t2 The West American Scientist. 



Cymopterus montanus, Torr. and Gray. Common on the 

 prairie, eaten by cattle. Flowers early in April, being one of the 

 first flowers of the year. T. D. A. Cocker ell. 



West Cliff, Custer County, Colo., October 14, 1888. 



STRA WBERR Y PEAR. 



This is the fruit of Cereus triangularis, a tall, climbing cactus 

 of tropical America, with large, triangular stem, and one of the 

 largest, handsomest flowers of all the night-blooming species of 

 Cereus. The scaly buds of this cactus are known among the 

 Jamaican peasantry as Godochro and are used by them as a culi- 

 nary vegetable — particularly as an ingredient in soups. They 

 were formerly used in the preparation of the celebrated West 

 Indian ' pepper-pot. ' The fruit of the strawberry pear contains 

 a pleasant, sweet pulp, inclosing numerous black seeds. The 

 Cereus triangularis is often seen in South Florida, but, although 

 flowering freely, it rarely produces fruit. Mrs Theo. B. Shep- 

 herd, of San Buenaventura, California, possessess perhaps the 

 finest plant of this species in the United States, now about thirty 

 feet high, and bidding fair to occupy the whole front of her 

 house. She writes that ' the flowers are grand.' 



ON THE RIVER BANK. 



To-day I wandered on the river bank near the old mission of 

 San Diego. Idly I plucked a flower — a belated Erythraea ve- 

 nusta, as fresh and beautiful as in early spring. The bright cardi- 

 nal Mimulus caught my eye; close beside it grew the oleander 

 Erigeron canadensis, whose acquaintance I had first made fat- 

 away. The white flowers of a mock willow (Bacharis) showed 

 among the willows,while beside it, the tall O. Enothera displayed 

 its golden flowers. Menzie's golden rod was growing not far away 

 and with it Stephanomeria virga^a. 



The '• official" varvain spread itself regardless of the fact that 

 the land was of immense value, and near by the large white or 

 purplish-tinged blossoms of the Datura were visible. The old 

 familiar plantain, the Cotula. and wild Heliotiopicum, and the 

 yellow clover were also noted. My hands were getting full of the 

 many colored beauties — so natural and unassuming in their sim- 

 plicity. 



Among less conspicuous of the flowers I gathered were two kinds 

 of Erioganum, the Eremoceupus setigera, a Polygonum, Ambro- 

 sia, Cucurbita palmata, a few grasses and possibly other plants. 

 The sycamore, cotton wood and willow led in the bulk of wild 

 vegetation, and the hedges of pomegranates and tuna cactus, and 

 the olive, fig and palm trees of the mission formed a pleasing 

 back ground. Here we have mention of the twenty commoner wild 

 plants in bloom to-day at Grantville. 



Sfptember 23d, 1888. C R. Orcutt. 



