144 MISC. PUBLICATION 101, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
their utility, since the plants occur, of course, on exclusively summer 
range. In full bloom these species are among the showiest plants of 
the high mountains and are of interest as being pioneer species on 
bare granitic rock and the like. 
Lemmon pentstemon (P. /emmonii) and Stubfiower pentstemon 
(P. brevifiorus) represent a group of bushy and much-branched, dis- 
tinctly shrubby pentstemons, 1 to 8 feet high, occurring on dry hills 
or along streams at the lower elevations in California. Both species 
have a moderate local value as sheep browse, the palatability vary- 
ing from poor to fair or occasionally fairly good. 
Littleleaf pentstemon (P. microphyllus) is a bush 3 to 4 feet high 
confined to central Arizona and occurring chiefly on stream banks 
and in canyons between about 2,500 and 4,000 feet and often fairly 
common locally; its palatability for sheep and goats ranges from 
slight to fairly good, and in drought years and other times of feed 
scarcity sometimes ranks as good. 
TRUMPETCREEPER FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) 
Desertwillow (Chilopsis linearis, syn. C. saligna), known locally 
as false willow and jano, is the only species of its genus. This is a 
shrub or low tree, 8 to 25 feet high, with willowlike leaves and aspect, 
occurring on rocky banks of dry or living streams, sandy plains and 
canyons, borders of deserts, and about seeps and springs, from sea 
level up to about 5,000 feet. It ranges from western Texas to south- 
ern Nevada and southern California and south into Mexico, and is 
often abundant enough to be one of the chief features of the vege- 
tative landscape. Normally it is unpalatable to livestock, or at best 
poor; certainly, when it is at all extensively browsed, this is a sure 
sign of overstocking or severe overgrazing or both. The wood has 
some local utility for fence posts and in some places it aids in erosion 
control. 
Trumpetbush (Zecoma stans, syns. Bignonia stans, Stenolobium 
stans, S. incisum) is widely distributed in the warmer portions 
of both North America and South America, the United States 
range being from Florida to southern Arizona. In the Southwest 
it is a low, showy bush, about 3 feet high, inhabiting dry rocky 
hills and sandy gravelly plains, frequently in association with creo- 
sote bush, mesquite, and blackbrush. It has no known browse value, 
but there is some evidence that it has active chemical properties 
which will probably repay further observation. 
ACANTHUS FAMILY (ACANTHACEAE) 
Thurber anisacanth (Anisacanthus thurbert, syn. Drejera thur- 
bert), a shrubby, usually upright plant, known locally as buckbrush, 
honeysuckle, and taparosa, grows 114 to 5 feet high, with thickish, 
rather narrow leaves 1 inch long (often with smaller ones fascicled 
in their axils), and attractive, maroon-red flowers, ranges from 
western Texas to southern New Mexico and Arizona and south into 
Mexico. It occurs along watercourses, sandy plains, and on dry, 
gravelly rocky foothill and lower mountain slopes, often in oak- 
brush types, mostly between 2,500 and 4,500 feet elevation. The 
palatability of this species ranges from fairly good to very good and 
