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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en has, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants lllustrent la mAthode. by errata ned to lent une peiure. faQon A 1 2 3 32X 1 6 r. i5r^. Illustrated with 3hromo-Llthograph« from Drawing! by Mrt. OHAMBERLIN, Ottawa. OTTAWA : A. S. WOODHURX, PRINTER AND Pl'IlLISIIER, KI.GIN ST. 1885. QIC n Entered according to the Act f Ihc Miniitcr of Agriculture. car 1885, by the Miniiter V K \i V \ r \i . I'liis liltic work on the Imwi us and Naiivi. I'i \m> ol Weslcrn Canada is ofTcrcd to the Canadian public with the hope that it may prove a nv.'ans of awakening a lo\e for the natural produ< tions of the country, and a desire to aajuire more knowledge of its resources. It is not a hook for tlie learned. The aim of the writer is siin|)ly U) show the real pleasure that may he (jblained from a h;il>il of ohservin^ wliat is offered to the eye of the traveller, whether Uy the wayside I'ath, among the trees of the forest, in the t'lelds, or on the shores of lake and river. I^ven to know the common name of a llower or fern is something added to our stock of knowledge, and in( lines us to wish to know something beyond the mere name. (Curiosity is awakened, and from this first step we go on to seek for higher knowledge, which may be found in works ('hamisi ki in, a beloved relative, to whose artistic taste and talents the authoress is greatly indebted. She is conscious that many imperfections will be found in this volume, the contents of wliich have been written at intervals during a long series of years, many of which were marked by trials, such as fell to the lot of the early colonist and backwoods settlers, and others of a more afflicting nature, which recjuired patience and faith . to bear, and to say " Thy Will be done, O Lord.'" 4 1 H Phi: I- Act.. There is a < uininon little weed that is known Ity tlu- fanuliur nnnie of (larpelwecd, a snull I'oly^onuni, that grow> at our doois and often troiibleii us to root up, frouj its persevering habits and wiry roots. It is rru^hed by the toot and bruised, but springs again as if unharmed beneath our tread, and flourishes under all 8 — Sphagnumcymhifoliiim .... ..■■ 52 Pitcher Plant — Sarracenia piwptma .... .... 53 Nepenthes distillatoria . . .... .... .... .... •••• 55 Wild Orange lAXy—LiUum Philadelphicum .... 55 White Lily — Liliiim candidum... .... .... .... 55 Harebell — Campanula rotund ifolia ,, . .... .... .... .... 57 Campanula Americana .... .... .... 57 Rough-leaveil Bell-flower — Campanula aparinoides ... .... .... 57 Yellow-flowered Wood Sorrel — Oxalii utricta 58 Wood Sorrel— Oxalisacetosella .... .... .... .... 58 Cistus, Kock Uose — Ildiantfiemiim. Canadense .... .... •••• 58 Yellow Flax — Li niwi sulcatum .... 5!) Canadian Balsam, Jewel Weed — Impatiens /ulva 59 Pale Jewel Weed — Impatiens pallida .... .... 59 RattleKnake Plantain — Goodijera pubescens .... .... 60 Slender l^adieM' Tresses — Spiranthes gracilis .... .... .... 60 Sweet-scented Water Lily — Nymphiva odorata .... 60 Pink Water Li\y—Ngmphiea odorata var. rosea, Plate VI ... .... 62 Great Yellow Water Lily — Xeliimbiiim Inteum .... 62 Eel Grass, Tape-grass — Vallisneria sj)irulis .... .... .... ... 62 Yellow Pond Lily — Nui)har adcena .... .... .... 63 Pickerel Weed— /'oH/et/e/'/a cocrfttto ... .... .... 63 Water Persicaria — Polygonum ampliibiiim .... .... 64 Spikenard — A ralia racrmosa .... .... • • • ■ .... 64 • Wild Sarsajiarilla — Aralia nudicaulis. ... .... (>r> Ginseng — Aralia quinqiiefolia •• • .... 65 Dwarf Ginseng — Aralia trifolia .... .... ... 6.". Monkey Flower — Mimulus ringens .... .... .... .... 65 Miid-dog Skull Cap — Scutellaria la! erijlora ... .... 65 Common Skull Cap — Scutellaria galericulata .... 66 Marsh Vetchling — Ijathijru.-< pidustris .... 66 Latlnjnis pahistris var. mi/rlij'olius ... .... .... .... .... 66 Indian Bean — Apios tiibero.ia .... ... .... 66 Butterfly Weed — Asclepias tiiberosa .... .... .... 66 ''w Pink-riowered Milkweed — Axclepias cnrnuti .... .... 67 ■^ W i 1 iow-herli — Epilobiuvi angn.stiJ'oUum .... .... .... 68 '!^ livening Fiiinrose — Ihhiolhera biennis var. grandiflora. Plate IX 69 '» iiough. Evening Primrose — (Enidhera biennis var. muricata 69 S Dwarf Evening Priinro.se— ffi/io^Aera piimila .... 69 V Enchanters' Nightshade — Circiva aljiina 70 Wm Spreading Dogbane — Apocynum a ndrosa-mi folium .... .... .... 70 t ^^^m Indian Hemp — Apocynum caniiabinum ... 71 1 ri IV CONTENTS. Wliite Dwarf Convolvulus — Coiicolvulun spithamcpus. . . .... VtrwB P'\nk—Cahpogon imlchellnn. Plate VII Arethima bulboaa. Plate VI F BM'»-foot Orchh—Cali/pso borealia. Plate VII Small Round-leaved OrcluH—l'latanthera rotundifoUa. Plate V Large Fringed Orchis— //a6cHana^wi6/jate Northern Green-man Orchis — Habenaria viridin var. bracfenta.. G olden Dodder — Cunciita Oronovii .... Everlasting Flowers Early-flowering Everlasting — Antennaria dioiva .... Barren Wild Strawberry — Waldaleiniafragarioides . Edelweiss — Leontopodimn alpininn .... .... Plantain-leaved Everlasting — Antennaria plantaginifolia Neglected Everlasting — Gnaphalinm polycephtdum Gummy Everlasting — Onaphalinm decwrenn Pearly Everlasting -Antennaria margaritacea Yellow Coltsfoot — Tussilago Farjara Asters Diplopappus umbellatun Coneflower — Rudbeckia hiria Purple-rayed Cone-flower — Echinacea jiurpurea Spice Winter-green — Gaultheria procumbens .... Rattlesnake Root — hlabahis albun Rattlesnake Root - N. albus, var. Serpentaria .... Lion's-foot — Nabalus aliissimns .... .... Thorough- worts — Eupatorium Honeset — Eupatoiium perf'olmtum ... ... Trumpet-weed — Eupatorium purpnreuni . . White Snake-root — Eupatorium ageraioides Boneset — Euoatorium perfoliatum .... — May- Weed — Maruta Cotnla Wild Suntlower — Helianthus xtrigoKUH ... .... Dandelion — Taraxacum Dens-leonis. .. .... Purslane — Portulaca oleracea ■ . . . .... .... Garden Portulaca — P. grandijiora . . .. ... Wild Bergamot — Monarda fistulosa Western Bergantot — M. fiHtuloxa, var. mollis Head-all — Prunella vulgaris Common Mullein — Verbascum Thapsns False Fox Glove — Gerarditi quercifolia Gerardia pedicularia .... .... .... .... Gay-feather. Button Snake-root — Liatris cylindracea ... Blazing Star — Liatris scariosa .... Golden-rod — Solidaqo latifolia . . , . .... .... Tall Golden-rod — Solidago gigantea . . Strawberry Blite. Indian Strawberry — Blitu7n capitatum Good King Henry — Blitum Bonus Henricus Paiip, 72 73 73 73 73 74 74 75 7G 77 77 77 77 78 78 78 79 79 80 80 81 81 83 83 83 83 85 85 8C 8G 87 87 88 89 89 90 90 90 91 91 92 92 93 9.'? 93 93 95 CO^TTENTS. V I'A.IK Lam b'f Quarters — ChetinjKidium album .. . .... ■..■ •••• 95 Turtle- iiead. Snake-liead — Chelone glabra ... .... .... .. !»5 Cardinal Flower— Z«o6e/ia carJinaZ/.v — .... ... .... 9(; Larger Blue Lobelia — Lubeli a syphilitica .... .... .. 9(5 Spiked Lobelia — Lobelia spicala. .... .... .... •••• 9(i Indian Tobacco — Lobelia inflata .... .... .. 97 Indian Pipe — Mouotropa tini flora .... ••• 97 Pine Sup— Uonotropa Hypopiti/s .... .... .... .... .. 98 Gentian.i .... .... .... .... .... ■... 9H Calailiian Violet — Geniiana Saponaria .... .... .... . 98 Gerdiana Pnenmonan the ' .... . . • • 98 Closed Gentian — Gentiana Andrewsii .... .... .. 100 Dwarf Fringed Gentian — Gentiana detnnsa .••■ 99 Fringed Gentian — Geniiana crinita ... . .... .... .... .. 100 Five Howered Gentian — Gentiana (juiuqiiefloru .... .... .... 100 Grasses .... .... .... .. 102 Deer Grass — Sorghum nutans ... . .... ... .... .... 102 Deer Grass — Andropogon furcatus . . . . .... .... .. 102 Wild Rice — Zizania aquatica — .... .... .... 10.3 Fox-tail — Setaria viridis .... .... .... .... .... .. 104 Red-top — Agrostis vulgaris .... .... .... .... .... 104 Arrow Grass — Stipa spartea .... .... .. 104 Indian Grass— J^teroc/i/oa ftoreaZw .... .... 105 The Flowkrinc. Shrubs ok Ckntrai, Canada. Ijeatherwood, Moosewood — Dirca palustris .... .... .... . 107 Fever Hush, Spice-Bush — Lindera Benzoin .... .... .... 108 Trailing Arbutus, May-tlower — Epigaarepens, .... .... .- 108 Beaked Hazel-nut — Corylus rostrata .... .... .... ... 109 American Hazel-nut — Corylus Americana .... ... •• . .. 109 Red-berrii'd Elder — Sambucus pubens .... .... .... .... 110 Black-berried Elder— Saw^Mci/.'* Canrtrfeusjs.... .... .... .. 110 Twin-flowered HoneysucUlc — Lonicera ciliata .... .... .... 110 Small-flowered Honeysuckle — Lonicera parviflora .... .... .. Ill Hairy Yellow-flowered Honeysuckle — Lonicera hirsuta .... 112 False Honeysuckle — D ier villa tri fid i,, ,,,, .... .... .. 112 Snow-berry — Symphoricarpus racemosus .... .... 112 Sweet- Fern — Comptonia aspleni folia ... .... .... .... .. 11.3 Sweet Gale — Myrica Gale ... .... .... .... .... 11.3 New Jersey Tea, Red Root — Ceanothns Americanus .... .... .. 114 Wild Smooth Gooseberry — Ribes oxyacanlhoides .... 115 Prickly Gooseberry — liibes Cynosbati. .... .... .... .. 116 Small Swamp Gooseberry — Ribes lacustre .... .... 116 Trailing Hairy Currant — Ribes prostratum .... .... .... . 116 Wid Black Currant— /?/6es ^ocii/H»» 117 Wild Red Currant — Ribes rubrum.. .. .... .... . 117 VI CONTENTS. Slmil-bus>h — Amelanihitr Canadensis .... .... J uiit'lierry — A. Canadensis var. nblomji folia ... Slit'i'plit'rry — Anvlanchier .... .... .... Dwarf Cliorry — Smid Clierry — I'riinns jminila. Choke Clierry — I'rnnus Virginiana .... .... Prickly Asli—Xa/i/Aoxy/Mm Ame.ricanum .... C'rc('|)iii<: Siiow-berry — Chiogenes hiyjiidula .... BliR'licrrit's — Hiicklcbprries .. .... .... Dwarf Bluelierry — Vaccinium Pennsylcantc.nm .... Canuda Bliiolierry — Vara in in in Canadense .... Swamp Blueberry— Vaccinium corymhosnm Frost Grapp — Vitis cordifolia .... .... Fo\ {\T\i\>e~Vilis Lahnisca .... .... Black Hawlliorn — Ch-atwgus loincntosa Scarlt't-truited Thorn — Crafa'gus cocciiiea. .... Engl'iHli White Thorn, Maj — Crata-(fiis oxijucantha ... Snmii Cranberry — Vaccininni oxi/caccus ... .... Willow-leaved Meadow-sweet — Sjdriea salici folia ... English Meadow-sweet — Sspira;a Ulmavia.. . .... Hard-back Rose-Coloured Spirtua — S/i/nra tomcnlosa . Purple FIowerin;;-Ilaspberry — Rnhns odoratns .... White Flowering-Uaspberry — linbus Nutkanus Wild Red Ra.spberry — Rnhus sirigosns ■. .. .... Black llafj)berry — Rubns occidenlnlis. .... Blackberry — linbns rillosns .... .... . . ■ . Swamp Blackberry — Rubus hispidns.. .... Swamp-berry — Rubus ivi floras. .. .... .... Eai-ly Wild Rose — Rosa blanda Dwarf Willi Rose — Rosa lucida . . .... tswamp Rose — Rosa Carolina .... .... Sweet Briar — Rosa micruntha .... ... Climbin<: Bitter-sweet, Wax-work — Ce'astrus Scandens. Labratior Tea — Ledum latifoliuvi .... .... Ledum palusire ... .... .... .... W i Id Rosemary — A ndronieda poli folia .... .... Silky Cornel. Kinnikinnik — Cornus sericea.. Panicled or Privet-leaved Cornel — Cornus /hi niculata Flowering Dogwood — Cornus florida.. .... Red-Osier Dogwood — Cornus stoloni/era. .. Partridge-berry. Trailing Winter-green — Mitchella rcpens High-bush Cranberry. American Guelder-ro.«e — Viburnum Hobble-bush — Viburnum lantanoides .... Maple-leaved Dockiiiackie — Viburnum acerif'olium Larger Doekinackie — Viburnum deniatuin.... Sheep-berry. Sweet-berry -Viburnum Lcntago.. .. Button-bush — Cephalanthtu occidentalis .... Poison Sumac — R/ius venenata. .. ... .... Vm.K •••• •••• 117 • ■ • • • • .. 117 • • • • • • • • 118 ■ • • • • ■ .. 118 118 .... . . .. 119 121 .. 121 ■••■ •••• 121 • • • • • • .. 121 •••• •••• 121 • • • • • • .. 12 1 125 .. 127 128 • . * . . . .. 128 .... .... 129 ... . . ., 130 .... 1.10 .... . a .. 1.31 .... .... 131 . • • * . . .. 132 132 .... .. 133 133 .... . . .. 133 .... .... 133 .... . T .. 1.3+ . . . . .... 134 .... . . .. 1.14 . . . . . . 1 1.3.5 .... .. 1.35 • . . . .... 13(i .... . . .. 137 . . • t .... 137 .... . . .. 137 . . . . .... 13S .... • . .. 138 . . . . .... 138 ens .... .. 139 num Opvlus 139 .. 141 , . . ■ .... 141 .... . . .. 141 .... .... 141 • • . . . . .. 142 • . . • .... 142 tins PA(ir. 117 , 117 118 , 118 118 , 119 121 121 121 , 121 121 . \2\ 125 . 127 128 , 128 129 . 130 1:10 . 131 131 . 132 132 . 133 133 . 133 133 . 134 134 . 134 135 . 135 13(; . 137 137 . 137 138 . 138 138 . 139 139 . 141 141 ,. 141 141 ,. 142 142 C0N7F.NTS. Poison Ivy. Poi.-«Ht/ia .... .... .... .... Black Aliler, Winter-berry — Ilex verlicillalii .... The British Holly .... ••■■ ...• •••. Mountain Holly — Netnopanthes Canadensis .... .... .... Forest Treks. Canailian Pine, While Pine— P»»iMs jS7/Y(&hs Wellingtonia gigantea... .... .... ■••• ...• .... Red Pino — l^nvs reatnosa Hemlock Spruce — Abies Canadensis Polyporus pinicola Canatlian Balsam Fir — Abies balsamea- . .. Black or Double Spruce — Abies nigra White Spruce, .'16{e.v a26a ••••, •••• •••■ •••• •••• Tamarack, American Larch — Larix Americana .... .... White Cedar, American Arbor Vittc — Thuja occidentalis Grey Tree Moss — Usnea .i.. .... .... .... .... Cypress — Cupressus thyoides .... .... .... .... .... Common . I uniper — Juniperua communis .... .... .... Red Cedar — Savin — Juniperus Virginiana American Yew — Giound Hemlock — Taxus baccaia var. Canadensis British Columbian Yew — Taxus brevifolia .... European Yew — Taxus baccaia .... .... White Oak — Quercus alba .... .... .... .... .... Black Oak — Que) cus coccinea var. tincioria .... Scarlet Oak — Querents coccinea .... .... .... Red Oak — Quercus rubra.... ... ... .... .... Mossy-cup or Over-cup Oak— Quercus macrocarpa .... .... Black Scrub Oak .. ... .... .... Grey Scrub Oak .... ... Oak of Palestine ... .... .... .... .... .... Wep^ing White Elm — Ulmus Americana .. .... .... . . . . Slipptry or Red Elm — Ulmusjulva .... .... Rock Elm — Ulmus racemoaa Blue Beech, American Hornbeam — Cai'pinus Americana .... Ironwood, Hop Hornbeam — Oatrya Virginica .... American Beech — Fagua faruginea .... .... The Birch .... .... .... .... .... .... ... Paper or Canoe Birch — Betula papyracea Yellow or Silver-barked Birch — Betula lutea Black Birch, Cherry Birch— Betula lenta American Mountain Ash, Rowan-tree — Pyrua Americana VII Paiik 142 144 , 144 14.> , 145 145 . Uo 147 153 15G 160 161 102 162 163 163 164 166 168 170 172 172 174 174 174 174 176 176 177 177 177 177 ISO 180 181 182 183 184 , 184 186 , 187 189 , 189 19a Wliilf Ash — h'riixhiUH Americana .... .... •... •••• Black Aul) — FraxiiiHM Mamhiwif'olia Ufil Ach — Fm.riini* jmhinrenx .... .... .... .... Black Walnut— 7H7/rj/i.'< «/'\'rei'—L'iii>'leiilroit Villi /lij era.. ■■ ■••• .Sn};ar .Miiple, nan! Maple, Itick Maple — Acer .idccharinum Black Miiple—.4c'r /i/r/////M Ke.l Maple, Swamp Miiple — Acer nibriini Suit Maple— Siher Muple — Acir ilaKi/rarpum Mountain Maple— -Itvr .tpiruliini Striped Maple — Arrr l^iin/ii/lruiiiciiin Aslrleaveil Maple — Neijuiid'i ucn-niiles ... .... Spice Wt>i)ii — SiiKsii/'i'is iilfiriiiiite .... Speckled Aliler—.l//M(.< ///cMia Poplars .... .... • ... . • Cottonwood, Necklace I'oplar — I'ojiulii.i muiiilijcra Tacamaliac, IJalsani P^'plar — I'oitalna balsam i fera. . .. American Aspen — I'lipiitiix tremuloidex .. . .... Lar>;e-tootlied A.sj)en — I'ujuiIiik (jraiidideiitiita Willows .... .... .... .... • . • . Golden-barkeii Willow— Sf///j; citellim While Willow— .S'«^> (///>tf Shining Willow— S(///.'- /'"•''-'■.' Low-lnisli Willow — .>«//.!• /iiimilis .... .... Willow Tone (iails — Ofridnmi/ia Kalicis-strobilnides . , . ^ 11 li»l 192 1'I2 VJ:\ id:'. 1!»4 l!t4 19.5 196 197 198 2():i 20.3 204 204 204 205 20.-) 211(1 207 207 207. 209 209 210 211 211 211 211 Naiivk Fkrns. llock Polypody— /Vi////"<'///nH viili/nre .... Maiden-hair, P'airy Kern — Adiantnm jx.datinn Common IJrake, Bracken- /'/(,»(« aquilina... liock Bviike—rrll(i:a f/raci Us Clitl Brake— 7VZZ . 207 207 . 207. 209 . 209 210 . 211 211 . 211 211 Nurrou-icavoil Spicpinvort — Asphniiim ani/imti/otium .... Haitwtonjuiic. Ct' iti|iiiii' ''\"rii — Scolopeinlinim ruhjare. ... VVulkiiig Leaf, \Valkin>; l''i'iri Camplnsoniii rhizophijUux. .. lk'i'.;li Fern, Iliiiry l*i)lypt>ily — I'/ieijopteiis fuilifjxtdiiiides .... Hrouii Hcecli I'erii I'lieyiipte'JH hcxaijiuioptera . . . . .... Wiiigeil I'olypody, Oiik Forti — I'heijuiileiiH Diyiipteiit .... Sliiclii Fenis, WoixIFiTiis Mursli Forii— Anpidiitm T/iclyplen'n. . . .... .... .... New York Fern — Anpidii ■ Soveboriicen.it .... .... Ever^ri'cn \Voo-Koo r {Safi^NiNiina CtiNadeNst!:) Ill ,.. I ' !l; fl ATF INTRODUCTORY PAGES. " There's nothing left to chance below ; The Great Eternal ciuse Has made all beauteous orc'er flow From settled laws." ^i^VERY plant, flower, and tree has a simple history of its own, ^O not without its interest if we would read it aright. It forms oy^ a page in the great volume of Nature which lies open before us, and without it there would be a blank,^ — in nature there is no space left unoccupied. We watch on some breezy day in summer one of the winged seeds of the Thistle or Dandelion taking its flight upward and onward, and we know not where it will alight, and we see not the wisdom of Him "Who whirls the blowballs' new fledged ])riilo In mazy rings on high, Whose downy i)inions once untied Must onward (ly. Each is commissioned, could we trace The voyage to each decreed, To convey to some barren place A pilgrim seed."' — Agtics Slrifkland. When the writer of the little volume now offered to the Canadian public first settled in the then unbroken back-woods, on the borders of the Katchawanook, just where the upper waters of a chain of lakes narrow into the rapids of the wildly beautiful Otonabee ; the country at that time was an unbroken wilderness. There was no opened road for the rudest vehicle on the Douro side of the lakes, and to gain her new home, the authoress had to cross the river at Auburn, travel through the newly cut out road in the opposite town- ship, and again cross over to the Otonabee at the licad of the rapids in a birch-bark canoe. There was at that period no other mode of 2 IXTRODUCTOR\ PAGES. connection with the northern part of the Douro, — now a branch rail- road from Peterboro' terminates in the flourishing village where once the writer wandered among the forest pines looking for wild flowers and ferns. As to the roads, one might say, with the Highland traveller, " Had you Imt seen these roads before ihey were made " Vou'il have lift up your hands and have blessed General Wade." The only habitations, beyond our own log cabin at the date of which I write, were one shanty, and the log house of a dear, lamented and valued brother, the enterprising pioneer, the founder of that prosperous village of Lakefield. It may easily be imagined that there were few objects of interest in the woods at that distant period of time — 1832— or as a poor Irish woman sorrowfully remarked, " "I'is a lonesome place for the likes of us poor women folk ; sure there isn't a hap'orth worth the looking at ; there is no nclhing and it's hard to get the bit and the sup to ate and to drink." Well, I was better off" than poor Biddy Fagan, for I soon found beauties in my forest wanderings in the unknown trees and plants of the forest. These things became a great resource, and every flower and shrub and forest tree awakened an interest in my mind, so that I began to thirst for more intunate knowledge of them. They became like dear friends, soothing and cheering, by their sweet unconscious influence, hours of loneliness, and hours of sonow and suffering. Having never made botany a study, and having no one to guide and assist me, it was studying under difficulties, by observation only ; but the eye antl tiie ear are great teachers, and memory is a great storehouse in which are laid up things new and old, which may be drawn out for use in after years. It is a book, the leaves of which can be turned over and read from childhood to old age. Having experienced the need of some familiar work, giving the information respecting the names and habits and the uses of the native plants, I early conceived the idea of turning the little knowledge, which I gleaned from time to time, to su[)plying a book which I had felt the want of myself ; but I hesitated to enter the field where all I had gathered had merely been from simply studying the subject without any regular systematic knowledge of botany. The only book that I had access to was an old edition of a " North American P'lora," by that good and interesting botanist Frederick Pursh. This work was lent to me by a friend, the only person I knew who had paid any attention to botany as a study, and to whom I was deeply indebted for many hints and for the cheering interest that she always took in my writings, IX'IRODUCTOR Y PAGES, herself possessing the advantages of a highly cultivated mind, educated and trained in the society of persons of scientific and literary notoriety in the Old Country. Mrs. Stewart was a member of the celebrated Edgeworth family. " Pursh's Flora," unfortunately for me, was chiefly written in Latin. This was a drawback in acquiring the information I recjuired ; however, I did manage to make some use of the book, and when I came to a standstill, I had recourse to my husband, and ther^ being a dictionary of the common names, as well as one of the botanical, I contrived to get a familiar knowledge of both. My next teachers were old settlers' wives, and choppers and Indians. These gave nie knowledge of another kind, and so by slow steps I gleaned my plant lore — but it was under difficulty. Having no rescjurce in botanical works on our native Flora, save what I could glean from Pursh, I relied entirely upon my owi powers of observation, and this did very much to enhance my interest in my adopted country and add to my pleasure as a relief, at times, from the home longings that always arise in the heart of the exile, especially when the sweet opening days of Spring return to the memory of the immigrant Canadian settler, when the hedges put out their green buds, and the Violets scent the air, when pale Primroses and the gay starry Celandine gladden the eye, and the little green lanes and wood-paths are so pleasant to ramble through, among the Daisies and Blue-bells, and Buttercups; and all the gay embroidery of English meads and hedgerows put on their bright array. But for the Canadian forest flowers, and trees and shrubs, and the lovely ferns and mosses, I think I should not have been as contented as I have been, away from dear old England. It was in the hope of leading other lonely hearts to enjoy the same pleasant recreation, that I have so often pointed out the natural beauties of this country to their attention, and now present my forest gleanings to them in a simple form, trusting that it may not prove an unacceptable addition to the literature of Canada, and that it may become a household book, as Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne is to this day among English readers ; and now at the age of eighty-three years, fifty-two of which have been spent in the fair province of Ontario, in her far forest home on the banks of the rapid Otonabee, the writer lays down her pen, with earnest prayers for the prosperity of this her much beloved adopted country; that with the favour and blessing of our (lod it may become the glory of all lands. LAK.EKIELI), Ont., 1884. 1 ER RATA. PuL'f 8, lint 26 u n kt 14 • ( 22 (( 8 <( 32 (( 11 |C 39 (( 10 (( 79 « 5 t; 85 (C 15 (( 95 l( 21 (( 125 (C 19 n 129 (( :u a 144 (i :i (< 145 (< 24 u 179 (( 39 (( 181 (( Note (( 202 <( :^8 . ti 217 ({ 21 tf 241 (•' 30 (C 249 (< 24 For By rant " By rant " elict " riora " flcridus " loves " Eiipatoriim. " clayx " Vites " Calogogon " fifteen " glaha " Betiie " Pendils " ol of " Stmtheopieris " piiinatirted " piniis rem! Brjant, " Bryant. " elicit. " rtoral. " fforida, '' love's. " Eupalorinvi. " calyx. " Vitis. " Calopot/oii. " fifteen*. " glabra. " Betiiel. " Pendrils. " on the. " Strvthiopteri^ " pinriatitid. " ])inna. I WILD, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. Violets. The violet in her (greenwood hower Where birchen lioughs with hazel mingle, May boast herself the fairest flower In forest, glade or copsewood dingle. — Scott. ^^^HERE is music and poetry in the very name — " Violet." In the 4V^ forest wilderness, far removed from all our early home associa- *^^v tions, the word will call up, unbidden, a host of sweet memories of the old familiar land where, as children, we were wont to roam among bowery lanes, and to tread the well-worn pathway through green pastures down by the hawthorn hedge, and grassy banks, where grew in early spring, Primroses, Blue-bells, and purple \'iolets. What dainty, sweet smelling posies have you and I, dear reader, (I speak to the emigrants from the dear Old Country) gathered on sunny March and April days on those green banks and grassy meadows ? How many a root full of freshly opened Violets or Primroses, have we joyfully carried off to plant in our own little Lits of garden ground, there to fade and wither beneath the glare of sunshine and drying winds ; but little we heeded, the loss was soon replaced. And still I doubt not but that \iolets and Primroses, the Blue-bells and the Cowslips yet bloom and flourish in the loved haunts of our childhood. Year after year sees them bloom afresh — pure, sweet and fragrant as when last we filled our laps and bosoms with their flowers or twined them in garlands for our hair : but we change and grow old ; God wills it so, and it is we'.l ! Though Canada boasts of many members of this charming family, there are none among our Violets so deeply blue, or so deliciously fragrant, as the common English March Violet, Viola odorata. I'his sweet flower bears away the crown from all its fellows. One of our older poets (Sir Henry Wotton) has said, as if in scorn of it, when compared with the rose. ! ill ih ■ Ml I ! ! ' 1 ■> ( I * ' I i \ i* t ll 4^\ :l : \ :\ ^ li//./), Oh' x.i7/y/: /-i.on'EKs, " \ L' viiilfis that rir.>t appear, " Hy your pure purple mantles known, " Like Ihe proud virj;ins of ihe year " As if the sprinjj were all your cwn. •' What are ye -when the rose is Mown?" Ciootl Sir Henry, wc would niatcli the perfiitne of the losvly violet €ven at,'ainst the fragrance of the blushing rose. I'hough deficient in the scent of the purple Violet of Europe, we have many lovely species among the native Violets of Canada. The earliest is the small flowered Eari.v Whitk Vioi.i-.t — Viola blaiida (Willd). This blossoms early in April, soon after the disapjjearancc of the snow. The light green smootli leaves may be seen breaking through the black, datnp, fibrous mould closely rolled inwaid at the margins; the flowers are small, rather sweet scented, greenish white, with delicate pencillings of purple at the base of the petals ; it is a moisture-loving plant, and affects open, recently overflowed ground, near creeks. It comes so early that we welcome its appearance thankfully for it " Tells us that winter, coM winter is past. And that sjiring. welioniu spring;, is returning at last." On pulling up a thrifty plant, late in the summer, it surprises you with a new set of flowers, quite different from the spring blossoms; these are small, buds and flowers of a dull chocolate-brown, lying almost covered over in the mould, with seed ])ods, some ready to shed the ripened seed, others just formed. This mysterious little plant has been distinguished by some botanists as Viola clandestina, from the curious hidden way in which it jmiduces the subterranean flowers and .seeds ; others have considered it as identical with the next species. 'V\i\: I'knxii.i.ki) \'1')i,i;t, Viola niiifolia, (Clray), which bears its white blossoms on rather long slender foot-stalks, and which are slightly larger than those of the above, milky white with dark veinings. The leaves, although covered with soft hairs, have a curious smooth and shining appearance. They are round heart or kidney-shaped, notched at the edges. .Xs the summer advances the foliage of the Pencilled Violet increases in luxuriance and many white fibrous running roots are produced in the loose soil. This attractive species may be found in swamps and forests, growing amidst decayed wood and mosses, and increasing after the same. manner as Viola blanda. A point which easily distinguishes this species from the last is the total absence of scent ; the leaves, too, are much more pubescent — a character which is very noticeable in the early morning when they are covered with dew. W/LD, OR X.rnyf. Fl.OlVIiA'S. y 'I'lie conimont'st among our blue Violets is I'lIK HOODKD ViOI.KT — Violtl CHCIlllitf,!, (Ait.) so called from the involute habit of the leaves, which, when lirst appearing, are folded inwardly as if to shield the tender buds of the flowers from the (hilling winds. There are many forms or varieties of this species varying very much in ajjpearance, the difference being jirobably due to the habitat in which they occur. One of the hand- somest is the Large Hlue Wood Violet, which flowers about the middle of June, has blue scentless flowers with round petals, and large blunt hirsute leaves, and is found in low woods. Another variety, with deep violet flowers, has elongated petals and pointed, rather smooth, leaves of a purplish tint, at least till late in the season. It is found on open sunny banks, and dry grassy hill-sides. Yet another variety is often found by the sides of springs and rivers, forming spreading tufts among the grass with its smooth pointed leaves and pale delicate flowers. The prettiest of all our blue \'iolets is the Akrow-Lkavki> \\o\.v:v —Viola sai^iitata, (Ait.) It is found in I'nv, sandy, shady valleys or very light loamy soil. The leaves of this species are not always arrow or heart-shaped, but also long and narrow, blunt at the apex, decurrent on the short leaf-stalk, notched at the edges, and rather roughened and dulled in colour by the short silvery hairs on the surface, 'i'he flowers rise singly from the crown of the plant : colour a full azure-blue, a little white at the base of the i)etals which ore bearded with soft silky wool ; anthers — a bright orange, which form a tiny cone from the meeting of the tii)s. The flowers, six or eight in number, fall back from the centre, and lie prostrate on the closely horizontal leaves. The unopened buds are sharply folded with bright green sepals, and are of a deep bluish-pur])le. Another form, sometimes called Viola 07 i6 IV/LD, OA' .\ATIVE FLOWERS. No wonder that we watch with pleasure for the re-appearing of our little floral gem, as in old times we did for the bright golden varnished flowers of the Smaller Celandine, that starred the green turfy banks in our English lanes, opening so gaily to the ruffling winds and sunshine on bright March mornings. Some of the peasants and old writers call the little Celandines — "Kingcups" — and I have often fancied that Shakes- peare was thinking of this sweet spring flower when he wrote his charming song. Hark the lark at Heaven's gate sings, " And winking Maiy-buds begin To ope their golden eyes ; Willi all the things that pretty bin, My lady sweet arise. " Mary-golds, which some suppose the poet meant by Mary-buds, have little poetical charm about them, not being associated with the Lark, as a wild spring-flower. It is more than jjrobable it was the gay little Celandine that he thus immortalises with his sweet song. The larger form of our Flowering Wintcrgrcon is found somewhat later in May, in the woods, and is known by the settlers as "Satin-flower." It would make a pretty border plant, and from its early flowering would be a great acquisition to our gardens. American Snake-Root. — Polygala Scno.:;a, (L. already referred to, is less ornamental, though a delicate and graceful little plant. Like the rest of the genus its root is perennial, woody and bitter in its qualities. The stem is simple, wand-like, clothed with lanceolate leaves, and terminating in a spike of greenish white flowers. The wings of this species are small, and embrace the flattened less conspicuously crested keel. Its favourite haunt is dry upland plains, among shrubs and wild grasses ; it blossoms later than the more showy purple Polygala, being seen through May and June. Another purple-flowered species is Slender Purple Milkwort. — Polygala polyganui, (Walt.) The flowers form slender racemes of violet coloured flowers springing from a woody root-stock, which also bears numerous inconspicuous, but more fertile flowers, beneath the ground. Its usual habitat is dry grassy banks, in sandy or rocky ravines ; all these plants seem to prefer sunshine to shade, and a light sandy, lop-ny soil. Several of the sj)ecies are used as tonics and alteratives i , the Aine- 'can herbalists ll'I/.D, ON XATIl'E FLOWERS. j- VVooD A'SiMow. -A/iemoNe neinorosa, (Lin.) " Within the wood, Whose younj; and half Iransparent leaves, Scarce cast a shade ; f;ay circles of Anemones, Danced on their ■stalks." — Bryant. The classical name Anemone is derived from a (.reek word, which signifies the wind, because it was thought that the flower opened out its blossoms only when the wind was blowing. Whatever the habits of" the Anemone of the (Irecian Isles may be, assuredly in their native haunts in this country, the blossoms open alike in windy weather or in calm ; in shade or in sunshine. It is more likely that the wind acting upon the downy seeds of some sijecies and dispersing them abroad, has been the origin of the idea, and has given birth to the popular name which poets have made familiar to the ear with many sweet lines. Byrant who is the American poet of Nature, for he seems to revel in all that is fair among the flowers ard streams and rocks and forest shades, has also given the name of " Wjnd-flower " to the blue Hepatica. This i^retty delicate species loves the moderate shade of groves and thickets ; it is often found in open pinelands of second growth, and evidently prefers a light and somewhat sai.dy soil to any other ; with glimpses of sunshine stealing down upon it. The Wood Anemone is from four to nine inches in height, but occasionally taller ; the five rounded sepals which form the flower are white, tinged with a purplish-red or dull pink on the outside. The leaves are three — parted, divided again into three, toothed and sharply cut, and somewhat coarse in texture ; the three upper stem leaves form an involucre about midway between the root and the flower-cup. Our Wood Anemone is a cheerful little flower, gladdening us with its blossoms earl)- in the month of May. It is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Toronto, on the grassy banks and piny-dells at Dover Court, and elsewhere. "T .