THE LIBRARY OF , THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES BIOLOGY LIBRARY U. C. L. A. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS BY KATHERINE CHANDLER EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY San Franxisco New York Chicago Boston COPYRIGHTEP By educational publishing CUMPAJSTi 1903 BiomedJcaJ Library til \ Zo /Hb^ /iRotber, irabose Xove for tbe MilMngs of IWaturc Mas made tbem Sentient 1lnMpi&uals Co Met CbilDren. k k, V ^ PREFACE. The subject matter of this book appeared first as a series of papers on California Wild Flowers on the Ciiildren's Page of the San Francisco Chronicle. Upon i)ublicatiou, requests came from school teachers in different parts of the state to issue the series in book form. This is the ex(*use for the book's existence. The plants are introduced through their bloss(^ms, because the flower is the part that appeals to the child, except in the case of trees ; but it is hoped that the suggestions as to the habits of the roots, stems, and leaves will lie empha- sized by the teacher. AVhen the child gains the feeling that each plant is really an individual, with its own iieculiar way of doing its life work, the whole out-of-door world becomes a larger, more wonderful realm. The hal)its of plants was first suggested to the writer by Miss Alice Fastwood, Botanist of the California Academy of Science, in a class connected with her department. To her is due nuich that is of value in the work. My mother suggested the writing of the papers for the Chronicle and collected many of the specimens for the illustrations. Pro- fessor W. A. Setchell and Professor "W. L. Jepson of the Department of Botany of the University of California rendered assistance in the study of trees. Professor Jepson loaned some of his photographs and Mr. H. M. Hall, also of the Department of Botany, University' of California, secured specimens for the photographs. Mi"s. Alice Men'itt i Davidson's " Californin Plants in Tlieiv Homes" and Miss JNIarv P>lizaltt't.h Parsons' '' Tlu' Wild Flowers of California," as well as the best known botanies of the Coast, were con- sulted frecinently in the preparation of the papers. I am also indebted to Miss Kertha Chapman, Snpervisor of Nature Study in the Oakland schools, for trying the man- uscript in the different grades, to Mr. B. F. White of the University of California, for liis patience and skill in photo- graphing the specimens, and to Miss Harriet Hawley of New York, INIiss Marion Rouse of Pacific Grove, autT^my brother, A. E. Chandler for encouragement and helpful criticism. San Francisco, Cal., Kathekine Chandler. Oct. 15, 1903. TABLE OF CONTEXTS. Chapter I. ROME PLANTS WITH GAY COROLLAS Chapter IL Chapter IIL Chapter IV. Chapter Chapter VI. Buttercup. Mustard. Suucup. Baby-blue-eyes. SOME PLANTS CALYXES . Iris. Fritillaria. Poppy. Shooting Star. Hollyhock. Mallow. WITH ATTRACTIVE Columbine. Larkspur. SOME PLANTS WITHOUT COROLLAS Dutchman's I^ipe. Sand Verbena. Wild Ginger. California Laurel. Buckwheat. SOME PLANTS ROLL AS . . Manzanita. Madrono. Suowberry. Miniulus. Snapdragon. SOME PLANTS POWERS . Lupine. Alfalfa, Bur Clover. SOME PLANTS BLOSSOMS Umbellifera'. Compositie. Grindelia. WITH UNITED CO- Mint. Yerba Buena. White Sage. Chia. WITH MECHANICAL Wild Pea. Filaree. ,Tohnny-jump-up. WITH NEIGHBORLY Compass Plant. Sunshine. ?>7 6U 89 111 CONTENTS Chapter VII. SOME PLANTS BLOSSOMS Chilicothe. Willow. Cottouwooils. Alder. Sycamore. Maple. Hazeluut. White Oak. Live Oak. Black Oak. Taubark Oak. Piney. Sugar Pine. Yellow Pine. WITH CO-OPERATIVE Digger Pine. Single-leaf Pine. Monterey Pine. Tamarack Pine. Firs. Hemlock. Douglas Spruce. Monterey Cypress. Juniper. Red Cedar. Incense Cedar. Big Tree. Redwood. 129 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Buttercup 8 Wild Mustard 14 Shepherd's Purse .... 16 Sun Cup 17 Baby-blue-eyes ID P(.ppy 22 Shooting Star 26 Hollyhock 28 Mallow 34 Iris :^8 Fritillaria 44 Colunibiue 47 Larkspur 50 Dutchman's Pipe .... 54 Wild Ginger 57 Sand Verbena 59 California Laurel .... 61 Buckwheat G4 Mauzauita 67 Madrono 70 Snowberry 73 Yellow Snapdragon ... 76 Snapdragon 79 Indian Paint Brush (Scrojih- ularicea:') 80 Mint Pamily 81 Yerba Bueua 83 White Sage 84 Chia (showing leaves) . . 86 Chia (showing floAver he ails) 87 Lupine 00 Alfalfa 96 Bur Clover 98 Wild Pea lOu Filaree— Alfllerilla . . . 102 Johnny-jump-up .... 104 Umbellifera- 110 PAGE Umbelliferae — Cow Parsnip 112 Umbellifera' 114 Composite — Layia . . . 120 Grindelia 122 Sunshine . . . . 121, 126 Compass Flower .... 125 Chilicothe 130 Pussy Willow 134 Cottonwood 138 Alder — Blossoms and Stum 140 Sycamore 142 Maple 144 Hazelnut 147 White Oak 148 Young White Oak . . .150 Live Oak of Coast — Quercns Agrifolia 152 Tanbark Oak 156 Sugar Pine (cone) . . . 162 Yellow Pine 164 Yellow Pine (cone) . . . 165 Digger Pine (cone; . . . 166 Pinus Monophylla, Hem- lock, Tamarack Pine — Pinus Contorta (cones) 168 Tamarack Pine .... 170 Monterey Pine (cones) . .171 Red Fir 172 Douglas Spruce . . . .178 Monterey Cypress . . .181 .luuiper 182 Red Cedar 184 Incense Cedar — Litjocedrus Decurrens 186 A Prostrate Giant . . . 188 Thrt Wish-bone tree . . . 190 Redwood 194 \ IJUTTKHCUP. CHAPTER L Some Plants with Gay Cokoi.las. Most of yon l)oys and ^irls will a,i>i'e(' that one of yonr earliest aeqnaintanees among" the wild flowers was the Buttercup. Its golden smile attracted your baby eyes, BUTTERCUPS. , , ,, * / i i and when some older person held it under your chin to see if you ''loved but- ter," you immediately fell in love with the wise little blossom. Since then you have seen so many Buttercups that perhaps you accept them with the same indifterence that you do the sun- shine, and have learned very little of their intei'- esting habits. You know you would never really feel acquainted with Johnny Jones or Ruth Gray if you simply glanced at their pretty clothes and never saw them working or playing. It is the same with the flowers. If you do not know what they do, you really are not acquainted 10 HABITS OF TALTFOnNIA PLANTS with llu'iii. Suj)})()se you watch a Butterciip carefully and see ^hich of its habits yoii have already observed and Avhich are new to yon. Each one of you has noticed that the upper side of the Buttercnp petal shines as if varnished and tliat the lower side is a dull. li<):hter color. Have vou all fonnd a little heaw plate applied at the lower end of the upper face of each petal and the dainty fine lines leading down to this plate? Just look foi- them. The plate is a dish of honey and the lines are called " honey paths " because they gnide the hungry insect down to the feast set for him. The But- tercnp's "golden chalice" attracts the insect. He approaches it and smells the honey. Then he lands on one of the honey paths and soon is devouring the sweetness. While he satisfies his hnnger, he rubs against the ontside stamens and gets all powdered with the yellow pollen fi'om their anthers. When he has taken the honey from one Buttercnp, he goes to another; and in extracting its sweets, he is most likely to brnsh his powdered sides against the stigma, which quickly holds the pollen fast. This HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS H stigma, you know, is the top of the pistil wherein Httle cells are waiting for some pollen to make them grow into seeds. This is why the Buttercup wears such a pretty golden gown and stores such luscious honey — just to make the insect exchange her pollen with that of a sister blossom. This is the way the Buttercup ripens good seeds to produce healthy plants the next year. If, through some mischance, an insect does not bring pollen to a blossom, it can fertilize itself. When the outside anthers, which turn away from the center, discharge all their pollen, the inner ones ripen and some of their pollen falls on the stigma of their own flowei*. Just Avatch how the different circles of stamens ripen in turn. Because the seed-making parts of the flower are the most impoi'tant, the rest of the blossom is very careful of them. You have seen how, as soon as the sun goes behind the hills, the Buttercup folds its petals close under its fur- covered green sepal coats. Then it sleeps snugly until the next sun awakens it. Do the 12 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS old blossoms that have their seeds started also fold their petals? Have you noticed the cone-shaped bundle of seeds and the little hook on the end of each seed? When the seed is quite ripe, it fastens this hook into anything passing by — perhaiDS the coat of a sheep, perha[)s the nap of your clothing — and then it is carried to a new field. The Californian Indians used to pai-ch this seed cone of the buttercup and beat it into a meal. Sometimes this was eaten in the dry, powdered form and sometimes as a gruel, made l)y dropping hot stones into a grass basket of water until the water was hot and then mixing in the meal. It is said to have tasti'd like parched corn. Yon might tiy it for a dolls' party. Another golden flower that springs up just after the early rains is what is commonly called Mustard. Children who have been MUSTARD. compelled to pull it up irom then- fathers' orchards or grain fields gi'ow to detest it, and yet it is beautiful to look at. When millions of the dainty blossoms glow on hillside TT.MUTS OF CALIFOHNIA PLANTS 13 oi" ill valley, California is a ^'Golden State" indeed. This pretty flower is not really a Mustard, but a wild turnip, as you will see if you dig* up its root. The true Mustard, ''the black Mus- tard," which blooms somewhat later, is not a native Calif orniau, though it has played a ])art in the history of onr state. Over a hundred years ago, when the Spanish padres were founding missions here and there in the wilder- ness, they scattered Mustard seeds along their footsteps from one site to another. The Mus- tard grew fast and kept a well defined path in sight. In these days of improved roads, it needs no longer be a sentinel, so it Avanders with the wind to eveiy nook and corner of the country. The eai-ly settlers at San Jose found the Mustard plant so tall that they used it to make their first sheds and chicken-houses. From the seed of this Mustard, a superior medi- cinal oil is made, and hundreds of tons of the seeds are shipped from Califoi'uia each year. Of course, the Mustard has no intention of being useful to man. It only wishes to ripen 1^^ 1 n ^^^C'v ti ■' -s^^^^M H ^^K^^^M nlniH ^^^^HB? -^S wSu^M ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BL'^^PI ^■/j^^i ^^^^H// ^^^V ^K' ;^S^>v^^| ^^^^^^^^^^^^""^^^l^^^^^^H fl I^^HJI R fi ^^^^^^^^^^^H WILD MUSTARD. