Albert Ruth Papers

Polytechnic, Texas May 8 1926

[2907 Vickery Blvd]

Mrs Will F. Lake City,

My dear Mrs. Lake:-

I would not for the world have you under the impression that we do not have "loco-weed", or "crazy-weed" around Fort Worth. That plant you had the other day, plant with wine-colored flowers, borne on a scape, is loco-weed. Its old name was Oxytropis Lambertii; the name given it by Dr Small, is Aragallus Lambertii. It forms here along the T. & P. RR and in old fields. It is the same plant which grows from Arizona & Texas North to British America. In New Mexico it grows on Mts, & high plains nearly through out the State. Here, as I have stated it grows along the RR. and in old fields. The reason cattle here are not affected by its eating is that it almost always grows in places, where cattle do not roam. While in [?N?] Texas last June, I hunted everywhere for it; I could not find it. But it certainly grows here, and I positively maintain it does.

The plant, about which you spoke to me over

the telephone, is, no doubt, Psoralea cuspidata, or Large-Bracted Scurfy Pea, The leaflets are [commonly?] 5, and digitate. The flowers are bluish.

Very sincerely yours, A Ruth.

Polytechnic Texas Apr 25 1927

Dear Mrs Lake:-

These are a few of the medicinal plants found in Tarrant Co. :-

Artemisia Mexicana - Mexican Wormwood. Salvia Farinacea - Mealy-leaved Sage Hedeoma drummondii - Drummondi Pennyroyal. Marrusieua [illegible] Vulgar - Hoarbound Datuva stramonium - Thorn - apple or Jamestown weed. Chenopodium anthelminticun - wormseed. [Ulmus?] Lulva - Slippery Elm. Riceuies cowmunes - Castor Oil Plank. Verhena officuiales - Herb-of-the-Cross Verbascum thapsus - Great Mullen Velvetor Veronica peregoiua Purslane speeducll Valenauella awavella - Bitter Cone Salad. Iva cilia ta- Rough Marsh Elder " angustfolia Namax - Caved Marsh Elder made from both flomas elder of leaves of log - tea from it -

Polytechnic Station Fort Worth, Texas July 3,/1929 My dear Mrs. Lake: The following are some of the plants that may, I think, need preservation: Ferns-- Adiantum Capillus-veneris or Venus Hair Fern- Lake Worth and one or two other localities Woodsia obtusa, or Blunt leaved Woodsia Not very common Liliaceae Androstephium coeruleum or Androstephium Not very common ( Wild Hyacinth) Erythronium albidum coloratum or (Dog Toothed Violet) Variegated Adder's-tongue In rich woods. Iridaceae Sisyrincheum amoenum Blue-eyed grass Common Nemastylis acuta or Wild Iris not very common- Grows at Lake Worth. Aristolochiaceae Aristolochia tomentosa, Wooly Pipe-Vine in rich woods along Trinity Polyfonaceae Polyfonum incarnatum Slender Pink Persicoria In many places Amaranthaceae Amaranthus palmeri Palmer's Amaranth Along our Railroads (Pig Weed, Red-root) Froelichia drummondii belongs to same family Iresine paniculata or Juba's Bush Rich woods Portulaceae Claytonia Virginica - Spring Beauty Damp meadows Caryophyllaceae Parychia Scoparia Whitlow-wort Lake Worth.

Garduaceae (cont) 6 Silphulm aspemmin Rough-leaved Rosin weed Words

Albeflomin White Flowered Lake worth

Tetrafortheca ludoniciara Tetraforotheea Lake Worth.

Rudhedcea auplexicaules- Clasping leaved Cone flower common

Braunena Augustofolea- Narrow leaved Purple cone flower Lake Worth

Helicauthas Petiolans- Rains Sunflower Lake Worth

Maximiliance Maximilians Roadside fields

Verbesina encelvides- Golden Crowbeard Along R.R. T.H.

Coreopus drummondii - Drummond's Tickseed Lake Worth

Fraudiflora Large Flowered Waste grounds

Thelespenna Trifidenn Five leaved Thelespenna Common

Marshallia Cacspofosa Narrow leaved Marshalia Lake worth

Neleuium Miocrucepkalum - Small leaf Sneezeweed wet grounds

Gacllardia Belakelle - Showy Gaillardia common leaves rayless T&P, R.R.

