Vermont Botanical and Bird Clubs 11 



lenta, the pomme de blanche or the pomme de prairie of the early voy- 

 agers, with its long edible root, and its sister plant, P. tenuiflora. 



Early in May the wild hyacinth, Camassia esculenta, the quamash 

 of the Indians, was filling the air with its fragrance, growing freely 

 in certain localities, and giving the effect of a delicate lavender mist, 

 while its near relative, the wild garlic, although most beautiful to 

 look upon, was so offensive when gathered we were content to admire 

 it at a distance. The bulb of the quamash is greedily eaten by the 

 Indians and when roasted is agreeable to the civilized palate. The 

 compositae were now forging to the front and gaillardias, in nowise 

 different from those in our gardens, sprang up by the thousand over 

 the prairies and pentstemons in variety were thickly scattered through 

 the pastures and by the wayside. Calylophis serrulata, Gaura filipes, 

 Stenosiphon linifoliiis represented the Evening Primrose family; also 

 0. linifolia and 0. glauca were very conspicuous on the waste lands 

 around Lawton. Great patches of rather dirty white attracted at- 

 tention in the wilder parts of the reservation, and on examination 

 proved to be white sage; while Chamaesaraoha sordida, Solanum 

 elaeagni folium or white horse-nettle, the tomatillo — Physalis Ixocarpa. 

 with its curious fruit were reasonably abundant on waste ground. 



By the middle of May, the Spanish bayonet was throwing up its 

 great spikes of cream-colored flowers, Oxytropis was royal purple, deep 

 violet and occasionally white, and the standing cypress was coming 

 into flower in but one locality, out at Medicine Park, Lawton's summer 

 resort; a large flowered pentstemon was becoming common in the pas- 

 tures, and blue toad-flax along sandy stretches; Vicia ludoviciana was 

 covering low wayside bushes with a wealth of purple bloom. Another 

 of our garden favorites was growing by the millions among the rocks 

 of the Wichita mountains — the golden coreopsis, with the deep red and 

 red-brown centres, and others solid yellow blossoms flaunting from 

 every crevice and waving defiantly in the wind; sensitive brier was 

 fairly common and the wild white larkspur thrust its tall torches 

 through the undergrowth. A rather odd flower was found at this time, 

 the Oxybaphus nyctagineus or vinegar saucer with its curious and con- 

 spicuous involucre. Phlox paniculata carpeted the ground in dense 

 patches literally covered with pink or white flowers. 



Cacti were much in evidence the last of May, but only two species, 

 Mamillaria missouriensis var. caespitosa and the Prickly Pear, the 

 latter very common and a most uncomfortable neighbor in spite of the 

 beauty of the flowers of primrose and buff and golden yellow; notwith- 