<,re thickly strewn in woodland bowers, Anemones their stars unfold." A taller species. Anemone dichoioma, with very beautiful white starry flowers, is found on gravelly banks by river-sides and under the shade of shrubs in most parts of Canada, as is, also, the downy seeded species known as "Thimble-weed" Anemone cylindrica from the cylindrical heads of fruit. This latter is not very attractive for beauty of colour ; the flower is greenish-white, small, two of the sepals being shorter and less conspicuous than the others. The plant is from one to two feet high ; the leaves of the cut and pointed involucre are '4t IJ J •4d "^ i8 li'/LD, OA- XATIVE FLOWERS. coarse ; of a dull green, surrounding the several long flower-stalks. The soft cottony seeds remain in close heads through the winter, till the spring breezes disperse them. The largest species of our native Anemones is the Tall Anemone, A. Virginiana. This handsome plant loves the shores of lakes and streams ; damp rich ground suits it well, as it grows freely in such soil, and under moderate shade when transferred to the garden. The foliage of the Tall Anemone is coarse, growing in whorls round the stem; divisions of the leaf, throe parted, sharply pointed and toothed. In this, as in all the species, the coloured sepals, (or calyx leaves) form the flower. The outer surface of the i\'()ry -whiie flower is covered with minute silky hairs, the round flattened silky buds rise singly on tall naked stems ; but those of th outer scries are supplied with two small leaflets embracing the stalk The central and largest flowers open first the lateral or outer ones, as these fade ^vway ; thus a succession of blossoms is produced, which continvie to bloom for several weeks. Tlie flowers of this plant, under cultivation, become larger and handsomer than in their wild state. This species is distinguished from A. cylindrUa by its round heads of fruit and larger flowers. The Anemone is always a favourite flower wherever it may be seen, whether in British woods, on Alpine heights, or in Canadian wilds ; on banks of lonely lakes and forest streams, or in the garden parterre, where it s rivalled by few other flowers in grace of form or s])lendour of colour. We cannot boast, in this part of the Dominion, any of the more brilliant and beautiful flowers of this ornamental family, though that interestmg lovely species, known as Pasque-flower, Anemone patens, (L.) var Nuttalliana (Gray), is largely distributed over the prairie lands of the Western States and in our North-Western Provinces, where it is one of the earliest of the Spring flowers to gladden the earth, with its large azure-blue blossoms, than which none are more beautiful. The bud appears on a thick leafless scape, about four to six inches high, enclosed in a cut and pointed involucre of grey bracts of silvery hue and shining brightness. The scape is clothed with hairy scales • from within this silky covering peeps out the fair blue bud, which shortly expands into a large, open, bell-like, very blue blossom, with a shade of white at the base of each large pointed sepal. As the flower advances a change takes place in the whole aspect of the plant : the root-leaves begin to appear, which are compoundly cut and divided, and the head of plumy fruit is raised on a high scape above the silken involucre, and now ripens in the breezy air and sunshine. WILD OR XATIVI-: FLOWERS. "; I have a fine, perfect, dried specimen before me, under all its several aspects, and wish that it could be oftener seen as a cultivated border ornament in our Canadian gardens. The name " I'asque -flower ' is hardly knr wn among the inhabitants of our North-Western prairies, and the Indian name I have not yet obtained ; it would, 1 am sure, be descriptive of some natural (luality of the plant — its growth or habits. We have in Ontario several distinct species of Anemone, though none so finely coloured as the Prairie flower : nor can we boast of the splendid Anemones that gem the wilderness tracts of Palestine. Some travellers have suggested that it was to the brilliant blossoms of the scarlet, blue, and white Anemones that the Saviour drew the attention of his disciples, while Sir James Smith has supposed — and with more probability — it was to the glowing colours of the golden flowered Amaryllis littea, which abounds on the fields of Palestine, that He alluded in His words — " Behold the Lilies of the field," etc. Spring Beauiv— CAm'A^ww Viri^inica {\m.) and C. Curoliuiana {"siichx ) Where the lire had smoked and-sniouldered, Saw the earliest llowcr of Spring-time, Saw the Heaiily of the Spring-time, Saw the MisUodeed (*) in l)lossom. — Llia-Mtlia. This sim])le, delicate little plant is one of our earliest April flowers. In warm springs it is almost exclusively an April flower, but in cold and backward seasons, it often delays its blossoming time till May. I'artially hidden beneath the shelter of old decaying timbers and fallen boughs, its pretty pink buds peep shyly forth. It is often found in partially cleared beech-woods, and in rich moist meadows. In Canada, there are two species ; C. CaroliiiitvKi, with few flowers, white, veined with red, and both leaves and flowers larger than the more common western form, C. Virginica, the blossoms of which are more numerous, smaller, and pink, veined with lines of a deerer rose colour, forming a slender raceme ; sometimes the little pedicels or flower stalks are bent or twisted to one side, so as to throw the flowers all in one direction. The scape springs from a small deep tuber, bearing a single pair of soft, oily, succulent leaves. In the white flowered species, C CaroUniana, these leaves are placed about midway \\\> the stem, but in the pink ( C. Virgintca ) the leaves lie closer to the ground, and are smaller and narrower, of a dark bluish green hue. Our Spring Beauties well deserve their pretty poetical name. They come in with the Robin and the Song Sparrow, the Hepatica, and the first white Violet ; they linger in shady spots, as if unwilling to desert us till more sunny days (•) Miskoilced— Imliaii iiaiiic for Siiriun Bi'iiuty. I 20 WILD, OR X ATI VI-: FLOWERS. m ' !i:^ 1 '"i ' 1 have wakened up a wealth of brighter blossoms to gladden the eye ; yet the first, and the last, are apt to be most prized by us, with flowers as well as other treasures. How infinitely wise and merciful are the arrangements of the (Ireat Creator. Let us instance the connection between Hees and Mowers. In cold climates the former lie torind, or nearly so during the long months of winter, until the genial rays of the sun and light have (luickened vegetation into activity, and buds and blossoms open, containing the nutriment necessary for this busy insect tribe. The Bees .seem made for the Blossoms ; the Blossoms for the Bees. On a bright March morning what sound can be more in harmony with the sunshine and blue skies, than the murmuring of the honey- bees, in a border of cloth of gold Crocuses ? What sight more cheerful to the eye ? But I forget. Canada has few of these sunny flowers, and no March days like those that woo the hive bees from their winter dormitories. And even April is with us only a name. We have no April, month of rainbows, suns, and showers. We miss the deep blue skies, and silver throne-like clouds that cast their fleeting shadows over the tender springing grass and corn ; we have no mossy lanes odorous with blue Violets. ]iut our April flowers are comparatively speaking, few, and so we prize our early Violets, Hepaticas and Spring Beauties. We miss the turfy banks, studded with starry Daisies, pale Primroses and azure Blue-bells. In the warmth and shelter of the forest, vegetation appears. The black leaf-mould, so light and rich, cjuickens the seedlings into rapid growth, and green leaves and opening buds follow soon after the melting of the snows of winter. The starry blossoms of the Spring plants come forth and are followed by many a lovely flower, increasing with the more genial seasons of May and June. Our May is bright and sunny, more like to the English March ; it is indeed a month of promise- a month of many flowers. But too often its fair buds and blossoms are nipped by frost, " and winter, lingering, chills the lap of May." Indian Turnip. — Arisa'iiia triphylliini. (Torr.) "Or [)i;i.'is llic .\ruiii from its spotted veil." — Bryant. There are two species of Arum found in Canada, the larger of which is known as Creen-1 )ragon {A. Dracoiitiiiiii) ; the other is known by the familiar name of Indian Turnip {^A. triphyllum or A purptireuiu). WILD, Oh' XATIVI. F/.OlV/:h'S. 2\ These nioisture-'oving plants are chiefly to be found in rii h, black, swampy mould, beneath the shade of trees and rank herbage, near creeks and damp ])Iaces, in or about the forest. The sheath that envelopes and protects the spadix, or central column which supports the clustered flowers and fruit, is an incurved membra- naceous hood, of a pale green colour, beautifully striped with ilark purple or brownish-purple. The flowers are inconspicuous, hidden at the base of the scape by the sheath. They are of two kinds, the sterile and fertile, the former, placed above the latter, consisting of whorls of four or more stamens, and two to four-celled anthers, the fertile or fruit-bearing flowers, of one-celled ovaries. The fruit, when ripe, is bright scarlet, clustered round the lower i)art of the round, fleshy, scape. As the berries ripen, the hood, or sheath, withers and shrivels away to admit the ripening rays of heat and light to the fruit. The root of the Indian Turnip consists of a round, wrinkled, fleshy corm, sometimes over two inches in diameter ; from this rises the simple scape or stem of the plant, which is sheathed by the base of the leaves. These are on long naked stalks, divided into three ovate pointed leaflets, waved at the edges. The juices of the Indian Turnip are hot, acrid, and of a poisonous quality, but can be rendered useful and harmless by the action of heat ; the roots roasted in the fire are no longer poisonous. The Indian herbalists use the Indian Turnip in medicine as a remedy in violent colic, long experience having taught them in what manner to employ this dangerous root. The Arisfema belongs to the natural order Aracetr, most plants of which contain an acrid poison, yet under proper care they can be made valuable articles of food. Among these we may mention the roots of Colocosia mucronatum, and others, which, under the more familiar names of Eddoes and Yams, are in common use m tropical countries. (I-indley.) The juice of ^. triphylluni, our Indian Turnip, has been used "iled in milk, as a remedy for consumptio \ Portland Sago is prepared from a larger species, Armii inaculatum^ Spotted Arum The corm, or root, yields a fine, white, starchy powder, similar to Arrow-root, and is prepared much in the same way as Potato starch. The pulp, after being ground or pounded, is thrown into clean water and stirred ; after settling, the water is poured off, and the white sediment is again submitted to the same process until it becomes quite pure and is then dried. A pound of this starch may be made from a peck of the roots. The roots should be dried in sand before using. Thus purified and divested of its poisonous qualities, the powder so procured 'if ft t\7f/), ON XAIIVE FI.OirilNS, becomes a pleasant and valuable article of fooil, and is sold under the name of Portland Sago, or Portland Arrow-root. When deprived of the poisonous acrid juices that pervade them, all our known species may be rendered valuable botii as food and medicine ; but they should not be employed without care and experience. There seems in the vegetable world, as well as in the moral, two opposite principles, the good and the evil. 'I"he gracious (iod has given to man the power, by the cultivation ot his intellect, to elict the good and useful, separating it from the vile and injurious, thus turning that into a blessing which would otherwise be a curse. "The Arum family possesses many valuable medicinal (i^'alitics," says Dr. Charles Lee, " ';ut would nevertheless become dan'^erous poisons m the hands of ijj,nor int persons." The useful Cassava, /(//w///rt iiiani/iot (\\n.), of the West Indies and tropical America, is another remarkable instance of Art overcoming Nature, and obtaining a positive good from that which in its natural state is evil. The Cassava, from the Hour of which the bread made by the natives is manufactured, being the starchy parts of a poisonous plant of the Euphorbia family, the milky juice of which is highly acrid and poisonous. The pleasant and useful article sold in the shoi)s undf;r the name of Tapioca is also made from the Cassava root. How well do I recall to mind the old English Arum, known by its familiar names among the Suffolk peasantry as "Cuckoo-pint," "Jack' in the Pulpit " and " Lords and Ladies." The first name no doubt was suggested from the appearance of the plant about the time of the coming of that herald of spring the Cuckoo ; the hooded spathe shrouding the spadix like a monkish cowl the second ; while the distinction in the colour between the deep purplish-red and creamy white of the central column or spadix, supplied the more euphonious term of " Lords and Ladies," whicli to our childish fancies represented the masculine and feminine element in the plant ; of course we dreamed not of the Linnnean system ; the one was the I the iiutivf Iniliiiii. !!t' I 36 WILD, OK NATIVE FLOWERS. The root (or rhizome) is white, fleshy and tuberous. The Bellwort is common in rich shady woods and grassy thickets, anu on moist alluvial soil on the banks of streams, where it attains to the height of two feet. It is an elegant, but not very .showy flower — remarkable more for its graceful pendant straw-coloured or pale yellow blossoms, than for its brilliancy. It belongs to a sub-order of the Lily tribe. There are threp species in Canada — Uviilaria grandiflora, U. perfoliata and U. sessilifolia, Adder's-Tongue — Dog's-Tooth \'ioi.lt. Erythroniuin Americaniini (Smith). "And spot'ed Ailders-tongue wiih drooping bell, Greeting the new-born spring." In rich black mould, on the low hanks of creeks and open wood- lands, large beds of these elegant Lilies may be seen piercing the softened ground in the month of April ; the broad lanceolate leaves are i)eauti- fuUy clouded with purple or reddish brown, and sometimes with milky white. Each bulb of the second year's growth produces two leaves, and between these rises a round naked scape, (or flov er stem), terminated by a drooping yellow bell. The unfolded bud is striped with lines of dark purple. A few hours of sunshine and warm wind soon expand' the perianth, which is composed of six coloured recurved segments, which form a lily-like turban-shaped flower ; each segment grooved, and spotted at the base, with oblong purplish brown dots. The outer surfaces of three of the coloured flower leaves are marked with dark lines. The stamens are six ; anthers oblong ; pollen of a brick-red, or dull orange color, varying to yellow. The style is club-shaped ; stigmas three, united. This elegant ^'ellow Lily bends downward when expanded, as if ta hide its glories froiu the full glare of the sunlight. The clouded leaves are of an oily smoothness, resisting the moisture of rain and dew. This is one of the most elegant of our native Lilies and well worth cultivation. It blossoms early in May or late in April, and we hail it with gladness when it brightens us with a graceful golden bell at the edge of the dark forest. The name Dog's-tooth Violet seems very inajiprop/iate. The pointed segments of the bell may have suggested the resemblance to the tooth of a dog ; but it is difficult to trace any analogy between this flower and the Violet, no two plants presenting greater dissimiliarty of form or habit than the Lily ani the Violet, though often blendid in the WILD, OA' NATIVE FLOWERS. 27 verse of tlie poet. The American name, Adder's-tongue is more sig- nificant.* 'I'his name must refer to the red poiiited anthers rather than the foliage, as some have suggested. The White Flowered Adder's-tongue, Erylhronium albidum (Nutt)» grows in the more western portions of Canada, as on the shores of Lake Huron. White Trili.ium— Easter Flower — Trillium ^raiidijlorum (Salisb). " And spotless lilies bend the head Low to the passing gale." Nature has scattered with no niggardly hand, these remaricable flowers, over hill and dale, wide shrubby plain and shady forest glen. In deep ravines, on rocky islets, the bright snow white blossoms of the Trilliums greet the eye and court the hand to pluck them. The old people in this part of the Province call them by the familiar name of Lily. Thus we have Asphodel Lilies, Douro Lilies, &c. In Nova Scoiia they are called Moose-flo -ers, probably from being abundant in the haunts of Moose-deer. In some of the New England States the Trilliums, white and red, are known as the " Ueath-flower," but of the origin of so ominous a name we have no record. We might imagine it to have originated in the use of the flower to deck the coffin or graves of the dead. The pure white blossoms might serve not inappropriately for emblems of innocence and purity, when laid upon the breast of the early dead. The darker and more sanguine hue of the red species^ might have been selected for such as fell by violence ; but these are but conjecture. A prettier name has been given to the Nodding Trillium {T. cernuum) : that of '"Smiling Wake-robin," which seems to be associated with the coming of the cheerful chorister of early spring, "The household bird with the red stomacher," as Bishop Carey t calls the Robin Red-breast. The botanical name of the Trillium is derived from trilex, triple, all the parts of the plant being in threes. Thus we see the round fleshy scape furnished with three large sad green leaves, two or three inches below the flower, which is composed of a calyx of three sepals, a corolla of three large snow white, or, else, chocolate red petals : the styles or stigmas, three ; ovary throe celled ; and the stamens six, (which is a multipli- "f three.) The white fleshy tuberous root is much used by the Amerii ui Schools of Medicine in various diseases, also by the Indian herb doctors. Trillium grandifloruui is the largest and most showy of the white species. Trillium nivale or Lesser Snowy Trillium is the smallest ; * Tlif Ilium Dog's-toDtli rofiM's to tlio .slmpi? of the siimll iiDiiitDcl wliite Imllis of the cimi- iiion KuiopeiiM speeics, si) wi^ll known in Englmh gimlens. -Prof. Lawson t An old writer in the time of Juniea I., ami tutor to one of tlie diiUKl.ters of Cliarles t. !i '' i r r 1 \i\ ' 1 L '1 !■■ ' 1 ■' i 1 98 IF/LD, OK NATIVE FLOWERS this last blooms early in May. May and June are the months in which these flowers appear. The white flowered Trilliums are subject to many varieties, and accidental alterations. The green of the sepals is often transferred to the white petals in T. nivale; some are found handsomely striped with red and green, and in others the very foot-stalks of the almost sessile leaves are lengthened into long petioles. The large White Trillium is changed, previous to its fading, tr . dull reddish lilac. PuKPLK Trillium — Birth-Root — Trillium erectum. (Lin.) " Bring flowers, bring flowers o'er the bier to shed A crown for the brow of the early dead. Though they smile in vain for what once was ours, They are love's last gift, bring flowers, bring flowers." — Ilemans. Gray and other botanical writers call this striking flower " Purple Trillium;" it should rather be called red, its hue being decidedly more red than purple ; and in the New England States it is called by the country folks. The Red Death-flower, in contrast to the larger White Trillium or \Vhite Death-flower. T. erectum is widely spread over the whole of Canada. It appears in the middle of May, and continues blooming till June, preferring the soil of damp, shad> ..uoJ.^ and thickets; but it takes very kindly to a shaded border in the garden, where it increases in size, and becomes an ornamental spring flower. . " Few of our indigenous plants surpass the Trillium in elegance and beauty, and they are all endowed with valuable medicinal properties. The root of the Purple Trillium is generally believed to be the most active. Tannin and Bitter Extract form two of its most remarkable ingredients." So says that intelligent writer on the medicinal plants of North America, Dr. Charles Lee. The Red Trilliums are rich but sombre in colour, the petals are longish-ovate, regular, not waved, and the pollen is of a greyish dusty hue, while that of the White species is bright orange-yellow. 'J'he leaves are of a dark lurid green, the colouring matter of the petals seems to pervade the leaves ; and here, let me observe that the same remark may be made of m^.ny other plants. In purple flowers we often perceive the violet hue to be perceptible in the stalk and under part of the leaves? and sometimes in the veins and roots. Red flowers, again, show the same tendency in stalk and veins. Where the flower is white the leaves and veinings, with the stem and branches, are for the most part of a lighter green, more inclining to the yellow or else bluish tinge of green. The Blood-root in its early stage of growth shews the Orange juice in the stem and leaves, as also does the Canadian Balsam, and many others that a little observation will point out. The colouring matter of flowers has always been, more or less, a mystery to us : that light is one of the IV/LD, OM NATIVE FLOWERS. 39 great agents can hardly for a moment be doubted, but something also may depend upon the peculiar cjuality of the juices that fill the tissues of the flower, and on the cellular tissue itself. Flowers deprived of light we know are pallid and often colourless, but how do we account for the deep crimson of the Beetroot, the rose red of the Radish, the orange of the Rhubarb and Carrot, which roots, being buried in the earth, are not subject to the solar rays ? The natural su])position would be that all roots hidden from the light would be white, but this is by no means the case. The question, is one of much interest and deserves the attention of all naturalists, and especially of the botanical student. AVhat shall we say to the rich colour of the Ruby, Carbuncle, Amethyst, Topaz and Emerald, taken from the darkness of the mine ; can it be that all are really colourless till the light is admitted to them> and the different conditions of the crystallised forms catch, imprison and forever hold fast the glorious rays of light. Painted Trillium — Trilliiim erythrocarpum, (Mx.) (PLATE ML) This beautifully ornamental species is of rare occurrence in our woods. The flower is elegantly tinged with soft pink veinings on the white, waved, and pointed, petals; the base of each is richly coloured and shaded from deep red to pale rose, which colour indeed is slightly diffused through the flower. Leaves distinctly petioled, broad at the base, waved at the margins and sharply pointed. The whole plant, from six to nine inches in height. The specimen from which the drawing is taken was found in May, near Ottawa, where it is not uncommon, 'i'he under-surface of the leaves is slightly tinged with purple. Though scarce in our western woods. Gray says the Painted Trillium may be found as far northward as Lake Superior and New- England, and also southward in the Alleghanies and Virginia. Rock Columhine — Aquilegia Canadensis (Lin). "The graceful Columbine all blushing rod, Hends to the earth her crown Of honey-laden bells." This graceful flower enlivens us all through the months of May and June by its brilliant blossoms of deep red and golden yellow. In general outline the Wild Columbine resembles its cultivated sisters of the garden, but is more light and airy in habit. The plant throws up many tall slender stalks, furnished with leafy bracts, from which spring other light stems terminated by little pedicels, each bearing a large drooping flower and bud, which open in succession. i m ^:f,'Sit. .!„! ! AF//.A OA' XATH'E FLOWERS. The flower consists of five red sepals and five red petals; the latter are hollowed, trumpet-like at the mouth, ascending ; thcv form narrow tubes, which are terminated by little round knobs filled with honey, The delicate thready pedicel on which the blossom hangs causes it to droop down and thus throw up the honey-bearing tubes of the petals; the little balls forming a pretty sort of floral coronet at the junction with the stalk. The unequal and clustered stamens, and five thready sty'cs of the pistil, project beyond the hollow mouths of the petals, like an elegant golden fringed tassel ; the edges and interior of the petals are also of a bright golden yellow. These gay colors are well contrasted with the deep green of the root leaves anr" bracts of the flower stalks. The bracts are lobed in two or three divisions. The larger leaves are placed on long foot stalks, each leaf is divided into three leaflets, which are again twice or thrice lobed, and unequally notched; the upper surface is smooth and of a dark rich green, the under pale and whitish. .\s the flowers fade the husky hollow seed pods become erect. The wild Columbine is perennial and very easily cultivated, its blossoms are eagerly sought out by the Bees and Humming-birds. On sunny days you may be sure to see the latter hovering over the bright drooping bells, extracting the rich nectar with which they are so bountifully supplied. Those who care for Bees, and love Humming- birds, should plant the graceful red-flowered Columbine in their garden borders. Indeed this elegant ornamental species should find a place in every garden. I have seen a striking effect produced by a number of these flowers grown together. In its wild state it is often found growing among rocks and surface stones, where it insinuates its roots into the clefts and hollows that are filled with rich vegetable mould; and thus, being often seen adorning the sterile rocks with its bright crown of waving blossoms, it has obtained the name of Rock Columbine. Painted Cup — Scarlet Cup.— C^j-Z/Z/m coccinca. (Spreng.) Scarlet tufts Are glowinjj in the green, like fl.ikes of Hre ; The w.inderers of the prairie know them well. And call that brilliant flower the Painted Cup. — Bryant, 'i'his splendidly-coloured plant is the glory and ornament of the plain-lands of Canada. The whole plant is a glow of scarlet, varying from pale flame-colour to the most vivid vermillion, rivalling m brilliancy of hue the Scarlet Geranium of our gardens. WU.D, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. 3« The Painted Cup owes its gay appearance, not to its flowers, tvhich are not very conspicuous at a distance, but to the deeply-cut, leafy bracts that enclose them and clothe the stalks, forming at the ends of the flower-branches clustered rosettes. The flower is a flattened tube, bordered with bright red, and edged with golden yellow. Stamens, four ; pistil, one, projecting beyond the tube of the calyx ; the capsule is many-seeded. The radical or root leaves are of a dull, hoary green, tinged with reddish purple, as also is the stem, which is rough, hairy, and angled. The bracts, or leafy ap. pendages which appear on the lower part of the stalk, are but slightly tiiiged with scarlet, but the colour deepens and brightens towards the middle and summit of the branched stem. The Scarlet Cup ajipears in May, along with the white and red Trilliums ; but these early ])lants are small ; the stem simple, rarely L»'anched, and the colour of a deeper red. As the summer advances, o r gallant, soldier-like plant, i)Uts on all its bravery of attire. All th.ough the glowing harvest months, the open grassy plains and the borders of the cultivated fields are enriched by its glorious colours. In favourable soil the plant attains a height of from 2 to 3 feet, throwing out many side branches, terminated by the clustered, brilliantly-tinted bracts ; some heads being as large as a medium-sized rose. They have been gathered in the corners of the stubble fields on the cultivated plains, as late as October. A not uncommon slender variety occurs of a pale buff", and also of a bright lemon colour. The American botanists speak of Castilleia cocciitea as being addicted to a low, wettish soil, but this has not been my experience ; if you would find it in its greatest perfec- tion, you must seek it on the high, dry, rolling plains of Rice-lake, Brantford, the Humber, to the north of Toronto, Stoney Lake, the neighborhood of Peterboro, and similar localities. I'"or soil, the Scarlet Cup seems to prefer light loam, and evidently courts the sunshine rather than the shade. If it could be prevailed upon to flourish in our garden borders, it would be a great acquisition, from its long continuance in flower, and its brilliant colouring. The seed is light brown, contained in thinnish capsules, ripe in September. Gray says : " Herbs parasitic on roots," but our brave plant is no parasite but grows freely on open ground. Neither is it found with us in low wettish places ; it loves the light and would not flourish in shade. It is essentially a " Prairie flower." I have had bright s])ecimens from our North-West, and also from Wisconsin and Dakota, U. S. These lovely plants, like many others that adorn our Canadian woods and wilds, yearly disappear from our midst, and soon we shall seek them, but not find them. if I! I ! I ! i I 32 //-■//, A OA' XATIVE f LOWERS. We might say with the poet : "'T. a,, jiity nature brouj^ht ye Torth Merely lo show your worlh, And losi.' yc quite I Hut ye have hively leaves, where wc May read how soon things have Their end, though ne'er so lirave ; And after they have shown their pride. Like you awhile they glide Into the grave. " — Hcrrick. I do not know if our brave Scarlet Cup, of Canada, has any flora, relationship to an herb known in the Old Country as " Clary " or by its local and descriptive name of "Eye-bright." It is an old-fashioned flower, sometimes found in cottage gardens. I lemeniher its curious coloured leaves and bracts attracted iny notice where first I saw it, in a neglected corner of a i^oor old woman's garden. There were two varieties, one with the dull, veiny leaves, bordered with purple, as if the leaves had been dipped into some logwood dye, the other with a full pink. I forget, in the long lapse of time since I saw the plants, if the flower itself was pretty, or partook of the same tint of colour as the foliage, but the great marvel consisted in the black, oval seeds, not very large, about the size of the seed of the Sage. This wonderful seed, Nannie Prime to'd me, gave the name to the plant " Eye bright," though, she added, " the learned gardener folk do call it ' Clary.' If any dust or motes, or any bad humors, are in the eye and one of these seeds be put into the corner of the eye, it will gather it all round itself and clear the precious sight ; and this is why folks do give it the name of ' Eye-bright.' Sure, Miss, the Lord gave this little seed for a cure for us poor folk, and no doubt the whole plant is good for otlier complaints, as many of our liarbs be, if we did but use them right." We know of no especial healing virtue contained in the seed or leaves of our beautiful Scarlet Cup ; but it charms the eye and delights us, and that is (iod's gift also. There seems to be no actual void, no space unfilled in God's creation. Something fills up all vacancies, either in vegetable or animal life ; unseen organisms, too subtile and too fine to become visible to our unassisted vision, have their existence though we behold them not. " Father of earth and heaven, all, all are thine ; The boundless tribes in ocean, air and plain, And nothing lives, and moves, and l)reaths in vain. Thou art their soul, the impulse is divine ; Nature lifts loud to Thee her happy voice, And calls her caverns to resound Thy praise ; Thy name is heard amid her pathless ways. And e'en her senseless things in Thee rejoice. " Ift ifi^ r««tti I. Trailing Akditl's {E/'ii;crM rcpcns). II. Wooo Daifoum, {Uvulana ^^randtflora). iV.ri' f-lAfE . ■'> f^^^^^^^^^^ t'l.ATE II. It: 1 i-^ m IVII.D, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. 33 Wild (iiNGFR — Asarmii Canadense (L.) This is a singular herbaceous plant, chiefly found in bush-wood and damp, rich meadow-land. 'J'he leaves are wide, rounded kidney- form with deep sinuses. The flower, on a short peduncle, springs from the root-stock and appears below the leaves close to the ground, seldom more than one to each plant ; it is campanulate with sharp pointed segments of a deep chocolate colour. The floral envelope consists of a calyx, but no corolla ; the creeping, thick fleshy root-stock is warm, pungent and aromatic. It is a coarse singular looking plant much used in Indian medicine craft. Showy Orchis. — Orchis spedabilis^ (L.) " Full manv .i gem of purest ray serene, The (lark unfathonied caves of ocean bear ; Full many a flower is born lo blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air." — Gray. Deep hidden in the damp recesses of the leafy woods, many a rare and precious flower of the Orchis family blooms, flourishes, and decays, unseen by human eye, unsought by human hand, until some curious, flbwer-loving botanist plunges amid the rank, tangled vegetation, and brings its beauties to the light. One of these lovely natives of our Canadian forests is known as Orchis spectabilis — Beautiful Orchis— or Showy Orchis. This pretty plant is not, indeed, of very rare occurrence ; its locality is rich maple and beechen woods all through Canada. The colour of the flower is white, shaded, and spotted with pink or purplish lilac ; the corolla is what is termed ringent or gaping, the upper jietals and sepals arching over the waved lower-lipped petal. The scape is smooth and fleshy, terminating in a loosely-flowered and many-bracted spike; the bracts are dark-green, sharp-pointed, and leafy; the root a bundle of round white fibres ; the leaves, two in number, are large, blunt, oblong, shining, smooth, and oily, from three to five inches long, one larger and more pointed than the other. The floweriiig time of the species is May and June. The excjuisite cellular tissues of many of our flowers of this order delight the eye, and give an api)earance of great delicacy and grace to the blossoms. In this charming sjjecies the contrast between the lilac purple colour of the arching petals and sepals, and tlie almoot ])ellucid lower lip or somewhat broadly lobed under petal, is very charming. The large shining leaves lie close to the ground when the plant is in flower. Transplanted to gardens, the Showy Orchis rarely survives the second season of removal from the forest sliade. It will not grow freely, exposed to cold wind, or glaring sunlight. It loves moist heat ; the conservatory would probably suit it, and it would be worth a trial there. ! ' ' i; IJHHl f!i !'■ 34 iyy/.£>, OK NATIVE /'LOWERS, Lady's Slippers — Moccasin Flowers. Among the many rare and beautiful flowers that adorn our nati> e woods and wilds, few, if any, can compare with the lovely plants belonging to the Orchis family. W'liere all are so worthy of notice it was difficult to make a choice ; happily there is no rivalry to contend with in the case of our Artist's preferences. We will, however, first treat of the Cypripediums or Lady's Slippers, better known by the name of Moccasin-Flowers, a name common in this country to all the species. The plants of this family are remarkable, alike for the singular beauty of their flowers, and the peculiar arrangement of the internal organs. In the Linnrean classification they were included, in common with all the Orchids, among the Gynandria. Whether we regard these charming flowers for the singularity of their form, the exiiuisite texture of their tissues, or the delicate blending of their colours, we must acknowledge them to be altogether lovely and worthy of our admiration. One of the rarest, and at the same time most beautiful and curious is the Ram"s-hkai) Orchis — CypHpedium arietiuuin (R-Br.) (PLATE VII.) which has smooth glaucous green leaves, and small purplish flowers bearing a close resemblance to a ram's head with the horns and ears and a tuft of wool on the top of the head. It is seldom over six inches in height, and grows in cold peat bogs, and flowers in July ; associated with it we find our most gorgeous representative of the family, the Showv Ladv's Si.ii'i'icR OR Pink Fi.owerep MoccasiV Plant — CypHpedium speital>,'le (Swartz). It grows chiefly in tamarack swamps, and near forest creeks, where, in groups of several stems, it appears, showing its pure blossoms among the rank and coarser herbage. The stem rises to the height of from i8 inches to two feet. The leaves, which are large, ovate, many nerved and plaited, sheathing at the base, clothe the fleshy stem, which terminates in a single sharp-pointed bract above the flower. The flowers are terminal and generally solitary, although old and strong plants will occasionally boar two or even three blossoms on one stem. The unfolded buds of this species are most beautiful, having the ai)pearance of slightly flattened globes of delicately-tinted rice-paper. The large sac-like inflated lip is slightly depressed in front, tinged with rosy jjink, and striped. The pale thin petals and sepals, two of each, arc whitish at first, but turn brown when the flower is more [8 re IV//.D, Of! NATIVE FLOWERS. 