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 15 strong" seeds an') One of the gayest i-ol)ed of our early flowers is the Shooting Star. Yon know how the stalk conies np from the lowly mat of gray green leaves and is crowned with SHOOTING STAR. , ,. ,. . i , a clnster of radiant blossoms. How gracefully the petals of each flower curve back their crimson folds! See how their front forms a tube edged with bands of maroon and yellow or white. Notice the tube-like arrange- ment of the dark anthers and how the long pistil extends out beyond them. All the flowers of the cluster do not bloom at once, so that sometimes the stalk waves its banner for several weeks. The Shooting Star has a reason for this and for her clus- tered blossoms. She does not store honey and so she has to depend on her lieauty for atten- tion from the insects. She raises her stalk far above her leaves so as to have a prom- inent position; she sends out a group of blossoms so as to make a larger mass of color; and she has them ripen by stages so that they will have more time to receive in- sect visitors. If they died in a day, as some SHOOTING STAR. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 27 blossoiiis do, sIk' would never receive pollen from a sister plant. Shooting Star is careful of her pollen. The anthers hold it fast until something shakes them. If no insect comes, Avhen the flower grows old the stigma turns \ip a little; and, as the wind shakes the stalk, the pollen falls out of the anthers upon it and the seed is ripened. Have you noticed the little stems that hold the flowers at the top of the stalk? See how they stand up straight when they beai- a l)ud, curve over Avhen it is a blossom to protect the pollen, and then become erect again when they are holding the seed-case. How does this seed- case open to let the seeds out, and just what will make it open? Did you ever dig up a Shooting Star and look at its roots? If you transplant any one of the tubers, you may hiivc a new plant from it. You will see that this habit of the roots is a good way to nudtiply the Shooting Stai'. Do you know any other ])lant thnt has i-oots with this habit? I wonder what you call the Shooting Star? HOLLYHOCK. TIABirS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 29 Some children call it " roosters," some ^' mos- quito ])ill." and others " prairie pointers." The botanical name, Dodecatheon means "^'twelve gods." Pr(^l)ably some old (ireek found twelve blossoms in a cluster and gave it this name. Have ynu ever found so many on one stalk? T have not. When you see in the early spring a pink glow in some uncultivated field or on some sunny hillside, you know that the wild Holly- hock has awakened to her year's work. You pick a stem with its daintv bell- HOLLYHOCK. \ , .. „ i i . shaped blossoms all croAvdeil to its top, and as you gaze into one blossom of gauzy rose-pink heavily veined with white, you exclaim, " Miss Hollyhock, too, must be expect- ing guests." You raise it neai-er to your nose and get a whiff of nectar sweeter and more delicate than even that of Baby-blue-eyes. Then you search for the honey glands, and find also the '* honey i^rotectors," the little hairs that keep the moisture out. As you look into the center of the flower, yon may see one of two things. The long, thin 30 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS rosL'-coloiH'd styles of the pistil may he slaiidiiig up straig'lit IVoiu a vase-like eoliimii (tf slainens, the heads of the })istil (jiiite liigh above the white anther fi'inge at the stamen tops. Tlie blossom that has this arrangement is g'enerally deeply tinted Avith rose. ^owlook into a paler flower. There is just a beautiful bouquet of dust-eovered anthers at the top of the stamen column, and no pistil in sight. See how much fuller and prettier these anthers are than the ones in the blossom with the pistil. Xow yon must examine to see where the pistil of this flower is. If you take a fine pointed pin and open the stamen tube, you will find the I'ed lines of the pistil pushing up inside. If you find an older l^ale pink blossom in which the anthers have already cast out their creamy powder, you may find the pistil towering higher than the stamens. Notice a number of the lighter flowers, and after a time vou will see that their pistils do not grow up ready to form seed until their anthers have thrown away all their pollen. So the Hollyhock, with its two seed-making parts HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 31 ready to work at dittereiit times, would have no .«eed at all, if the insects did not carry the dust from one blossom to the waiting pistil in another. If 3^ou look again at the dark I'ose flowei's you will see that in even the newest buds, the pistils shoot above the stamens, and that the anthers are always tiny things. The fact is that the anthers of these darker flowers do not produce a pollen for seed, and the j)istil has to depend upon the bugs for its supply. This pol- len must, of course, come from the paler flowers. So you see they fui-nish all pollen foi* both colored blossoms. Have you noticed that these fairer bells are larger than the darker ones? Do you think their size means an3^thing? See if you can tell if there is a difference in the amount of honey in the two colors. Sometimes I think one is sweeter rhan the other; but T am not sure, so I will not tell you which. If you wish to see the difference between the anthers of the dark and the pale flowers, open two buds. See how in the light blossoms the I'ich-colored anthei'S croAvd the space, each one kidney-shaped on the top of a tiny stem. See 32 IIAHITS OK CALIFORNIA I'LANTS that ill the darker flower the anthers are pale and weak. In both flowers, however, yon will find the stamens nnited into a tnbe around the pistil. If yon examine this earefnlly, yon will find the tnbe a donble one. The outside layer has its anthers grouped into five sets about o])posite the petals, while the inner one has its anthers set regularly along its top. In the Inid, too, you can see how the sepals fold together and how they wear a furry outside coat. Liok at their inner lining. Also notice how they cling on around the growing seed after the petals have first changed their pink gowns for the half-mourning violet and then have fallen away. Observe the green leaves of the plant. See how the ones at the bottom of the stem are not cut so deep as those at the top. If yon spread one of each kind out flat, you will see that they are really the same shape. Can you tell avIi}' they should be cut differently? Are these two kinds of leaves equally hairy? Are the hairs the same on the up})er and lower faces? Are these faces the same color? Have tlu^ leaves HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 33 near the flowers as long" .stems as tlie ones lower on the stem? When you look at the seed-case of the Holly- hock, with its cells nri-anged like the sections of an orange, you are reminded of the " cheeses ^ of that gai-deu ])est, the Mallow. In fact, the iloll^'hock and the ]Mallow are own sistei's, Ijoth members of the JIali'a family. Do children to-day eat ^' cheeses "? AV^hen I was a child, these seed-cases foi-med several dishes ibr our dolls' ])ai-ties. They ai-e so dented for cultiui;- that they seem made on pui'post' foi- little people's pies. INIy heart was alwa3s divided regai-ding this plant. I was grateful for its cheeses, l)ut I did hate to have MALLOW. , . „ .... to be continually weeding it from the garden. If you count the number of seeds in each '" cheese," and then notice the number of "" cheeses " on each ])lant, you will ste how the number of weeds is possible. Learn how the seed-case divides and sends out its seeds. The Mallow's flower you can study for your- self and see wherein it is like the Hollyhock; but the leaves have a habit I would like to call MALLOW. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 85 your attcMitioii to. Xotice how they always face the snii. Look at one plant in the morn- inn', then at noon, and again at night. See how the leaf stems are of different lengths, so that no two leaves intei'fere with each other's warmth. Take a handful of leaves, and hold them against your face. Do yon find them colder than other leaves? Notice the thickness and the co\ei-ing of the leaves, and see if these have anything to do witli their seeking the sun. Then examine the leaf stem. See how it is rounded except on the side neai'est tiie main stalk. I'here it is flat, so as to give the new leaves a chance to grow out from where it joins the stalk. Notice that at eveiy one of these joinings or axils there is a new branch })nshing out. It is interesting to watch the leaves develop from the tiny folded fan to the great round shield. By the way, those childi'en who are used to weeding the gai'den know that the first two leaves the ^NFallow sends overo'i'ound are a veiy different shape from any of her others. Suppose you all learn the difference. In studying plants, you must pay attention 3G IIAIUTS nv fALIFOKXrA TLAN rs to the habits of the leaves and steins and roots as well as to those of the parts of the flower. You know that your mind can woi-k the hard example:; best when all your body is perfectly well, when you are free fi-om cold or toothache oi- any other pain. And so the ])lant, too, can do its woi-k best — can ])i"oduce the best seed — when all its parts are working healthfully together. As Lillie does not study her geog- raphy in the same way Bert does, so the ])lants vary in the ways they divide their roots or build up their stems or shape and can-y their leaves. Watch the leaves and see how they hold themselves, side up to the sun or edge up, point up or sidewise or down. Xotice if their posi- tion is the same at all times of the day. See the ones that "go to sleep," and learn if they take their nap at night, like you, or at noon. How- ever they stand oi- whatever they do, you will find some reason for it. As you hunt up these reasons, you will come to feel that a ])lant is a very intelligent creature in its own business of seed-making. CHAPTER TI. Some Plants wjth ATTiiAC'Ti\E Calyxes. A long time ago, chikli'eii, you looked at a flower and some one told jou that the bright colored part was called the corolla. At the same time you received the idea that the calyx was always green. In many of the blossoms you have examined, you have found this true, and you have supposed it always is so. Let us see if it is. Take an Iris or Flag Lily. You know well its rich coloring and its graceful form. If you look at a full grown blossom, you see nine bright ijarts, all of Avhich seem to be petals. IRIS. c 1 1 There is no sign of a green calyx, such as Baby-blue-eyes wears all her life and Poppy pushes off" when she greets the sun ; there does not seem to be any pistil ; and, at first sight, you do not see any stamens. Why, what an odd flower this is! How is it evei- going to make its seeds? 37 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 39 III the fii'.st place, we must know that some- times the calyx of a flower is not green. Now, look at the Iris again. Those three large parts that are outside and are the most beautifully colored and marked are really the calyx. The Iris is a great lover of beauty and so centuries ag.o she developed these gorgeous sepals from the plain green ones, just as women to-day wear more beautiful gowns than the first women of the world did. The next three parts of the Iris, the ones that first stand straight and then curve inward, are the petals. You see they ai-e not so exquisitely marked as ai-e the sepals. They do not need to be, as the sepals do their work. The three inner parts that curve first outward and then toward the center are the three stigmas. Just compare them with the two little round black stigmas that Baby-blue-eyes carries, and see how much more beautiful tliey are. Xotice how the stigma divides into two pai'ts at the top, just before it takes the inward curve. See the little light-colored shelf on the outside, just below this division. When you have found that, you have also found the stamen, which 40 HABITS OF CALIFOUNIA PLANTS curves along the stigma's back and which is attached at the l)ottoni to the sepal. The little shelf of the stigma has a sticky under surface, but you can hardly see this without a micro- scope. Xo^v you have all the parts and you can see easily how the seed is foi-med. The sepal has all those gay paths to lead down to the little lake of honey at its base. The large ant, or one of its friends, journeys down a path, hitting the shelf of the stigma as he passes. As he gets low on the sepal, he rubs against the stamen that is attached to it and receives a showei" of light-coloi-ed pollen on his head. When he goes into the next Iris, his dust- covered head strikes the little shelf again and this time its sticky surface catches hold of some of the pollen and uses it to make seed. As the insect goes downward he gets a new coating of dust and carries it to anothei* blossom. You can see that a small bug could pass in and satisfy his hunger without tner touching the stio-ma. That is whv the Iris stores so nnich nectar — that she can feed many guests, hoping TTAlilTS OF CALIFORNIA TLANTS 41 tliaf one will l>e lar:s eare more for the lieantv of flowers than foi' their earefnl habits. A near relative of the Colum1)ine is the more fantastie shaped larkspur. You see it, too, has dipped its calyx in gorgeous dyes. Now which is the calyx and which the corolla? LARKSPUR. .„ f. . ^ .„ Ji you think a moment, you will remembei- that the calyx is the " cup " or outside covering part of the floAvei*. Examine a bud and a blossom and you see that the five velvety parts are the outside gown or calyx. The upper sepal, you notice, has run back into a spur. Now look for the petals. With a i)en or pencil separate the little hood that covers the stamens and pistils. See, it falls back into two petals. Just behind this hood is an upright part that is very stiff when you touch it. Run the pencil point in the center, and it divides into 52 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS two ])arts, each of whic-li extends hack into the spurred sepal and at its lower end forms an inner tube. It is in these two tuhe ends that the honey is stored, and the sepal is only an outside covering to pi'otect theuL Another thing is to be noticed about these two petals. They are a slightly diiferent color from the rest of the floral envelope, a little lighter. Thus, they serve as a guide post to the honey they have secreted. Did you ever touch a tougher, more unbending petal than these two back ones of the Laj-kspur? With their thicknese and the sepal coat so wrinkly and leathery, do 3^ou think insects can l)ite through to steal the nectai-V Have yon ever found holes in the Larkspur tul)eV The two hood-like petals ])rotect the stamens and pistils pretty well. You see that they have woolly tops that Avill cast aside the moisture. To understand how the Larkspur makes her seed, you must observe flowei-s in ditferent stages. You will see that the anthers ri]:)en at difterent times. Xotice just where the mature ones stand and how they face. When you have HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 53 learned their position, compare an old blossom with a yonng- one, and see what is the position of the stigmas in each. Then you can watch a bee at work and learn how the pollen is carried about. Do you think weak, thieving little insects can get into the honey tube, past the stiff petals? When a tlower exerts itself to tint its usually green parts a brilliant hue, it is sure to turn out a very beautiful product, one that we admii-e as much as the l)irds and insects do. Probably the blossom's helpers care only for the color, while we delight in the form as well. If you notice you probably will find that each flower that wears a bright-colored calyx and corolla at the same time has also developed into a graceful shape. I am not sure of this point, but let us observe together and perha])s in a few years we will be able to state as a fact that a beautifully colored calyx is found only in a beautifully formed blossom. DUTCHMAX"ts PIPE. CHAPTER III. Some Plants without Corollas. l^OAV that you have seen that the calyx is sometimes as gay as a corolla, you will not be surprised to learn that on some plants it does the work of both and no corolla at all is worn. How many of you have rejoiced in the early springtime at finding a Dutchman's Pipe? It twines its slender stems over shrubs and hangs out its odd, browny blossoms DUTCHMAN'S PIPE. , ,. . , betore its leaves appear. Because the flowers are the same color as the dry vine, they are not easy to see; but once you discover them, you will laugh at their funny shape. They look like the pipes you have seen Dutchmen smoking in old pictures. The buds look like funny little ducks, especially if you put them on the surface of water. This })lant has taken so much care to make this peculiar calyx that it has had no energy left 56 56 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS to spend on the I'est of the tiovver. It has no corolla, and you will see that it has no stalks for its six anthers, l)ut has joined them on to the style of the pistil. Do you suppose insects are atti'acted to the iiower? Does it provide any honey? Does it prefer to make its own seed? See if you find any bug's or bees around it. The common blue- black butterfly is often found near the vine, but perhaps it only comes there to lay its eggs. Its caterpillar is very fond of the pod the vine ripens, and so it places its eggs near it. If you watch, you can tell if the butterfly visits the flower and helps it. The leaves of the Dutchman's Pipe are large and heart-shaped; and if you feel them, you find them covered Avith a soft fur. AVhy? The vine makes a graceful drape over the shrub- bery and protects delicate plants l^elow from too niucli sunshine. Some sisters of this plant are cultivated as shady vines for porches and arbors. A sister of the Dutchman's Pipe that grows native with us is the Wild Ginger. You will WILD GINGER. 