TREK l'oi'i'V. 131 



• 

 the native walnut lias not vastly superior claims as a suita- 

 ble stock for whip-grafting and wing-budding, etc., apart 

 from evolutionary vigor, climatic adaptation, and a thousand 

 and one other undeveloped reasons? 



In favorable, deep, sweet, strong alluvial soils along creeks 

 and the like, where it rinds a good supply of underground 

 moisture, this tree is of rapid growth, which it makes early 

 in the season ; its deep repressive shade greatly contributes 

 to refreshing use, quite innocent of any harm often attributed 

 to the continental walnuts, although they all exhale a strong- 

 aromatic odor, whenever the leaves are bruised or crushed ; 

 this natural exhalation is even given off on hot days so 

 strongly as to be almost overpowering, and to some sensitive 

 persons produces heaviness in the head. 



Somewhat rare as this tree is — never abounding in groves — 

 little is known relative to the value of the timber. 



TREE POPPY. 



(Dendromeeon rigidum.) 



" Sleep, gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse." — Shakspeare, Henry VIII. 



AN evergreen shrub three to eight or ten feet high, one 

 to three inches in diameter, with numerous slender 

 branches, and whitish rather smooth bark; foliage 

 yellowish-green hue, often slightly glaucous bloomy, the only 

 woody plant of the Poppy Family (Papaveraceie), and not long 

 ago the world's wonder. Leaves variable from egg-shape 

 acute to narrowly lance-like, one to three inches long, one 

 half to two inches wide or so, mostly twisted on the leaf- 

 stalk or turned up edgewise, surfaces roughened, nerves and 

 and veins prominent beneath, margins from rough to 

 slightly toothed ; the flow T ers on stalks one to four inches 

 long, or sometimes set close down ; the flow r er-cup of two 

 sepals, petals or flower leaves usually four, when expanded the 

 flower is one to three inches across ; seed-vessel long linear, 

 or attenuated upwards, nerved and slightly curved, and in 

 general like those of the common California Poppy (Escholtzia 

 Calif ornica), one and one half to two and one half inches 

 long; seeds globose, rough, pitted, etc. This beautiful Tree 

 Poppy often branches low in the Sierras, and spreads so pro- 

 fusely in favorable localities as to become a massive clumpy 

 shrub, brilliantly ornamented, so decked is it with a succes- 

 sion of even brighter than lemon yellow poppy-like bios- 