35 advanced towards maturity. The sepals may be distinguished from the |)etais ; the former being longer than the latter, and by being united at the back of the flower. The column on which the stamens are placed is three-lobed ; the two anthers are placed one on either side, under the two lobes ; the central lobe is sterile, thick, fleshy, and bent down, somewhat blunt and heart-shaped. The root of the Lady's Slipper is a bundle of white fleshy fibres. One of the remarkable characteristics of the flowers of this genus, and of many of the natural order to which it belongs, is the singular resemblanc the organs of the blossom bear to the fiice of some animal or insect. Thus the face of an Indian hound may be seen in the Golden-flowered Cypripedinm puhescens ; that of a sheep or ram, with the horns and ears, in C. arietinum ; while our " Showy Lady's Slipper " displays the curious face and peering black eyes of an ape. A rarer species is the Stemi.ess Lady's Slipper — Cypripedinm acaitle {A.\t.) I; differs from the former species by the sac, which is large and ot a beautiful rose tint exquisitely veined with deeper red zig-zag lines, not being closed; but merely folded over m front; this is not observable until you examine it closely. The scape rises from between the two large oval leaves which lie horizontally on the mosses amidst which the plant grows. A time will come when these rare productions of our soil will disappear from among us, and will be found only in those waste and desolate places, where the foot of civilized man can hardly penetrate ; where the flowers of the wilderness flourish, bloom and decay unseen but by the all-seeing eye of Him who adorns the lonely places of the earth, filling them with beauty and fragrance. For whom are these solitary objects of beauty reserved ? Shall we say with Milton ;— " Thous.imls of unseen lieings walk this e.Trili, Both while we wake and while we sleep : — And think though man were none, — That earth would want spectatois — God want praise. Yellow Lady's Slippers — Cypripediiiin parriflonim (Salisb.) and Cypripedinm piibescens (W'illd.) " And golden slippers meet for Fairies' feet." Of the golden-flowered Moccasin flowers, we boast of two very beau tiful species, C. pubescois, Hairy Moccasin flower, and C. parvifloriini " Lesser-flowered Moccasin flower." 'I'he larger plant is the more il iW '!! i Sf! 11 36 WILD, M XATIVE I' LOWERS. showy ; tlie smaller the more graceful, and has a delicate fragrance which is not so strong in the larger flower. The long spirally twisted l)etals and sepals of a purplish brown colour, sometimes tin'.ed and veined with red, give this smaller flower a very elegant appearanco though the rich golden hue of the larger is more striking to the eye. C. parvifloruin affects the n^oist soil of wet grassy meadows and swamps, while the larger plant loves the open plain lands among shrubs and tall grasses. In the month of June when it may be seen beside the gay Painted Cup (Castilleia coccinea), the Blue Lupine (Z. peretinis\ the larger White Trillium, and other lovely wild flowers, it forms a charming contrast to their various colours and no less varied forms. The stem of the larger Moccasin flower is thick and leafy, each many-nerved leaf sheathing the flowers before they open. The flowers are from one to three in number, bent forward, droopmg gracefully downwards. The golden sac-like lip is elegantly striped and spotted with ruby red ; the twisted narrow petals, and sepals, two in number of each kind, are of a pale fawn colour, sometimes veined and lined with a deeper shade. Wild Garlic — Wild Leek. — AUium tricomim (Ait.) As soon as the warm rays of early spring sunbeams have melted the snow in the woods, we see the bright, closely-folded and pointed leaves of the Wild Garlic, or Wild Leek as it is commonly called, piercing through the carpet of dead leaves that thickly covers over the rich black mould, the refuse of many years of former decayed foliage. The cattle, that have been for many months deprived of green food, eagerly avail themselves of the first appearance of the succulent and welcom'^ leaves of the Garlic. The milk of the cows becomes so strongly flavoured with the disagreeable odour of the oi'y vegetable that the milk and butter are rejected, and can only be used by persons who are indifferent to the nature of their food, caring more for fjuantity than quality ; but the generality of people turn away with a feeling of disgust from leeky butter and leeky milk. It is, however, a consolation to the thrifty farmer to know that, like many other evils, it has its palliative. The cows and oxen that have been brought low in flesh and str;;ngth during the long, hard winter, are speedily restored to health by feasting upon this otherwise objectionable food. It is a pleasant plant to the eye — the rich verdure of the broad succulent leaves springing so freshly where all was barren and unsightly — and later in the season, the tall heads of pretty, pale blossoms are not without attraction, though not nice to place in a bouquet of sweeter flowers. WILD, OR XATll'E fl.OWEKS. 37 Before so many extensive tracts of forest had been cut down, the Wild Garlic was to be found in all beech and maple woods. But it is becoming very rare, and you hear no more complaints of leeky milk and butter. Phi.ox -/%/fA- divaricata (L.) We have in Canada several species of this family, and all are worthy of cultivation. Phlox divtiricata is found on dry grassy wastes by forest roads, in shady spots. It is a plant of slender growth, about twelve or eighteen inches high, with slender lanceolate painted leaves somewhat clasping the stem; flowers in a flat spreading head terminal on the slightly stalked branches, corolla salver shaped, primrose-like ; calyx with slender pointed sepals ; co'.uur of the petals, pale lilac, scalloped at' the edges — it is an elegant species. A small variety of this beautiful flower has also been found in low meadows near the Ottawa river growing in great profusion in some of the North-eastern townships — its beautiful blue flowers formed an attractive feature in the landscape. A gentlemen who had an especial love for the beauties of nature was much struck with the beauty of this very lovely flower, and brought home some roots ; the plant was then in full bloom. They continued to flourish till the following spring, when they disappeared entirely. The leaves were of a full rich glossy green, delicately fringed with silky purplish hairs ; flowers, not so large as the P. divaracata found here ; heads loose on long footstalks springing from between the slightly clasping leaves ; roots white, fibrous. A charming little dwarf Phlox is that known by the gardener as Moss Pink, or Lake Erie Moss. The slender pointed grassy looking foliage and abundant pink flowers, its low tufted growth and hardy character, make it most valuable as an edging for flower beds. It comes early and remains for some time in bloom, and even when the blossoms have faded,, the bright cheerful verdure that remains, has a good effect as a pretty edging to the beds. It grows in large cushion-like plots when not used as an edging for borders. Gold Thread — Coptis trifolin (Salisb). In the deep shady forest we are attracted by the bright glossy thrice parted (trifoliate) leaves of this pretty plant. In early Spring its delicate white starry flowers, on upright slender foot-stalks appear, just peeping above the mosses among which it delights to grow. The modest pearly white star-shaped blossoms, contrast well with the dark evergreen shining leaves, and orange thready rootlets, that may be seen among the light feathery mosses, hardly concealed, for they are barely covered by the mould in which they grow. The orange fibrous roots and rootlets are % I ! 11 if n ^ ^1 f^ 3« //7/.A OA' XATIVK FLOWERS. intensely hitter, and are much used by the old settlers as tonic remedies against weakness in children when brought low by fever and ague : more especially is it used as a wash for sore ulcerated mouths, as thrush in young infants. The Indian women use it for their little ones in rase of sore mouth and sore gums in teething. I once saw the small evergreen leaves of the (Jold 'Thread a])])lied to a very different purpose — that of trimming evening dresses of clear white muslin, and as the heat of the room had little effect on them they looked fresh and singularly ornamental on the young ladies that had so tastefully arranged the leaves on their simple white dresses. I have noticed the term " CJold-thread " applied lately to one ol the species of Dodder, that singular parasite, but it was by a person apparently unac(]uainted with our elegant little forest evergreen, Coptis irifolia. Bunch Berry — Squaw Berry — Cormis Canadfiisls (l.in.) This elegant and ai'v: -aive little plant is met with most commonly in beds, beneath the shade of evergreens. Hemlocks and Spruces, it multiplies by its creeping root-stork as well as by the drupe-like berry. Its popular nrnie in the back-woods, is the Scjuaw-berry, and also Bunch-berry. It is a truly lovely little plant — a perfect forest gem. In height our tiny Dogwood rarely exceeds four or six inches ; the stem is leafy, the upper leaves form a whorl round the flowers, which are enclosed by the white corolla-like involucre, which is more conspicuous than the tiny terminal umbel of little flowers with their dark anthers. The flowers are succeeded by small round berries which become brilliantly scarlet by the end of the summer, appearing like a bright red coral ring surrounded by the whorl of dark green, somewhat pointed, veiny leaves. From its love of shady damp soil, this little plant would grow under cultivation, if suitable localities were selected in shrubberies, among evergreens and in rock-work not much exposed to the sun. This low Cornel is very ornamental, both in flower and fruit. The berries are sweet but insipid. The Indian women and children eat them and say, "good to eat for Indian." The taste of the Indian is so simple and uncultivated that they will eat any fruit or vegetable that is innoxious, apparently indifierent to its flavour. The poor squaw gathers her handful of berries, and goes her way contented with her forest fare, from which the more luxurious children of civilization would turn away with contempt, or admire their beauty possibly, and then cast them away as worthless. Few indeed think of WILD, ON NATURE FLOWERS, 39 the lessons that may be learned even from the humblest forest flower, speaking to their hearts of the loving care of the great Creator, who provideth alike for all his creatures ; the wild berry to feed the wild bird, the Squirrel and Field-mouse. He openeth His hand and fiUeth all things living with plenteousness. There are, among other species of the Dogwood family that might be enumerated as indigenous to this Western part of Canada, some with blue berries, some with white, some with red and others with dark steel ■coloured fruit. The dwarf Cornel, C. Canadensis is the smallest species, the rough, bushy round-leaved C. circinata the second ; C. floridiis the largest : all are tonics, and bitter ; some are used in medicine ; others in dyeing by the natives. The berries of several species are largely sought for and form food for the wild ducks that haunt the borders of marshes and lake shores where these shrubs abound. The Cornel seems to have a wide geographical range, it being found not only in the Eastern States of N. America, but in the colder parts of Canada, westerly and northerly, and extends even to the borders of the Arctic Zone. I have before me a specimen of a closely allied species from North Cape, Norway, which was gathered by a friend among the da:rk evergreen glades of that far-off land. The tiny plant is smaller, and has a more pinched and starved look than our more vigourous plant, otherwise there is no apparent difference. The early frosts of Autumn give a pretty jiurple shade to the surface of the leaves of our little forest Dogwood, but they do not wither, remaining fresh and persistent through tlie winter beneath the snow. Twisted Siai.k. — Stnptopus roseits (Mx.) This is a graceful plant with pretty pink, striped, bells belonging to the Lily family. We find it in the forest as well as in open grassy thickets. The stalk is divided into two or three branches, bearing on the underside several pairs of graceful, pendant bells on thready, twisted, foot-stalks. The tips of the segments are pointed and slightly recurved. The berries are red, round and seeded with several hard, bony nutlets. The flower is scentless. The foliage is of a light yellowish green, many nerved, oval and pointed. Associated with this there often may be found in the deep shade of pine woods, as well as in the rich !)lack leaf mould of the hardwood forest. The False Solomon's Seal {Folygonatuni l>i^or u w, £.,) which has pale greenish-tinged bells and large blue berries. The leaves are of a dark bluish green. The stem is simple and bends gracefully. The flowers, notwithstanding the name, are mostly solitary. Our woods hide within their shades many a lovely flower, seen only by the Indian hunter and the backwoods lumberer or the axe man ; by the 40 in/.D, OR XATIVE FLOWERS. i*' former they are noted for some medicinal or healing (|uality, by the latter they are trodden under foot, while to the uneducated settler whose business is to clear the forest land of the trees and wild productions of the soil, on which the life supporting grain and roots are to be sown or planted, these natural beauties have no value or charm, and he says " Cut them down, why cumber they the ground." In these things he sees not the works of the Creator ; they are, in his eyes, " weeds — \\ ds^v ■;, nothing but weeds." OurBen•'v^■ ' d Trilliums, Smilacinas and Orchids are among our most intc itiOj" \< i attractive native forest flowers, but as the woods are levelk ' ^iid tb' .>il changed, by exposure to the influence of the elements and the introciuitin of foreign plants, our native vegetation disappears, and soon the eye that saw and marked their lovely forms and colours will see them no more. MaV-ApPI.K— M.V\DRAK.K— /Wr'/Z/J'/Z/CW/c/A?////// (L.) The Mandrake or May-Apple is chiefly found in the rich black soil of the forest, where partially clear of underwood ; in such localities ft forms extensive beds. When the broad umbrella-like leaf first breaks the soil, early in May, it comes up closely folded round the simple fleshy stem, in colour of a deep bronze or coppery hue, smooth and shining,. but assumes a lighter shade of green as it expands. The blossom appears frst as a large round green bud between the axils of the two broad peltuie, lobed and pointed leaves ; the first year's leaves are single and smaller and the young pl.mt is flowerless. The corolla of the flower consists of from six to nine concave greenish-white thick petals ; sepals (or calyx leaves) six ; the edges of the petals are generally torn or ragged, the handsome flower slightly drooping between the two large leaves gives out a powerful scent — not agreeable if inhaled too closely, but pleasant at a little distance. The plant increases by buds from the thickly matted fleshy root- stock ; the roots form a singular net-work under the soft vegetable mould, spreading horizontally, at every articulation sending up a pair of fruit-bearing scapes. The single-leafed plant is most probably a seed- ling of the former year. The fruit of the May-Apple is a large fleshy berry ; the outer rind is, when ripe, yellow, otherwise darkish-green and of a rank unpleasant flavour ; the inner or pulpy part is white, soft and filled with somewhat bony light-brown seeds. When not over-ripe this pulpy part may be eaten ; it is sub-acid and pleasant. The fruit makes a fine preserve with white sugar and when flavoured with lemon-peel and ginger ; but WILD, OA' A'ATIVE FLOWERS, 41 the outer coat I would not make use of. The fruit is rii^e in August, but should be gathered, when the first yellow spots on the outer coat indicate ripeness, and laid in a sunny window for a few days. The medicinal value of the root of this remarkable plant is now so wei! established that it has superseded the use of Calomel in comjjlaints of the liver with most medical practitioners in this country, but so powerful are its properties that it should never be used by unskilful persons. Ignorant i^ersons have been poisoned by mistaking the leaves for those of the Marsh Marigold f' CflZ/Z/rt' palustris) and using them as a pot herb. A case of this kind occurred some years ago, whereby several persons were poisoned. At that time there was no attempt made by the backwoods settlers to cultivate vegetables, and the- iiade use of many of the wild herbs with very little knowledge of ttiJr s ative or injurious (jualities. American Brooklime — Veronica Aiiieruatia (Prhw.) " Flowers spring up and dii; ungalherei —Ihyant In the language of flowers the blossoms of the Veronica or Speedwell are said to mean undying love, or constancy, bill the blossoms of the Speedwell are fugacious, falling cjuickly, and therefore, one would say, not a good emblem of the endurance of love or friendship. Sweet simple flowers are the wild Veronicas, chiefly inhabiting damp overflowed ground, the oorders of weedy ponds and brooks, whence the names of Brooklime and Marsh Speedwell, Water Speedwell, and the like. Some of the species are indeed found mostly growing on dry hills and grassy banks, cheering the eye of the passing traveller by their slender spikes of azure flowers. This species is often known by the pretty name of Forget-me-not, though it is not the true " Forget-me-not," which is Alyosotis paliistris, also with the rest of its family called " Scorpion-grass" ; from the small buds, before expansion, having the petals twisted and forming a small coil at the tips of the branches. The American Brooklime is one of the prettiest of the native Veronicas, and may easil)- be recognized by its branching si)ikes of blue flowers, and veiny, partially heart-shaped leaves. It is but liule that we have to say of our pretty native wildiing, for its delicacy and harmless qualities are all that require notice about it. The traveller passes it by with scarcely a commendatory glance ; its fleeting pale blue, scentless blossoms, which fall at a touch, scarcely attract the little children when gathering flowers by the wayside brooks. It i^r ■ ttv 42 WILD, OK XATIl'E FLOWERS remains with the true lover of flowers, even if they be only homely weeds, to examine and ajjjjreciate the inimital)le beauty and wisdom shown in their several parts, each so wisely fitted to perform its part according to the Divine Maker's Will. Wood CiKRanium — Geranium miuulatiiiii (L.) There are !)ul few flowers of the Cranes-bill family in Canada. The one most worthy of notice is the Wood Geranium. This is a very ornamental plant ; its favourite locality is in open, grassy thickets, among low bushes, especially those tracts of country known as Oak-openings, where it often reaches to the height of from two tf) three feet, throwing out many branches, adorned with deej) lilac flowers ; the half-opened buds are very lovely. The blossom consists of five petals, obtuse, and slightly indented on their upper margins, and is lined and delicately veined with [iurple. The calyx consists of five pointed sepals ; stamens ten ; the anthers are of a reddish brown ; styles five, cohering at the top. When the seed is mature these curl up, bearing the ripe brown seed adhering to the base of each one. The common name, Cranes- bill, has been derived from the long grooved and stork-like beak composed of the styles. The Greek name of the plant means a Crane. The whole ])lant is more or less beset with silvery hairs. The leaves are divided into about five principal segments ; these again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed, irregularly sized teeth. The larger hairy root leaves are often discoloured with red and purplish blotches, whence the specific name {maciilatuiii\ spotted, has been given to this specie.s. The flower stem is much branched, and furnished with leafy bracts ; the principal flowers are on long stalks, usually three si^ringing from a central branch and again subdividing into smaller branchlets, terminating in buds, mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels ; as the older and larger blossoms fall off a fresh succession appears on the side branches, furnishing rather smaller but ecjually beautiful flowers. Cray gives the blooming season of the Cranes-bill from April to July, but with us it rarely appears before June, and may be seen all through July and August. Besides being very ornamental, our plant possesses virtues which are well known to the herbalist as powerful astringents, which quality has obtained for it the name of Alum-root among the country people, who use a decoction of the root as a styptic for wounds ; and sweetened, as a gargle for sore-throat and ulcerated mouth ; it is also given to young children to correct a lax state of the system. Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as well as for its beauty. A low growing showy species, with large rose-coloured flowers and much dissected leaves, may be found on some of the rocky islets in Stoney nil.D OK XAT/r/: FJ.OU'/.h'S. 43 Lake, Ont. The slender flower stem i.s al)out six inches in heinht, sprint^ing from a leafy invohicrc, which is lut and divided into many long and narrow segments ; llowers generally from one to three, terminal on the little bracted foot stalks. The seed vessels not so long as in tlie Wood Cleraniuni. Besides the above named we have some smaller species. The well known Herb Robert {G. Kol>ertianii>ii, (I-.) which is said to have been introduced from Britain ; but it is by no means uncommon in ■Canada, in half cleared woodlands and by waysides, attracting the eye by its bright pink flowers, and elegantly cut leaves, which become bright red in the fall of the year. This pretty si)ecies is renowned for its rank and disagreeable odour, and so it is generally passed by as a weed in spite of its very pretty bright pink blossoms. Another small-flowered species, with pale insignificant blossoms is also common as a weed by road sides and in open woods, this is G. pmillum, smaller Cranes-bill ; it also resembles the British plant, but is of too frequent occurrence in remote localities to lead us to sui)pose it to be otherwise than a native production of the soil ; we find it often in very remote places in our forest clearings and road-side wastes. Chick WEED Wintergrkkn — Trieiitalh Americana (I'ursli). • This pretty starry-flowered little plant is remarkable for the occur- rence of the number seven in its several parts, and was for some time cherished by botanists of the old school as the rci)resentative of the class Keptandria. The calyx is seven parted ; the divisions of the delicate white corolla also seven ; and the stamens seven. The leaves form a whorl at the upper part of the stem, mostly from five to seven, or eight ; the leaves are narrow, tapering at both ends, of a delicate light-green, thin in texture, and of a pleasant subacid flavour. The star-shaped (lowers, few in number, on thread-like stalks, rise from the centre of the whorl of leaves, which thus forms an involucr^' to the pretty delicate starry flowers. This little ])lant is frequently found at the roots of trees ; it is fond of shade, and in light vegetable mould forms considerable beds ; the roots are white, slender and fibrous; it is one of our early May flowers, though, unless the month be warm and genial, will delay its opening somewhat later. In old times, when the herbalists gave all kinds of fanciful names to the wild plants, they would have bestowed such a name as " Herbe Innocence " upon our modest little forest flower. I 'tf 44 wii.I),okxati\eiio\\'i:rs. I.ARCF. Bi.UK Fla(i— F'l.KUR i)i: I.ucK— /m versicolor {\..). Lilies <>r all kinds. The (iL'ur-ilc-liici' licinj; (mo. — U'iiiUi's 'I'aU. I'his beautiful flower abounds all through Canada, and forms one of the ornaments of our low, sandy flats, marshy meadows and overflowed lake shores ; it deli),'lits in wet, muddy soil, and often forms large clumps of verdure in half-dried ponds and similar localities. Karl) in spring, as soon as the sun has warmed the waters, after the melting of the ice, the sharp sword-shaped leaves escaping from the sheltering sheath that enfolded them pierce the moist ground, and ai)pear, lormini; beds of brilliant verdure, concealing the swampy soil and pools of stagnant water below. Late in the month of June thv bursting buds of rich purple begin to unfold, peeping through the spathc that envelo|)es them. A few days of sunshine, and the graceful petals, so soft and silken in toxture, so variable in shades of colour, unfold : the three outer ones reflexed, droo]' gracefully downwards, while the three innermost, which are of paler tint, sharper and stiffer, stand erect and conceal the stamens and petal-like stigmas, which lie behind them : an arrangement so suit- able for the preservation of the fructifying organs ol the flower, that we cannot fail to behold in it the wisdom of the great Creator. The structure of the cellular tissue in most water plants, and the smooth, oily surface of their leaves, has also been provided as a means of throw- ing off the moisture to which their place of growth must necessarily expose them ; but fpr this wise provision, which keeps the surface dry though surrounded with water, the plants would become overcharged with moisture iind rot and decay too rapidly to perfect the ripening of their seeds — a process often carried on at the bottom of streams and lakes, as in the case of the Water-lily and other aquatics. Our blue Iris, however, does not follow this rule, being only partly an aquatic, but stands erect and ripens the large, bony three- sided seeds in a three-sided membraneous pod. The hard seeds of the Iris versicolor have been roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. 'I'he root, which is creeping, fleshy and tuberous, is possessed of medicinal (jualities. The name Ins, as applied to this genu^, was bestowed upon it by the ancient Greeks, ever remarkable for theiv appreciation of the beauti- ful, on account of the rainbow tinted hues displayed in the flowers of many of the species ; especially are the prismatic colours shown in the flowers of the large, pearly-white garden Iris, a plant of Eastern origin. The Fleur-de-lis, as it was formerly written, signified whiteness or purity. This was changed to Fleur-de-iuce, a corruption of Fleur-de- I.ouis — the blossoms of the plant having been selected by Louis the /r//.A Oh' XATIVI: II.OWENS. 45 Seventh of France as his heraldic [)caring in the Holy Wars. The flowers of the Iris have ever been favourites with the poet, the architect, and s( ulptor, as many a fair specimen wrought in stone and marhle, or carved in wood, can tt;stify. The Kleur-de-lis is still the emblem of France. Longfellow's stanzas to the Iris are very characteristic of that graceful flower : " Ik'.iutifiil lily (Iwclliiij; liy siill river, Or solil.nry mere, Or where the slunuish nie.nlow lirook ileiivers* lis waters to the weir. The wind liluws, and uplifts thy droopinj; banner. Anil ''.rmind thee thronjj and run The rushes, the jjreen yeomen of thy manor - The outlaws of the sun. O lleur-dedure, bloom on, ami let the river Lin(;er to kiss thy feet ; O flower of song, bloom on, and m.nku forever The world more fair and sweet." Shin-Lkak — SwKF.T WINTER! ;rkkn — Pyrola eUiptica — (Nutt.) " Wandering far in solitary paths where wild flowers Mow, There would I liless His name." — Ifeber. The familiar name U'intergreen is applied by the Canadians to many species of dwarf evergreen i)bnts, without any reference to their natural affinities. The beautiful family of Pyrolas shares this name in common with many other charming forest flowers on account of their evergreen habit. Every member of this interesting family is worthy of special notice. Elegant in form and colouring, of a delicate fragrance and enduring verdure, they add to their many attractions the merit of being almost the first green things to refresh the eye, long wearied by gazing on the dazzling white of the snow, for many consecutive months during winter. s the dissolving crust disappears from the forest, beneath the kindly influence of the transient sunbeams of early Spring, the deeji glossy-green shoots of the hardy Pyrolas peep forth, not timidly, as if afraid to meet "The snow and blinding sleet ; " not shrinking from the chilling blast that too often nips the fair promise of April and May; but boldly and cheerfully braving the worst that the capricious season has in store for such early risers. • 117 /./h OA' XATIVE FLOWERS. All blight, and fresh, and glossy, our Wintergreens come forth, as though they had been perfecting their toilet within the sheltering canopy of their snowy chambers, to do honour to the new-born year, just awakening from her icy sleep. r. ellifitica forms extensive beds in the forest, the roots creeping with running subterannean shoots, which send up clusters of evergreen leaves, slightly waved and scalloped at the edges, of a deep glossy green and thin in texture. The name I'yrola is derived from a fancied likeness in the foliage to that of the Pear, but this is not very obvious, nevertheless we will not cr.vil M it, for ii is a pretty sounding word, far better than many a one that has been bestowed upon our showy wild flowers, in compliment to the person who first brought them into notice. The pale greenish-white flowers of our Pyrola, form a tall terminal raceme : the five round petals are hollow ; each blossom set on a slender pedicel at the base of which is a small i)ointed bract : the anthers are of a reddish orange colour, the stamens ascending in a cluster, while the long style is declined, forming a figure somewhat like the letter J. The seed vessel is ribbed, berry-shaped, slightly flattened and turbinate ; when dry, the light, chaffy seeds escape through valves at the sides. The d-y style in this, and most of the genus, remains persistent on the capsule. The number 5 prevails in this plant ; the calyx is 5 parted ; petals 5 : stamens 10, or twice five : stigma i, but 5 rayed with 5 knobs or tubercles at the apex ; seed-vessel 5 celled and 5 valved. The flowers are generally from 5 to 10 on the scape. Most of our Pyrolas are remarkable for the rich fragrance of their flowers, especially ]'. liliptka, and P. rotiiiidi/o/itj, to'j;ether with its variety incarmUa. Onk-sidki) Pyrola — P. secuiida (L.) This little evergreen plant is rather singular than pretty. The flowers which are greenish-white form a one-sided slender raceme, being all turned to one side of the flower-stem ; the style is long and straight, exceeding the stamens and anthers, the latter are very dark, almost dusky black, the stigma, thick and ribbed, forming a turban- shaped green knob in the centre of the flower, stigmas persistent on the capsule. The foliage is dark green, smooth, serrated at the margin of each oval leaf. The leaves are clustered at the base of the flower stem on foot-stalks, leafing the stem ujjwards a little. The plant is found in dry woods and on banks, under the shade of trees. The flower is scentless. WILD, OR NATIVE I'l.OWERS. 47 The Round i,i;.\\i-;i) Lksser Pvrola — Pyrola rotutuiifolia (I,.), v. iucaritata (dray). is a far more attractive (lower — fragrant with a (ew sweet pink blossoms and small round or kidney-shajjcd dark green leaves. Like the sweet \'iolet «jf old country hedgerows it betrays its presence by its fine perfume, though often deep hidden among the mosses and weeds which are found in the peat bogs where it grows. We have yet another I'yrola with round green bell-shaped flowers and dark tipped anthers. This is Pyrola citloraiitha, (Swartz.) Though we have none of the Heaths that clothe the hills and com- mon-lands of Scotland and I'.ngland, we have a large number of beautil'ul and highly ornamental, as well as useful plants and flowering shrubs belonging to the Natural Order Ericacea;, which are widely diffused all over the Northern and Eastern portions of the C'ontinent ; wherever there exists a similarity in climate, soil and altitude of tlic land, there we may expect to find members of the same Natural Orders. Thus we find spread over the Northern and Eastern portions of this Continent, plants that are common to northern l''.uropean countries ; wo have representatives of many familiar flowers, belonging to such families as the Lily, Rose, Violet, Phlox, Saxifrage, Mint, Dogwood, Pyrola, and Campanula, in foct we cannot enumerate the half of wliat we recognize in our woodlands and plains. It is true that the eye of the botanist will discover some differences in the specie.s, but in most instances these are so little apparent that a casual observer would not notice them. The Pyrola has its representa- tive flower in England. The IJiunra, in Norway. Our pretty Siiiilaciiia I'ifolia, ox '■' W'WiX I,ily of the N'alley,"' and our Low Cornel are also found wilh many of our native Ferns, in that Northern land of mountain, flood and forest. It is pleasant to recognize an old familiar flower, it is like the face of an old friend in a foreign country, bringing back the memory of days lang syne, when the flowers that we gathered in our childhood were a joy and a delight to heart and eye. Oni'.-1''i.o\\i;ki;i) I'vkola -Moiicsi's uiiijiora (Cray). 