Widely distributed on salty and alkaline soils throughout the warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere, there are several species and varieties of Wild-heliotrope. The flowers, which are almost white, shading to a pale purple in the corolla throat, open as the spike uncoils, perfuming the desert air with their fragrance. The name “Pusley” which is applied to this plant in some localities is possibly a corruption of “Purslane.” Pima Indians are reported to powder the dried roots of these plants, applying the dust to wounds or sores. The name “Wild-heliotrope” is also applied to another desert flower, _Phacelia crenulata_ (which see), causing no little confusion. PURPLE [Illustration: Pluchea sericea] Common names: ARROWWEED, MARSH-FLEABANE Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (_Pluchea sericea_). Roseate purple. Spring. Sunflower family. Size: Perennial, 3 to 10 feet tall. Seldom found above 3,000 feet elevation, the rank-smelling Arrowweed forms dense, willow-like thickets in stream beds and in moist, saline soils. It is common in moist locations from Texas to southern Utah and south into California and Mexico; usually in pure, dense stands. The green foliage gives off an agreeable odor, but when the plant dries this becomes rank and unpleasant, clinging to the plant long after it has been cut. This odor is often a characteristic of native dwellings where Arrowweed has been used as a ceiling mat above the rafters. Arrowweed is browsed by deer, and sometimes by horses and cattle. The straight stems were used by Indians in making arrowshafts, and are still important as a construction material in the walls and roofs of mud huts. The stems are used, also, by desert Indians in basketmaking, and in fabricating storage bins and animal cages. From the foliage of the stem tips, Pima Indians brewed a tea which they used as an eye wash. The flowers are reported to furnish considerable nectar gathered by Honeybees. The blossoms are inconspicuous and develop into tawny-tufted seed-heads. PURPLE [Illustration: Mimulus bigelovi] Common name: MONKEYFLOWER Arizona and California deserts: (_Mimulus bigelovi_). Red-purple. February-April. Texas desert: (_Mimulus glabratus_). Yellow. June. Figwort family. Size: Branching, creeping annual up to 8 inches. Disproportionately large flowers for the size of the low-growing, small-leafed plant make it particularly conspicuous in the open, sandy locations where it blossoms in the springtime.