CQKPOSITAE 



* Hymenoclea roonogyra is a very common shrub along sandy washes 

 at moderate to low altitudes from western Texas to southern Cali- 

 fornia and southward. It is an erect, rather slender-branched bush 

 with fine, slender leaves. It has a root system which is calculated 

 to hold sand, rocks and soil to perfection. It is one of the best 

 soil binders in the desert regions of the southwest. This tells 

 the whole story for it is good for nothing else. In eny program of 

 revegetation it should only be used as an extreme (last) resort. 

 Many of the alluvial flats which it now occupies arc- suitable to 

 plants of higher forage value. 



Hymenoolea sal sola resembles H. monogy ra only in leaf and 

 fruit character. It is a rather low, small spreading bush with a 

 tap-root and is of no particular significance as an erosion control 

 plant. It is likewise valueless for forage. It is to be found on 

 higher, more desert land than the other species. 



Gut icr rezi a sop., or the Snake weeds, are extremely abundant 

 throughout the west. Y.hen in abundance they are definite indica- 

 tors of overgrazing. In some sections they are considered fair 

 forage during the winter. They are, however, definitely placed on 

 the ledger .as poisonous plants and serious results may occur where 

 stock is forced by starvation to eat large quantities of them. 

 These plants arc commonly woody at the base and have rather deep 

 roots. They arc rather poor competitors of grass where grass is 

 given the opportunity to properly develop. The young snake-weed 

 plants cannot gain a fcothold in a grass sod. They are far. less 

 serious plants on the range than the Burrowoeds, which upon gain- 

 ing a foothold on the range are hard to dislodge. 



Plaplopappus hartwegi and related species, are the Burrowoeds 

 of the overgrazed southwestern ranges. Like the snakeweed, these 

 only become abundant after the range lias been abused. Commonly 

 they grow at a somewhat lower altitude than the snakeweeds and as 

 mentioned above, arc difficult to eradicate from the range. Ex- 

 tensive experiments have been carried on with these plants on the 

 southwestern range preserve south of Tucson, Arizona. They quite 

 closely resemble the snakeweeds but have divided leaves and com- 

 monly more shrubby habit. 



Helianthus annu us is the common annual Sunflower which is so 

 abundant throughout the west. It has little value as an erosion 

 control or as a forage plant but the seeds arc important wildlife 

 food and the plants have been used for ensilage, in which condition 

 they are reported to be fair stock food. One of the sunflowers, 

 probably a selection from this species, is grown by the Hopi 

 Indians. The seeds of this are -used in the preparation of a dye as 

 well as for articles of food. 