'i'his excjuisitely scented flower is only found in the shade of the forest, in rich, black, leaf mould, where, like P. clli plica, it forms con- siderable i)eds ; it is of evergreen habit. The leaves are of a dark green and smooth surface, clustered at the base of sliort stems '.vliich rise from the running root-stock, from the centre of each of which rises one simple scape, bearing a gracefully nodding flower ; each milk-white petal is elegantly scalloped ; the stamens, eight to ten, are set close to the base of the petals ; the anthers are of a bright ^'i I! i iiiiii 48 /F/Z/9, /ai/d(i); Scarlet-cu|) (Gm///Av'« ry^w/fw) and many others in the flowery month of June ; mingling its azure flowers with these, it produces an effect most pleasing to the eye. The blossoms, like those of all the Pulse tribe to which it belongs, r.re papilionaceous or winged. The two upper petals or wings are concave, closing over the scythe shaped keel, which encloses the stamens, these are united into a bundle at the base (this arrangement is called by botanists ! ■•— t- WILD, OR XATIVE I'l.OWERS, 49 monadclphous). The sheath that conceals the stamens is entire, pointed and varying in colour from white to reddish-purple. The flowers are set on short pedicels or flower stalks, forming a close, long, terminal raceme, the lower flowers opening first. The stem is leafy, erect, downy; the leaves on longish foot stalks are composed of from seven to nine soft, greyish, silky leaflets, set round the central axis of the stalk in a horizontal circle. The whole plant is soft and velvety in appearance. The pods are long and somewhat broad. The seeds are ivory white when fully ripe, and are the food of Squirrels, Partridges, Field-mice and other wild denizens of the wilderness. The Lupine can be readily grown from seed, and blooms well in our garden plots, abiding with us year after year. The ivory white seeds are often introduced into those pretty fanciful wreaths, fre(iuently exhibited at our township shows, and known as the "Farmer's Wreath," being composed of different varieties of grain and seeds, arranged so as to form flowers, leaves, fruits, (S:c. Before the plainlands above Rice Lake were enclosed and culti- vated, the extensive grassy flats were brilliant with the a/.ure hues of the Lupine in the months of June and July; but the progress of civilization sweeps these fiiir ornaments from the soil. What the lover of the country loses of tiie beautiful, is gained by the farmer in the increase of the useful, and so it must be; but nevertheless we mourn for the beautiful things which gladdened our eyes. "Oh wail l(;r ihc forest its glories nre o'ur." TwiN-i'LOWKR- I.i)ui(ca borealis (Clronov. ) " Nestled at its roots is be.auly. Such as lilooiiis not, in the glare Of the liroail sun. That delicate forest llower With scented hreath, and look so like a smile, Seems, as it issues from the shapeless mould, An emanation from the indwelling life." — Bryant. '•And there Linnxa we.ives her rosy wreath," This delicate and graceful little evergreen is widely diffused through most of the Northern countries of ICurope and Anierica. It is found within the limits of the x\rctic Circle : in dreary Kamschatka, and in snowy 1 .upland, the young -iris wreathe their hair with its flexible garlands. In inhospitable Labrador it covers the rocks ar.d mossy roots of I'ines and Birches in lonely shaded glens. It is found in uie Scottish Highlands and through all i)arts of the Northern and Ivislern States of America. In all the Provinces of our own Canada it may be found in secltided spots. On the rot ky Islands of the St. Lawrence, and of our inland lakes it is particularly aiiundant, and its graceful trailing branches cover -- t WILD, OR lYATIVE FLOWERS. the rude rocks, rnd fling a robe of luxuriant vegetation over decaying fallen timber, concealing that which is unseemly with grace and beauty. " SwL't'l tlower, that in llic lonely wood Anil tangled forest, clollicst the rude twisted roots Oflofly jiine and feathery liemlock, AVith thy flow ei -decided garhuvl ever green ; Thy modest, drooping, rosy hells of fairy lightness Wave gently to the passing l)reeze, Dilfiising fragrance." This pretty, graceful little plant was named in honour of the great father of botany, the good Linnaeus, who chose it more especially as his own flower when lie pluc'ced it first in Bothnia : by his wish it 'vas adopted for the crest of his coat of arms. The little flower has been imniortalised by the great botanist. It is said that one of his pupils aware of his great master's love for the plant, when visiting China, caused a service of fine porcelain to be made and decorated with wreaths of the Linna;a, as a present to Linn;i:ub, ana as a mark ot his grateful remembrance. At the death o' the great naturalist, Cardinal de Noailles erected a cenotaph in his garden, to his memory, and i)lanted this little northern flower at its base for the sake of him whose name it bears.* At every joint the l.inmea puts forth white, fibrous rootlets, thus in- creasing and perpetuating the growth of the plant till it forms a tangled, mass of leafy branches. The leaves are round, slightly crenate with a deeper notch at the top, and together ^ "'h the younger stalks are some- what hairy. They are [placed in oj'iosite pairs, from the centre of each of which rises a slender flower stalk, f:n king near the summit, and bearing a i)air of delicate, rose-tinted drooping bells, veined with lines of a deeper pink. The throat of the bell is tubular, as in the Honey-suckle and is thickly beset with silvery, woolly hairs. Stamens four, two of them shorter than the others ; the corolla is divided near the margin into five pointed segments. Seed vessel a dry, three-celled, but one-seeded pod. If i^lanted fur cultivation, the ground should be shaded and some- what damp. In an artificial rock-work, sufificiently protected from the glare of sunshine and ke]it mcjist in hot days, it would grow luxuriantly and throw its evergreen matted branches over and among the .stones with proUy effect. The blossom?; give out a delicate fragrance, especially at dewfall, the scent being scarcely perceptible during the noontide heat. •ScT Wv > HrlKlittti'irs Life i.f Liuii.HiB, ll'/l.D, OK iXATIVK FI.OWL'RS. 51 Our charming Twin-llower is very constant in its habits, being found Near after year in the same locaUty, as long as it enjoys the advantages of shade and moisture ; but it cannot endure exposure to the heat and glare of sunshine, thougli it will linger as long as it can ohtam any shelter. Thirty years ago I found the IJtimra borealis growing beneath the shade of Hemlock trees among long .Si)hagnous mosses, on the locky banks of the Otonabee. Last year, on re-visiting the same spot, I noticed a few dwarfed, yellow and starved-looking plants struggling, as it were, for existence, but the evergreens that had sheltered them at their roots were all gone. There seems to be a law of mutual dependence among the vegetable tribes, each one ministering to the waru:; of the others. Thus the shelter afforded by the larger trees to the smaller shrubs and herbs, is repaid again to them by the nourishment that the decaying leaves and stems of these latter afford, and the warmth that they yield to their roots by covering the ground from the winter cold, and thus pro- tecting them from injury, l-'urther than this, it is very probable that they appropriate to their own use ([ualities, in the soil or in the air, that might prove injurious to the healthy growth of the larger vegetables. That which is taken uj) by one race of plants is often rejected by others. Yet so beautiful is the arrangement of God's economy in the vegetable world that something gathers up all fragments and nothing is lost — -nay, not the minutest particle runs to waste. The farmer practically acknowledges the principle that one kind of vegetable feeds upon that which another rejects, when he adopts a certain routine in cropping his land, for he knows that if he planted grain in constant succession the soil would soon cease to yield its increase, because it would have ceased to afford the food necessary for perfecting the grain : but he sows Wheal after roots, as Potatoes, Turnips and Beets, or after pulse as Pease, Beai. or \'etches, for these have taken only certain constituents of the soil, leaving those portions on which the Cereals feed unappropriated. Thus silently, unconsciously, and mysteriously, do God's creatures administer to one another, working out the will of their Great Creator, and obeying his laws while following the instincts of their several natu.es. We might follow out this subject to a greater length than our limits will admit of our doing, but it is time that we dismiss our lovely little Twin-flower which forms so attractive a feature in our artist's graceful design, hoping that it may sometimes win an admiring glance from our readers, who may be so fortunate as to meet with its evergreen wreaths and fragrant flowers, in its native woods d.iring the i ify month of s^u; ('! „''! 111:! i il ■ 1 w ^ii 52 ;/■//./>. OA- x.i'//i7-: fi.o\vi:rs. June, wliich is its nowciing season— tliough oitcn it may be seen lingering in rocky woods lluough July, and now and llicn a few late blossoms will be found in shady ground late in August. Roi'Ni) i.K.WKn SiNDi'w Drouni rotiDuiifolia (L.) Two species of this interesting and singular family are common in Canada. One Droscra rofinidi/a/ia with round leaves, beset with stiff glandular hairs of a dcei) red colour, abounds in boggy soil in most parts of the Dominion. The beauty of this little ]jlant consists in the hairy fringes of the leaves which exude drops of a clear dow-like (luid ; each little leaf seems adorned with a row of liquid gems, beautiful as pearls, and glistening in the sunlight like miniature diamonds. The round red leaves are prolonged into the petiole, or rather the leafstalk is expanded at its edges and terminates in the glandular leaf. The llowers are small, white, sometimes tinged with pink, borne on a slender, naked, somewhat one-sided scape, which droops a little at the tip. I am not aware of any medicinal or useful {jualities of the Sundev s, but the eye that sees the beauty set fortli in the little dew- gemmed leaf of this lovely jilant, may behold in it with reverent admiation a work of creative mind, su. passing all that man's ingenuity can i^roduce. The jeweller may jiolish and set the ruby and the diamond iu fretted gold, but he cannot make or.e ruby-tinted leaf of the little Sundew. A rather narrower-leaved species is Droscra lotij^ifolia (L.), which grows abundantly in a peat marsh near Stoney T.ake, at a spot known as " Hurricane I'uint," a rocky cape, at the rear of which lies a low marshy flat, covering several acres kA wet groimd : a rare garden and nursery for many charming flowering shrubs and ex(]uisite bog-loving plants. A beautiful v arpct of white Peat Moss Sp]iai:;)uim cyinbifoIiiDii is spread over the jurface, nearly a foot dec^p ; on this we see wreaths of the grace- ful lo'.--busIi Cranberry, trailing its slender branches with their dark green giob^y myrtle-'ike foliage and delicate i)ink revolute flowers, as well as berries in every ^ tage of jjrogress, the tiny green immature fruit — the golden — the 'iiottlvd and the deep red ripe berry. How tempting to the hand and eye. There the slender leaved Sundew mixes its white flowers with the fringed Orchis, and sends up from the watery soil its nindest flowers in the midst of a bed of the grand blossoms of that larely consti. cted plant the " Pitcher I'lant," Sarraccina purpurea, ox as it is called by some writers " Side-saddle flower."* * (Iray suyn it is ■lilliiMilt to I'mii'V ;iny riwcinlii.-Min' lii'lwi'ri! Iliis li.iwiT .iihi ,-i ^i■l•■-s;lcilll^■. I venture t'l siijigcst lli;it tlic fuiniiicpii ii.imi' ciri;,'iii;iti'a fioin tlic llaji-likc rxteiisioii nf tin.' leaf. % ;r//./>. Oh' xAT/rE flowers. S}> ;is Tlie hog of wliich I speak abounils in shrul)s, among which we see the narrow, dark-leaved Sheep-laurel, Kaliiiia i^Inuar, with its rose- coloured flowers ; the aromatic Sweet-Oalc, Mvrica Gnlc : and I.abrador- tea, J.cdiini hitifoliiiiii with its revoiute, rosemary-like, narrow leaves, and whitish flowers. Above all, (or beauty, is the White Peat Moss itself, with its soft, velvety foliage, varying in shade from pale sea-green or creamy-wJute to delicate i)ink and dcei)er rose. 1 know of nothing more lovely than are these exc[uisite Splni^itiiiiis : nor are they without their value, for they are greatly used by the florist and gardener in packing roots and plants for sale. There are more vegetable treasures to be found in the peat marsh near Hurricane I'oint than I have noticed. A deer track leads beyond this marsh to" Fairy Lake." This lake is like a mountain tarn ; it is surrounded by lofty rocks,'and is not a mere hilet from Stoney Lake, as it now appears, being encircled on all sides by a stony barrier of rugged rocks, some rising from the water's edge, bare and ])recipitous, or clothed with grey, hoary tufts of Cladonias and other lichens and mosses. In the clefts may be found the somewhat rare Woodsin Ilrcnsis, Hairy Woodsia, and the Rock Polyijody, /-. rtil^ari. The last named is not, indeed, an uncommon adornment to the rocky bluffs and stony islands of our back lakes, and enlivens the rugged, grey, rocky surfaces with its bright, glossy fronds and golden fruit dots. The rocks decline to the side facing the larger lake, and towards the western corner there is a bed of the ^\'hite Peat Moss, overshadowed by a forest of that grand fern, Osmuiida nivalis, worthy of its regal name, for here, among the soft Sphagnum, and towering to the height of five and six feet, it bears above its light green leafage (or should I say /ro//dn^i,v ?) its rich tufts of cinnamon-brown sporangia. Beneath the Osmundas, and rising above the mosses, the crimson-lipped leaves and large, red flowers of the "Pitcher Plant"' Sarract'uia purpurea^ may be seen in great iierfection. These are but a few of the attractions of I'airy Lake, for there are flowers and flowering shrubs, that grow in the wild, rocky soil, of many kinds. 'I'he beautiful spikes of the rose-blossomed Spirea tomentoso, the Hardback of the Indians, and the graceful white Spirea mlicifolia, wild Roses, and (k)lden-rods, and Asters, with many others are scattered round this lovely lakelet, rendering it a place of interest to the botanist and to the pleasure-seeking tourist. PrrcHKR Plant — Soi.dier'.s Drinkixc. Cui' — Sarracenia purpurea (L.) Even the most casual observer, in jiassing a l"> i 1 suns of the equator in .\frica and Southern Asia. Dr. Richardson mentions, in his list of Arctic plants, Lilium Fhiliuiclphii.itiii, our own gorgeous orange (or rather scarlet s\)otted) Lily. He remarks that it is called by the Est [uimaux " Mouse-root." from the fact that it is much sought after by the field mire, which feed ujion the root. The Porcupine also digs for it in the sandy soil in which it delights to grow. In Kamtschatka the l.ilinin puiiipouiiini \f, used by the natives as an article of food ; and in Muscovy the white Narcissus is roasted as a substitute for bread. The healing ([ualities of the large white Lily roots and leaves, when applied in the form of a poultice to sores and boils, are well known. 1 Thus are beauty and usefulness united in this most attractive plant. \ We li:i 1 the Orange Lily most frequently growing on open plain- lands, where the soil is sandy loam. \x\ i)artially-shaded grassy thickets ( in oak-openings, in the months of June and July, it may be seen mixed with the a/ure blue Lupine {Lupiinis pcrcnnis), tie golden-flowered 1 Moccasin ( Cypripediiiin pubesicus), the large sweet-scented 'Wintergreen (Pyrola clliptiai), and other charming summer flowers. Among 1 1 these our gay and gorgeous Lily stands conspicuous. 1 1 ) The stem is from eighteen inches to two feet high. The leaves 1 are narrow ^:)ointed, and of a dark green colour, growing in whorls at |i intervals round the stem. The flowers are from one to three ; large open bells, of a rich orange scarlet, within, spotted with puri)lish brown ( 1 i ■ lii or black. The outer surface of the petals is pale orange ; anthers six, on long filaments ; pollen of a brick red, or brown colour ; stigma three- lobed. 1 1 1' .1 ■ Many flowers increase in beauty of colour and size under cultivation ■ in our gardens, but our glorious Lily can hardly be seen to greater 1 advantage than when growing wild on the open plains and prairies, 1 under thi, 'oright skies of its native wilderness. ( ]» . « W'lI.lK OR XA-IIVE ri.OWKRS. j^ Hakmiiki.l — Coiiipaniihi roiiiiidiJ'oUa (Ijn.) " Willi (Ircidpinj; liclls of purest Miie Tlioii (liilst altracl my thildish view, Aliiiosi rl■'M•llllllill^; The ;\/iiru liulUrlli(!s lii.it llcw, \\ Ihtl' "mill lliL' licatli lliy |]|i)>s(im^ ^h'W, Sii lij;litly trt'mlilinj,'. " The writer of the above charining linos has also railed the Ilai 'cll "the I'lower of Memory," and truly tlie siglit of lliese fair flowers, when found in lonely sjiots in Canada, has carried one hai k in thought to the wild heatiiery moors or sylvan lanes of the mother country. " I think upon the heatiiery hills I ae hae lo'eil sac dearly ; I think upon the wimplinj; burn That wan(lerLu/>iscens (R. Mr.) This is a forinidaMo name (or a lovely little plani, the loaves of which are prettily netted over the dark j;reen surface with milky-white 1 1 veinin>;s. The ovate, pointed leaves are set close to the ground ; from ^r 1 the ( Liitre of the leaves rises a naked stalk ot pearly white (lowers in a j * slender spike : c urrolla ringent with inflated lip ; root-stork somewhat ' i creeping, soft and fibrous ; the flowers are slightly fragrant. This I pretty little plant is fouhd in the forest, often on fallen decayed trunks ■i of trees, or in light fibrous mould. It is very nearly allied tc the 1 Si.iNDKR Ladiks'-Tresses— 5//;v?«///('jr grticilis (Big.) The flower-stem of this singular plant is twisted, .so that the blos- ■ ( > soms are turned to one side, forming a spiral of great beauty. The flowers are larger than those of the Rattlesnake Plantain, and sweeter ; greenish-while, lipped and fringed. The two leaves are closely pressed to the ground, and are little seen after the plant is in bloom. There are several species of these graceful Orchids. The si)iral arrangement of the flowers |)robably suggested the ringlets on some fiiir lady's head. The old florists and herbalists ot former times were more gallant than our modern botanists, for they gave many i)retty names to the flowers instead of the harsh-sounding, unmeaning ones that we find in our scientific manuals of Botany. So we have among our local and familiar names, such prettily sounding ones, as "Ladies' Tresses,'' "Sweet Cicely," "Sweet Marjoram," or " Marjory," " Mary-gold," " Ladies' Slipper," with a number of others that I could name — besides descriptive names, which form a sort of biography of the plant, giving us a correct idea of their characteristics and peculiar uses or habits. Sweet Scented Water-Lii.y— AV/////wrf odorata (Ait.) " Rocked gently there, the he.iutiful Nymphiva Pillows her lirigh! head." — Calendar of J-'l'ellow anthers. The pistil is without style, the stiynia forming a flat rayed top to the ovary, as in the Poppy and many other plants. Hut if the White Water-Lily is beautiful, how much more .so is the lovely pink-flowered variety shown in our Plate, which was painted by Mrs. ('hamherlin from a specimen she collei:ted at Lakefield and which was of such an excpiisite shade of colour that it could be only compared with the " Hues of the rich unfoUlint; morn, That ere the glorious sun l>f Imrn Hy some soft touch invisililc, Around his path are tau){ht to swell." — Kehle. This is called N. odorata var. rosea and is found abundantly in many of the small lakes in the northern counties of Ontario, particularly in the Muskoka district. On the approach of night our lovely water-nymph gradually closes her petals, and slowly retires to rest on her watery bed, to rise again the following day, to court the warmth and light so necessary for the perfection of the embryo seeds, and this continues till the fertilization of the germ has been completed, when the petals shrink and wither, and the .seed-vessel sinks down to the bottom of the water, where the seeds ripen in its secret chambers. Thus silently and mysteriously does Nature perform her wonderful work, " sought out only by those who have pleasure therein."* The roots of the Water-I.ily contain a large (juantity of fecula (flour), which, after repeated washings, may be used for food ; they are also made use of in medicine, being cooling and softening ; the fresh leaves are used as good dressing for blisters. The Lotus of Kgypt belongs to this family, and not only furnished magnificient ornaments with which to crown the heads of their gods and kings, but the seeds also serve as food to the people in times of scarcity. The Sacred I,oius {Nclumbium specicsitiii) was an object itself of religious veneration to the ancient Egyptians. The Chinese, in some places of that over-populated country, grow Water-Lilies upon their lakes for the sake of the nourishment yielded by the roots and seeds. " Lotus-eaters," says Dr. Lee, " not only abound in Egypt, but all over the ICast." " The large fleshy roots of the Ndumbiiim luteiiw, • III tliat siii^iuliir iilaiit, tlu' fct-l scarcely so large as those of the White Lily, and more elongated, they are borne on long thick fleshy stalks, flattened on the inner side, and rounded without. The botanical name A'/z/^Z/rtrr is derived, says (Iray from the Arabic word Neufar, signifying Pond-Lily. Nature's arrangements are always graceful and harmonious, and this is illustrated by the grouping of these beautiful water |)lants together. The ivory white of the large Lily mingling with the brighter, more gorgeous colour of the yellow ; and the deeper green of the broad shield-like leaf with the bright verdure of that of the Arrow-head, and the bright rosy tufts of the red Water Persicaria ; the leaves, veinings and stems, giving warm tints of colour to the water, as they rise and sink with the passing breeze. Where there is a deep deposit of mud in the shallows of still waters, we frecjuently find many diflerent species of atiuatics growing promiscuously. The tall lance-like leaf and blue-spiked heads of the stately Pontcderia cordata, keeping guard, as it were, over the graceful Nymphiva, like a gallant knight with lance in rest, ready to defend his (lueen ; and around these the fair and delicate white flowers of the small Arrow-head rest their frail petals upon the water, looking as if the slightest breeze that ruffled its surface, would send them from their watery pillow. 64 WILD, ON XATI\'l: Fl.OWEKS. ncyf)nd this icjuatic garden lie beds of Wild Kice {/.iziuiiii aijiuitica) with floating leaves of emerald green, and \va\ing grassy flowers of straw-colour and ijurjjle while nearer to the shore the bright rosy tufts of the \Vatcr I'ersicaria ( Polvj^oinim aiiiphihiiim), with dark-green leaves and crimson stalks, delight the eyes of the passer-by. SiMKKNARi) Araliii nitciiiosn (I,.) ' This valuable plant is distinguished by its heart-shaped, five foliate, l)ointed and serrated leaves ; wide-branching, herbaceous stem ; long, white, aromatic, astring"Mt root; greenish white flowers and racemose branching umbels of small, round, purple berries, about the si/e and colour of the purjile berried elder. It affects a rich, deep soil, the long, tough roots sometimes extending to a yard or more in length ; forking and branching repeatedly. 'I"he plants are often seen growing on large boulders where there is a sufficiency of soil, the roots penetrating into the crevices, or extending horizontally over the surface. Another f? vourite place for this plant is on the earth adhering to large upturned loots, the seed having been left by the birds. 'I"he root has an aromatic taste, and smells like Aniseed orCa.away. It is a most valuable domestic medicine, safe and simple ; its curative properties, in cases of obstinate dysenterical disorders, deserve to be widely known. It was from an old Canadian settler that I learned the virtue of the Spignet-root, for it is by that name it is known in country places. I have tested its efficiency in many cases of that common and often fatal disorder, to which young children are subject during the hot summer months in Canada. For the benefit of anxious mothers I give the following preparation from this valuable root : Recipe. — Take the long roots, which are covered with a wrinkled brown skin, wash them well and remove the outer bark ; then scrai)e down the white fibrous part, which is the portion of the root tliat is to be made use of, throwing aside the inner, hard, central heart, which is not so good. A large table-spoonful of the scraped root may be boiled in a pint of good milk, till the quantity is reduced to one-half; a small stick of Cinnamon, and a lump of white sugar, boiled down with the milk improve the flavour, add to its astringent virtue, and make the medicine (juite palatable. 'J'iie dose for an infant is a tea-spoonful, twice a day ; for an adult, a dessert-spoonful twice or thrice a day, till the disorder is checked. The months of August and September arc the best time to obtain the roots, which have then come to perfection. « ' r ^ • Plate III I . I ' A I N r r; I > ■ I ' K 1 1 1 n M ( T til Hunt eiyth roca vpuin ). : I, II. Wii.i) 1,11 V Of iHK Vam.i V (SmaliriniX hifolia\ III. Klv-ki.owkr Ki,()Wi;iinuiii, (L.) The flowers of this species are white, small, and in terminal cymes, the leaves are narrow, of a dark green, smooth ; the fibro in the bark of this i)lant is very strong, as well as fine : the Indians use this thread in the manufacture of fishing nets and lineS; and probably in sewing. The banks of streams and lakes seem to be the habitat of the Indian Hemp. I am not aware that it has any scent. The scent of the pink Dogbane is only given out after sun-set. Whitk l^wARK Convolvulus— Dav-Fi.ower- spithtviueus, (I'ursh.) -Couvolruhts -Mthough so delicate and fragile in texture, there is no flower that loves the sunlight in its noon-tide power more than this lovely wild Convolvulus. In this, it differs from the splendid Morning (llory, which opens early, in the freshness and coolness of the morning, but fades before the noon-day heat and light : only on cool cloudy days will it display its glorious tints of royal purple, rose, crimson, and exquisite shades of pink, pearly-blue, and white. But our modest white flower may be seen blooming in open fallows, and wild grassy plain- lands, where it has little shade unless from the surrounding herbage. The plant is seldom more than twelve or eighteen inches in height, tapering from a broad l)ase to a slender leafy point. The foliage is whitish or hoary grey, from a minute downy covering. These grey leaves are hastate, not arrow-shaped, pointed and lobed at the base ; the lower leaves on long foot-stalks, the upper ones dimmished to mere bracts. The flowers are large, purely white, open bells, on long stalks — only two opening each day. The stem of the plant is somewhat woody, slightly branching or sim))le, and forming a pyramid of slender apex, twining slightly and clas])ing the stalks of grasses and neighbouring heibs. On the flowery Rice Lake plains, I have seen this lovely flower mingling its hoary foliage and white fragile bells with the gay bracts of the Scarlet Cup and azure-blue spikes of the Wild Lupine, the Sweet Pyrola and Wild Rose : and surely no garden ever shewed more glorious colours or more harmonious contrasts than this wilderness displayed. This pretty wild Convolvulus might be introduced into garden culture, where the soil is light, without any fear of its becoming a troublesome weed like th? common Bind-weed, or the double-blossomed variety, which should only be kept as plants for a Trellis or as Bower- climbers. IV/IJ), OK NATIVE F/.0U'/:A'.S. 73 CtRAss-VmK Qt/(>/>(f^vfi />u/c/ie//ns, (K. Br.) (PLATE Vn.) Our open, si)rin',y Pojjlar flats, partially shaded by Aspen shrubs and wild grasses, afford shelter to many a rare Orchid. 'Ihe warm rays of the sun acting on the moist, boggy soil, (juicken into life and loveliness one of the most ornamental of our Orchidaceous plants. In the month of July we find that very beautiful flower, the (Irass-l'ink, or Calopo^on. Its flowers are little known, and may indeed truly be said to waste their sweetness i ,' the desert air. From a round, solid corm, about a quarter of an inch in diameter, rises a bright green sword-shaped leaf, which clasps at its base a tall scape, bearing a loose four to eight-flowered raceme of elegant rose or lilac-coloured flowers. The lower blossoms open first. The form of the flower is peculiar ; the concave upper petal or lip is bearded with yellow and i)urple hairs arching over the column, wiiich is winged and free. The bright reddish-purple sepals and petals are pointed and fragrant : the scape rises to the height of from eighteen inches to two feet. .\ bed of these elegant flowers, when in bloom, is a charming sight. Another of our Orchids is the lovely and rare Arctlutsa bulbosa^ (L) the flower of which is no less remarkable for the beauty of its form and rich colouring than the Calopogon. The colour of the ringent corolla is of a deep, rich rose-purple, and it is very sweetly scented ; the scape has occasionally one grassy leaf. Not less singular is the charming Calypso l>orealis(?>a\hh.)Qr Bird's-foot Orchis, with its graceful, deliciously-sceuted, pendulous flowers, and crested lip, bearded with yellow and pink, and its narrow, twisted and waved, pale pink sepals and petals ; the scape is garnished with one oval shield-shaped shining leaf of dark glossy green. It flowers in the month of May. Another elegant bog-plant is the ' Small Round-leaved Orchis — Platanthera rot 11 ndi folia, (Rich.) (PLATE VII.) " Your voiceless lips, O flowers, are living pre.nchuis ; Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a hook. " Floral apostles that in dewy splendour Weep without woe and olush without 3. crime." — -Horace Sniiih. This is one of the lovely native plants of the Orchis family, of which we boast many remarkable for beauty as well as for the eccentric forms which arise from the peculiar arrangement of their floral organs. The one above nam.ed is worthy of attention. Our quaint old herbalists would have called it the Holy Dove, or some such name, from the curious resemblance that the petals and sepals take to the body and extended white wings of a hovering Dove. The lower lobed petal 74 IVfLD, OK NATIVE FLOWERS, taking the semblance of the tall and wings, the upper one;i meeting over the anthcr-cells, which might be likened ^' two eyes of the bird, and the arched hooded appendage abov ..e head. The scape of this pretty Orchis is furnished with one handsome round or shield-shaped leaf, of shining bright green, and a bracted spike of white flowers, spotted with delicate pink, as also is the throat of the arched petal that partly covers the anthers and stigmalic disc. Our beautiful Orchids, with many other rare bog-plants, re|)ay the difficulties of obtaining them in their native haunts, such as Cedar swamps* Cranberry marshes. Poplar swales, and Peat bogs ; where, however zealou.s, our lady botanists may not venture without risk. These rare plants, growing in lonely isolated places, are little known, and but seldom met with, unless, as I have said, by the enthusiastic botanist who is not afraid to seek for such flo'.al treasures, however difficult they may be to obtain. A curious and handsome species is the Striped Orchis or Coral- root, Cotallorhiza multiflora, (Nutt). This plant is leafless, silvery-sheathing scales taking the place of leaves ; the roots are branched and knobby, like some kinds of coral ; the scapes, many flowered, growing up in clusters from twelve to eighteen inches high ; flowers pale fawn, striped and dotted with crimson or (nirple ; such was a plant that I found at the root of a big Hemlock tree, near the forest road where I often walked many years ago. '["here are several diflerent species of this curious order, varying in size and the colour of their blossoms. Of fringed and tufted fragrant kinds, we have the Pearly White and the Fringed Pink Orchids. These are very pretty and not un- common flowers. I first saw them on my voyage up the St. Lawrence, when the ship was anchored off Bic Island and the Captain brought me a noble posy of sweet flowers, the first Canadian flowers I ever saw. Among Wild Roses, and elegant Blue Lungwort, Mertensia marHiina, which I had also seen and gathered near Kirkwall, in Orkney ; there were yellow Loose-strife, Hare bells, and the sweet scented White Fringed Orchis, the Pink Fringed Orchis and some elegant cream-coloured Vetches, with several other flowers then unknown to me. There are many other plants of the Orchis family scattered through our woods and swamps, and on the rocky or low islands of our Northerri Lakes. Among those not already mentioned, the Larger Fringed Orchis Habenaria Jimbriata, may be named. This is a tall handsome bog- plant, flowering in the beginning of July, with large rose-purple, deeply- cut petals. Another less conspicuous species, found in dry woods, is the Northern Green-man Orchis, Habenaria viridis (L.) var. bracteata^ WILD, OK NA TIVE Fl.OWEKS. Tf (Reich.) The scape of this species is furnished with long narrow shar|)Iy pointed bracts and greenish flowers. In some of our Orchidaceous plants when examined, there will be seen at the base of the fleshy scape, two roundish bulbs, or tubers ; farinaceous masses, whence the bundle of white fibres, the roots and rootlets proper, proceed, and which contain the prepared food to support the growth of the year. From one of these tubers, the scape, bearing the scaly or leafy bracts, niot-leaves and flowers, springs, and at the flowering season is much larger than the other. The flower-bearing bulb deceases from exhaustion of its substance, shrivels, turns brown, and begins to decay, while the other continues slowly but steadily to go on increasing, bearing in its bosom the embryo flower-stem and foliage, which are to appear the following year. Another tiny bulb is also preparing in like manner, attachtd by a slender fleshy cord to its comi)anion. Thus from year to year the process goes, on each one taking the place of its predeces.sor after its office has been fulfilled. This singular mode of reproduction seems to supersede the necessity for the development of seed, as in other flowering plants ; nor is it so common to find seedlings of the Orchids springing up round the parent plant, as in the case of other flowers. The reason why so few amateur florists succeed in transplanting the native Orchids into their gardens, arises from want of due care in taking them up. The life of the plant for the following season being contained in the new forming tuber, if this be in the least injured the chance of another flower in the future is at an end. The succulent tender roots are easily broken or wounded, and these strike rather deep down in the soil, and must be taken up uninjured, with a good portion of the mould, or there is small chance of life for the plant. Nor will the Orchis thrive in common earth — it requires fibrous, peaty soil, moisture, and some shade, with the warmth that arises from the moist soil, and shelter of the surrounding herbage. They all thrive best in the Conservatory or Green-house. Goi.Dr;N Dodder — Cuscuta Gronovii, (Willd.) This smgular parasitical plant occurs on the rocky shores of our inland lakes. There seem to be two species. One with bright, orange- coloured coils, and greenish white flowers ; the other with green, rusty wiry stems, and smaller blossoms. This last occurs on the rocky shores of Stoney Lake, where in the month of August it rnay be found twining around the slender stems of the Lesser Golden-rod, a small,, narrow-leaved Solidago. 76 /^7/./>. ON x.inn-: Fi.oiy/:fis. In no instance did I find this cut.ous parasite associated with any other |)Iant ; as if i)y some mysterious instinct the Colden rtni seemed to lie selected for its support. Nor could tiie union with the flower he discovered by the most careful examination. The Dodder seems to be leafless and rootless. The C.oldenrod to which it hatl attached itself did not appear to have sufTercd from the clinJ^in^^ embrace of its singular companion, thou},'h its coils were so tightly wounil around it that it was not an easy matter to separat«T them from the supporting stem. 