Part 22

Plate 38, fig. 8

The foliage of the Gum Weed oozes a sticky substance that gives the plant its name. The flower-heads are golden-yellow and bloom from midsummer to autumn. The plants are branched and grow 2-4 ft. tall, along roadsides and in pastures at 3000-7000 ft. The entire plant is used in medicine for certain lung troubles, and a salve is made from it that is helpful in poison-ivy poisoning.

Cone Flower Ratibida columnaris

Plate 39, figs. 1, 6

The fertile flowers of the Cone Flower are grouped in cone-shaped heads, which give the plant its name. The broad ray-flowers vary in color through shades of pure yellow to brilliant orange-red, and this form is sometimes cultivated in home gardens. The plants grow 1-3 ft. tall on prairies and plains at 3000-7000 ft., and bear flowers all summer.

Golden Glow Rudbeckia laciniata

Plate 39, fig. 2

The native Golden Glow is related to the popular Golden Glow of the garden. It is a striking plant, 3-6 ft. tall and bears many large flower-heads with long, spreading or drooping yellow rays. They bloom in midsummer and are found in meadows and along brook-banks in aspen and fir forests at 5000-8000 ft.

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta

Plate 39, fig. 4

Black-eyed Susan, unlike its near relative Golden Glow, has a reddish-brown, almost black, center and orange-yellow rays. It is cultivated also, but occurs naturally in meadows and bogs and along brook-banks at 5000-11000 ft. The plants are 1-4 ft. tall and bloom all summer.

Rayless Thelesperma Thelesperma gracile

Plate 39, fig. 3

As the name indicates, the Rayless Thelesperma has heads of fertile flowers only, ray-flowers being lacking. The heads are grouped in graceful clusters on slender stems, 2-4 ft. tall, and bloom all summer. The plants occur on prairies and plains at 3000-8000 ft.

Rayed Thelesperma Thelesperma trifidum

Plate 39, fig. 8

The Rayed Thelesperma, in contrast to the one above, has broad yellow ray-flowers around a yellow center. It is a relative of Coreopsis and should also be cultivated in home gardens. The plants are 1-3 ft. tall and are found along roadsides and in pastures and fields at 3000-7000 ft., blooming all summer.

ASTER FAMILY

1, 6 Cone Flower: Ratibida columnaris 2 Golden Glow: Rudbeckia laciniata 3 Rayless Thelesperma: Thelesperma gracile 4 Black-eyed Susan: Rudbeckia hirta 5 Sun Spots: Gymnolomia multiflora 7 Sunflower: Helianthus petiolaris 8 Rayed Thelesperma: Thelesperma trifidum]

Sun Spots Gymnolomia multiflora

Plate 39, fig. 5

The heads of Sun Spots are yellow throughout and bloom all summer. The plants are 2-5 ft. tall and grow on prairies and foothills at 5000-7000 ft.

Sunflower Helianthus petiolaris

Plate 39, fig. 7

One scarcely needs an introduction to the cheery Sunflower which overruns roadsides and fallow fields everywhere at 3000-8000 ft. The plants are 2-5 ft. tall and bear flowers all summer. This species is the western form of the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus. The latter was held in high veneration by the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, being used by them as a sacred and artistic emblem. It also figures in Greek mythology. The farmer of today, however, regards it quite otherwise when it invades his cultivated fields. It is, nevertheless, the state flower of Kansas. The name Sunflower was given this plant under the impression that the heads turn their faces always towards the sun and follow it in its daily course. This is not the case, however, for though the heads of a field of sunflowers are usually turned in the same direction, this is due to the effect of the prevailing wind rather than to sunlight.

The common sunflower is cultivated for the sake of the honey and wax which are obtained from the flowers by the bees, and also for its seeds which are used in various ways. They furnish feed for domestic and farm animals, or are ground and made into cakes, or roasted and used as coffee. In Russia they are sold in the streets and eaten as nuts. An oil also is obtained from them that is said to be equal to olive oil.

ASTER FAMILY

1 Bur Marigold: Bidens levis 2 Mountain Arnica: Arnica cordifolia 3 Gaillardia: Gaillardia aristata 4 Butterweed: Senecio Fendleri 5 Goldweed: Ximenesia encelioides 6 Actinella: Actinella Richardsonii 7 Dwarf Sunflower: Helianthella Parryi]