined to consider it a new species, 

 until I explained that they were innocent albinos, with no intent 

 to deceive. 



The plant is widely distributed on the Pacific Coast, through- 

 out Southern California, southward, I believe, to Chili, in South 

 America, where it first gained notoriet}^ as a medicinal herb. In 

 Southern California it is quite variable, sometimes with quite 

 small, inconspicuous flowers, but more commonly with the large 

 brilliant flowers, as abo\ e described. 



The genus contains numerous European species also, and be- 

 longs to the well-known Gentian family, so many members of 

 which belong in good society that I do not hesitate to introduce 

 this new beauty to horticultural circles. Dr. Veit Brecher Witt- 

 rock, of the Royal Academy of Science ol Stockholm, Svyeden^ 

 has made a special study of the genus. At his request I sent 

 him the Californian forms accessible to me, and among them he 

 found one (from Washington, collected by a correspondent) that 

 was new to science. He made carefully prepared figures and de- 

 scriptions of our canchalagua and its relatives, but his introduc- 

 tion only brought it to the attention of botanists — not to horti- 

 cultural notice. 



Doubtless it would do well in cultivation if given a little en- 

 couragement and not too much water. Try it when you can get 

 the seed. C. R. Orcutt. 