58 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS find it near shady streams. It is low and creepino^, with i)retty kidiiey- WILD GINGER. , , , , • i ^ • shaped leaves whieh give out a fragrance if you crush them. The flower, you see, has no corolla, only a greenish purple calyx which divides into three tail-ti})ped sepals. In the bud these tails are folded in; but when the blossom opens, they pop far out and give the flower somewdiat the appearance of a spider. You can examine the twelve stamens yourself and see if they all are erpially long. jN^otice how they turn. Do you find any bugs around the blossom, or do you think the Wild Ginger makes her seed alone? Notice how large the seed is and see how the ])lant casts it out to make its own way in the world. Notice, too, how the roots come up over the ground and see what is at the ti[) of each. Those of you who have been to the coast will remember the Sand Yerbena, sometimes with yellow blossom, sometimes with rose-coloi', but always with a fresh fragrance. SAND VERBENA. ^^ ...•-, • " v Its attractive dress is just its calyx, and this is so pretty that the jdant does HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 59 not bother to put on a corolla. With siich a pretty gown and such an amount of honey, do yon think the Sand A^erbena will be lonesome for guests? Which ones have you seen visit- inof her? SAND VERBENA, You will notice that the leaves of both Yer- benas are not shaj^ed alike, but you will find the leaves and stems of each plant so gummy that the sand around clings to them wherever they touch it. You can see that the little plant, 60 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS living* where the fierce seu winds teai" ovei* the beach so many days a yeai', would l)e u[)rooted and blown to destruction if it had no way of anchoring' itsell'. That is why it grow> low^ and glues the sand to it. Why does it have such thick leaves and steins? Have yon examined the root? Yon might find a new delicacy for a dolls' pai-ty there, for it is said that the Indians used to relish the root of the yellow Sand Verbena. While the A^erl)ena holds itself down from the cruel blast, it takes advantage of that enemy's power to distribute its seeds. You will find the seed-cases winged, ready to sail ofi' on any passing breeze. See if you can find a baby plant far oft' from any of its relatives. Another plant that has a pretty blossom without having a corolla is one that you all know, the California Laurel. Perhaps you call it the "Bay Tree" or CALIFORNIA LAUREL. ,, ^ . „ „ ,,^^ Spice Iree or Moun- tain Laurel," but I am sure you have all seen it. Watch the buds and see how the blossoms are ])rotected before they come out to the sunshine. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 61 When the flowers aj)pear you will find that there ai'e no petals, only the six yellowy cream sepals which shine like tiny stars among the dark green leaves. You will see that the CALIFORNIA LAUREL. stamens are fastened to the tube of the calyx. !N"otice the three inner ones. See how each has on either side of its l)ase an orange-colored gland. What do you suppose this is for? Do you think the Laurel is expecting visit- 62 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS ors? Have yon seen any accepting her hos- pitality y The fruit is roundish and as it grows old is brownish purple, something like a ripe olive. In November and December the fruit falls, and the new blossoms appear shortly after. Indeed, the Laurel has a great desire to produce fruit, foi- even in summer you can often find some waxy blossoming clusters on the large trees. The seeds start in to gi-ow soon after they reach the ground. Dig up a young tree, say one five inches tall, and see if the fruit is not still attached to the plant. The new leaves of the Laurel are continually appearing. Sometimes they begin unfolding in winter, and as the branch lengthens out new little red-tipped leaves follow its progress. They vary in fading, too. Sometimes they droop and die in the second year, and sometimes they cling on until the sixth. Now they will turn a beautiful gold and ftdl in their own graceful slenderness, and again they will curl up in a brown mood of dryness. From the leaves a valuable medicinal oil is HABITS OF CALIFOimiA PLANTS Cu] obtained, and they are also used to ini|)art a delicious flavor to soups and stews. The wood is one of the most beautiful we have for interior finish and cabinet-making. But you and I here are most interested in the Laurel's beauty as a Hvinof creature, and I assure vou it is a tree that is worth while trans])lanting to our gardens and making a friend of. Do you know the wild luickwheat fomily? It too has no corolhi, l)ut it gets along well with its six parted calyx and its plentiful store of honey. It is so generous because BUCKWHEAT. ., ,- ^ . i , ^ ^i it i-eally must have help irom the insects. At first it cuddles its three stigmas down in the center of the flower and holds the nine anthers up high and straight. Then, when all the pollen is discharged, it raises the stigmas up erect where they can be hit by the passing- bee. Notice its dry stem and hardy leaves and reason why it bears them so. You will find many another flower that has a calyx and no corolla if you look among the weeds of your neighborhood. The Dock, the Smart weed, the Pigweed, the Wild Rhubarb, ^^RI ' I ^^ m ^^^^^^^?^^^ '^^T^^^^^^H ^^H ^ l^^l^^^l ^IkmH H 1 Vh^^^^^^^^^^^^^I 1 BUCKWHEAT. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 65 the Tumbleweed, and the Four-o'clock are among the number. Learn how many of them have bright-colored calyxes and how many offer honey. See if they produce a great quantity of pollen and notice whether their anthers and stigmas are ready to make seed at the same time. In fact, you will find that they have as many interesting habits as some of the flowers that attract more attention by their beautiful extra gowns. CHAPTER TV. Some Plants with United Cokollas. Most of the flowers you have .studied thus far have had the petals distinct from each other. As you look among' your ])huit friends 3'ou see that all do not form theii" hlossoms so, but that some unite the divisions of the eorolla into one piece. There is the Manzanita, with its white and pale pink flowerets looking like little waxen lamp chimneys. They are so full of hone}" that even w^e dull moi'tals can smell MANZANITA. , . ,. then- irag-rance at a distance; and the bee, with his more acute sense of smell, comes from miles away to sip theii- sweets. Have you examined the stamens oi' the Man- zanita? You see the anthers are made like little pepper boxes, and when the bee strikes the stamen the pollen is sprinkled over him. The berries of this plant have given it both its botanical and its common name. It is called 66 IT AEITS OF TALirORNIA PLANTS G7 Arcto> ^^ 1 ^ n& vj^ wk Si ^^ r / M 1 m m^ ^^^HHK '^ v% M ^m i P m Wi I' ^s N ^ w? 3S^ E -fr 1 / ■'I'.' MANZAMTA. (Photo hii W. S Jepxon.) The Indians used to eat the fruit raw or make it into a meal, as they did the Buttercup. Some housekeepers make a jelly and also a vinegar and a brandy from the berries, and from the leaves they brew a tea that remedies many 68 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS bowel troubles. The druggists, too, use the leaves to make a cure for catarrh of the throat or stomach. Have you noticed how the Mauzanita twists round its leaves so that their edges face the sky instead of lying flat as in most plants? There is a very good reason for this. The sun shining on the leaves helps the plant make its food, but at the same time it draws out moisture. The Mauzanita wishes to store up all its moisture for the dry summer season, so it not only thickens its leaves but turns them so that the midday sun will not strike them. The morning and after- noon sunshine will reach them and give enough warmth to keep u}) the food supply. Not all Manzanitas twist their leaves so, but one of the most common does. Look at the bark of the Mauzanita. Is it as thick as that of an oak tree of the same size? If you have watched the Mauzanita casting ofl' its old coat, you will understand why its outer garment is thinner than the oak's. At what season does the Mauzanita throw oft' her bark? Does it all come off at once? While it is HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 69 peeling, are the more tender inner parts of the branches exposed to the aii*, as they would be if you cut off a piece of the bark? The Manzanita belongs to a particularly beautiful family, the Heaths. Some of its membei-s ai-e the Huckleberry, the Azalea, the Salal, the Wintergreen, and that handsome tree, the Madrono. I think you Avill agree with me that this tallest daughter is beautiful MADRONO. 