Part 18

The yellow-flowered Gooseberry blooms in early summer. It is a shrub about 1-3 ft. in height and grows in the mountains at 6000-10000 ft. The berry is black when ripe, and edible. The wild gooseberries are related to the cultivated one and to the currant.

EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY

1 Fireweed: Chamaenerium angustifolium 2 Scarlet Gaura: Gaura coccinea 3 Meriolix: Meriolix serrulata 4 Evening Primrose: Onagra biennis

MENTZELIA FAMILY

5 Evening Star: Mentzelia multiflora

CACTUS FAMILY

6 Prickly Pear: Opuntia humifusa 7 Purple Cactus: Cactus viviparus]

EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY

Fireweed Chamaenerium angustifolium

Plate 32, fig. 1

The Fireweed, as the name indicates, is found on burnt areas especially, though it also occurs in meadows and open woods and copses. The flowers are pale pink to deep rose-purple and bloom all summer long. The plants are widely distributed over the continent up to 10000 ft. and grow as tall as 5 ft. The name “Willow Herb” is sometimes given on account of the resemblance of the leaves to those of the willow. The Fireweed is cultivated as an ornamental plant in England, where the leaves are also used as an adulterant of tea. The foliage forms a wholesome vegetable when boiled, and the young shoots or suckers make a good substitute for asparagus. Beer and vinegar are made in Kamchatka by fermenting the shoots and pith. The down on the seeds resembles cotton, but possesses little tenacity, and the fibres are too brittle and short to be of any value except in the adulteration of other material.

Scarlet Gaura Gaura coccinea

Plate 32, fig. 2

The pinkish or red flowers of the Scarlet Gaura grow on slender plants 6 in.-2 ft. tall and bloom in spring and summer. They may be found on plains and prairies at 4000-5500 ft.

Meriolix Meriolix serrulata

Plate 32, fig. 3

Meriolix grows 6-15 in. tall and bears yellow flowers that bloom in spring and summer. They are found on plains and hills at 4000-8000 ft.

Evening Primrose Onagra biennis

Plate 32, fig. 4

The fragrant yellow flowers of the Evening Primrose open in the evening and wither the next morning. They bloom all summer and are visited frequently by the pink night moth in search of nectar. The plants grow 1-3 ft. high and are found in valleys and on plains at 4000-10000 ft. They were formerly cultivated in kitchen gardens in England for their edible roots. When boiled these are very nutritious and wholesome, but they have been eaten very little as a table vegetable since the use of the potato became general. They are sweet to the taste, somewhat resembling parsnips. A drug made from the Evening Primrose is used for coughs, colds and asthmatic troubles, and an ointment for skin affections is also obtained.

MENTZELIA FAMILY

Evening Star Mentzelia multiflora

Plate 32, fig. 5

As the name indicates, the yellow flowers of the Evening Star open in the evening and close in the morning. They bloom all summer and are found on branching plants 8 in.-2 ft. high. These occur on dry plains and gravel-slides at 7000-9000 ft.

CACTUS FAMILY

Prickly Pear Opuntia humifusa

Plate 32, fig. 6

The Prickly Pear bears yellow flowers on low branching spiny stems. As in all the members of the cactus family, the plants are leafless, the stems having been modified into food-making and water-storing organs that take the place of foliage. The flowers bloom in midsummer on prairies and plains at 4000-7000 ft. The fruit of the Prickly Pear is sometimes used as food, being collected and sold in the markets in some localities. The juice is used for coloring confectionery, and in Mexico a drink called “Colinche” is prepared from it. The old, fibrous parts of the joints are made into commercial articles when hard and firm. Opuntia cochinellifera is extensively cultivated in Mexico for the purpose of breeding the cochineal insect from which the finest crimson dye is produced.