'I'he Dodder could not even be sail) to have the claims of a poor relation to excuse its unwelcome intrusion. 'I'he white blossoms of this parasite were closely clustered in intervals on the wiry stem. The (Jolden-stemmed species, with somewhat larger, greenish- tinged white flowers, I found in the same locality attached to the culms of stout wild grasses, which alone it seemed to have selected for its sujjport. 'I'he bright orange coils, and clusters of flowers, formed a pretty contrast with the dark foliage of the climbing Indian liean, Afy uii the outer surtace, becoming darker green during the summer. The root- slock is spreading, the leaves numerous, roundish-spatulate. The whole l)lant has a hoary appearance when it first springs up. This modest, innocent-looking little (lower, peeps forth in .\pril, and carpets the dry, gravelly hills with its downy blossoms and soft, silken leaves, sharing the newly uncovered earth with the Mlue X'iolet ( Viola iiuiilldld), and early pale yellow Crowfoot, Rock Saxifrage and Barren Wild Strawberry ( Wahistciiiia fra^arioides, (Tratt), which is then beginning to put forth its new foliage and yellow (lowers, that have been kindly sheltered by the persistent leaves of the former year, now red and bronzed by the frosts of early Spring. Our pretty Canadian Everlasting bears some family resemblance to the far-famed "Edelweiss" of the High Alps {Leoutopodium alpiiium). As in that flower, the clustered heads are set round the centre of the disc, like a little infant family surrounding the careful mother. In the singular Alpine species, the whole i)lant, from root-leaves to stem and involucre, is thickly clothed with snow-white down, as if to keep it warmly defended from the bitter mountain blasts and whirling showers of snow and hail. Thus does Creative Love shield and clothe the flowers of the field : His tender care is over all His works. Scarcely has our little Everlasting raised its soft cottony head above the short turf when another species appears, as if to rival its tiny brother. Pi.ANTAiN-LEAVED EVERLASTING — AntcHnaria plantagini/olia, (R. Br.) This plant varies in height from six inches to eight or nine. The woolly stem is clothed with narrow, leafy bracts ; the root-leaves are ff !]# 78 IV/LD, OA' NATIVE FLOWERS. large and broadly ovate, several-nerved, very white underneath, and less downy on the outer surface ; the corymbed head of flowers shining with bright scales and silky pappus — the scales are not pure white, but with a slight tinge of brown. Later on in the month of July, a tall, slender form of this Everlasting may be seen with larger root-leaves and loose heads of flowers on long foot-stalks ; the flowers are slightly tinged with reddish-purple and silvery-grey, which gives a pearly or prismatic effect, as the eye glances over a number of the plants moved by the summer wind. The flowery heads are conical, the unopened blossoms sharply pointed : the whole plant tall, slender and simple, and very downy. The later plants of the Everlasting family differ from the above species. One commonly called Neglected Everlasting — Gnaphalium polycep/ialum, (Mx.) deserves our especial notice on account of the pleasant fragrance which pervades the gummy leaves, as well as the shining straw-coloured flowers; the scent is aromatic and slightly resinous. This plant is found in old pastures, and by wayside waste lands, often mingled with the Pearly- Everlasting {Anteniiaria iiiar^aritacea) and other common species of the order. It is so commonly seen, and is so little cared for as to have obtained the name of Neglected Everlasting. Truly even a flower may be without lionour in its own country ! There is another plant of this family, found in old dry pastures, with straw-coloured, shining flowers ; but it lacks the aromatic fragrance and dark-green, narrow, revolute, gummy leaves of the preceding ; it is branching with a wide-spread corymbed head and has the leaves decurrent on the stem, whence its name, G. deciirrens. 'I'his is an earlier species than the Neglected Everlasting. Pkari.v Everlasting — Antennaria niargaritaceci, (R. Wr.) The abundance of the common Pearly Everlasting induced many of the backwoods settlers' wives to employ the light dry flowers as a substitute for feathers in stuffing beds and cushions, and very sweet and comfortable these primitive pillows and cushions are, they are, too, pleasantly fragrant, for the Pearly Everlasting is also sweet-scented, though not so much so as G. polycephaluiii ; the heads are soft, elastic, and easily obtained. The I'Yench peasants still hang up Wreaths or Crosses of the white-flowered Everlastings in churches, and upon the graves of the dead, to mark where one fair bud or blossom has lany as a and too, itcd, soft, ;aths ipon has IV/LD, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. 79 dropped from the parent tree to mingle with its kindred dust. It is a fond old custom, which time and the world's later fashions have not yet •changed among the simple habitants. Surely we may say with the sweet poet : — " They are loves last gift, Bring flowers — pale flowers." Yellow Coltsfoot— Tiissilago Far/ara, (L.) A large proportion of our flowers of Mid-summer and Autumn are of the Coinposite order, but in the Spring they are rare, with a few exceptions, such as the Early-flowering Everlasting, the Fleabanes and the Coltsfoot. The first flower that blossoins is the Coltsfoot, Titssilago far/ara, (L.) which breaks the ground in April with its scaly, leafless stem and single-headed, orange-yellow rayed flower. It is a coarse, uninteresting plant, not common, excepting in wet, clayey soil ; seldom found in the forest. It is the earliest plant of the Canadian Spring, and prized on that account, and for its medicinal virtue, real or imaginary. Both flower and leaf are larger than the British species, but its habits are similar. In July, August and September our rayed flowers predominate, especially in the two latter months ; it is then, when the more delicate herbaceous flowers are perfecting their seeds, that our hardy Sun flowers lift up their showy heads and seem to court the glare of the summer sunshine ; it is then that we see our open fields gay with Rudbeckias, Chrysanthemums, Ragworts, Golden-rods, Thistles and Hawk- weeds. In the forest we find our White Eupatoriums, Prenanthes, and Fire-weeds. On all wastes and neglected spots the wild Chamomile abounds, as if to supply a tonic for all agues and intermittents. The beautiful Aster family may now be seen in fields, by waysides, on lonely lake shores, in thickets, on the margins of pools and mill-dams or waving its graceful flowery branches, on the grassy plains and within the precincts of the forest. There are species for each locality — white, blue, jjurple, lilac, pearly-blue — with many varieties of shade, height and foliage ; some species graceful, bending, and spreading, others stiff, upright and coarse ; t)u't the species are number- less and their habits as various. The most elegant are the Aster cordi- folius, (L.) and A. punicctts, (Ait). The most delicate, the little white, shrubby Aster, A. nudtijiorus, (L.) with reddish disc and golden-tipped anthers, which give a lovely look to the crowded, small, white-rayed flowers, as if they were spangled with gold-dust. On dry, gravelly banks, ii •Ml I 80 ly/LD, OK NATIVE FLOWERS. near lakes and streams, is the favourite haunt of this pretty Aster. The plant is much branched, the branches growing at right-angles to the stem ; crossed with narrow leaves, and bearing an abundance of small, daisy-like blossoms. On the springy shores of ponds and the banks of low creeks ■xn upright, single-headed Aster, A. cestivus, may be seen, with bright azure rays and yellow disc, together with a tall woody-stemmed flat-topped, coarseW rayed, white species, Di/>/(>/>a/>/'us /(//t/'f//(r///s, (T. iv: (1.). The large-flowered,branching, many-blossomed, purple-rayed Asters are chiefly found in dry fields, by wayside fences, and among loose rocks and stones, giving beauty where all else is rough and unsightly, making the desert to blossom as a garden : so bountiful is Nature ; so beneficent is the Creator in all His works ; so lavishly does He scatter man's path with flowers, that his eye may be gladdened and his heart may rejoice in the beautiful things of the earth on which he is a sojourner. Should we not, therefore, praise Him even for the lowly herbs and the lovely blossoms that adorn our paths. Cone-flower — Riidbeckia hitta, (L.) The Cone-flower is one of the handsomest of our rayed flowers. The gorgeous flaming orange dress, with the deep purple disc of almost metallic lustre, is one of the ornaments of all our wild open prarie-like plains during the hot months of July, August and September. We find the Cone-flower on sunny spots among the wild herbage of grassy thickets, associated with wild Sunflowers, Asters and other plants of the widely difl'used Composite Order. Many of these compound flowers possess medicinal qualities. Some, as the Sow-thistle, Dandelion, Wild Lettuce, and others, are narcotic, being sui)plied with an abundance of bitter milky juice. The Sunflower, Coreopsis, Cone-flower, Ragweed, and Tansy, contain resinous properties. The beautiful Aster family, if not remarkable for any peculiarly useful qualities, contains many highly ornamental phmts. Numerous species of these charming flowers belong to our Canadian flora ; linger- ing with us "When fairer flowers are all decayed," brightening the waste places and banks of lakes and lonely streams with starry flowers of every hue and shade — whitp, pearly-blue and deep purple. The Cone-flower is from one to three feet in height, the stem simple, or branching, each branchlet terminating in a single head. The rays are of a deep orange colour, varying to yellow; the leaves broadly lanceolate, sometimes once or twice lobed, partly clasping the rough, hairy stem, IV/LD, OR XATIVE FLOWERS. 8i hoary and of a dull green, few and scattered. The scales of the chafiTy disc are of a dark, shining purple, forming a somewhat depressed cone. This species, with a slenderer-stemmed variety, with rays of a golden yellow, are to be met with largely diffused over the Province. Mmy splendid species of the Cone- flower are to be found on the wide-spread prairies of the West, where their brilliant starry flowers are mingled with many a gay blossom known only to the wild Indian hunter, and the herb-seeking Medicine-men of the native tribes, who know their medicinal and healing qualities, if they are insensible to their outward beauty. One tall, purple-rayed species {Ecldnacca pur/fiircd) is very handsome. I sometimes think, thai, though apparently indifferent to the beauties of nature, our labourers are not really so unobservant or apathetic as we suppose tlieni to be ; but that being unable to express themselves in suitable language, they are silent on subjects concerning which more enlarged minds can speak eloquently, having words at their command. The uneducated know little of the art of word painting, in describing the beautiful or the sublime. Si'iCK WiNTER-GREEX — Gatilthcria procnmbens (L). This pretty little plant has many names besides the one above : it is also known as Tea-berry, Checker-berry and Aromatic Winter- green ; but it shares these English names with many other forest plants. The aromatic flavour of its leaves and berries has made the Spice Winter-green a favourite, not with the Indians only, but also with the Confectioners, who introduce the essential oil that is extracted from the leaves and fruit into their sugar confections. It is also an ingredient in many of the tonic and alterative bitters prepared and sold by the druggists in Canada. The Squaws chew the dry, spicy, mealy berries when ripe with great relish ; and in the lodge, the Indian hunter smokes the leaves as a sul)stitute for tobacco : when burnt they give out a i)leasant aromatic smell. The leaves are warm and stimulant, agreeable to the taste, and perfectly wholesome. The creeping root-stock throws up sini])le upright stems at inter- vals, crowned with a few smooth, thick, shining leaves, of a bright green colour. The flov/ers are three or four in number, resembling in form the Arbutus, Heath, Huckle-berry and others of the family ; being a roundish bell contracted at the neck, pale-white or flesh-coloured. The fruit which is persistent through the winter, is of a brilliant scarlet. The fleshy calyx is of the same texture and colour, and forms a part of the I r 83 U'fl.f), OR XAT/ri-: l-LOWERS. edible berry. The habit of the plant is evergreen, and it may be found on sandy knolls, in thickets, and under the shade of bushes in Oak- openings; a finer, larger form is also to be met with in the forest, in cedar swamps ; the leaves, fruit and flowers being nearly twice the size of the above. The leaves are strongly revolutc at the edges, very smooth and shining. There is nothing that we cling to with fonder affection than the flowers of our country, especially such as in childhood we delighted to gather. Thus the Daisy, Primrose and \'iolet of England and Ireland, and the Bonnie Heather and Harebell of old Scotia, are dear to the heart of the emigrant, and the sight of one of these beloved flowers ciierished in i. garden or greenhouse, will awaken the tenderest emotions. An old Scotch woman when asked how she liked Canada, replied. "Aye, nae dout its a gude land for food, and for the bairns, but there is nae a bit of heather, or ae bonny Bluebell in a' the Ian'. Its nae like my ain country." AVhen shown a bunch of Harebells, which I had gathered fresh from a gravelly bank ; she grat (wept) at the sight of them. '''I'o see," sl.e said, " the bonnie wee things once mair before I died." T was once touched by the rapture, even to tears, of a Swiss nurse, who on seeing some flowers of the Alpine Ranunculus growing in the garden of Tavistock S(iuare, flung herself on the grass beside them and kissing each blossom, cried out, " Ah 1 flore de ma pays." " Ah ! flower of my country." The brilliant scarlet berries of several of the shrubby little Winter greens, forming so gay a contrast to the dark, glossy foliage, render them very attractive. On dry rocky hills we find the Box-leaved Winter-green orBearI)erry, Arctostaphylos Uvn-iirsi, (Spreng.) which clothes the dry, rocky and gravelly hills all through the continent of North America, is found far to tiie North, even in barren Labrador, and on the rocky slopes of the far-off Hudson's Bay. It abounds far north in Norway, and clothes the ground with its spreading branches. As winter approaches the dark green leaves assume a purplish-bronze hue which is enlivened by the bright red berries. These pretty evergreens might be adopted as a substitute for the Holly, by such as care to keep up the old custom of dressing the house with green boughs at Christmas-tide in honour of the birtiiday of the Saviour. Might not the primitive Chiistians have intended by these emlilems to keep Faith, Hope and Charity ever green within the Church and Homestead. A deeper meaning often lies in the old usages of our forefathers than \\e are willing to acknowledge in this our day of cotton-spinning and gold-digging, railroads and electric telegraphs. IV/LD, OR NATIl'i: FI.OIVF.RS. 83. Raitlksnakk Rooi — .V(?/W/« albus, (Hook.) This tall stately-growing plant belongs t Iri'.id, Nor ni.irks the kindly carpet spread, lieiicath his ihaidxlcss foct. 87 S(1 prior a niLt'd of sympathy, Do ^jracioiis hrrlis of low ik'^jreo, Kroni haiij;l;ly mortals meet.- A^ncs Shickland. This is one of our coiiiiiionest weeds, intruding itself into the very streets and by-lancs of our villages, hut never welcome there, as it gives out a nauseous bitter scent at dew-fall. 'I'he more sunny the place and tlie drier the soil, tlie more does this hardy plant flourish ; it heeds not the trami^ling feet of man or steed, but rises uninjured from the tread of the jiassers-hy, cheerful under all i)ersecution, despised and dis- regarded as it is ; yet if we look closely we see beauty in the finely ctit and divided foliage, and the ivory-white, daisy-rayed dowers which appear all through the summer ; but when seen in dirty streets we over- look its merits and turn from it with distaste. This feeling is not very amiable, but it is natural, to dislike whatever is vulgar, low and intrusive. W'lio Stv I'F.OWKU /filimithiia s/r/i^ns/rs; (L.) " As tlu' Siui-llov.-r turns to her tjod as he sets, The same look which she turned when he rose." ■Mooii'. So sings the Irish bard, but I rather fancy it is a poetical illusion, for I have watched the flowers, and never could convince myself of the fact. However we may hope that as the Sun-flower has liecome so fashionable an ornament in the present day, some of its devoted lovers will strive to ascertain the truth of the tradition. As a not very graceful badge of the votaries of nestheticism, we see the garish orange Sun-fiower worn in 1 ats and bonnets, as orna- ments for breast and sleeves : and rei)roduced in needle-work and (Jthor ornamental designs for the boudoir or drawing-room. Rows of the gigantic flowers may now be seen lolling their jolly heads in gardens, and lording it over the humbler and lowlier blossotiis. Tastes differ--! am afraid my wild Sun-llowers would hardly be appreciated by some of the fashion- able ladies and gentlemen, folio*'. ers of Osc.;- Wilde. We have many flowers of this wide-spread tribe of plants extending through the Country, wherever the soil and surroundings are fiivourable to their growtii ; ^specially may different meinbers of these rayed flowers be found on dry plains, in open copse-woods, and on the i)anks of streams where the soil is sandy, or gravelly. 17 II I' \ ■A I m ¥/iv- 88 ir/I.D, OA' NATH'E /■l.0U7:h'\ So niiineroiis are the varieties, that it would he tedious to enumerate them. One of the handsomest is H. stff^iosiis, ( I ,. ) The Sun-flowers form one of the distinguishint; floral ornaments of the Canadian plains, and of the extensive prairies of the North-West, where miles of Sun-flowers, Rudbeckias, Liatris and other gorgeous flowers -blue, white, red may be seen all through the hot summer months. The orange anil yellow stars of the Helianthus tribe above all most conspicuously apparent. 'l"he garden Sun-flower may often be met with within the forest, the seed having been carried by the (Iround-hog or Scjuirrel, and dropped on the road. I have seen little piles of the ripe seed of the garden Sun-flower lying on .stumps and rails to dry ; the industrious little gleaners deposit- ing them in such places, to be hoarded at their convenience in their granaries. The same thing may be noticed during the harvest-time near tlie Wheat-fields. I have watched with no little curiosity, the heaps of Wheat left by these little, innocent gleaners, and seen them come with their com- panions to fetch away their newly threshed stores, having first carefuUj destroyed the germ,s. Who taught the Siiuirrel that wise precaution, to prevent the germination of the grain ? Many years ago, while living on a wild lot, on the Rice Lake, my son in uigging the ground for the construction of a root house, discovered a granary v( a Stjuirrel, or it might be of a Clround-hog, the Canadian Marmot. A large supply of Indian Corn, Beech-nuts and Acorns, was stored many feet below the surface of the dry sandy soil ; but the eye or germ had been carefully bitten out of each one. Dandki.ion — Taraxacum Dcns-lt'onis, (Desf.) The Composite Order presents us with more numerous families of plants than any other, and supplies us with a host of flowers, arid also some troublesome weeds, which are of wide diffusion, the winged seeds being borne to great distances, and establishing themselves wherever they chance to alight. Many an un-named flower exists, no doubt, in unfrecjuented spots, where as yet the foot of man has never trod, — those unfre(juented wilds where even the hardy lumberman's axe has never been heard, those rugged hills known only to the Eagle and the Falcon ; those deep cedar swamps that afford shelter to the Wolf, the Rear and the Wild-cat, conceal many a graceful shrub and rare plant that one day may be gazed on with admiring eyes by the fortunate naturalist whose reward may possibly be to have his name conferred upon the newly discovered floral treasure. wiLii, OK \A77r/: n.om-.Ksr, 89 A large numl)cr ot [)Iants of the Composite Order arc remarkable for the hitter milky juice contained in the leaves, stalks and roots, the proijcrties of which are narcotic and sedative. This hitter milky juice pervades all parts of the Dandelion, or Taraxacum ; also Wild I'",ndive and other members of the Lettuce tribe. 'I'he I )andeiion is so well known that it is unnecessary to enter into any description of its floral parts. 'I'he root of the Dandelion has been utilized as a substitute for l,'offee ; in preparing it the root should be washed thoroughly, but the thin brown skin not scraped off. as much of the tonitj viitue is contained in this brown covering of the root. This must be cut up into small pieces and dried by degrees in the oven until it becomes dry and crisp enough to grind in the coffee-mill ; it is then used in the same way as the (!offee-berry, with the addition of milk and sugar. A j^mall jiortion of fresh Coffee would, I think, be an improvement to the beverige, but it is not usually added. Many persons have used this preparation of the Dandelion and greatly approved of it. It is a good tonic and very wholesome. The herb itself, if the leaves be blanched, makes a good salad, ecjual to the garden Endive. VVK^Lxav.—Porltilaca okraa-a, (L.) This is one of the troublesome weeds of our gardens, and one would hardly associate it with the brilliant, showy flower of our borders. We must, however, recognize it as a near relation. The original of the cultivated Portulaca of our gardens is P. graiidijlora, from South America, whence it was introduced some years ago. J'^ven in its wild state, or on its native prairies, it is a strikingly attractive flower claiming the admiration of the beholder, but our humbler species is regarded as a thing of naught. The simple Purslane however, has its virtues, and we will try to rescue it from being utterly despised, by showing how it may be utilized. A\'hen the plant first ajjpears it pushes forth small wedge-shaped succulent leaves, of a dull red colour, and soon spreads over the ground, branching at every thickened joint. If the soil be rich it becomes very luxuriant, and being very tenacious of life it is difficult to get rid of it, as it springs again from the joints, flourishing the more vigourously from the persecution it has undergone. The axil of every joint is furnished with a small sharply-pointed red bud. The flowers are small, pale yellow, opening in sunshine ; pod, many seeded, with a little round lid that covers the top of the capsule. The soft, oily mildness, of the leaves and stalks of this plant, renders it useful as an application, crushed or steeped in hot water or milk, for inflammatory tumours. I have seen it also recommended as a pot-herb for the table — in fact, it is largely grown in France for that purpose ; I T U-. 90 ini.D, OA' X.ITIVI: hl.OWIlKS, have also hoard it said tliat it may he used as a dye, Ijiit tliat tlie blue colour produi ed is very evanescent. I merely mention this about the uso maile of tlii^ plant as .1 dyi' weed, but have no experience of my own to verify its accuracy. Wii.u llERCNMor Monardit fistiilout, (L.) Among the Mints we have many different species, all odorous, l)ungent and aromatic : some have pretty flowers, but generally speaking they are more valued for their (jualities than chosen for any striking beauty of colour in the blossoms. ^\'e have Spear-mint, I'epper-mint, Horse-mint, ("atnip and many others of this humble but not useless family. The plants of the Natural Order !,abiat;e are remarkable fcjr being mostly aromatic and pungent, although some are coarse and rank in odour, none are hurtful. One of the handsomest and most agreeable in scent is the tall Moiiiuda or Wild Hergamot, a very hand.some, sweet scented plant, common upon our Oak-openings and wild grassy plains and dry uplands. I have seen a very pretty variety — Aroiiarda Jisttilcsa {\..) \ar. mollis, (Benth) with rose-coloured blossoms and glandular flowers, from the i'ojilar Hills, Manitoba. 'The specie.: so commonly seen on the liilly ground above Rice Lake — Moiinrdu Jistulosa, (L.) — is tall, with s(jft leaves of a dull green, of a fine aromatic .scent and velvety surface ; the globular heads of lilac lipped flowers are terminal ; the colour of the corolla varies from lilac to very pale, pinkish-white. All the species are sweet-scented, and -'•"ht be utilized to advantage as an aromatic flavouring, 'i'he Hjrgamot being far more delicate and agreeable than the Winter green which is so largely used in confections. HiiAi -Ai.f. — Pniiulla rulx'trn's, (L.) This sim])le herb is commonly found in grassy meadows and on wayside waste-lands, near ri\ers and low grounds. It is common everywhere, yet is generally thought to be an exotic, having been introduced among foreign grasses, and thus become naturalized to the country. There seems to be really no special virtue in the plant ; though it boasts of a name which should entitle it to notice, yet we are ignorant of its medicinal or healing uses. It is destitute of any sweetness, but the blossoms are pretty and associated with English meadows and green bowery lanes, so we look kindly upon the ])uri)le-lipped flower for the dear Old Counf-y's sake. H'/iJ), ()A' XAIIVE II OWENS. Common Mi,i i.i.in. Wilitisiiiin /'//(?/>//>,( I -.) 9» 'I'liis plant is one of tlic tallest of our wayside weeds ; the large, .■cjll leaves, ilensely i lollied willi silky while huiis, are not Nvilh'fUl value with the Herh-doctors. They are used in pulmonary disordeis, as outward api)lications for healing purposes, and in su( h (oinplaints as Dysentery, to allay \yX\\\ ; the leaves are made hot before the lire, and so laid over the body of the sufferer. Moreover, this wonderful jilant is said to drive away rats and mice, if laiil in cellars or granaries ; hut this virtue may only he a fond delusion. ( "fjuimend me rather to Miss I'ussy, as a more certain exterminator of these troublesome household pests. .\ grand .md stately spike of goldi'n flowers, cnlicd (liaiit taper, grew in my father's garden, and was the resort of I loney-bees innumeral)le. Homely as our Canadian plant is considered to be, yet it has uses of its own, besides those attributed to it by the old settlers. The abundan( e of the seeds which remain in the hard capsules during the winter, afford a bountiful supjjly of footl for the small birils that < ome to us early in Sj>riiig. In March, and early in April, the .Snow-Sparrows, and their associates, the little Chesnut-crowned Sjjarrows, " 'l'li:il iDnic Ijifoic the Swnlliiw ilarcs," and the brown Song Sparrows, may be seen eagerly feasting on the dry seeds which still remain on the withered ])!ants. The soft grey down of the hoary leaves, later on in May and June, is used as linings for the nests of the Humming-birds, and other small birds that weave dainty .soft cradles for the tiny families that need such tender care. Taught by unerring wisdom, each mother-bird seeks its most suitable material, and appropriates it for the use and comfort of its unknown, unsern brood. l,et us not dcs|)ise the common Mullein, for may it not remind us of Him who careth for the birds of the air, and giveth them from His abundant stores their meat in due season ; and that wonderful unerring wisdom that we call instinct: "Who least, hath some; who most, hnth iicrcr all.'' Happy are the wild flock for who.se untold wants He provideth. The birds of the air teach us wisdom, f(;r they obey the Creator's will, and rebel not at His laws. Fai.sk I'Ox-oi.om;. C/trarilia i/iicnifolia, (Pursh). (PLATE V.) I think old Gerarde, the first English writer on the wild (lowers and native plants of England (for whose memory all botanists feel a sort of veneration) would have given a far better description of the stately plant honoured by his name, than the writer of this little work can hope to do, seeing that the only native species that has come within iili IV/LD, OA' A'ATIVE FLOWERS. her knowledge, is a s'.ender purple-flowered Gerardia, G. piir/>iin'a which grows on the margin of Rice Lake, among wild grasses and other herbage. It has been said by one who was a diligent botanist and naturalist, (the late Dr. (1. G. Bird) that no Gerardias were found north of the Great Lakes ; but all were confined to the Western and Eastern States ; this however was a mistake. At that date very little was known of the Canadian Flora. It was the trying time of pioneer life in the backwoods, when little heed was taken of the vegetable productions of the country, and even the trees of the forest were hardly distinguished by name, much less were the wild flowers cared for, unless some of the settlers knew of curative medicines to be extracted from the leaves or roots, or of some household dye for the home-spun flannel garments, which were then all that could be obtained as clothing for their families. But to return to my Gerardias, several fine species have been found growing on the Islands of Lake Ontario, and on the banks of the Humber, that fruitful wilderness of many flowers ; and doubtless these handsome showy plants are well known in many localities westward in the Dominion of Canada. The handsomest ot all is G. querdfolia, Oak-leaved Gerardia, a robust, stately plant of from three to six feet in height, with large open- throated orange bells; it is known as False Fox-glove. There are several fine purple-flowered species, and others of paler yellow than (/tiercifolia, with stems coarse, rigid, downy or bristly ; the leaves mostly rough on the surface, and of a dull green. I am not aware of any particularly useful (lualities attributed to this Genus, but as ornaments to our gardens they would prove very attrac- tive — one of the most suitable is G. pedifithiria, a very much branched species which grows in dry thickets ; it is jout 2 feet high, has prettily lobed foliage and a profusion of yellow '.owers. It seems a pity that these beautiful i)lants should be passed by only as weeds, unnoticed and unvalued. Gav-feather — Button Snaki'.-root — Liatris cylindracca^ (Michx.) ?i.i This pretty purple flower is found growing on dry hills, near lakes and rivers, on sandy flats and old dried water-courses. The slender, stiff, upright stem is clothed with rigid, narrow, grass-like, dark green leaves, the longest being nearest to the root. The flowers form a long spike of densely-flowered purple heads ; the scales, of the involucre that surrounds them, are green tipped with black, and finely fringed ; ■•^^f..- akes ider, reen long ucre ged; WILD, OR XATIVE FLOWERS. 93 the styles protrude beyond the tips of the coroi'.a. The root is a round corm, about the size of that of the Crocus, sweetish and slightly astringent, mealy when roasted,and not unpleasant to the taste. The roots are sought after by the ( Jround-hogs, which animals often make their burrows near the place where the plants abound, this is often on the slopes of dry, gravelly hills. At any rate it is on the sides of ravines, on the dry plains above Rice Lake, and on islands in our chain of back lakes in Burleigh and Smith, where I have found the bright (lay-feather blooming in the hot month of August. The seeds are hairy, almost bristly, of a light sandy brown when ripe. 'I'he blossoms retain their beautiful colour when quite dry, even for many years, and may be mixed with the flowers of the Pearly Everlasting for Winter boucjucts or ornamental wreaths. One of the species of this family, L. uwiosa, a handsome flower found on our Northwestern jirairies, is known by the name of Blazing Star. The showy flowers of the Liatris family, and their hardy habits, make them desirable plants for cultivation. They are easily jiropagated from seed. Goi.rjKN-ROi) — Solidago latijoUa, (L.) The Solidagos are among our late August and September wild flowers, coming in with the hot Summer suns, which have given the ripened grain to the cradle scythe of the harvest-man. The Trilliums and Tupines and gorgeous Orange Lilies have gone with the Moccasin- flowers, the sweet-scented Pyrolas, and the Wild Roses. Man\ of the fair flowers have faded and gone, but we are not ijuite deserted, we have yet our graceful Asters, our i)retty Gay-feathers, our Sun-flo«-ers, Cone-flowers and our blue Gentians, and brightening our way-sides with many a gay, golden sceptre-iike branch, our hardy, sunny Golden-rods • varying in colour from gorgeous orange to pale straw-colour , from the tall stemmed S. gtgaiitea to the slender wand-like forms of the dwarf species, of which we possess many kinds, some with hoary foliage, others with narrow willow-like leaves of darker hue. On the grassy borders of inland forest streams we find the Golden-rods ; tliey seem to accommo- date themselves to every kind of soil and situation. The rocky clefts of islands are gay with their , 'right colours, the moist shores of lakes, the sterile, dusty wa\sides, corners of rail-fences or the forest shades, no spot so rude bat bears one or another species of these hardy plants. A coarse but grand Genus and not without its value. Not^for ornament alone is the Golden-rod prized. The thrifty wives of the old Canadian settlers prized it as a dye-weed, and gathered the blossoms for the colouring matter that they extracted from them, with which they dyed their yarn yellow or green. I m 94 ir//./), CM" XATIl'E FLOWERS One of the late flowering species, S. latijolia. is remarkable for its fragrance, it is slender in habit, the lax branches trailing upon the ground in grassy woodlands. The leaves are large, very sharply aufl coarsely toothed, margined on the leaf-stalk, terminating in a slender point at the apex. The blossoms, which are larger than those of many of the taller species, are clustered in the axils of the large thin leaves at rather distant intervals along the slender branches ; the silky pappus of the winged seeds is tinged with purplish-brown, the flowers are golden- yellow. Str.wvhkrrv Bi.rrE— Indian Stra\vi!ERrv. — Blituiii capitatiiin, (I,.) The Strawberry Elite — or, as it is often called, Indian Strawberry- is widely spread over the Northern States, and Canada. Wherever the forest has been cleared it is sure to appear, as it seems to affect the rich black leaf-mould of the newly-cleared forest. It is not indeed found within the close thick forest, but appears wherever a partial clearing has been made. It may be seen close to the rough lo§ walls of the lumberer's or chopper's shanty, flourishing in great luxuriance under this half culture. On forest land, that has been burnt over and left uncropped, it may be seen in perfection ; and within the garden enclosure, where it becomes a common weed : though truly more ornamental than many a flower that the gardener cultivates with care and trouble. When fully ripe, the long spikes of crimson fruit, and foliage of a bright green colour, have a beautiful appearance, and tempt the hand to pluck the richly-coloured seed clusters ; but beauty is not always to be trusted, and in this case the eye is deceived and the taste disajjpointed The fruit is insipid and flavourles;, though not unwholesome. The red juice is used by the Indian-women in dyeing — and in old times the backwoods settlers made it a substitute for ink — but unless the colour be fixed by alum, it fades and disappears from the paper. 