Hymophella tagetordes- Thyme Leaf Lake Worth

Mesaderia tuherosa - Tuberous Indian Plantain Stony Hillsides

Ceataurec Americana - American Star thistle

The following list , giving names of Southwestern plants, while far from complete, is suggestive - Adam's Flannel, a name given to the Mullein, Figwort Family other names being Blanket Leaf, Flannel Leaf, Ice Leaf, Hare's Bean, Flannel Flower, Felt Wort, Jupiter's staff, American Velvet Flower. Adam's Needles -

[No. 6]

[c. 192]

Flora of Tarrant County

List of Species

I. Fern Order (Felicales) Fern Family (Polypodiaceae) Species: (1) Venicehair Fern Adiantum capillus veneris): (2) Cliff-brake Fern (Pellaea flexuosa).

II. Horsetail Order (Equixetales) (a) Horsetail Family (Equisataceae) (4) Common Scouring-rush (Equisetum hyemale.

IV. Pine Order (Pineales) Pine Family (Pinaceae). (Red Cedar Juniperus Virginiana), rare.

V. Cat-tail Order. (Pandanales) Cat-tail Family (Lyphaceae) (6.) Broad-leaved Cat-tail (Lypha latifolial); (Narrow-leaded Cat-tail) (Typha angustafolia)

(4) Feather grass (Stipa leucotricha) (58) Drop-seed Grass (Muhlenbergia unibrosa) (59) Rough Rush-grass (Sporobolus asper) (60) Sheathed Rush-Grass (S. vaginaeflorus) (61) Sand Dropseed (S. cryptandrus) (62) Beard Grass (Polypogon monspeliensis) (63) False Oat (Moria acuminata) (64) Whitish False Oat (T. albescens) (65) Bermuda-grass (Capriola dactylon) (66) Wind-mill grass (Chloris verticillata) (67) Nealley's Chloris (Chloris nealleyi) (68) Broad-scaled Chloris (C. latisquamea) (69) Texas Crab-grass (Schedonnardus paneculatus) (70) Hairy Mesquite-grass (Boutelona hirsuta) (71) Slender Mesquite grass (B. fracilis) (72) Racensed Mesquite grass (Atheropogon curtipedulus) (73) Texas Mesquite grass (Polyodon texanus) (74) Wire-pass (Eleusine indica) (75) Septochloa filiformis (76) Buffalo-grass (Bulbilis dactylordes) (77) Tridens elongatus (78) Tall Red-top (Sieglingia sesleriortes) (79) Capillary Eragrostis (Eragrostis capillaris) (80) Tufted Eragrostis (E. pilosa) (81) Strong-scented Eragrostis (E. major) (82) Prairie Eragrostis (E. sessilispiea) (83) Short-stalked Eragrostis (E. curtipedicellata) (84) Purple Eragrostis (E. pectinacea) (85) Hair-like Eragrostis (E. trichodes)

(5) (86) Clustered Eragrostis (E. secunda flora) (87) Creeping Eragrostis (E. hypnoides captitatus) (88) Broad-leaved Spike-grass (Uniola latefolia) (89) (Orchard Grass (Dactylis glowmerata) rare, (90) Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua), (91) Chapman's Spear-grass (P chapmanniana) (92) Kentucky Blue-grass (P. pratensis) rare (93) Texas Blue-grass (P. arachnifera), (94) Slender Fescue-grass (Festuca octoflora), (95) Cheat (Bromus secalinus) (96) Southen Chess (B. unioloides) (97) Bromus japonicus, (98) Bromus purgans, (99) Darnel (Solium temulentum) (100) Little Barley (Nordeum pusillum), (101) Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus virginicus) (102) Nodding Wild Rye (E. cauadensis) (103) (h)[?] Sedge Family (Cyperaceae) Species: (104) Smallflowered Hemicarpha (Hemicarpha mycrantha) (105) Shortpointed Cyperus (Cyperus acuminatus) (106) Strawcolored Cyperus (C. strigosus) (107) Cyperus strifosul capitatus (108) Gobose Cyperus (C. ovularis ), (109) Cyperus setiferus (110) Squarrose Fuirena (Fuirena squarrosa) (111) Western Fuirena (F. sunplex) (112) Great Bulrush (Scirpus lacustris ) (113) Slender Spikerush (Eleocharis tenuis), (114) Eleocha arenicola