1.111 ^ -1 enough to shed gloi-y on any lamily. Its sprays of white bells are something like the Manzanita chimneys, only rounder. You will see that the top of the corolla has five teeth, and that the calyx is in five parts. See how the corolla incloses both the stamens and pistil, and see if you think the blossom fertihzes itself or attracts insects to its aid. What makes you think so? In the late Fall you can find the winter buds that are shielding the new leaves and flower sprays. If you watch, you will be well repaid by catching an early glimpse of the l)aby leaves which come out in the springtime, pale pink or a tender green. Notice how, as they grow MADKUNO. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 71 sturdy, the upper isurface iw glossy and dai*k green, while beneath they are nearly white. They seem to have a delight in coloi", for in their second summer, before they are cast from the tree, they bedeck themselves in brilliant scarlet or orange, as if to make an exit in a gloi'ious sunset. When you ai'e examining the bi'ight scarlet fruit, you will find it divided into five cells, just as you found the flowei' in the spring having five parts. Why do you think the surface of the berry is so rough? Do you like the taste of it? When I was a child, T used to think it was a mixture of honey and cayenne pepper. As you admire the ruddy fruit, you will see how well the name Madrono tits it. " Madrono " is the Spanish for strawberiy. Be careful that you do not pi'onounce it "" madrona," as some Americans do, for that has an alto<*'ether different meaning. Eveiy Calilbrnia child should leai'u to pronounce correctly the 8])anish nancies that lingei- in our State, for they are part of our history, Ai'e you not glad that so musical a name is attached to this handsome 72 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS tree? I think \vc can safely state that the Madrono is the most beautiful IS^orth American evergreen that has perfect flowers. Its tall straight trunk, its rich-toned bark, its lustrous dark leaves, its bell-like waxen blossoms, and its ruddy berries make it a joy from the begin- ning of the year to its close. Another plant that bears a united corolla is the Snowberry. You probably know it best by its fruit. It grows so many places in the State that vou all must have seen it. SNOWBERRY. .f "^ i i i fi i f i It you hold tile white berry too closely in your fingers, the outer skin breaks and the inner softness oozes out. Inside this you find two little nuts. Perhaps you think these are the seeds. Open one. You see the Snowberry is as careful of her seed as the peach or plum tree. In the springtime examine the little pinkish bells that make such careful seed-cases. The calyx, you find, has five teeth. Does it fall ofl' "wlien the seed is formed? The corolla some- times has four lobes and sometimes five. Open one with a pin. AVhy do you snppose it is so SNOWBERRY. 74 HABITS OF CALIFOUNIA IT-ANTS hairy Avitbin? Notice to what tlie stamens are joined, and look at tlie pistil. Do yoii think tlie flower gets the insects to help herV The Snow^berrv is a mcmbci- of tlie Honey- suckle family. Some ol' hei- sisters, as the Honeysuckle, climl) o\ei- otlu'r ])lants, while others, as the Elder, i-each u]) alone to the sky. Some have their leaves folded around the stems, while others have theirs spread out and cut into parts. They all have an attractive iruit, whether it be o-leaming white, glowing red, or polished black. Do 3()U all know the monkey flower or ^Mimnlns? Jfiuiti//(s is Greek for "ape,'' so that the botanical title agrees with our common name, although it sounds a liiHc more musical. Do you think the blossom looks enough like a monkey to deserve this name? There are ten different species of Minndus in our State, all herbs but one. This one shrub you have all seen, for it is conunon in every localitv, and it exhibits some blossoms MIMULUS. 1 . ' 1 .1 P .1 T during each montli ot the year, in dift'erent i)arts of the State, it varies the coloi- of HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 75 these blossoms from red to pale yellow, but the gown most frequently worn is a bright salmon. The shrub grows sometimes quite tall; and, when covered with bloom in spring and summer it makes an ornamental garden plant that Europeans are glad to cultivate. Its leaves are so sticky that they have earned the plant its second botanical name, Gluti- 710SUS, which you can easily guess means '' glue-y." Notice the tiowers. You see that the Mim- ulus does not crowd theui together on the top of the stem. Has she need to, Avith such large, showy blossoms and blooming as she does at all seasons? Look at one flower. You find the green calyx bell with five points, showing that there are five sepals united into this form. From the center of this bell grows out the funnel-shaped corolla. You see that it has five lobes, each of which repi'csents a separate petal. These lobes are so ari-anged that two together stand up, and three unite into a lower platform. Botanists call these two divisions ""lips," and the Avhole family to which the Mimulus belongs, YELLOW SNAPDRAGON. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 77 a very iiiiiiierous one indeed, is said to be l)ila- biate or two-lipped. When yon glanee into the blossom of the Mimnlns yon see at onee the two white shiny divisions of the stig'ina spreading ontward. Tonch them with yonr finger and see how qnickly they fold together. When they are closed yon see below the fonr stamens. Then at once yon think yon know how the Mimnlns accomplishes her seed-making. The insect alights on the thi-ee-lobed platform, and he finds two ridges leading from it doAvn the throat of the corolla to the honey glands. As he starts down one, he hits the large lobes of the stigma and they take off what pollen he has bi'onght. As they close immediately, he passes down to his meal and jostles the stamens as he goes. Then the anthers open and ponr their dnst on him, to have it cari'ied to another Mimnlns. This sonnds ver}' reasonable, but yon may be mistaken. You cannot jndge one flower by what yon have observed in others — not wholly. Yon would better watch the Mimnlns and see what does help it. If a small bug visits her, he 78 IIAIUTS OF TALIFOKXIA PLANTS can easily '^lip in and ont without ever moving tlie stamens or stigma. Could a bee force itself down the long narrow tube, or unroll its tongue far enough to reach the dishes of nectar? Watch the hunuuing bird. It is one of the greatest helj^ers of flowers. Its long tongue could touch the bottom of the tube; but the luunming bird is not supposed to care nuicli for yellow flowers. It would gladly help the Mim- ulus when she wears a red gown. Does it visit her when she dons yellow? If you observe this well, you may be of assistance to science. Another common Mimulus is the yellow one which gi'ows in marshy spots, and which holds its lips so close together that it is often called " Sna])dragon." Its yellow is SNAPDRAGON. .,,..,, av ^ ^ i dotted with reddish brown, and it has a fence of fine hairs to keep the small insects from getting into its throat. Its leaves, you will notice, are quite difterent from those of the sticky Mimulus, and its stalk has an individual way of sending out new roots. The lar^-er family of Avhich the Mimulus is a TTAI'.ITfi OF r'ALfFORNIA PLANTS 70 meniln'r is the l^crojihiiJariavece so iinined be- cause it was supposed to be useful in curing scrofula, and to this family SCROPHULARIACE^E. , , , . belong a number ol oui" prettiest wild flowers. The Indian Paint Brush, SNAPDRAGON. the Indian AVarrior, the Owd's Clover, the Pentstemon, the gay Collinsia, the useful Bee Plant, and the delicate Speedwell are known to most of you. You see they are all quite differ- ent in appearance from the Mimulus and from 80 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS each other; but if you examine a blossom of each kind yon will Hnd that, however fantastic the corolhi seems, it is leall}^ two-hpped. They have different arraniienients of their stamens A 1 Lr/^^^ J iJl^ w W^ INDIAN PAINT BRUSH (SCROPHULARIACE^). and pistils; but their seed-case has always two cells. Their seed-cases help to distinguish them from another two-lipped family, the Mint, which MINT FAMILY. 82 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS has its st'C'd-case separated into four nutlets. The Mint family has another striking- MINTS. . / (litterence. Kul) voui' nn bracts, the leaf-like strnc- tures, that are at the base of each pistillate blossom. Watch these as the seed grows and see how they increase in size and inclose the WHITE OAK. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 149 nut. Do you think it easy to destroy this seed- case? This pointed armor of the nut gives the Hazel its botanical names, Corylus, which is the Greek for "helmet," and rostmta, meaning " beaked." The family name, too, indicates this cup-like covering for the nut. It is Cup- iiliferce, or " cup bearing," which is easy for you to remember. If you think a moment, you will remember that you are well acquainted with some prominent members of the Cupuliferce^ the Oaks. You know they all have cups to hold their acoi-ns in. Pi-obably most of you have used these same cups at your dolls' parties. An Oak that has a deep cup with a rough surface and an inner pale woolly lining is the White Oak. It is the largest and most graceful of its ffunily in California. The Oaks are all called Quercus by the botanists. WHITE OAK. ™, . . ^ ,, ^, ,,. This IS from the Celtic ana means *' a tine tree." The Romans called it that when they iirst saw the tree hundreds of years ago, but it is just as appropriate to-day. The White Oak's special name is Lohata because of its lobed leaves. Its Spanish Californian title. 150 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS "Roble," has given a name to one of our towns, '' Paso de Robles/' The leaves of the White Oak are always deeply cut into and are gradual!}^ narrowed from the top down. They are deciduous, so YOUNG WHITE UAK that during some months each year the tree stands with branches nude. Even then it is beautiful, in its gray brown strength. The catkins of the Quercus Lobata appear about February. You will find that they con- HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 151 tain only the staminate flowers. If yon observe the twigs, yon will see other little blossoms topped by three sticky stigmas. With the three stigmas, yon wonld natnrally expect to have at least three seeds from each blossom. Yon know that bnt one acorn ripens in each cnp, so you wonld better examine into this mattei'. If yon observe carefnlly, yon will And three cells below the stigmas and then yon will see two seeds formed in each of the cells; but just as plants crowd each other out in a garden, so the strongest seed takes all the food and crowds out the other five. Generally you can find some trace of the other seeds and cells in the acorn, either at the top or at the base. In the White Oak, you find them at the bottom. The acorn of the White Oak I'ipeiis the first year. It is from one to thi'ee inches long, and usually has a poiut. The acorn the Indians preferred was the fruit of the Live Oak of the coast, which is a difterent species from the Live Oak of the intei'ior valleys and of the Sieri'a. The coast Live Oak, Quer- cus- Ayrifolla, I'ipens its fruit the fii'st season, 152 HABITS UF CALIFORNIA PLANTS while the interior Live Oak, (Jaer- LIVE OAKS. ,„. ,. . T . cas n ishzeni, does not matui"e its acorns until the second autumn. AyrifoUa is from the two Latin words meaning " a field " and " leaves." You know " folio" well, and you LIVE OAK OF COAST (QUERCUS AGRIFOLIA). have met ^^ agri " in "agriculture." Wis- lizeni is named after Dr. F. A. AVislizenius, who, in early days, gathered some branches of the tree on the American Kiver and sent them to a botanist to be described in science. Both of these ti'ees get their })()pulai- names of HABITS OF CALIP'OUXIA PLANTS l',;^, "Live Oaks'' from their habit of liolcliiig on to the old leaves until the new ones are clothing the branches. Quercus Agrifolia throws off its old ones as soon as the spring leaves are well out in ^fareh or April, but Wislizeni keeps its leaves until the seeond summer or fall. The leaves of both the Live Oaks ai"e entir?", that is, without lobes, and their margins are wavy and sometimes have teeth on the cuives. The leaves of both ai-e beautiful when they first unfold. The Agrifolia are tinged with I'ed and have a coat of long white hairs to keej) tiiem warm. As tjie leaves grow older and need less ])rotection, the hairs generally disap])eai', but sometimes tufts remain in the axils of the prin- cipal veins even when the leaves are full grown. You know how leathery these leaves are; how they have a convex cui've; and hoAV the u])per surface differs from the lowei". Have you ever noticed th.it on tlu' lowei- surface of some there arc little bunches of haii's ai-ranged in the shape of stars? You will find this true of many of the oaks. The young leaves of the Wislizeni are dark red, with a fi'ini>e of little hairs on the 154 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS edge and stellate, or star-shaped, biinehes scat- tered over them. They, too, grow leathery and thick, and their midribs get i-onnded and raised on the upper surface, while their margins roll back slightly. Both these Live Oaks blossom early in the spi'ing, when tlie new leaves are unfolding. The long gi-aceful tassels are formed of the staminate blossoms and the pistillate ones sit on little spikes. The Agi'ifolia, when the insects have injured much of the early foliage, or when there are abundant early rains, sometimes flowers again in the autunui. The acorns from these fall blooms i-einain on the Ivev all the winter, tiny things that they are, nnd with the new burst of life in the spring, enlarge; but they drop to the ground without ripening. The acorn of Agrifolia is long and it narrows abruptly at its base and comes gradually to a jjoint at the top. It is a light chestnut brown and its coat is lined with thick wool. The cup is thin and light brown. Its inner surface is lined with a soft, pale silk, while outside it weai's rough, papery scales. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 155 The Wislizeni acorn is long, too, and narrows in the same way; bnt its brown is often striped longitudinally and its shell has a scanty woolen lining. Its cup is covered with scales that grow thicker at the base and are ronnded at the back, and the cup generally extends high up on the fruit. Another of our Oaks that has a high cup and a striped acorn is the Black Oak, or Qaevcas Califoniica. This is the largest and most abundant oak of the Sierra ]^e- BLACK OAK. , i . • , ^ i • ^i vada, and it is also tound m the valleys of the Coast Kaiige. Its fruit ripens the second year. The acorn is broad and well- rounded and slopes off at the top. In its leaf, the central pair of lobes are the largest, so that the leaf narrows at both top and bottom. The ])oint of each lobe is finished with a bristle-like tooth. The young leaves and their stems are rose color and very hairy. As the leaves grow old, they turn a glossy green, and then soon after the tree casts them off. The bark of the Black Oak is black and rough. It is sometimes used for tanning, but TANBAKK OAK. HABITS OK CALIFOHNfA PLANTS l;-,7 the tiTie " tan-bark oak " of California is Quercas Densiilora. This you will find TANBARK OAK. . . . ., a very interesting tree in its flowering. Some catkins bear only staminate blossoms, while others have ])erfect flowers, those containing both stamens and pistils. Occasionally the other oaks produce perfect flowers, but none so often as does the Densiflora. Then, too, the catkins stand erect instead of drooping. The Densiflora generally blooms in summer so that you And the flowers and the fruit, which takes tAvo years to ripen, on the tree at the same time. The cups are saucer shaped and covered with bi-istles. The acorns are large and have a thick shell. The leaves are evergreen, oblong, with teeth on theii- edges, and with large veins. These are our commonest oaks, and you will find them well worth studying. Each tree seems to diff'er a little in its method of giowth, its leaves, its blossoms, and its fruiting; and there is much that botanists have not yet learned of its habits. Then there are the oak-apple and the mistletoe, both of which you will notice in 158 HAHITS OF CALIFOKXIA PLANTS studying' the oak, and on these alone you can make observations that may in time add your name to the Hsts of seientists. If you had been l)orn a Httle Indian in Oali- foi'uia two huiKh'ed years ago, your favorite nut would not have been the Hazel or the Aeoi-n, but that from the Pine tree. And what fun you would have had g-atherino- it! Your PINES. ^. , n , , rather would beat the cones down from the trees and your mother would roast them until the scales opened. Then you all would help take out the nuts and store them away in o:reat baskets for the winter time. You could have eaten as many as you wished while you packed them, for Indian mothei-s did not make little boys whistle while they worked, as our mammas do when we are picking raisins for the plum-pudding. To-day many of you get the pine nuts for your pleasure, not for your need, as did the little Indian boys and girls, and you all know that they grow in what we call a cone. You have seen the cones on the trees, but have you noticed the flowers that made the cone? HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS loi) In the spring-time yon have seen the gronnd or water near the pines all yellow as if a shower of sulphnr had fallen. Then yon looked np and saw golden tassels waving' around on the branches. If you examine these, yon find that they consist of stamens alone. The flower that forms the