'J"he Indian Strawberry or Blite, belongs to the Spinach family, and may be used with safety as a substitute for the garden vegetable, being perfectly harmless. I well remember, many years ago, greatly alarming some of my neighbours in the backwoods, by gathering the tender leaves and shoots of these plants, and preparing them for the table. I was assured that death would be the result of my experiment ; but I was confident in the innocnt (pialities of my fruit-bearing Spinach, and laughed at the drediction that I should find death in the pot. --(I IV/I.D, OR XATIVE FLOWERS. 95 Nor is the Indian Strawberry the only member of the Spinach tribe that is found growing in Canada. We possess several others, among these are the herbs commonly known by the country people as (lood King Henry ( B. Bonus Heiiriciis), which has been introduced from Europe, and Lamb's-C^uarters (Clieiiopodiuin album)., which plants are still made use of as Spring vegetables, though not now in such repute as formerly. Happily few houses, or even shanties, but can boast of a garden around the dwelling. But many years ago it was a rare thing to see even a Cabbage-plot fenced in about the homestead, and the cultivation of flowers was regarded as a piece of useless extravagance, a mark of pride and idle vanity. We do not wish tJiose good old times back again ! The leaves of the Indian Strawberry are thin, long- pointed, somewhat halbert-shaped, with shallow indentatiotis at the edges. They are of a bright lively green colour. In the earlier stages of growth, the flowering sjHkes stand upright, but as the fruit ripens they decline, and are bending or entirely prostrate, much resembling the drooping Amaranth (called I -ove lies Bleeding) of our gardens, but more brilliant in hue. The berries of the Indian Strawberry are wrinkled on the surface and dotted over with purplish-black seeds, which lie embedded in the soft fruity pulp of the altered clayx in a manner similar to the Strawberry. The fruit begins to ripen in July, and continues by a succession of lateral branches to bear its red clusters all through August, and till the frosts of September cut it off and destroy the beauty of the plant. TuRTLE-HKAi) — Sn.^ke-head — C/ielotif glabiXi, (L.) This coarse, but rather showy plant, is found in damp thickets near lakes and streams. The large, white, two-lipped flowers grow in terminal clusters or spikes ; the upper lip projects downward like a Turtle's bill ; the foliage is dark green, the leaves opposite, the edges coarsely- toothed, long and sharp-pointed ; the stem, simple, or widely branching and bushy ; the large handsome white flowers are often tinged with red or purplish-red ; the blossom is open-throated, somewhat contracted at the mouth by the overhanging of the upper lip. The whole plant is from two to three feet high. The name of the Cenus is derived from a (Ireek word, which signifies a Tortoise, the form of the beaked corolla, resembling the head of a reptile, hence al.so the common name Snake- head, from the fancied likeness to the open mouth of a snake. The flowering season is from July to September ; probably, under cultivation, this flower would become highly ornamental as a large border-plant. There are many very ornamental flowers belonging to the same Natural Order as the Turtle-head, among which are the Beard-tongue 96 WILD, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. {Peiitsteinon), Monkey-flower {Miinuliis), Snap-drag la [Aiitirt/iiiiii>/i), Scarlet-cup {Casti/leia), and Cierardia, with many other plants more remarkable for beauty than for any useful or healing qualities, but very showy in the garden, and not difificult of cultivation. Cardivai. Flower — Lobelia avdinalis, (L.) One of the most striking of our native flowers is the Red Lobelia or Cardinal-flower. The plant had found its way into English gardens as a rarity before I saw it growing in all its wild beauty on the shores ot the Otonabee, on my first journey, or rather voyage, up the country. There, growing at the edge of the low, grassy flat, beside the water — its tall, loose, spike of deep red flowers fluttering in the breeze and reddening the surface of the bright river with the reflection of its glorious colour — this splendid flower first met my admiring eyes. It was but a short time before that I had seen it cultivated as a new and rare border flower, and here it was in all its loveliness on the banks of a lonely forest stream which then flowed through an almost unbroken wilderness, growing uncared for, unsought for and unvalued. The people — they were a rude set of Irish settlers — were amused at the delight with which I plucked the flowers. They cared for none of these things : they were, to them, only useless weeds. There are several varieties of the Cardinal-floA'er, occasionally found among the wild plants near the inland lakes and creeks of the back- woods : some with flesh-coloured corollas, or white striped with red ; but these variations are not very common. The prettiest of the blue- flowered plants of the Lobelia family is a small, delicate, branching one with azure-blue and white petals, which is cultivated in hanging baskets as its bright blue flowers and slender leaves droop gracefully over the pot or basket, and contrast charmingly with larger flowers of deeper colour and more vivid foliage. The largest and most showy, but not often cultivated, of the Lobelias, is L. syphilitica, a stout-stemmed, many-flowered species, which is chiefly found near springs ; the flowers are full blue and the spike much crowded ; the height about eighteen or twenty inches ; leaves light green. The plant seems to flourish in clayey soil near water. Another blue-flowered Lobelia of slenderer habit is Z. spicafa, the leaves growing up the wand-like stem in threes, with intervals between ; and it has a one-sided look. The spike of flowers is loose and scattered, leaves very thin, long and narrow, light-green and smooth. Though by no means so showy — for indeed it is a very simple looking flower— but more remarkable for its uses and medicinal qualities is the celebrated H I. \Vii,u Lur'.NK {Liipiiiiis pcn-niiis). 11. Marsh Maricold (Calt/ia pnlustris). .Ar> 'v. ^ ^ 1 W I i /F//.A OR iXAini. ri.OWERS. iNrnAN Tobacco — l.obtlin iiifltUa, (i,.) y? This plant is imich sought after bv the old settlers, and by the Indian medicinemen, who consider it to be possessed of rare virtues, infcdlible as a remedy in fevers, and nervous diseases. At firht it has the effect of i)roduring utter prostration of the nervous system, and is known to be of a poisonous nature. It is, I suppose, a case of "kill or cure." A decoction of the dried plant relieves fever through the pores of the skin ; but though used by some of the old settlers, it should not be administered by any one inexperienced in its peculiar effects. The Indians smoke the dried leaves, from which fact the common name is derived- Indian Tobacco. They also call the plant Kinnikinik, which I su])pose means good to smoke, as the word is also applied to one of the Cornels, and also to the aromatic Winter-green— the leaves of these plants being used as a substitute for the common Tobacco, or to increase its influence when smoking the " weed." The Indian To';acco is a small branching biennial, from nine to eighteen inches high ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, light green ; seed vessel inflated ; flowers pale blue, veined with delicate pencilled lines of a darker hue ; soil, mostly dry woods or open pastures ; nature of this innocent looking herb, a virulent poison. Indian Pipe — Monotropa iiniflora (L.). This singular plant has many names, such as Wood Snow-drop, Corpse-plant, and Indian Pipe. The plant is perfectly colourless from root to (lower, of a pellucid texture and semi-transparent whiteness. There are no green leaves, but instead, broad and pointed scales, clasping the rather thick stem, which is terminated by one snowy white flower. The flower, when first appearing, is turned to one side, and bent down- wards, but becomes erect as it expands its silvery petals, these are five in number; stamens from eight to ten; stigma about five-rayed; seed vessel, an ovoid pod, with from eight to ten grooves ; seed small and numc'^MS. Though so i)urely white when growinj. , the whole plant turns i)erfectly black when dried ; even a few minutes after they are gathered, as if shrinking from the pollution of the human hand, they rapidly lose their silvery whiteness and become unsightly. To sec this curious flower in its perfection you must seek it in its forest haunts, under the shade of Beech and Maple woods, where the soil is black and rich ; and there, among decaying vegetables, grows this flower of snowy whiteness. There are two species of the family. In a Hemlock wood I found the equally singular \ I I I IVI/.D, OK XATll'E FLOH'F.KS. Pink Sai- Monotropn Hyfit\i,(\..) A tawny-roloiircd, s( alcd, Icatlcss species, with several llovvers, covered with soft, pale yellowish-hrown wool, fragrant, and full of honey, which fell from the (lower cups in heavy, luscious drops. I'his plant is of rather rare occurrence, and only found here in i'ine or Hemlock woods, though dray s[)eaks of it as common in Oak and I'ine woods. (iKNTIANS. "Ami llic liliic (K'lili.in IIdwit that in tlio Uri'c/c NiMJs lonely ; of l>cr iK-aulctms race iliu lasl." — Ihyaiil. This interesting floral family takes its name from dentins, a King of Illyria, who is said to have been the first to discover and be benefitted by its .sanative properties. The root used in medicine, is, I believe, a native of Spain. The .Mpine dentian- so often spoken of by tourists is of low stature, with very large, intensely-blue upright bells; "a thing ot beauty and a joy for ever," even to have beheld it growing in its serene loveliness on the edge of the icy glaciers and rude moraines of the Swiss Ali)S. Of all our native flowers, the dentians are among the most beautiful, from the delicately fringed azure-blue (Bryant's flower) to the fair, pale, softly-tinted. Five-flowered dentian, with its narrow bells and light-green leaves. All arc lovely in colour and form, but none more deserving of our attention than the large-belled Soapwort dentian, known also by the poetical name of CAi.AitiiAN Vioi.KT — GcntiaiKt Suf'oiiariti, (\..), This is the latest of all our wild flowers, it comes early in the Fall of the year, and lingers with us " Till faiier flowers .iic all decayctl, And Ihou a| p^arest; Li!. J joys that lint;cT as thi'v fade, Wlio.se last are dearest." On sandy knolls, among fading grasses and withered herbage of our Oak-plains, we see the royal deep blue, ojjen, bells of this lovely flower, its rich colour reminding one of a (,)ueen's coronation robe.s. This species somewhat resembles the pAiropean (r. Piwumoiianthe, (Linn.), which is also known by the same poetical English name. In Sowerby's " Engli.sh liotany," under the head of the last named species, we find : " This pretty little plant is worthy of cultivation, and is quaintly mentioned by derarde, who says : ' the gallant flowres hereof bee in their bravery about the end of August,' and he tells us that 'the i Fall • I /K//.A Oh' .VATIVE FIOIVEKS. 99 later physitions hold it to hoc effectual against pestilent diseases, and -■ the bitings and stingings of venomous beasts.'" ■ Our (lentians are the last tribute with which Nature decks the ' 1 earth — her lasi '..lightest treasures— ere she drops her mantle of spotless I snow upon its surface. We find our latest tlowering (lentian early in September, and as ] late as November, if the season be still an open one, it may be seen '. among the red leaves of the Huckleberry and Dwarf Willows, on our dry |)lains, above Rice Lake, and fartlier Northward. I'he (lentians seem to afTect the soil on rocky islands and gravelly, open, prairie-like lands, among wild grasses. The finest, most luxuriant plants of (/. • , Aiiiimi'sii, were gathered on islands in our back 'akes, growing in rich , mould in rocky crevices. The I'ive-flowered (ientian may be found on dry banks and open grassy wastes, while again the exipiisite, azure-blue, single-flowered. Dwarf h'ringed (Ientian, (ii-iitinna detonui (Fries), prefers the moist banks of rivulets anil springs. In drier places may be seen the stately, many-flowered, taller, blue I-'ringed (Ientian, G. crinita (Frcelich.) There is also a charming ■ icrmediate form of G. crinita, about a foot ■ high, with fewer flowers, hut of a richer, fuller azure tint. It is of the Fringed (Ientian that the poet, Hryant, writes : — ,; Thou lilo.ssdin hriglil wilh .\iitiinin dew, ' And coloured with hccwcn's own Muc, i That ojjenest when the quiet light t Succeeds the keen .md frosty nii;ht. 1 Tliou I'onu'si not when \'iolets lean 11 1 Oe'r wandering brooks and springs unseen : Thou waitest late, and coniest alone When wiiods are hare and Mrds are tlown, And frosts and shortening days portend The aged year is at an end. Then doth thy sweet and ([uiet eye i ! Look through its fringes to the sky ; ISlue, blue as if the sky let fall. ik A tUiwer from its cerule.nn \sa\\." Bryant. i But bewildered among so many beauties, I have wandered away 1 from my first love. The large dark-blue or open-belled Clentian 1 Genlicvin Saponaria (I,). The leaves of this sijecies are somewhat I clasping at the base, and pointed at the end, at first green, but assuming 1 a purplish-bronze hue ; the smooth stem is also of a reddish purple, p. with the large open five-cleft dark-blue corollas terminal on the summit, generally three blossoms, and between the a.xils of the leaves three ! loo WILD, OR NATIVE FLOWERS. or more somewhat smaller bells may be found at intervals clustered on the flower stem. The beautifully-folded, dee]) purple buds are sur- rounded by the pointed bracts and leaves. This species is 1 ss marked than G. Andrewsii (Griseb) by the toothed appendages between the lobes of the flower ; the absence of these plaited folds gives our plant a wider, more open flower, which renders it more attractive to the eye of the florist. There is something almost disappointing in the closed sac-like blossom of the CLOsiiD Gentian- -6^(7/ //(///()' Andre^usii, (Griseb.) Lovely as it i one would like to jieep within the closed lips, which so provokingly conceal the interior. The tips of the corolla are white, but the sac-like flower is of a full azure-blue, striped in some cases with a deeper colour. There are often as many is five buds and blossoms clustered at the summit of the flower stem, and in the axils of the deep green, smooth and glossy leaves. On parting the lips of the closed corolla we see at the narrowed neck some toothed and sharply jagged appendages, which also may be observed in many others of the Gentians, in greater or lesser degree. This handsome species is about eighteen inches high, with flowers more than an inch in length, and loves rich leaf-mould near water on rocky islands. Fringed Gentian — Gcniiana crinita (Frtel). Of the Fringed Gentians, we boast three forms, all charming and attractive, and it seems strange that such beautiful flowers should not have found their places long ere this in our gardens. The seeds would not be difficult to obtain from the tallest plant G. crinita, as it blooms earlier and ripens its pods before the heat of the Summer has entirely given place to frosts. I have generally found the tall Fringed Gentian on dry, rather gravelly soil, and river banks. The buds of this flower are beautifully folded, almost twisted, and are terminal, growing singly, on long foot stalks ; the corollas rarely unfold fully; the plaited folds are inconspicuous or absent. The colour of the flower of this tall species is light blue, and white at the base ; the upper edges of the corollas are elegantly fringed and cut. Though taller, and the bells more abundant, the lower, deeper coloured fnnged varieties are more lovely. There is a bitter principle in the roots of most of the Gentians : especially is it strongly develojjed m the Five-flowered Gentian ■ — G. (jiiiii(jiitjh>ra, (Lam.) This bitter principle is one of the character- WILD, OR .\ATIVE FLOWERS. lOt istics of the fiimily, and probably our native plants might prove as valuable as tonics as the foreign root, were they tested. 'I'he Five- flowered (ientian is very unlike the bright and more showy blossomed species described above. Tlie flowers in fives, are narrow bells of a delicate pale lilac-tiiit; clustered in the axils of the narrow, light-green leaves ; it is found sometimes on dry, grassy l)anks, and in the angles of fences by roadsides. I have a specimen closely resembling the above species, sent from Iowa, the chief difference being that the tips of the slender fl(jwor-tubes are of a deep dark blue our Canadian flower being only sligiitly tinted with very i)ale lilac. I have never found any of the (Jentians growing in the forest, though several species seem to flourish in partial shade in open thickets. With the (lentians I have brought to a close the floral season of the Canadian year. A few stragglers may yet be found amongst late Asters and Golden-rods, in sheltered glens and lonely hollows, but the glory of the year has departed : gone with the last deep blue bell of the loveliest of her race, the ("alathian \'iolet, the solitary flower of the Indian Summer. All that now remains for us is the bright frosted foliage of the I )warf Oaks and the scarlet tinged leaves of the low Huckleberry bushes ; the brilliant berries of the leafless Winterberr\-, Ilex rcrticilhita (Cray), and the clustered garlands of the climbing Bitter-sweet, Cclastrus scaiidetis^ which hang among the branches of the silver barked Birch and other forest trees, or near the margin of lake, or stream ; and the crimson fruit of the frost-touclied High-bush Cranberry Viburuimt Opulits while on dry, stony hills and rugged rocks the Bearberry covers with its creeping branches of dark green, shining, leaves and gay scarlet fruit, the scanty soil from which it springs. Let us prize them, for from henceforth till the tardy Spring revisits the earth, its treasures of leaf and blossom will be to us as a sealed book bound uj) in ice and snow. No more are we tempted by verdant wreaths of glossy leaves or gaily tinted-flowers. We must be contented with wintry landscapes, snow-flakes and frost-flowers, and the crystal casing that covers the slender branches of the Birches and Beeches, or hangs in diamond drops on the tassels of the Si)ruces and Balsam Firs. Tread softly, traveller, lest the transient glory of our Frost-flowerS dissolve at your feet. Emblems of earthly beauty, earthly riches and earthly fame. But there are brighter gems and fairer flowers of heavenly growth that fade not away, but which will flourish in the Paradise of God more glorious than the fairest beauties of our earthly home. ]\\l loa IV/LD, OA' i\A7IVE FLOWERS. Grasses. " And God said let the earth bring forth grass, The herb yielding seed." ' And the earth brought forth grass. And herb yielding seed." — Gen. I,ri-i2. In drawing this little volume on the native plants to a conclusion, though many have been left unnoticed or unknown by me, I must say a few words respecting the ( irasses. Not indeed to add a botanical description of this most beautiful and graceful tribe of plants, which deserves a volume frutn the pen of one who has given great attention to the subject, and which seems to me to require the knowledge of a scientific botanist. To do justice to that I must confess I am not competent ; any knowledge that I possess is simply that of an observer and a lover of the beautiful works of my Creator. The student of botary will not be content merely with my superficial desultory way of acquiring a more intimate acquaintance with the productions of the forest and the field ; and to such I would recommend a more particular study of our beautiful native Wild Clras'^' j, including the Rushes, and the Sedges. At present the field has not been entered upon lully, if even its very borders have been gleaned, unless by that industrious and indef;Uigab!e botanist, Professor John Macoun, whom we might well call the Father of Canadian Botany. But though I cannot venture to treat the subject of the Classes as a botanist, I cannot pass them by, without introducing a few of the lovely graceful things to the notice of my readers. And if my remarks should prove rather desultory in their range from I'rairie to Forest, and from Field to Lake, or from swampy bank of Creek or Marsh, I beg my friends to bear with me a little while. Drooping gracefully in wide branching panicles, we find on our wild plains a soft pale-flowered grass, known by the Indians as Deer-grass, Sori^/iiiiii nutans, (Cray.) in 'le herbage of which the Deer found (for it is a thing of the past) both food and shelter. The husk or glumes of this beautiful grass are hairy or minutely silky, which gives a peculiar soft greyish tint to the bending pedicels of the pale spikelets. The culm is from three to four feet high, the leaves hairy at the margins. Another grass, Andropogon lurcatns(}\w\\\.) more showy but not so graceful, being more upright in its habit of growth, differs very much from the above. This grass is tall, jointed, stiffer in the stem, leaves of a brighter green, heads of flowers spiked, but also branching ; glumes of a rich red-brown, made more conspicuous by the liright golden yellow anthers. This grass is also a Plain grass, and known by the same WILD, OR XATIVE FLOWERS. 103 familiar name as the former ; the Indians say "Yes, both Deer-(kass ; Deer like that too." It was to increase the growth of this grass that the Indians, at intervals of time, set fire to the Rice Lake Plains on the high plateau of land to the eastward, where there was a great feeding ground for the Deer and their fawns. For many years this tract of land was covered with Oak-brush, with only a few old trees that had escaped being injured by the fire. Now, indeed, we have noble Oaks of many species, fine branching, well developed trees of AVhite, Black, Red, Scarlet, and Over-cup Oaks, that adorn the Plains and form avenues of the concession and side-lines, most ornamental and grateful to the eye of the traveller. It must have been nearly a century ago since these Plains were last burnt over — not within the memory of the oldest settler in the Township of Hamilton. Yet deep down, some six or seven feet below the surface, the charred remains of Oaks are found to i)rove the truth of the Indian name, " The Lake of the Burning Plains." Indian names have always some foundation ; adopted from peculiar circum- stances, they have acrjuired a sort of historical value among the i)eople. The name of "Rice Lake" is derived from the fields of Wild Rice Zizania aquatica, (L.) which abound in the shallower waters of this fine inland sheet of water, and give the appearance of low verdant islands clothing its waters. When tlie Rice is ripened, and the leaves faded, a golden tint comes over the aquatic field, and the low Rice islands as they catch the rays of the sun take the form of sands glowing with yellow light. Where the water is low, these Rice beds increase so as nearly to fill the shallow lakes and impede the progress of boats, changing the channel and altering the aspect of the waters. In the month of June the tender green spikes of the leaves begin to appear ; in July the Rice begins to push up its stiff, upright stalk ; sheathed within its folds are the delicate, fragile flowers ; from the slender glumes, the beautiful straw-coioured and purple anthers hang down, fluttering in the breeze which stirs the grassy leaves that float loosely upon the surface of the water, rising and falling with every movement. The plant grows in lakes, ponds, and other waters, where the current is not very strong, to tlie deptii of from three to eight feet or even deeper. The grassy or ribliand-like flexible leaves are very long. I remember a gentleman who was rowing me acros-; the lake drew up one at a chance on his oar and measured it, the k iigth being eleven feet ; but with ihe culm and flower it would h:ive measured twelve or thirteen feet in length. The month of September or later, in October, is the Indian's Rice harvest. The grain, which is long and narrow and of an olive green or I, i tr m 104 ^ry/A OA' XATIVE FLOWERS. brown tingt-, is then ripe. The Indian-woman (they do not like to be called sijuaws since they have become Christians) pushes her light bark canc'> or skiff to the edge of the Rice-beds armed not with a sickle, but with a more primitive instrument -a short, thin-bladed, somewhat ciHved, wooden paddle, with which she strikes the heads of ripe grain over a stick which she holds in her other hand, directing the stroke so as to let the grain fall to the bottom of the canoe ; and thus the Wild Rice crop is reaped, to give pleasant, nourishing and satisfying '' d to her hungry fLxmily. There are many ways of preparing dislies of Indian Rice : as an ingredient for savoury soups or stews ; or with milk, sugar and spices, as puddmgs ; but the most important thing to be observed in cooking the article is steepmg the grain — pouring off the water it is steeped in and tlic first water it is boiled in, which removes any weedy taste from it. It used to be a favourite dish at many tables, but it is more difficult to obcinn now. The grain nil collected, it is winnowed in wide baskets from the chaff and weedy-matter, parched by a certain process peculiar to the Indians, and stored in mats or rough boxes made from the bark of the Birch tree — the Indian's own tree. Formerly we could buy the Inuian Rice in any of the grocery stores at 7s. 6d. per bushel, l)ut it is much more costly now, as the Indians find it more ditificult to obtain. Confined to their viHiges, they have no longer the resources that formerly helped to maintai , them. The birch-ba'^k canoe is now a thing of the past; the Wild Rice is now only a luxury in their houses ; by and by the Indians also will disappear from their log-houses and villages and be known only as a people that were, hut are not. I am not aware of any other edible grain tiiat is indigenous to Canada. The Fox-tail,. SV/rt-^w 7iri(/is, (Reauv.) indeed, has hard s.vds, but it is utilized only in some places where it abounds (to the farmer's great disgust) as food for his hogs and fowls. The marsh-growing Red-top or Herd-grass, Ai^ros/is 7 sprigs of the Hemlock Spruce. Many of the old folks still retain a liking for the teas made from the wild herbs, and use them as diet-drinks in the Spring of the year with great benefit to their healths. The light feat!iery clusters of minute white flowers of the Ceaiiothus have a charming appearance among the dark green foliage, and adorn the hills and valleys of the grassy Canadian j.'iain-lands. Where the soil is light loam the shrubs are lower, and the flowers somewhat smaller, but very abundant, and give out a faint sweet odour. In damper, more shaded spots, the flower-clusters are larger and borne on long footstalks. The leaves of the shrub are ovate, oblong, ribbed, and toothed at the edges. The root is of a deep red colour, astringent and used medicinally. The flavour of the leaves is slightly bitter and aromatic. I consider this pretty Ceanotlius to be one of the most ornamental of our native flowering shrubs, and well worthy of introduction into our gardens. Abundant clusters of delicate white flowers, that cover the bush during the months of July and August, have the appearance of the froth of new milk at a little distance. The flowers are slender, the petals hooded, spreading, on slender claws longer than the calyx, which is five- lobed, coloured like the petals. The seed-vessel is three-lobed, splitting into three parts when dry ; the seed is round, hard and berry- like. The branches and woolly stems wither and die down in Autumn, to be replaced by new shoots in the ensuing Spring. In height the shrub varies from two to five feet. Wild Smooih Gooseherry — Ribis oxyacanthoides (L). Our woods and swamps abound . with varieties of the widely diffused Gooseberry and Currant family, and though at present neg- lected and despised, they no doubt could, by proper treatment, be made valuable and serviceable to man. Of the Wild Gooseberries, there are several kinds. The best and most palatable, being the smooth skinned, small purple Gooseberry, Rihes oxyacanthoides ; this is the least thorny ol the Genus, and by cultivation, can be rendered a nice and serviceable fruit for preserving and other table uses. ii6 FLOWER IXG SHRUBS. It grows in low ground or on the borders of beaver meadows and damp thickets, and seems to be found in every part of the Dominion. The bush is low, not more than three to four feet, or less, with not very prickly stems, and smooth berries, generally in pairs ; the calyx of the flower purplish, and fruit when ripe of a dark purple colour ; leaves, smooth and shining, and pale beneath. Thornherry — Prickly Goosei!errv — Ribes Cynosbati, (L.) The fruit of this Wild Gooseberry is perfectly rough and spiny, and troublesome to gather, but in old times, was sought for by the sclllers in the backwoods as a welcome addition to their scanty fare. By scalding and rubbing the berries in a coarse cloth, much of the roughness was removed ; in its green state the berries were used in the form of pies and puddings, or, when softened, mixed with sugar and milk. ^Vhen ripe, it was made into preserves, but the harshness of the bristly skin was not very easily overcome, especially if the fruit was over-ripe. Still it was one of the cheap luxuries that found a welcome place at the shanty table. This is a tall bush from 4 to 6 feet in height, which grows in dry rocky woods, and bears a profusion of greenish bells, from one to three on each slender pedicel, in the month of May. Another of our native Gooseberries is not so wholesome nor so useful ; this is the Small Swamp Goosei!Errv. — Ribes lacustre, (Poir.) Very pretty in flower, but very bristly, and the fruit small, not larger than peas, in slender racemes, of a pale red-colour, and unpleasant flavour. The blossoms are pink and hang in graceful bunches on the weak and very prickly branches. This small bristly species resembles the Trailing Hairy Ox'scblk^-v.— Ribes prostratum, (L'Her.) This is the least desirable of the Currant family — being far from wholesome. The whole plant is weak and reclining on the ground often rooting from the joints. The leaves are rather large, smooth and 5 to 7 lobed. The small, round, very pale red berries are hairy, glandular, and of a very unpleasant taste and odour. I have known persons made very ill by eating tarts made of the Hairy Currants.. It is easily distinguished by its trailing habit and hairy berries, and erect racemes of flowers. I have found it cliiefly growing in low lands and thickets, near swamps. A larger bush and of common occurence, in swampy ground, is the ' i -i FL O WE RING SIIR I 'ns. Wild Black Currant. — R. floridiim, (I-.) 117 When in blossom this Wild Black Currant is an ornamental object. The flowers, of a pale greenish-yellow, are larger than the common garden species, and droop in long, graceful flowery racemes from the branches. The leaves are of a greyish-green, sharply lobed ; the bark grey and smooth ; berries very dark red, deepening when ripe to blackish- purple ; they are large and somewhat pear-shaped, in flavour not unlike the garden fruit. I should think it possessed of a na,i-cotic quality ; certainly it is not very agreeable, though some people like it, and it is extensively used as a preserve. The bush takes kindly to cultivation but is, I think, more ornamental than useful. Wii.n Red Currant. — Ribes riibrum, (L.) Is said to be identical with our cultivated (iarden Currant. In its wild state the fruit is small, very acid, and not unpalatable or unwholesom.e, but has a flavour of the astringent bark. This woody taste is common to many of our fruits in their natural state, but seems to be much reduced by v,are and cultivation. JuNK-i?ERRV — Shaij-hush. — Amelaiickicr Canadensis, (T. & Ci.) The June-berries are not only very ornamental shrubs but their fruit is very pleasant and wholesome, especially when mixed with acid berries, such as Currants and Cherries. The tallest of the Genus is the Shad-hush, which is so called from the flowers appearing when the Shad-flies first rise from the water in the month of May. The elegant white flowers of this pretty tree (for it rises to the height of twenty feet) adorn the banks of our rivers and lakes and enliven the surrounding woods, breaking the monotony of their verdure by the contrast of its snow-white pendent buds and blossoms. The branches of the Shad-bush are somewhat straggling ; the leaves of a bluish-green, ovate and serrated, white underneath ; the fruit of a dark red, sweet and pleasant. This tree loves gravelly banks, and may usually be found near rivers. It is the tallest of the June-berries ; it thrives well under garden culture and is a pretty object when in flower, but not so much so as the next variety, Amelauchier Canadensis, var. oblongifolia which is a tall, upright, slenderly-branched pyramidal bush, rarely exeeding twelve or fifteen feet in height ; it is very symmetrical in its growth, forming a fine compact pyramid, covered early in the month of May with an abundance of drooping racemes of elegant white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink ; the l)lossoms come somewhat before the tender silken leaf-buds unfold. The foliage is delicately and sharply Ki'Hl'' i.u ii8 FL WE R INC SHRl 'BS. cut at the margins of the thin, ovate, oblong leaves, which are soft, silky and folded together ; at first they are of a reddish-bronze, but they take a bright tint of green when more mature. The flowers are on slender foot-stalks, petals narrow and wavy. The calyx remains persistent, as in the Pear and Apple. The fruit of this pretty June- berry is small ; when ripe it is of a pink or rose colour ; sweet and juicy but somewhat insipid ; not so nice as another f©rm which is known in some places by the name of Sheep-berry. This forms a handsome bush about ten feet high, the flower and fruit larger than the former, the berries dark red, almost purple ^-hen ripe in July, with a pleasant nutty flavour. Open thickets on the sides of ravines on the Rice Lake plains were favourite localities for the Sheep-berry. Another dwarf June-berry, not more than five or six feet high or less, grows in the sandy flats on these same plains. This is a pretty low shrub with green- ish-white racemes of flowers and oval leaves, fruit dark purplish-red, sweet but the berries are small, not larger than currants; the bark of thebranchlets of this little June-berry, is dark red, and the leaves are very downy underneath, the fruit is ripe in July and August about the same time as the Huckleberries. ivwARF Cherry — Sand Cherry. — Primus puiiiila (L;. The Dwarf Cherry, more commonly known as Sand Cherry, is chiefly found on light, sandy lands ; it is a low, bushy shrub, from eighteen inches to two feet in height : the slender branches are inclined to trail upon the ground, sometimes rooting ; the centre stem is more Upright. This little cherry has a pretty aijpearance when covered with the clusters of small, white, almond-scented blossoms, which on short slender foot stalks spring, in twos or fours, from the base of the small pale-green leaves that clothe the reddish-barked branches ; the fruit, not exceeding the size of a common pea, is purplish-red, without bloom on the surface. The Sand Cherry abounds on light plain-lands ; it is the smallest of the wild Cherries, and is far more palatable than the fruit of some of the larger trees of the Genus. In flavour it partakes more of the nature of the Damson or Plum. Possibly under cultivation the fruit might be greatly improved in size and quality : and the plant is so pretty an object, whether in flower or fruit, that it would repay the trouble of cultivation in the garden as an ornamental dwarf shrub. So eagerly is the fruit sought for by the Pigeons and Partridges, that it is difficult to obtain any quantity even in its most favoured localities. Choke-Cherry. — Prunus Virgitiiana (L). Very tempting to the eye is the dark-crimson, semi-transparent fruit, when fully ripe, of the Choke-Cherry, and not unpalatable, but so FLOWERING SHRUBS. 