ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



377 



»* Black Oaks — Leaves thick, widest at the top, 

 sliglitly lobed. 



13. Water Oak, Quercus aguaiica,Ci\teiihy, {Q-uliginofa, 



Wan°:.) 

 A''ar. hyhrida. Chap. Soiith. 



14. Bhii-k Jack, Quercus ?ngra, L., [Q. ferrugineayMit^-hx. 



Var. tridentata, (Q, trideulala, Eiijr.) 

 If). Black Scrub Oak, Quercus ilicifolia, Wg., {Q. Iltin- 

 istei'i, Michx.) 



*** Ked Oaks — liCaves mostly with deep spreading 



lobes, deciduous. 



IG. Spanish Oak, Quercus /alcata,TA.\c\\K., {(2. eloHgatn, 



Willd.) 



Var. trilvha, ( Quercus triloba, Slichx.) 



\iir. quinqueloha, (Q. quinqtieloha, Elng.) 



17. Oeorgia Oak, Quercus Georgiana, Curtis.) Soutli. 



18. Scarlet (_)ak, Quercus coccinea, Wang. 



Black Oak, var. tinctoria, Or., {Q. tinctoria, Bart.) 

 Var. amhigua. Or., (Q. amhigua and horealis, 



Michx.) 

 Var. microcarpa, Ent. and Bot. 

 Var. dtpressa, '• " 



19. Itcd Oak, Quercus ruhra,'Li. 



20. I'ill Oak, Quercus palustris,V)\\K.o\. 



i\. Catesby's Oak, Quercus Cateshei,1\'K\\\. SiMitli. 



SOME INTERESTING PLANTS OP WESTERN MIS- 

 SOURI. 



BY Q. C. BKOADUEAD, PLEAaAN'T HILL, MO. 



There are many plants growing in the border 

 counties of western Missouri, wliicli range soulh 

 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 Jacksou county, it was my pleasure three years 

 ago to liud a single plant of ylnewjone CaroHni- 

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

 loneliness. On these rocky glades the I'euci- 

 danum, with its pretty and fragrant leaves, tlie 

 Prairie Dandelion {Troximon cuspidatum), two 

 species of Vetch or Astralugus, and a very pale 

 Larkspur {Delphinium) arc often abundant. In 

 richer soil we find Coi-ydaUs aurea. A beauti- 

 ful and showy plant, generally growing on 

 limestone slopes is the Oenothera speciosa, 

 waving its large, white flowers gracefully with 

 the breeze. It is common in the western bor- 

 der counties of Missouri, ranging southwest- 

 wardly into Kansas, but not found castwardly. 

 The Talimna tereti/oUum, a succulent leaved 

 plant, with a modest, sweet looking pink-purple 

 flower, is rarely found on rocky glades in Cass 

 county. 1 have also found it in lion, Cole and 

 Newton counties, always occupying elevated, 

 bold, rocky points. 



On our creeks may be found Thalictrum Cor- 

 mdi, Isoiryrum biternatum, the beautiful scar- 

 let Lobelia, and the blue Lobelia syiihilitica, 

 the modest Collinsia verna, with its blue and 

 white petals, the Mertensia Viryinica, some 

 limes called Blue-bell, the American Bellflower 



{Campanula Americana), and Dipteracanthus 

 strepens, -with its pretty, pale, purple flower. 



In early summer the prairies are adorned 

 with rctalostemon violaceum and P. candidum, 

 witli Dodecuthion Meadia, Amorpha fnUicoaa 

 and ca7iescens, Ceanothus Americanus and C. 

 ovalis. Later they are ricli in a profusion of 

 flowers, including Echinacea purpurea, Liatris, 

 two species, several species of Anter and Soli- 

 dago, Polyyala incarnuta, and the Getiliana 

 imberula, lingering the very last flower of the 

 season, of a deep, rich, jjurplish blue. 



The Legumino.iw is well represented, and 

 otl'ers to us such plants as Desmanthux brachy- 

 lobus and Schriaiikia uncinata, or Sensitive- 

 brier. On limestone slopes is sparingly fouiul 

 that curious leaved plant, Mentzelia obligosper- 

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

 minute barbed hairs, presenting under the 

 microscope the appearance of a forest of flr 

 trees with pendent limbs. 



Among Endogenous plants we have two 

 species of Ladies Slipper {Cypripedium), tlic 

 Wild Hyacinth, {Scilla Frascri) the White 

 Dogtooth Violet {Erythronium albidum), the 

 Tradescantia Virginica, T. pilosa, and others 

 more common. 



Besides those enumerated I will oidy mention 

 Sedum pulchellum, Boltonia latisquama, a 

 very tall, large flowered Ilclianlhus [probably 

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

 S(dvia azurea and A', trichostemoides, and Am- 

 phiachyris dracunculoids, a showy, yellow flow- 

 ered plant, resembling a Solidago, and some 

 times called Tumble-weed on account ol the 

 dead bushy plants being blown about by the 



autumnal winds. 



•-•-• 



The arborescent grasses constitute one ot the 

 most beautiful adornmentsof tropical vegetation. 

 These grasses belong chiefly to the Bambusa 

 (Bamboo,! and other related genera. In India 

 the seeds of the Bamboo are mixed will) honey 

 and eaten like rice. In South America an ar- 

 borescent grass, the gigantic 6'»«f/«ff, attains a 

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

 powerful climbing grass, twines round the trunks 

 of large trees, reaching to their tops. A species 

 of Cane {Arundinaria) grows in 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 belbre 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 States the stalks of ^Irun- 

 dinaria furnish fishing-rods of the best descrip- 

 tion. 



