Flowers of mountain and plainClements, Edith S. (Edith Schwartz)
Science
Flowers of mountain and plain
Clements, Edith S. (Edith Schwartz)
Flowers -- Rocky Mountains; Flowers -- West (U.S.)
The flowers of this Lousewort are yellowish and occur in crowded heads
on low spreading stems, 4-6 in. high. They occur in mountain meadows at
6000-9000 ft. and bloom in spring and early summer. The name Lousewort
is derived from the Latin one which was bestowed upon it, because once
upon a time farmers believed that when their flocks fed upon the flowers
the sheep were liable to be attacked by certain tiny lice or “pediculi.”
The name Turtle Head is from a fancied resemblance of the flower to the
protruded head of a turtle. The plants are supposed to be poisonous to
sheep.
Butter-and-Eggs Linaria vulgaris
Plate 22, fig. 10
The flowers of Butter-and-Eggs are yellow and orange, and the common
name refers to these two shades of yellow. They bloom throughout the
summer and fall and are common in waste places and fields at 3000-7000
ft. The plants are persistent deep-rooted perennial weeds, 8-20 in.
tall, and may be eradicated whenever desired by short rotation of crops
and thorough cultivation in spring and fall. They are regarded with
suspicion as being poisonous and the juice mingled with milk constitutes
a fly poison. At one time, however, the plants yielded what was
considered a valuable skin lotion.
Little Elephant Elephantella groenlandica
Plate 22, fig. 11
The flowers of the Little Elephant are pinkish-purple, and the elongated
curved tube of the upper petal has a comical resemblance to an
elephant’s trunk. The stems grow 4-24 in. tall and are found in swamps
and wet meadows at 8000-12000 ft. The flowers are arranged in open
spikes and bloom all summer long.
BLADDERWORT FAMILY
Bladderwort Utricularia vulgaris
Plate 22, fig. 5
The yellow flowers of the Bladderwort grow on erect branches from
submerged stems 1-4 ft. long, and are found in lakes, ponds, etc. at
3000-12000 ft. The Bladderwort receives its name from the tiny black
bladders which grow on the submerged, finely divided leaves. These
little bladders serve as traps and absorptive organs for tiny animals in
the water, and the plants thus live partly on insects, larvae, etc.
BROOM-RAPE FAMILY
Broom-rape Thalesia uniflora
Plate 22, fig. 6
The Broom-rape is a parasite and absorbs its food from the roots of its
neighbors. This habit accounts for the pale color of both plants and
blossoms, since all such robber-plants lose their green food-making
matter through disuse. The flowers are violet-tinged and bloom in early
summer. The plants may be found in damp woods at 5000-10000 ft.
SNAPDRAGON FAMILY
Pink Beard-tongue Pentstemon secundiflorus
Plate 23, fig. 1
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