119 very astringent that it causes a painful contraction of the throat if many berries are eaten at one time, though some ])ersons are not much affected by them, and will take them freely without any ill consequences. The bush is from eight to ten feet high, flowering abundantly and forming a pretty object from the profusion of long, graceful, pendulous racemes of greenish-white flowers which have an almond-like scent when fully blown. The leaves also have a pleasant, aromatic, bitter flavour like those of the Peach and Almond, and form a good flavouring, resembling Ratafia ; when boiled in milk for puddings and custards one or two are sufficient, and may be removed when the milk has boiled. This flavouring is harmless and pleasant, and easily obtained. The Choke-Cherry never reaches to the dignity ot a tree like the Wild Black and Wild Red Cherry oi che woods, but forms a pretty flowery shrub of straggling growth. It blossoms in June and ripens the fruit in August. In both stages, of flower and fruit, it is very ornamental, and may be introduced with advantage to the shrubbery — but so tempting are the ripe berries to the smaller fruit-loving birds that it is soon stripped of its rich crimson load of pendent fruit. The Cedar or Cherry-Birds are sure to find out the bush and visit it in flocks till they strip it entirely, leaving the ground below strewed with the berries that have been shaken off : possibly the Ground .Squirrels and Field-mice thus come in for a share of the spoils. Pricki-V k^n. — Xaiit/wxyliim Amencaiutm^ (Mill.) This is a handsome shrub with glossy pinnate leaves, the valuable qualities of which are hardly sufficiently known and appreciated by those who know it only for its ornamental appearance, when the crimson cases that envelop the black shining seeds appear in clusters between the bright green leaves. The leaflets are in five pairs, with one terminal, from an inch to two inches in length, serrated at the edges, pointed, of a lively bright green, very glossy on the surface. The stem and branches straight, covered with whitish grey bark ; the branches set with stout woody prickles, which also extend along the mid-rib on the underside of the leaves. The flowers are yellowish green, in close set clusters, appearing before the leaves. The fruit is a round, hard, shining bead- like berry, on a little thready stalk, two in each pod, at first a bronzed green, deepening to deep crimson when ripe, opening and shewing the dark glossy seeds. The whole ))lant is highly aromatic, especially the cases that enclose the seeds, which, when rubbed between the fingers, emit a strong pungent odour, like the scent of Orange-peel. The root, bark, leaves, and fruit, are bitter, pungent and aromatic. The root and bark are used in dyeing yellow : they are also used medicinally in extract for Agues and Intermittent Fevers. v^£iMmii>i:H^i-m^ i :! mi» FL WEKL \ Y; .V//A' 1 7!S. 'J'liough its most usual locality is on the banks of streams and in low wettish ground, it will also thrive and increase rapidl)- on dry soil, and on account of its stout woody stem it seems well suited for hedges. Tlie Prickly Ash will grow both from seed and by shoots sent up from the roots. The fruit is ripe in .\ugust and .September. The dry seed- pods are in great retiuest by smokers, who mix them with tobacco and regard the fine spicy scent as a great luxury when they can obtain the berries from the Indians. The following valuable remarks on the medicinal uses of this interesting shrul) were copied^for me by my late much-valued friend, Dr. Low, of Bowmanville, from the Journal of Materia Medica, No. XII., December 1859, by Dr. Charles Lee, on the Medicinal Plants of North America : — " The ' Prickly Ash ' is known also'^by the name of 'Yellow-wood.' The bark contains a fixed volatile oil, resinous colouring matter ; gum and a crystalizable substance. The berries contain a large amount of oil, one pound yielding four fli.M ounces when treated with alcoholic ether. The Prickly Ash is employed as a remedy for affections of the spine, marrow, and vascular system. The active properties consist of an ethereal oil, like oil of turpentine, it is decidedly stimulant in languid cases of the nervous system. '• In Asiatic cholera, during the years 1848-50, it was used with great success by American physicians in Cincinnati ; it acted like electricity, so sudden and diffusive was the effect on the system. " In the vSummer complaint of young children it is also used with great success. The following is an excellent receipt for that disease among children : — " Rhubarb root, Colombo, Cinnamon — of each i drachm : Prickly Ash Berries, 3 drachms : Cood Brandy, half a pint. Add the bruised articles to the brandy, shaking them for three or four days occasionally. The dose for a child of two years old is a teaspoonful thrice a day in sweetened water. Where any swelling of the body is apparent, equal parts of the tincture of Prickly Ash Berries and Olive Oil is of great use rubbed in over the abdomen. In typhus and typhoid fevers, the value of this tincture is very great. A teaspoonful diluted with water may be given, in cases of great depression and prostration, everv twenty minutes ; it is also used most successfully in chronic rheumatism." I make no apology for introducing the above, thinking it may prove a valuable receipt. Another of our lovely creeping forest evergreens is the FLOWERliXG SHRUBS. 121 Cri:i;i'ix(; Snosv-hkrrv. — Chio^eiu's liiipidula, (T. & (1.) This interesting little plant forms beds in the sijongy soil of the damp cedar swamjjs, spreading its matted trailing branchlets over the mossy trunks of fallen trees. The foliage is dark green — very small— and myrtle-like in texture, hard and glossy. The flowers, which are solilary in the axils of the leaves, are not very showy ; they are bell- shaped and four-cleft at the margin, greenish-white in colour. The berry is pure white and waxy, and lying on the deep green mat of tiny evergreen leaves, has a charming eflect. C/iiogencs liispidida belongs to the Heath family, and grows in cool peat bogs and mossy mountain woods, in the shade of evergreens ; the whole i)lant has the aromatic flavour of the Teaberry or Aromatic Winter-green, Gaultlieria prociDiibens. HuCKI.KIiKRRIKS — BlA'KHERRIES. Several varieties of this useful and agreeable fruit are spread all over the country, even to the farthest Northern and Eastern portions ot the now widely extended Dominion. Many of the species are hardy, and will bear the severity of almost Polar cold, and will flourish in the poorest soil. The commonest to be met with are the large Blueberries, Vacdiiiuiii Fi'intsylvaiiiciiin, l^. Cana dense and V. coryinbosiDii, which abound in the Oak-openings, in swamps, and on the stony islands of our back lakes. Dwarf Bi.UEiiERRV — Vacciiiiiiiii Peiinsylvanicum, (Lam.) Is the earliest to ripen its large sweet berries. The flowers, which are delicate waxy bells, appear early in May, and are with the young leaves pinkish in colour. The leaves are lanceolate with serrated margins, smooth and shining on both sides. The berry is ri|)e early in July, and is the earliest Blueberry brought to the market. This is a low bush, one to two feet high, found growing in woods and on the borders of swamps. C.\NADA Bluederrv. — Vacciniiaii Ca/iade/ise, (Kalm) Is a low shrub with downy branches and leaves, very similar to the above, but generally smaller, and with shorter greenish flowers, striped with red ; the leaves are not serrated at the margin, and the fruit is not quite so early. It generally grows in damper situations. Swamp Bi.ueherrv. — I'acciniuiii corynibosHiii, (L.) This is a large handsome shrub, five to eight feet high, found in many varieties growing in swamps. The corolla is larger than either of (.:. m 133 FLOWERING SHRUBS. the above and of a purer white. The leaves ovate and entire, and slightly pubescent. The rich berries begin to ripen in August, and are the latest of the season. These pretty shrubs, loaded with their luscious berries, may be found on all dry open places. The poor Indian squaw fills her bark baskets with the fruit and brings them to the villages to trade for flour, tea, and calico, while social parties of the settlers used to go forth annually to gather the fruit - pr'^F' ig, or for the pleasure of spending a long Summer's day an' -nv romantic hills and valleys; roaming in unrestrained freedoii; a.rsi.ji .» wild flowers that are scattered in rich profusion over those i, . trails if land, where these useful berries grow. These rural parties would sometimes muster to the extent of fifty or even an hundred individuals, furnished with provisions and all the appliances for an extended pic-nic. Many years ago, when the beautiful Rice Lake Plains lay an uncultivated wilderness of wild fruits and flowers shaded by noble, wide spreading Oaks, silver Birches and feathery Pines, an event occurred that excited great interest in the neighbourhood, and for miles around, the excitement even penetrating to distant settlements on the Otonabee, then the border-land of civilization, North of the Great Lakes. It was in the month of July, 1837, that a large party of friends and neighbours near Port Hope agreed to make a pic-nic party, to gather Huckleberries and pass a jileasant ISummer day on the Rice l>ake Plains. They made a large gathering in waggons and buggies and on horseback. Among the children belonging to the party was a little girl about seven years of age, a bright, engaging child, By some accident this little one got separated from her family among the bushes, and they, supposing that she had gone forward with some of their near neighbours and friends, started for home, feeling no uneasiness until it was discovered that little Jane was not among the returned party, and that no trace pf her could be found. Then came the stunning conviction that the child was lost — left alone to wander over that pathless wilderness in darkness and solitude, perhaps to fall an unresisting prey to the Bear or the Wolf, both of which animals at that distant period roamed the hills and ravines of those plains in numbers, unchecked by the rifle of the sportsman or the gun of the Indian hunter. A few cleared spots there were : but these were miles apart, and it was not likely that the timid child would find her way to any of the distant shanties, so that no reasonable hope of the child finding shelter FLOWERING SHRUBS, i»3 for the night could be entertained. Under so sad a loss, the distress of the bereaved parents may easily be imagined. Their agonizing suspense, their hopes and their fears, found a ready response in every kind and feeling heart. No sooner was it known that a young child was lost, than hundreds of persons interested themselves in the discovery and restoration of little Jane Ayre. The people came from their farms ; they poured out from towns and villages, from the borders of the forest ; wherever the tale was told came men in waggons, on horseback, and on foot, to scour the plains in every direction. The Indians, under their Chief, I'ondash, came under promise of a liberal reward if they found the child. Day after day pas? without tidings of the lost one. As night came on each party return, d, <■: 'y to say the child was not found, and hope began to fade away 'n all .i^ rts. It still lingered however in that of the father. It was now Thursday, and it was on the evening of tl:/^ previous Saturday that the little girl had been lost. The chances were indeed remote that she would he found, or if found, that she \\ Id be a living, breathing child. However, about noon on the Thursday a horseman was seen riding at full speed towards the farm, followed by a crowd that thronged the road. The lost child was f(jund ! Alive or dead ? 1'hcre was a stop, a pause, in the i^ulsation of the woe-worn heart of the mother. Could it be that after five days of famine and wandering, exposed to the rain and dews, and the sun's hot rays, that she should behold her child alive once more ? Yes, it was even so, and He who tempers the rough wind to the shorn lamb and shelters the unfledged nestling of the wild birds, had been her guard by night from the wild beasts and her shield by day from the elements. No harm had befallen the young wanderer, save what naturally arose from exhaustion and fear in her unusual position. Each night she had lain down, and, sheltered by a fallen Pine tree, had slept as soundly as if on her own little bed at home. The first night a drenching thunder-shower had wetted her clothes, and she had lost her shoes in the grass and she had not cared to seek for them ; her face was much sunburnt, and she said each day she had heard voices in the distance, but her fear of strangers, and especially of Indians, had made her conceal herself One thing was remarkable — hope and trust in her father had never deserted her young heart. She said, she knew that he would never cease to look for her till she was found. It was with the hope of seeing that dear face that she came ■j'^ ' 124 FLOWERING SI INC US. Irom her hiding place and stood ui)on thu log and looked about her, and was fortunately discovered by one of the searchers whom she knew by sight -and then what a cry of joy arose, such as those wild plains had never echoed before, "The Child I The Child !"— it reached the father's ears, though distant far from the spot, and he scarcely believed yet, for joy, till she was placed warm and breathing in his arms. The crowd instinctively drew back for a space and left the father and child clasped in each other's arms. Many a manly cheek was wet that day when they saw the childish face, thin and wan as it was, nestling in the father's arms, her thin browned hands clasped about his neck as if no power on earth should, part them again. Surely the father might have cried out in the fulness of his heart " Rejoice with me, my friends, for this my lamb was lost and is found !" Years have passed away, and little Jane has long been a wife and happy mother, and no doubt has often told her children the tale of her being lost on the Rice Lake Plains, and pointed them to the gracious Father in Heaven, who kept her under the shadow of His wing during those days of danger, fear, and famine. The plains are now cultivated in every direction: the Huckleberries are fast disappearing and will have to be sought for elsewhere. P'rost (JRAi'E — Viiis cordi/olia, (Mx.) Those deep, embowering masses of foliage : those verdant draperies that fall in such graceful, leafy curtains from branch to branch, roofing the dark shady recesses of our wooded lakes and river banks : those light feathery-clustered blossoms that hover like a misty cloud above the leafy mass, giving out a tender perfume as the breeze passes over them — like sweet Mignonette — those are our native vines, our Wild Grapes. Von tall dead tree, that stands above the river's brink, is wreathed with a dense mantle of foliage not its own. The changing hues of the leaves, the deep purplish clusters of fruit, now partially seen, now hidden from the view, have given a life and beauty to that dead unsightly tree. The ambitious parasite has climbed unchecked to the very top- most branch, and now flings down its luxuriant arms, vainly endeavouring to clasp some distant bough ; but no, the distance is beyond its reach, and it must once more bend earthward or in lieu of better support, entwine its flexile tendrils in a tangled network of twisted sprays, leaf-stalks, and embowering leaves and fruit. The fruit of the Frost-grape — our Northern grape-vine — ^is small. The berries, round blue or black with little or no bloom, very acid, but FLOWER I. \G SHRUBS, US edible when touched by the frost, and ( an be manufactured into a fine jelly and good wine of a deep colour and high flavour. \Vhole i'ilands in the Trent and Rice Lake are covered with a growth of this native drape. 'I'here is not a lake in Canada but has its " (Irape Island," and many persons cultivate the i)lants about their dwellings over light trellis work, under which circumstances they will yield an abundance of fruit. It is also very useful to conceal unsightly objects, as out-houses An old pine stump can be converted into an ornamental object, by nailing cedar poles — fastened at the top—round it, and planting grape-vines around it, having first prepared a bed of good earth and large stones, to bank the lower jjart ; a few plants of the Wild Clematis intermixed with the Crajje-vine and a sprinkling of Morning (llories, make a lovely i)yrainid and convert a defect into a charming object, during many months of the year. The Wild Grape seems to flourish best, in its natural state, near the water, but will grow and flourish well in gardens where it is given the support of a trellis or in any suitable position where it can climb. I have even seen a dead tree si)eiially planted for such a purpose. Fox Gr.M'K — Vites Lal>rusca, (L.) This is the original of the cultivated Isabella Crape, which has long been introduced into our gardens and vineries as worthy of the attention of fruit-growers. The leaves of this species are very densely woolly, covered, esi)ecially when young, with tawny, silky hairs ; the fruit is of a dark purple, of a musky flavour, whence its common name. Fox Crape. This Wild Grape is found on the shores of Lake Erie, and to the Westward. From the improvement made by cultivation, in the size and ijuality of the Wild Fox Crape, we may perceive how much might possibly be done with others of our wild fruits, which, when introduced into our gardens would have the advantage of hardiness in bearing the severity of our climate, beyond that of exotics. It seems reasonable to suppose that plants that are indigenous to a country, could, by due care, be brought \.o a state of higher perfection than when under a foreign sun and soil, and that the culture of wild plants would amply repay the cultivator. Attempts of this kind are rarely made or persevered in, so that the result is not often satisfactory : either the process is thought to be too slow, or we despise as common, that which is within our reach, valuing that which is more costly above what is easily obtained ; whilst we eagerly spend our money to obtain a foreign species, which may possibly have been originilly taken from ■ff-^ *l! 1,; , II ft6 FLOWER IXC, SIIKIHS. our native woods and wilds to a forcinn country, there cherished and cared for, im|)rovcd by cultivation, and returned to us increased in value. It would greatly enhance the pleasure of cultivation if we were ourselves, ahle to show native llowers and shrubs and fruits, rendered equal to the imported kinds by our own ( ulturc. We might comiiare these wild i)lants to the neglet ted < liiidren of our poorest (lasses. In the degradation arising from their uncared for state they become as moral weeds in the great garden of life, neglected and passed by, left to run wild, and shunned ; but remove these cliildren to a more genial atmosphere ; let them be taught the value of their souls, for which so great a price was i)aid by their Redeemer ; let them lie clothed and fed, and cared for, made to feel that they are not desjiised in the eyes of their fellow men : then their useful (lualities brought into action, and their vices and evil passions controlled, like the wild plants, they will rise in value, and beauty, and usefulness, becoming precious trees bearing fruit to the glory of Almighty (lod sought out and desired of all men. Who will cultivate and imjirove this garden of human growth ? Must it continue a wilderness, rank and injurious, full of deadly jioisons and unripe, crude and bitter fruits ; while within it, choked and hidden from view, are the germs of usefulness, beauty, and hajipiness, that only re(iuire the better soil, the fostering care, and gladdening sunshine of christian love and kindness, to make them what their Creator would have them all to be ? Truly " the harvest is great but the husbandmen are few." Allusions to the grape-vine and vineyards are of freciuent occurrence in Scripture. Many and beautiful are the passages where the ancient church is symbolized by the poetical figures of the vine and the vine- yard. How touching is the appeal made by the projihet to the rebel- lious and idolatrous people in the fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah. "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and ye, men of Judah, judge 1 pray you betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes." Tieautiful are the allusions made in the song of Solomon, in his invitation to the beloved to go forth to the garden he had planted. " The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vine with the tender grapes give a good smell. Arise my love, my fair one, and come away." " Let us get up early to the vineyards ; let us see if the vines flourish, whether the tender grapes appear." Probably the culture of the vine was among the earliest labours of the husbandman, and must have been of most ancient usage, the first FLOW EN IXC, SllKUBS. 127 work enjoined by the Alminhty Creator when he jdac ed man in tlie (larden of Kden which was most likely a large and fertile tract of country already enriched with every tree, and herb, and (lower, that would prove useful for the support of life and enjoyment. Adam was instructed by his Maker to till the ^-round and dress it and keep it. This employment was ordained for health and pleasure, not for toil or weariness. 'I'his last condition aro.se when sin had marred the fair beauty of (lod's world and the sin-smitten earth no longer yielded its spontaneous fertility as in the day when sinless man first stootl in his inno( ence on the then unpolluted earth, a fearless being in the presence of a holy (lod. The vine which might have formed a delightful portion of man's food in the Kdenic garden, must from henceforh yield its luscious grapes only by care and labour. 'I'he wild vines must be jiruned and trained and kept free from noxious weeds and hurtful insects ; they were no longer the fruit of the Lord's vineyard. Who can tell but that our wild Canadian Krost and Fox Crapes may not be the degenerated seed of the wild vines of that land of the east, into which Adam and Kve weie banished. Travellers in Palestine still speak of the lu.xuriant (jrape-vines flinging their clusters of fruit and sweet-scented blossoms over the terraced stee])s of rocky ravines, filling the air with perfume ; but the vines are all wild now and uncultivated. They want the careful hand of the vine-dresser and husbandman to train them. lype of the wasted inheritance of the ancient people, and of a degenerate priesthood. Has the Christian church no careless vine-dressers ; are there no vines bringing forth wild grapes ; no briars and thorns that come up to choke the Lord's vineyard, till it becomes an unfruitful wilderness? Black Hawihorn — Pkar Thorn — CraUegus tomeritosa, (I,.) Canada has many species of Hawthorn ; but not the fragrant flowermg May of the English hedgerows, associated in the minds of Old Country people, with the pleasant Spring days and bowery lanes of theii hildhood, when, as old Herrick tells us " Maids went maying." But even now in Merrie England, the May-queen's reign is over, in spite of po( ' s' songs. Lamknt for tmk Mav-(.iiiek\. No Maiden now with glowing; brow Shall rise with early liawn, And hind her hair with chaplets rare Torn from the blossomed thorn. ,28 FLOWERING SHRUBS. No lark shall sprinc; on dewy wing Thy matin hymn to pour, No cuckoo's voice shall shout " rejoice I '' Vox thou art (^ueen no more. ISeneath thy Hower-encircled wand, No peasant trains advance ; No more they lead with sportive tread, The meiry, merry dance. The \'iolet l)looms with modest grace Beneath its crest of leaves, The Primrose shows her paly face ; Her wreaths the Woodbine weaves. The Cowslip bends her golden head, And Diisiesdeck the lea ; Hut all, no more in grove or bower. The Queen of May we"ll see. Weep, weep then virgin (^Jucen of May, Thy ancient reign is o'er ; Thy votaries now are lowly laid, And thou art (,)ueen no more. The Pear Thorn is one of the finest of our native species, it often rises to the height of froi\i fifteen to twenty feet with a stout rough- barked stem. When in flower it forms a fine ornament to our open woods and thickets, for it is not found in the depths of the forest ; but at the open edges of woods, more especially it will be found along the banks of rivers and creeks. The flowers are much larger though less delicate in scent than the English Hawthorn. The leaves are thick and tough, but smooth and shining, unequally toothed, ovate-oblong ; thorns, long sharp and slender. The white cup-shaped flowers with dark anthers grow in handsome corymbs, many-flowered on the summits of the sprays. The fruit is large, round and of a bright scarlet or orange. SCARLET-KRUITED ThORN — CratcCgUS cVCCilU'd, (L.) Is no less ornamental than the former, it also forms a fine liigh flowering bush ; the fruit is of a pleasant acid and of a fine bright scarlet, the leaves are thin, partly lobed and sharply cut at the rounded margin. This thorn grows tall and slender in close thickets and shade, but seems to prefer open ground and plenty of sunshine, when it forms a lovely small, compact, tree and flowers abundantly ; the fruit is not so large as in the last species, and is of a deeper red colour. The English White Thorn, Crafu-gus oxyacwif/ia, (L.) in some situations grows beautifully, but is ajit to dwindle and become mossy and gnarled in unsuitable places where it is neglected. Plate V. 1. I'"ai,sk Foxca.oVK {(/in/nf/d r///f/ri/ii//\i). II. I,ESSEK FoxmovK. [Gerardia pediculana). 1 "■■ ■ t 1 ■$. Ml: I I Fl. OWERIXG SlIRl 7>\9. A most perfect specimen of the English White-thorn may be seen at Port Hope on the lawn at the residence of C. Kirkhoffer, Esq., at the western side of the town ; it was in full flower when 1 saw it, and formed one of the most beautiful objects I ever saw, it was worth going miles to look upon it, and to inhale the sweetness of its abundant white blossoms. There appears to have been little attempt made to cultivate our Hawthorns as hedge plants, though one might naturally suppose that such would have been adopted in places where the difficulty and expense of obtaining rail-timber is now being sensibly felt by the farmer. The ■Cedar and Hemlock are largely used for garden enclosures. Why not try the Hawthorn also ? Smai.i. CKANnERRV — Vacciniiiiii Oxycocats (L.) There's not .t Hower Uul sliews some touch In freckle, freck or stain, Of His unriv.iUed pencil.— /Av/ww,!- There is scarcely to be found a lovelier little plant than the common Marsh Cranberry. It is of a trailing habit, creeping along the ground, rooting at every joint, and sending up little leafy upright stems, from which spring long slender thready pedicels, each terminated by a delicate peach-blossom-tinted flower, nodding on the stalk, so as to throw the narrow pointed petals upward. The leaves are small, of a dark myrtle-green, revolute at the edges, whitish beneath, unecjually distributed along the stem. The deep crimson smooth oval berries are collected by the sfjuaws and sold at a high price in the l-"all of the year. There are extensive tracts of low, sandy, swamjjy flats, m various portions of Canada, covered with a luxuriant growth of low ("ran- berries. 'I'hese spots are known as Cranberry Marshes, and are generally overflowed during the Spring ; many interesting and rare plants are found in these marshes, with Mosses and Lichens not to be found elsewhere, low evergreens of the Heath family, and some rare plants belonging to the Orchidaceiv such as the beautiful Crass Pink ( Calogogon pukhellus) and Ca/y/^so borcalis. Not only is the fruit of the low Cranberry in great esteem for tarts and preserves, but it is considered to possess valuable medicinal properties, having been long used in cancerous afifections as an outward application. 'I'he berries in their uncooked state are acid and power- fully astringent. This fruit is successfully cultivated for the market in many parts of the Northern States of America, and is said to rei)ay the cost of culture in a very profitable manner. I itiii; W*U ■.?o H.OWERINC SIlRt lis So imich in recjucst as Cranberries are for household use, it seems strange that no enterprising person has yet undertaken to supply the markets of Canada. In suitable soil the cro]) could hardly prove a failure, with care and attention to the selection of the plants at a proper season. The Cranberry belongs to one of the sub-orders of the Heath family ( Ericaccic ), nor are its delicate pink-tinted flowers less beautiful than many of the exotic i)lants of that Order, which we rear with care and pains in the greenhouse and conservatory : yet, growing in our n^'dst as it were, few persons that luxuriate in the rich preserve that is made froui the ripe fruit, have ever seen the elegant trailing-plant, with its graceful b'ossonis and myrtle-like foliage. The botanical name is of Greek origin, from oxiis, sour, and coccits, a berry. The plant thrives best in wet sandy soil and low mossy marshes. Wii,i,ow-i.EAvi;r) Mkadow-swkki'. — Spinca scilici folia, (L.) Frederic Pursh, in his North American Flora — a valuable work but little referred to — gives no less than seven different species of this (lenus Spir;ea as natives of Canada ; the description of two or three will be sufficient for the present limited work on the indigenous shrubs of this portion of the Dominion. Of the white (lowered species, Spinca S(i/itifo!i(i, the AA'illow-leaved Meadow-sweet is the most commonly met witi and is often found in gardens and shrubberies. It is a pretty, graceful shrub, with clustered feathery panicles of white or pale waxy- pink flowers, which are terminal on slender branches ; the leaves long, narrow and thin, of a pale green, serrated on the margins. Our Spinvas will not onl)- bear removal to the gfarden, but flourish luxuriantly under cultivation. The only objection to their introduction to our borders is that the)' are apt to become too intrusive, by throwing up many suckers, which have to be rooted out. A very slender variet\-, with simple wand-like stems and terminal s[)ikes (jf small white flowers, may be found growing among the cracks and fissures of the rock\ shores of Stoney Lake and its numerous islets, rooting in sterile spots among the few wild grasses that find nurture in the scanty mould that is lodged in such crevices. This delicate little shrub may be found in flower all through the hot months of July and August. The Spira-as belong to the Rose family. The popular name, Meadow-sweet, seems hardly appropriate to our pretty shrub, as it has very little fragrance. Rut this name for the whole ( lenus is taken from the beautiful and odoriferous British species, Spiraa U/iiiaria. ly met irctty, waxy- long, )ir;\.'as undor rders is ;ucker«, FI.OWEKIXG S//RIBS. 131 Hard-hack — Rose Coloured Spir.i-:a. — Spinea tomentosa, (L. ) Of the several jirctty shrubs belonging to the (!enus Spinra, which have been introduced into cultivation, none deserve a place in our gardens more decidedly than tiie above. It is a beautiful shrub, growing in wild ])rofusion in swamps and on the rocky sliores of our small inland lakes. It is about four feet Iiigh, with slender, wand-like stems that rise from a woody root-stock, clothed with dark gre>.;i, serrated, leathery leaves, which are smooth aliove, but very downy underneath. The flowers are of a fme rose-pink, in closely-flowered panicles, a little branching in the larger heads. The iiark of the stem is red, and covered with whitish down. While this elegant shrub is chiefly found near water, it seems to prefer a gravelly or rocky soil for its habitation. I'UKi'i.E Flowkkinc; Rasimiekrv. — Riibiis odoralus, (L.) In English gardens our beautiful sweet-scented Raspberry is deemed worthy of a place in the shrubberies, but in its native country it is passed by and regarded as of little worth. Yet what can be more lovely than its rose-shaped blossoms, from the deep purplish-crimson bud wrapped in its odorous mossy calyx, to the unfolded flower of various shades of deep rose and paler reddish lilac. The flowers derive their pleasant aromatic odour from the closely-set coating of short bristly glandular hairs, each one of which is tipped with a gland of reddish hue, containing a sweet-scented gum, as in the mossy envelope of the Moss-Rose of the garden. These appendages, seen by the aid of a powerful microscope, are objects of exquisite beauty, more admirable than rubies and diamonds, living gems that fill us with wonder while we gaze into their marvellous parts and glorious colours. All through the hot months of June, July and August, a succession of flowers is put forth at the ends of the branches and branchlets of our Sweet Raspberry — "An odorous chaplet of sweet summer Inuls." • The shrub is from two to five feet in height, branching from the woody perennial root-stock ; the leaves are from three to five lobed, the lobes pointed and roughly toothed. The leaves are of a dullish green, varying in size from several inches in diameter to mere bracts. The blossoms are often as large as those of the Sweet-Briar and Dog-Rose, but when first unfolded are more compact and cup-like. The fruit, which is popularly known by the name of Wild Mulberry, consists of many small red grains, somewhat dry and acid, scarcely tempting to the s J.' ^1 lit' \f '32 FL OlVK/ilXG S//A'C /y'S, palate, but not injurious in any degree. 