92 STUDIES IN THE VEGETATION OP THE STATE 



over with a dense, woolly coat, thus greatly reducing evapora- 

 tion. However, in this formation the species is growing in 

 the meadows near the sloughs. The white tomentose char- 

 acter renders the patches prominent in the floral covering. 

 The mugwort is pleiocyclic, root propagation obtaining. 

 Yabalus asper is an infrequent plant of low prairies and 

 meadows. The erect stem, bearing the numerous heads of in- 

 conspicuous flowers, proceeds from a tuber. Seedlings of this 

 plant pass the winter in a rosette condition. 



Gyrostachys cernua is a frequenter of meadows and draws 

 where it occurs sparsely. It has practically the same distri- 

 bution and abundance as Lilium canadense, Hahenaria leu- 

 copJiaea, and Lobelia spicata hirtella. The small spikes of 

 white flowers are seen only with difficulty, since they appear 

 at a time when the facies equal or overtop them. It is curi- 

 ous to note that some individuals of this species have been 

 found on the crest of Great ridge, others in the wet meadows. 

 This orchis, as for Hahenaria leucophaea, is perennial with 

 fleshy-flbrous roots. Euthamia graminifoUa is found in 

 draws near the south end of the prairie. The grassy-leaved 

 stems are not easily recognizable until the flat-topped, yel- 

 low flower cluster appears. The plants are perennial by long 

 rootstalks. Laciniaria pycnostachya occurs in meadows as 

 a sparse to subcopious plant. Its tall, erect stems, usually 

 in clusters of two to five, terminate with a showy, purple 

 spike (20-40 cm. long) which easily makes the plant the 

 most striking of its time. Where a number of the plants are 

 found together the facies is tinged purplish. The stems are 

 clothed with grass-like leaves, the surfaces of which are ar- 

 ranged for the milder light of morning and evening. The 

 plants are perennial as in L. scariosa. Solidago canadensis 

 is an inhabitant of edges of woodlands, meadows, and draws 

 — the latter especially- where erosion is taking place. As 

 rapidly as the facies are dislodged, ;Sf. canadensis, Helianthus 

 grosse-serratus, and E. giganteus push in and occupy the 

 space. When growing in draws, 8. canadensis forms rather 