cone is on the same tree, but it is diff'erent from any flowers yon have known. It has no stigma, but just the little cell Avait- ing uncovered for the pollen to fall upon it and make a seed. Why does the Pine pro- duce so much pollen? What carries it to the seed cell for her? Does she secrete honey? Have yon seen au}^ insects feasting in the Pine forests? You all know the leaves of the Pines as " needles." You have seen that they are attached to the stem in little bundles, with an enclosing sheath around them. Have you noticed that all Pines have not the same number of needles to a bundle, or that all needles are not the same shape? The- ground in a Pine forest is always covered with needles. Does the Pine shed them once a year as the Maple HiO HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS does? I.s the tree ever bare? See if you can learn how long- the needles do cling to the ti'ee. llow are the bundles of needles ar- ranged on the stems? In circles? Is a Pine needle really needle-shaped, without any cor- ners? Has it bi-eathing pores as other leaves have? In observing the cone, notice if it stands erect with its fruit or hangs pendant. Is it on the end of a bi-anch oi- on the side? Are the cones single or in pairs or in bunches? Are they opposite on the stem or alternate or in whorls? Do they cling to the tree after the seeds are cast out? If there are hooks on the scales, how do they curve? Why ? Are the scales arranged in a circle around the cone or in a spiral? How many scales does it take to reach around the cone once? Soak a cone in water and see what its scales do. You can make a pretty hanging basket by taking advantage of this habit of the Pine cone. Those of you wdio have observed the Pines know that their cones ditfer. The cones of the Sugar Pine, the king of the Pine nation, are HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS KJl immense and are aiTant»t(l on SUGAR PINE. , 1 , . 1 long stems near the ends of the branches. When the seeds are ri])e, the eone swings oft' to the gi-ound. The scales are Hat and loosely attached and have no hooks. AVhy do yon suppose this is? The seeds ai'e large and edible and have big Ijiovvn-veined wings to carry them earthward. Reaching sometimes thi-ee hundred feet in height and sixt}^ in circumference, the Sugar Pine's size alone would make it impressive were not the charm of grace and beauty also added. Its tall, erect trunk, unmarred by limb or knot for two-thirds of its height; its lich-toned, checkered bark; its canopy of long, giaceful boughs; its slender pendant cones, all awaken such admiration that we can understand how the white man who made it known to the world endangered his life to I'each the tree. This was David Douglas, the Scotch Ijotanist. Just here we might say that the boy or girl who cares for California Pines will find the story of Doug- las's ramblings, his adventures, and his tragic death exceedingly intei-esting. He discovered SUGAR PINE (Oiu-tliiiil n;itiiial size;. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 103 and named six California Pines, and this was but a small portion of bis service to our Coast. Douglas called tbe Sugar Pine Plnus Z/am- hertiana after bis friend Lambert, an Eno-Hsb botanist. It gets its popular name of Sugar Pine from the sweet gum it exudes after a fire. A rival to the Sugai- Pine is the Yellow Pine or Pinus ponderosa. Its trunk, like that of the Sugar Pine, is free from branches to a great height. These large trees are YELLOW PINE. J , • , " , seli-pruners, their lower l)ranches withering and dropping off, letting all their strength go to an upward growth. The bark of the Yellow Pine is fissured in great plates, suggestive of alligator leathei'. Its long needles are in bundles of three and their enclosing sheaths w^rap around closely and do not shake off" easil}^ The cones are small and when they break away from the tree they leave behind their stems and some of their lower scales. Did any of you ever find a whole cone of a Yellow Pine on the ground? The Pine the Indians thought had the best nuts is sometimes called after them the " Digger YELLOW PINE. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 165 DIGGER PINE. Pine"; sometimes it is named the "Nut Pine," and again the '^ Gray-leafed Pine." This grows so generally throughout the state that most of you know its gray-green foliage, its long, irregular shaggy branches, and its heavy, prickly cones. Some- gUj^ L '^vmun^ \ YELLOW PIXE (Two-lifths iiaturfil size). times its trunk is divided into angular liranches. It is never so shapely as the " luinl)er i)ines," which, the Indians say, are "^ eagles' feathers reaching to the sun."" The cones of the Diggei' Pine grow along the sides of the branch, instead of near its end. DIUGEK PINE (T\vo-tiftb^ natural 5.ize). HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 167 The first year, a cone is a globular mass of riches about au iuch loug, all covered Avith hooked scales. The secoud year it iucreases its length to even ten inches; the scales become heavy and leathery ; and the hooks reach from one to three inches. When we remember that under each scale two delicious seeds are ripened, we can tell why the cone has such thick scales and such warlike prickles. As the seeds mature in the second year, the cones get so heavy that they hang over on their stems. Then, under the late autunm sun, the scales rise up and the dark seeds fly down on their tiny wings to bury themselves in the earth and start new trees the following year. Well for them if the hungiy gray squii'rel does not spy them, for he relishes the sweet nut as much as does a little boy I know. When the seeds have scattered, the Digger cone still clings to the tree. After a while the new growth lengthens out it& stem and makes it unable to bear the heavy cone. Then the cone falls with a crash to the ground, and if it be not picked up by some enterprising lad, it 168 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS finally decays and enriches the soil for its mother tree. Besides the Digger Pine, which the botanists call Pinus Sabiniana, after Joseph Saliine, an English scientist, there are several other nnt pines in California. One which was a great favorite with the Indians is the Single-leaf Pine, 1. PINUS MONOPHYLLA. 3. TAMARACK PINE (PINUS CONTORTA). •2. HEMLOCK. (One-half natural size). or Pinus monophylla, which means the same thing. It is sometimes refei*red to as '^ Fre- mont's Nnt Pine," becanse General Fremont made care- ful notes on it in 1845, calling it the " one-leafed pine.'' From these names you w^ill readily SINGLE-LEAF PINE. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 169 guess that this Pine is peculiar in having but one leaf in each bundle Tf you examine each sheath well, you may find a trace of a sister leaf that should have grown up within the same eovei-ing. The leaves are so ^\v\\ sharpened that they ai-e highly prized by the elfin di-ess- makers. The cones are about two inches long and well roiimled, with comparatively few scales and these unarmed. The seeds are large, with hard shells and without wings. Tiiey are delicious and are so nourishing that the Indians found a hnndfnl snihcient Ibod for a day's tramp. The children of the coast region will probably find the Pine of their vicinity to be the Phius Inslgnis, or Monterey Pine. It is so called because it was first noted near MONTEREY PINE. ^^ ^ t ■ ■ Monterey -Bay. ijis/gjNs you know the meaning of, from having studi^tl the Baby-blue-eyes. The Monterey Pine l)ranches low down and the limbs are well covered with leaves in bundles of threes. This Pine has an mterestmg cone growth. The scales near the base have strong knobs, but they do not perfect TAMARACK PINE (Thin bark). HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 171 the seeds beneath. The upper scales are flatter and protect the seeds that ripen. They are most careful guardians, tor they do not open when the seeds are mature, but hold them close and safe for an indetinite number of years. .MUN'TEREY PIXE (about one-half natural size). One group of Pines has a thin bark that makes it an easy prey to insects. The prettiest of these is the Tamarack or Lodge-pole Phie. You can guess Avhy it is called the Lodge-pole Pine. Its cones are small and drooping, and fall when their seeds are mature. Its needles are in pairs. As it grows old, its branches have a peculiar TAMARACK PINE. 172 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS . way of twisting downward and invvai-d and so limiting their own sni)p]y of sap. This hal)it accounts for the iunnl)er of dead trees seen in groves of the living. This habit, also, gives the tree its botanical name of Pinifs Contorta. You know" what ""contorted" means, and so you can understand why this Pine is named conto7^ta. These are only a few of the Pines in Cali- fornia, and we have noticed only a few points regarding each mentioned. By the cones and the number of needles you can distinguish the diiferent species, but knowing the name of a Pine is only the first step of getting acquainted. A tree is like a person; if you like it at all, the nioi'C you know of its habits the more 3'ou ai"e interested in it. You can only know a ])lant by observation. Yery few children in our State but have at least one Pine in their nei«'hborhood, either in the woods or in a park, so you all have opportunities to know this mighty tree. Among tlic Pine forests of the Sierras, you often see the great Red Fir. Its Latin name, Abies Ma'e and the ai>'e of the branches. The Hemlock cones difier from those of the Fir in being pendant at the end of the branchlet. Then, too, the scales with their bracts remain on the cone after the seeds are scattered. The cones are purplish when they are young, but they turn brown as they ripen. They are very numerous and give a graceful finish to the swaying branchlets. The Hemlock flowei's in early spring. Its staminate blossoms ai-e in clusters, which are 178 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS raised out on a little spike when the joollen is mature. The pistillate are hanging on the end of the twigs, where the cones afterwards develop. The leaves are not spiral on the stem, as in the Fir, hut are in ranks of two. Each leaf has a joint near its base; and when withering time comes, the upper part of the leaf twists off, leaving the base on the stem. This leaf base makes a scar on the stem, and the great number of these scars make a roughened surface, which is partly concealed on the j^ounger branches by Ion 2: hairs. The main branches of the Hemlock are not in whorls, l)ut alternate, with the upper ones shorter than the lower. The long limbs extend outward and downward in a graceful curve. From either side the}^ have numerous branchlets which divide and subdivide, always in ranks of two, until they end in sleudei', drooping, hairy little sprays that dance up and down on each passing zephyr. A tree akin to the Hemlock, and yet very different, is the Pseadotsiuja J)oft(/Jasif\ or HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 179 Douglas Spruce. Pseudo is the Greek for " false," so thai the name DOUGLAS SPRUCE. means the raise Isuofa." Do you uot think it unfair to call so beautiful a ti-ee by such a name? Botanists ought to be able to find titles enough to go arouud without offering such insults to plants. How Avould you like to be called " False William,''' for the reason that you somewiiat resemble a man uamed William? Plants are always working out their own destiny and they do not try to ])e like auythiug else, so the}^ cannot be false. Well, the Psuedotsuga DouglaMi or Douglas Spruce differs in many w^ays from the Hemlock. Its cone is uoticeable for the lon^- bracts Avhich stick out from behind the scales and curl back iu a three-parted extension. The cone is not suspeuded from the end of the branchlets, but back a little. The lirauches are uot roughened by leaf scai'S, and the leaves are more numerous than those of the Hemlock. They differ, too, in shape and arrangement. Its bark is thicker and is deeply fissured. The Douglas Spruce is found iu both the DOUGLAS SPRUCE. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 181 Sierra IS^evadas and Coast Range. It is shaped like a pyramid when it has plenty of room to stretch out its arms, or it grows tall and slender if it is crowded. It seems able to adapt itself to any soil or climate, and each year we ship great quantities of its seeds to nursei-ymen in Euro- pean countries and their colonies to replant their forests. By the way, I wonder if any of you know how many dollai'S a year couie to Califoi'nia for the seeds of her native plants. You might learu now to collect seeds carefully, leaving always enough for the plant to reproduce itself on our own soil. We do not wish to sell all our treas- ures, but only to share our surplus with the world. One of our conifers whose seeds have been widely scattered by man is the Monterey Cy- press. Its original home is a stretch of only two miles on the Monterey coast; and yet since 1838, its seeds have been MONTEREY CYPRESS. ,. ., , , ^ so distributed that noAv it is the most widely cultivated cone-bearer of Southern and Western Europe, South America, 182 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS and Australia, as well as of our own Pacific Coast. You all have seen it, if not on its native cliffs, w^here the winds force it into all sorts of odd shapes, at least in some gardens, where it does duty as a hedge. MONTH liF.V CVPKKSS. You know its leaves are pressed down closely to its stem, but do you know that the>^ cling on for three or four years? The fruit is in clus- ters and not like the otlier cones we have HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 183 studied. Cut one opeu to see just where the seeds ripeu and how many there are under each scale. Botanists call the Monterey Cypress the Cupressus Macrocarpa. Cupressus is the an- cient name for the Cypress, Avhich was found abundantly on the Island of Cypress. Macro- carpa means " large fruit." The leaves of the Cypress are not unlike those of the Juniper, although the habit of growth and the fruit are totally different. Those of you who have seen the Juniper of the Sierra ^Nevada remember how the JUNIPER. , 1 f, T 1 • f If ti-unk oiten divides into several stems sending up several heads. You know, too, how the bark looks twisted, as if from suffering. The Juniper leaves you can count in threes, closely bent to the stem. See if yow can find little pits on their backs. The fruit, which looks like a berry instead of a cone, was used by the Indians both fresh and to make cakes of. You will notice that while the tree blossoms about January, the fruit does not ripen until the second autumn. Also observe that gener- I HP^#^t L^^^ ^HLw'*"^-. ' .^. kw^ ^HHl^l^lfv/^'^^'^ '^^' '-^'—-Jit^^M T ^fw^mmmami . JUNIPER. RED CEDAR. HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS 1«7 ally the staminate blossoms are on one tree and the pistillate on another. The botanical name of the Juniper family is Ju7iiperus, which is from the Celtic meaning "rouo-h" or " rnde/' Yon can see that the name was given because of the bark. In our state we have two native Junipers, Juniperus Californica and Juniperus Occidentalis. You can tell for yourself what each name means. Closely allied to the Junipers is a tree that came to ns from Oregon. This is the Red Cedar, or Thuya Gigantea. Thuya is from the Greek word meaning " sacrifice," because the Cedar was used in burning the RED CEDAR. ^, . . ^. . m,,^ l...^, ,.« ofterings to the gods. Ihe lea\es of the Red Cedar are somewhat similar to those of the Cypress and the Junipei*, but the branches are flattened out, as if they had been ironed. The cones are very small and ripen the first year. Look under the scales and see which ones mature seeds. We have, too, the Incense Cedar, whose botanical name is Lihocedrus Decurrens. Lihas means " fragrant " and cedrus, the " Cedar 188 HABITS OF CALIFORNIA PLANTS family " : while decurrens refers INCENSE CEDAR. . ^, , ,. , to the way tne leaves he along the stem. Notice how the leaves ai-e aiTanily, clieckered, 43 Lily, flag, 37 Lily, Mariposa, 46 Lily, tiger. 46 Lotus, 101 Lupine, 8'.i-t)o .Madrono, 69-72 Mallow, 33-36 Malva, 33 Man-in-the-ground, 132 Manzanita, 66-69 Maple, 145 Mariana, 20 Medicago, 97 Milkweed, 121 Miraulus, 74-79 :\riut, 81, 82 Mission bells, 43 INDEX 203 Mustard, 12-15 Mustard, true or black, 13 Mustard, wild, U Nemophila, 20 Nut piue, Fremont's, lfi8 Oak, black, 155 Oak, live, 151-155 Oak, tanbark, 157 Oak, -white, 149-151 Old man of spring, 121 Onagracca', 18 Onion, ■wild, 46 Oxalis, 105 Papilionacea", 91 Pappus, 121 Parsley, 110 Parsnip, cow, 113 Pea family, 91, 101 Pea, wild, 99, 100 Pentstemon, 79 Pepper grass, 16 Pigweed, G3 Pine, digger, 165-16S Pine, Monterey, 169 Pine, nut, 165 Pine, single-leaf, 168 Pine, sngar, 161-163 Pine, tamarack, 171 Pine, yellow, 163 Pines, 158-172 Piues, lumber, 165 Pinus contorta, 172 Pinus insignis, 169 Pinus Lambertiaua, 163 Pinus nionophylla, 168 Pinus ponderosa, 163 Pinus Sabiniana, 168 Platanus, 145 Poplar, 137 Poppy, 21-24 Populus Fremonti, 137, 138 Populus tremuloides, 139 Populus trichocarpa, 137 Pseudotsuga Douglassi, 178, 179 Pussy willow, 134 Quercus agrifolia, 151 Quercus Califoruica, 155 Quercus densiflora, 157 Quercus lobata, 149, 150 (^uercus Wislizeni, 152 Kacemosa, 145 Kattle'\>eed, 101 Redwood, 199, 200 Kesin-weed, 123 HLiubailj, wild, r.3 Rice root, 43 Roblt-, 150 Rock cress, 16 Rostrata, 149 Sage, white, 84, 85 Salal, 69 Salicacea', 137 Salix, 137 Scrophulariaceie, 79 204 INDEX Sequoia sempervirens, 193 Sequoia gigantea, 191-196 Shepherd's purse, 16 Shooting star, 25-29 Smartweed, 63 Snapdragon, 79 Snapdragon, yellow, 76 Snowberry, 72-74 Soap root, 4C, Speedwell, 79 Spring beauty, 16 Spruce, Douglas, 179 Suncup, 16 Sunflower, 117, 125 Sunshine, 118, 127, 128 Sycamore, 142-145 Thistle, 117 Thuya gigantea, 187 Tidytips, 118-121 Trillium, 111 Tsuga heterophylla, 177 Tumbleweed, 65 Turnip, 16 Umbelliferse, 113-117 Verbena, sand, 58-60 Violacea-, 109 Violet, dog-tooth, 46 Violet nemophila, 20 Wake robin, 46 Wall flower, 16 Willow, 133-137 Wishbone tree, 194 Yellow mats, 113, 116 Verba !)nena, 82 Verba de la vibora, 116 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. ^l^'i 4R£(rD BiQMED. MAR 1 8 1979 PSD 2343 9/77 THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES 3 1158 00185 3620 149 \9o3 0.0M 03: Mnr