'I'he shrub is more attractive for its flowers than its insipid fruit. We have indeed few that arc more ornamental among our native plants than this A'n/>us. Canada pos.sesses many attractive shrubs that are but little known, wiiich flourish year after year on the lonely shores of our inland lakes and marshy Beaver- meadows, unnoticed and uncared for in their solitary native haunts. Closely resembling the Purple Flowering-Raspberry, is the White I'lowering-Raspberry, A'. A^ittkoiiits, (Mocino), the chief difference being in the colour of the flowers and tlie shape of the petals, which, in the latter species, are of a lovely pure white and oval in shape. Tiie whole plant is slightly smaller and less bristly. The fruit is very similar in both s|)ecies. Wild Rkd Rasi'berk\. Kii/'us strigosiis, (Michx.) The wild Raspberry springs up spontaneously all over Canada. In the forest, in newly made clearings alter the fire has passed over the ground, on every upturned root, in the angles of the snake-fences, and on every waste and neglected spot, the Raspberry appears and takes possession of the land. Truly this useful and palatable fruit proves a blessing and a comfort in various ways to the poor, as well as a wholesome, welcome luxury to the richer inhabitants of our towns and villages. During the fruiting season the women and children are enabled to supply many household wants by the sale ot the red and black Raspberries ; even the little ones are made to contribute their small mite of labour, and may be seen in large parties going out with tins and sundry small vessels to the Raspberry grounds. Wild rugged spots that have been abandoned by the farmers ; worthless for the growth of roots and grain. He cannot look beyond and see that with Our bountiful Provide' there are no waste places. He who fed the wandering multitude with Manna in the thirsty desert, and brought forth springs of water from the flinty rock, can give fruits to satisfy the wants of his children in the Canadian wilderness. The wild berries are shared by Cod's humbler gleaners the small animals, and flocks of birds ; and even the insects all come to this table that is spread abroad for them and us ; " and sometliing gathers up all fragments and nothing is lost." The fruit of the common Red Raspberry begins to ripen early in the month of July, just about the time that the Strawberry ceases to be plentiful. The flowers are not very ornamental, whitish, but not clear white, rosaceous in form. 'J'he berry ripens very soon after the fading of the flowers. 'I'he colour of the fruit of the common Raspberry is of a light red, changuig with maturity to a dark crimson. The bush is upright — not FLon'ERl.Wi SIIRL US. '35 night red, jghl — not very prickly. 'I'hc leaves have from tliree to five leaflets, greyish or dull green, wrinkled and veiny, whitish underneath ; leallcts serrate, une ^ \r ii^ ■> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.25 ■^ lii 12.2 UUt. ■*» vg /2 % V Hiotograpiiic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) •72-4503 >^ "H \ iV <^ •>^ .v^. >.\ i\ ^^^ ^ .»* ^4^' ^ 11 ? 1 r 134 FLO WEKING SHNUBS. Kari.y Wild Rose — Rosa blanda, (Ait.) " Nor (lid I wonder at the Lilies white, Nor praise the deep verniillion of the rose." — " The kose lof)ks fair, l)ut fairer we it deem, Forihat sweet odour which in it doth live." — Shakrspean: The Early Wild Rose, Rosa Nanda, is hardly so deeply tinted as our Dwarf Wild Rose, Rosa lucida, but both possess attractions of colour and fragrance ; (jualities that have made the Rose the theme of many a poet's song. In the flowery language of the East, Beauty and the Rose seem almost to be synonymous terms. The Italian poets are full of allusions to this lovely flower, especially to the red Uamask Rose. A popular song in the days of Charles I. was that beginning with the lines — " (jather your Roses while you may. For time is still a flying. And that same flower that Idooms to-doy, To-morrow may he dying. " The leaves of Rosn blanda are pale underneath ; leaflets five to seven ; flowers blush-pink : stem not very prickly ; fruit red and round ; the bush from one to three feet in height. DwARK Wild Rose — R. liicida, (Ehrh.) Is widely diffused over Canada ; it is found on all open plain-lands, but shuns the deep shade of the forest The bark is of a bright red, and the young wood is armed with bristly prickles of a greyish colour. When growing in shade, the half-opened flowers and buds are of deep pink or carmine, but where more exposed in sunny spots, the petals fade to a pale blush-colour. This shrub becomes somewhat troublesome if encouraged in the garden, from the running roots, which send up many shoots. In its wild state the Dwarf Rose seldom exceeds three feet in height ; it is the second and older wood that bears the flowers ; the flower-bearing branches become alm.ost smooth or only remotely thorny. The leaflets vary in number from five to nine ; they are sharply serrated at the edges, and smooth on the surface ; the globular scarlet fruit is flattened at the eye and is of a jjleasant sub-acid taste. This beautiful red-barked Rose grows in great profusion on the plains above Rice Lake, clothing large tracts of hill and dale, and scenting the evening air at dew-fiill with its delicate fragrance. The Swamp Rose, Rosa Carolina^ (L.) is not uncommon ; it is often seen growing at the margins of lakes and rivers, and at the edges of stony islands ; it will climb, with the aid of supporting trees, to the FLOWEKIXG SIIRLBS. 135 height of eight and ten feet. The numerous and showy flowers are of a somewhat purplish tinge of pink and are borne in corymbs ; the leaves are whitish underneath. This rose is armed with stout hooked j)rickles below, on the old woody stem, but is smoother above ; the flowers are more clustered than in the other species. The Sweet Briar is often found growing in waste places, and in thickets near clearings — no doubt the seed has been carried thither by those unconscious husbandmen, the wild birds and the Sc^juirrels that feed upon the heps as they ripen. The leaves retain for some time their sweet fragrance, that is so delicious. There is a delicate, pale-flowered Sweet Briar Rose, Rosa inicrantfia, (Smith) having small foliage and numerous blossoms ; stems low and branching and covered with hooked prickles, which has been found growing on the high Oak-hills in the township of Rawdon ; and which, I am informed, is not uncommon in similar localities in Western Canada. Wax-work — Climbin<; Bittersweet — Celastrus scandens, (L.) This highly ornamental climber, with its clusters of conspicuous berries, is a great adornment to open woods during the late autumnal months, and indeed all through the winter, twining round the stems of slender saplings of White Birch, Cherry, Ash, and Elm, not unfreciuently clinging so closely to its supporter as to form an intimate union with the bark, its own smooth, slender stem, in serpent-like coils, forming graceful volutes round the column of the unfortunate tree which suffers from the close embrace that stops the free circulation of the sap in its upward ascent to the branches. The Climbing Bittersweet is a rapid grower, and consequently a bold enemy that takes forcible possession of any young sapling which comes within its reach ; a very Old Man of the Sea that, once fixed, no blast of wind can shake off. But while we take the liberty of railing at the unconscious intruder, we must not omit to dwell upon its good qualities. Its brilliant scarlet arils (coverings of the seeds) and orange fruit that in profusion ornament the tree about which it twines, enliven the dull woods at a season when bright tints have ceased to charm the eye, and all the glories of Maple, Cherry, Birch, Ash and Beech lie mouldering on the ground at our feet, we may then look upwards to some slender silvery- barked Birch or grey Butternut and admire the gorgeous scarlet festoons that hang so gracefully among the naked, leafless branches. The plant, too, is very attractive in its spring verdure. The delicate leaves are ovate-oblong, narrowing towards the point, finely serrated, alternate ; the flowers in raceme-like clusters are yellowish-green, followed by round, smooth, berry-like pods which deepen, as the summer advances, from yellow to orange and from 136 ilo\vi:k/xg siiNUiis. , a orange to bright scarlet. When the seeds arc ripe tiie pod divides, and the segments curl hack and disclose the throe-celled thrcc-valvcd berry, which has, in each cell, one or two hard yellosv seeds, ■:overed with a thin coating of scarlet pulp which is called the aril ; this is acrid and burning to the taste. The Indians make use of the acrid juices of this i)hnt, from the inner hark of the root and the bruised berries, to compound an ointment which is stimulant and healing for old sores, chilblains, and disorders of a similar nature. In country places in Kngland, I have seen the lierrics of the Black Bryony boiled down with lard, for an application to chilblains which had a similar effect to the Indian Bitter- sweet salve. The Indians also apply this remedy to hums. The inner bark also is used as an orange dye by the natives.* There are several species belonging to this Order found in Canada ; but though very ornamental in cultivation as shrubs, none are climbing like our forest Bittersweet, or give such enduring winter ornaments to our houses. Mixed with the branches of Spruce, Hemlock, and Balsam l"ir, it forms a substitute at Christmas in our churches for the bright, glossy leaves and red berries of the English Hoily. The (Ireek name of this ornamental shrub is derived from a word meaning, — latter season, on account of the fruit remaining persistent through the winter. If the Bittersweet were planted in shrubberies, or among trees in plantations, it would become an enduring ornament and enliven the dulness of our Canadian landscape with its bright colours, during the long months of winter. LAHRADOR-Tr;A. — Ledum huifolitim, (Ait.) This is another of our medicinal shrubs, and was held in great repute among the lumbermen and the old backwoodsmen for its sanatory qualities, as a strengthener and purifier of the blood, and as being good for the .system in various inward complaints. Some of the old settlers used a decoction of the leaves as a substitute for tea, approving of the resinous aromatic flavour. I was induced to try t..e beverage, but did not find it to my taste, though it was on the whole preferable to Hem- lock tea, another favourite beverage among backwoodsmen. As a medicine no doubt it deserves the commendations bestowed upon it. Though I did not care for the decoction of the leaves, I was charmed with the beauty of the plai'.t, when I first saw it growing on the banks of one of the lakes north of Peterborough. The whole aspect of this remarkable shrub is most interesting. In height it varies from two to I • Till" noiiui Hittoi-swci'l is tiikcn fii)iii tlic (imei'ful EiiKlish I'liiiiliiT SnlmiuM iliilfitmari I..), fiiiiii n I'liii'io.l ii'scmbliince iK'twi'cU tlie two |ilaiit«. Tin- Kiijjlisli Bittei'HWct't is sninrtimi.'* Diinil In Cnimilii uli thr IninliM's of swainps mid ill low WihxIh, liiit is an iiitrtiilint'il [ilalit. 'reat FLOWERING SHRUBS. I3T four feet, it is bushy in habit, but somewhat open and spreading ; the leaves are lanceolate, entire, very decidedly revo.ute at the margins, and clothed with a dense rust-coloured woolly felt beneath. The leaves are of a thick leathery texture, and dull brownish-green colour. The flowers are white, forming elegant umbel-like clusters at the summits of the slender sprays. As the heads of flowers are very abundant, this shrub forms a striking object, when seen growing in numbers, along the banks of lakes or in low flats, for it will flourish both on wet and dry situations, nor does it refuse to flower when brought into garden culture. It is a very ornamental object, deserving to be better known than at present seems to be the case. The leaves when bruised emit an agreeable resinous aromatic odour. The roots of the Labrador-Tea are wiry and covered with a bitter astringent bark. Professor I.indley also mentions, in his Natural System of liotany, the astringent qualities of another member of the family Ledum palustre, (L. ), a slightly smaller shrub vith narrower leaves and oval instead of oblong pods ; the stamens too are uniformly ten instead of five and seven as in this species. Z. palustre is found in the north of Europe and also in the far north in Canada. Wild Roskmarv. — Andromeda polifolia^ (L.) is another of our native shrubs which grows in peat bogs, and on the swampy margins of lakes, associated with Labrador Tea, the Pitcher Plant and the elegant Low bush Cranberry. The stems are from three to eighteen inches in height, and bear on the summits of the branches of the previous year the light purplish flowers, which are three to eight in number, on rather long pedicels and drooping in a one-sided raceme- the stamens are ten in number and remain persistent on the dry berry- like capsule. The leaves are shining green above, glaucous-white beneath and have the margins so strongly revolute as to appear almost linear. This plant is said to have astringent and narcotic properties, and to give into.xicating qualities to liquids in which it is infused. Silky Cornel— Kinnikinnic.—C(?/*«w5 sericea, (L.) This species is the true Kinnikinnic of the Indians of Central Canada, the leaves and bark of which they use in the place of tobacco, or mixed with it. I have been told it is of an intoxicating quality. The bark is also used as a tonic and febrifuge. The berries are pale blue ; the flowers form flat cymes, and are greenish- white, the young bark is purplish. The bush grows to the height of eight to ten feet, in low damp rich ground forming dense thickets. There is a fine white silky fibre in the leaves, which may 4' ' . 1. s 138 FLOWERhVG SHRUBS, be seen by breaking the mid-rib across. The thread is as fine and as frail as the delicate web with which some spiders envelop their eggs — too fine to be turned to any use. The silken thread is not confined to this species alone, it exists in many other trees and plants. In the nerves of several of the Dogwoods it is seen (juite as conspicuously as in C. sericea. Panicukd or Privet-leaved Cornel. — Cornus paniculaUi, (L'Her.) This is a very pretty species of Dogwood, found abundantly on the Rice I^ke Plains, on the high dry hills between the hamlets of Harwood and Gore's Landing. The bush is not more than four or five feet high, with light branching sprays. The pretty white flowers are borne in convex cymes or sometimes in panicles and are followed by snow-white berries. The foliage is dark-green, often with a purplish-bronze tint ; the leaves are long and narrow ; the nerves, whitish, and the light veining distinctly marked ; the surface of the leaf is very smooth, but iiardly shining. This pretty shrub would be well worthy of being introduced into our shrubberies. There are many other species of Dogwood which are common to our swamps and thickets, some reaching to the height of small trees> as the Flowering Dogwood, C. florida, which is held in great esteem in the United States, for certain medicinal qualities ; it has been used as a substitute for Peruvian bark in low fevers. The Indians are said to extract a red dye from the roots. The fruit of the Flowering Dogwood is scarlet : the flowers, with their showy creamy-white involucres, three inches across, are very handsome, and are produced abundantly in the month of June. This very handsome shrub grows in Western Canada, where it sometimes becomes a tree and reaches to the height of twenty or thirty feet. A great contrast is this stately species to the dwarf herbaceous creeping plant of our woods, Cornus Canadensis. Red-Osier Dogwood. — Cornus stoloni/era, (Michx.) There are few of the native species of Cornel that are more ornamental than the Red-Osier Dogwood ; the bright, crimson wand- like branches of which, even when stripped of their foliage, are an enduring ornament Their rosy shadows mirrored on the surface of the smooth waters of lake or forest streiim, enliven the landscape and delight the eye, when the beauty of the foliage of the surrounding trees and shrubs has been swept away before the autumnal frosts and wintry winds. In Spring, and early Summer, the white, fragrant flowers, in crowded • flat heads, adorn the low shores. Later in the Fall, the blue berries on FLOWERING SHRUBS. 139 the bright red sprays are hardly less attractive. The fruit is unpalatable for man, but is eaten by some of the water-fowl that have their haunts in the lakes and inland waters. This species is the Kinnik'.nnic of the western and prairie Indians. Partriikik-hkrrv — TR.MiJNt; WiNTER-GREKN. — Mitchellii repens, (L.) Another of our pretty red -berried creeping forest-plants, is the Partridge-berry ; the flexile branchlets of this little plant spreading from the joints of the trailing stem, form a mat of dark green foliage, covering iinsightly patches of decaying wood, roots, and stones with many a graceful wreath, as if Nature kindly placed them there to veil the rugged ground with grace and beauty, in the same way as the green Ivy clothes and adorns the mouldering ruin with its enduring verdure. Each slender leafy spray of our pretty Winter-green is terminated by tubular, star-shaped, twin blossoms, which are divided at the margin into five sharply pointed segments ; white, sometimes slightly tinged with pink. The ovaries are united at the base of the flowers, and form one double-eyed round berry for each pair of flowers ; the interior of the flower-tube is hairy. The scent is sweet, faintly resembling that of the White Jessamine. The berries remain persistent a!l through the Winter. They ripen to brilliant scarlet in the Autumn, and so continue till the return of Spring. Thus we may find fresh flowers, newly set fruit and the ripe berries all on the same plant. The small round leaves are veined with white, which gives a variegated look to their dark green surface. The berries are mealy and insipid, but are eaten by the Indian- women and children as a dainty. These berries form food for the Wood-Grouse, our Canadian Partridge, and for the Woodchuck and other small quadrupeds that have their haunts in our forests and cedar- swamps. The elegant wreaths of dark variegated leaves and scarlet berries are sometimes used by Canadian girls as ornaments for their hair ; and I have seen white muslin evening dresses, trimmed with the sprays of this pretty evergreen, which had a charming effect, besides showing good taste and economy combined, in the fair wearers. High-bush Craniierrv — American Guelder-Rose — Viburnum Opulus, (L.) This fine shrub, with its large, loose cyme of white flowers, makes a goodly show during the month of June, mingling its snowy blossoms with the surrounding foliage of dark evergreens on the wooded banks of forest streams, and along the low shores of inland lakes and islands. i t 1 ji 140 FLOWEKIXG SUKVRS. Not less attractive is it, when the full bunches of oval berries begin to ripen, first turning to amber, then brilliant orange-scarlet, and lastly, when touched by the frosts of Autumn, to a transparent crimson. All through the winter you may see the bright ruby fruit u|)on the bushes, among the snow-clad branches, sometimes encased in crystal ice and magnified by the magic touch of hoar frost ; nor is the fruit of the High- bush Cranberry altogether useless to the Canadian housekeeper. An excellent jelly is often made from the acid juice and (uilp of the ripe fruit, when strained from the flat bony seeds, and boiled w'lh sugar ; and though somewhat astringent, it forms an excellent sauce for roasted mutton or venison, and is useful as a fever drink mixed with water. , As a garden shrub this Viburnum is considered very ornamental, from its abundance of flowers and beautiful fruit. It is no other Mian the fertile plant of the American (luelder Rose. The cultivated Snow- ball Tree of our gardens is the same species, in which the fertile flowers have been sujipressed and the showy sterile ones, which only appear in sniill numbers round the edge of the cyme in the wild plant, greatly increased in number by the skill of the horticulturist. The /'. Opultis is also indigenous to England ; and I remember finding the same flowering bush on the banks of a lonely pond in Reydon Wood, Suffolk, and recognized the High-bush Cranberry on the shores of the Otonabee River from its likeness to the shrub that had attracted my notice in my woodland rambles in England. The foliage of the High-bush Cranberry takes a bronzed-purple hue, turning to a deep crimson in the Autumn. The leaves are large, three-lobed and pointed. The flowers are borne on widesjjreading peduncled cymes, having the central flowers very small but fertile ; the marginal ones are imperfect, being destitute of both stamens and pistils, but the corollas are disproportionately large and give the beauty to the flower clusters of this fine shrub. The name Cranberry has been improperly applied to Viburnum Opulus, as it has no affinity with the low creeping Marsh Cranberry that most elegant and charming little plant, with its delicate graceful flowers, myrtle-like leaves, and pear-shaped ruby-coloured fruit. Those persons who use the fruit as a preserve know little of the exquisite beauty of the plant itself. To be admired, it should be seen in its native haunts growing among the soft jjeat-mosses of our marshes and bogs. The wreaths of fine dark foliage, bearing the delicate pink waxy flowers on slender thready foot-stalks, and the large berries in every stage of progress— green, yellow, deep red and purplish led, resting upon the grey lichens and lovely cream-coloured peat mosses — produce an effect worth looking at. FLOWKKING SUKIRS. 141 [uisite in its :s and waxy every esting oduce The name of the (Icnus is supposed to be derived from the Latin word r .';v, to tie, on account of the flexibility of the branc hes of sonie of the s|)ecies. 'I'he word \'ibunia^ in the plural, seems to have been applied by the ancients to al' plants which were used for tying. HoiiHi.K-iiLsH — Viburnum lantanoiJes, ( Michx). 'I'his shrub would apjiear to be ty|)ical of the denus, for the branches twine and twist most irregularly, and the lower ones are i)rocun)bent, often taking root where they touch the ground, whence the popular name. The flowers of this species somewhat resemble the last ; but are more cream-coloured, and appear earlier. 'f'he large hand- some leaves are round ovate, heart-shaped at the base, and, together with the young branchlets, are covered underneath on the veins and veinlets with tufts of brown down. The ovoid fruit is crimson, turning blackish, and although edible is not very pleasant. MAPLK-MiAvto DocKMACKiE — Vibumum accii/oliuiii, (1.). is a low pretty shrub, not uncommon in open thickets and damp woods. The flowers are n.ore delicate and not so conspicuous as those of the preceding ; but it would make a i)retty border shrub, bearing some resemblance to the Laurestinus, with which it has been compared ; the foliage, however, is very unlike, being of a light-green colour, veiny, and lobed, coarsly-toothed and slightly downy underneath. The fruit is dark purple, or black, hard and flat, not edible. 'I'here is a larger species which is known as the Larger Dockniackie or Indian Arrow-wood, V. dentatum (L.) The Indians used the long, straight, wand-like branches of this shrub, when seasoned by the smoke of the wigwam, for the shafts of their arrows ; but since they have been able to obtain rifles, the flint arrow-heads have fallen into disuse, and are found no more in the Indian wigwam. This primitive weapon (formidable it must have been) is found only on old battle-fields, or by chance the settler picks up one in turning the soil on his new burnt fallow, wonders at the curious shaped flint, and perhaps brings it home ; but more likely casts it away. It is a type of the uncared-for race, whose forefathers shaped the stone with infinite care and pains. There is another Viburnum, ShEEP-DERRV — SWEET-HERRV, V. ''.sfitago, (L) This species is found in rocky ravines, and on the sides of dry hills. The fruit is sweet and pleasant, and when cooked with the addition of red Currants, forms a very nice preserve, pudding or pie. As the work of settlement goes on, many of our familiar wild shrubs and flowers 142 iLon'i-.NiXG Slim -lis. disappear from their old localities, and in time will he exterminated. Many too that might be introduced into cultivated grounds, and prove floral ornaments in gardens, or useful lor kitchen purposes, are doomed to be lost or utterly neglected. Is there no wealthy botanist, with ample meaiis to do so, who will form a garden on a large scale, and gather together the forest flowers, shrubs and ferns of Canada. It would be a work of great interest. BunoN-itusH — t\phalant lilts occidtiitnlis^ ( I ,. ) .\ pretty shrub about five feet high, belonging to the Riibiacta' or Madder family, with light-green, smooth leaves, and round heads of closely set whitish-green flowers. The corolla is tubular, slendtr ; style thready and protruding beyond the petals. The flowers have a sweet faint perfume. This shrub is chiefly found on the bortlcrs of swamps in low thickets. The recei)tacle remains i)ersistent on the bush in dry round button-like heads, whence its common name. I .am not accjuainted with any particular (|ualities possessed by this slimb. It flowers in August. Poison Ivv— Poison Oak — Pokson Elder — Rhus Toxicodiiidro/i, (L.) The Sumac family boasts of two of the most venomous vegetables yet known in Canada, viz., Rlius venenata or Poison Sumac, and RInis Toxicodendron or Poison Ivy. The former, R. venenata (DC.) is an elegant shrub growing in swamps, with shining, smooth, odd-pinnate leaves, and from ten to fifteen feet high, producing when touched a violent sort of Erysipelas, in some cases fatal in its effects. The leaflets, from seven to thirteen, oval, entire, pointed ; the flowers, small, insignificant, greenish, in loose panicles from the axils of the upper leaves ; berries green, smooth, of the size of peas. This is spoken of as the most deadly of the poisonous Sumacs, but foitunately it is of rare occurrence. The common Poison Ivy, however, is only too frequently met with ; it grows in low ground or on barren rocky islands, among wild herbs and grasses, in open thickets, at the roots oi stumps, •and will often find its way into our gardens. It may be found in cultivated fields, flourishing on stone heaps — indeed, wherever its roots can find soil to nourish the plant the Poison Ivy may be found. Of its injurious effects on the human body I can speak from experience, having witnessed its baneful influence in many instances. Gray, describing its noxious qualities, says : " Poisonous to the touch, even the effluvium in sunshine affecting some persons." There are various opinions regarding the way in which the virus is ccnmunicated, and also in what part of the plant it exists, some d Jihus .) is an pinnate died a eaflets, small, upper ;en of is of too islands, tumps, nd in ts roots Of its rience. Gray, even e virus ;, some H. OlVKKimi StlKL HS, '43 |)crs()Ms thinking that actual contart is nercssary, others that it is i-mittod from the leaves when wetted hy dews and j^iven out in sunshine : and aj^ain it is asserted hy some to be the pollen of the flowers floating in the air and resting on the skin, which is the cause ; others again say that the poison is given out in a gaseous vajjour at dew-fall. All these suggestions may have some foundation. I am inclined to think that the |)oisonous ([ualities of the plant aregiven outin the heat of the day, when the sun's r.iys are most powerful, and float freely intheatmosphere, as there ore instances of persons being alTected in daytime when only passing within some little distance of places where the i)lant abounded, without coming into actual contact with it in any way. To some persons the Poison Ivy is perfectly harmless. I, for one, have gathered it for my herbarium in all stages of its growth, without receiving from it the slightest injury, while other members of the family have sufl'ercd si verly from having been near it, or walking among the shrubs where it wa*; growing. It is during the hot Summer months that most of the casc-^ nccnr, especially in Jt le and July. The first symptoms are redness about the eye-lids, ears, and throat, which (juickly increase to angry inflamed blotches, rising in blisters, the whoK' face becoming swollen, so as to produce blindness for several hours or days ; the irritation of the skin is very great. Sometimes the poison extends over the arms, and body, and legs ; fever, headache and even delirium will affect the patient, as in cases of severe Erysipelas. Where the constitution is at all unsound, the effects are worse to overcome, and it is one of the evils induced by the virus that it produces in many cases a chronic disposition to break out, year after year, at the time when the plant is in its most flourishing condition. This has generally taken place in June and July. Some Homeopathists are said to treat the case with doses of R/ius Toxicodendron, according to their system ; others again use BtUadona. Country doctors give alkalies, — soda, ammonia, and cooling medicines. The old settlers apply the succulent juicy leaves and stalks of the Wild Canadian Balsam, Impaticns fii/va, and other cooling herbs, with thick cream ; but I should think that lime-water, given with milk inwardly, and applied outwardly to the skin, as in burns, might prove a good remedy. Where the disease caused by this poisonous plant is so often met with in country places, the most ready and certain remedies should be made known to the public. Physicians who have had no experience of the disease produced by the Poison Ivy are sometimes at a loss how to treat it successfully. Every one should be acquainted with the appearance of the Poison Ivy, that it may be avoided when out in the country among weeds and thickets, rocks and waters. 1(i ■'/■' ,11 I I till 144 Fi.oir/ih'/Xi: s//A'f /is. 'Iliis wukccl liulc plant is not without its attrartiuns to the eye ; it v.irie* in lici^h'. Ironi ahout one foot to two, but will climb when meeting with su|i|)orl to ten and fideen. I have seen it against a stone building, growing along with the N'irginian Creeper, uj) to the windows of a lofty second story building, no one having discovered the noxious intruder, though very different in foliage from the ('ree|)er. The leaves are three-foliate, thin, of a dull palish green, smooth, but not glossy. The leallels are broad at the base, indented, hardly deep enough to be called lobed, in sonic instances only a little waved at the margins, pointed, thickened at the junction of the stem. One of the leallcts is generally larger and more lozenge-shaped than the other two, but ihcy vary a good deal in si/e and form. Some- times there is a winged lobe on the larger and outer one. 'Towards evening the leaves droop downwards, exposing less of the surface to the air and night dews The plant spreads by means of the roots, which send up shoots from beneath the surface; the stem of the plant is woody, thi;;keningat the joints of the leaf-stalks. 'I'he flowers appear near the tops of the shoots in little upright panicles ; they are of a pale greenish-white ; the berries ripen in .\ugust and are of a dead white, yellow, or dun-coloured. .\bout the time of the ripening of the berries the leaves begin to droop earthward and turn to beautiful tints of orange, varying to brilliant scarlet, which, with the white fruit, has a pretty effect. 'the Rhus contains a black dye which is indelible, and which no washing will remove. It is a pity that it cannot be utilized. Professor John Lindley says : •' An indelible black dye is produced by the juice extracted from the plant," and adds, " This appears to be a property in common with many plants of this order. The Slaginaria vcinicijlua furnishes the black lac which is used as a varnish in Jap.in. The resin produced by this tree causes excoriations and blisters on the skin. 'I'he Cashew-nut is another member of the order, all which are more or less remarkable as dye woods, or for some medicinal uses, or acridly poisonous." St.\(;-horn Sumac — Rhus typhina, {\^.) Though belonging to a very poisonous order of plants, our common native Sumac is more noted for its useful than its hurtful qualities. Both the common Dwarf Sumac, R. glabra and R. typ/iiiia^ are to be found all through Western Canada, in groves, and on old, neglected clearings, on rocky islets, and by roadsides, the seeds being largely sown by the birds that feed upon the berries. ■TIiIb Im Uie variety niJiciiiis. ffi: ■ — \ /■/.oii7:a'/xg s/z/iins. 145 The foliage of the Siimar is very uraeeful and hinhly ornamental to the landscape in the fall of the year, when its long, drooping, pinnate \ leaves, from nineteen to thirty-one foliate, assume the most glowing tints of orange, scarlet and crimson. '!"he flowers are of two kinds or di.uians, descriptive of natural objects or events. The Holly is endeared to us by many interesting associations connected with childhood and youth up to extreme old age. It gladdens the cottage, it brightens the hall, And the gay Holly-tree is beloved by all ; It shadows the altar, it hallows the hearth — An emblem of peaceful and innocent mirth. FLOWER I XG SHRUBS. 147 Sprinjj l>Ioss()in.s arc lovely, and Summer flowers gay, liut the chill winds will wither and chase them away ; While the rude Masts of Autumn and Winter may rave, 111 vain round the Holly— the Holly so brave. Though the hrave old Lnglish gentleman no longer now is seen. And customs old have passed away as things that ne'er have been, Though wassail shout is heard no more, nor Mistletoe we see ; They've lelt us still the Holly green, the bonny lloUytiee. — (.Ill ('/(/ xoii^' />j' \^cn% its starry blossoms to the sunshine on bright Spring days. Mingled with tlieso fair children o{ the deep forest shades are Ferns — graceful, elegant I''erns - and Club Mosses, like miniature I'ine trees. A kindly nursing mother is the forest, to these her lowly offspring : the tncr e^u earth their cradle, the^ure snow their coverlet, warm, soft and light, to shield the tender nurslings from the Winter's cold and biting winds. Before the shrubs in out gardens have made any show of greenness in the warmer shelter of the woods, the Fly-Honeysuckle has i)ut foith its bright green leaves, and the soft brown downy winter-liuds of the Moose-wood have burst and shown the yellow lunnel-shaped clustered flowers. How carefully had these little flowers been protected and guarded from injury on the grey leafless branches through the frosts of winter in their downy coverings. How little do we understand the beneficent nature of that Great Greater who careth even for the embryo leaf and flower. To those who love the forest and its productions, the continual destruction of our native trees will ever be a source of regret, even while obliged to acknowledge that so it must be, for with the change of soil must necessarily disappear many, or indeed, most of the rare indigenous plants that are sheltered by the woods and nourished by the decaying vegetation of the trees and shrubs beneath which they grow. Exposed to the force of drying winds and hot sunshine, these children of the soil perish and are no more seen. That close observer and sagacious writer, John Evelyn, in his valuable work on " F'orest Trees," writing of the denuding of the forests in Italy and other European countries says : " We find the entire species of some trees totally lost in countries where they once abounded, as if there had never been such planted or growing in them. Be this applied to Fir, Pine, and several other trees ; accidents in soil, air, iV'c, which we daily find, produce strange alterations in our woods. The Beech almost constantly succeeding the Oak, to our great disadvantage." This author elsewhere deprecates the destruction of the forest trees in England, and the necessity for planting to replace the more valuable timbers — the Oak and Pine. Evelyn wrote and published his " Sylva " during the reign of the last of the Stuart Kings, forseeing the time would come when the country would have to be supplied with her building material from other lands. Circumstances continually re-produce themselves. May not Evelyn's remarks apply to our Canadian forests ? Espec'ally to the Pines and I M ! 'W. '«!■ FOREST rA'HES. ■Other Coniferte, which are being cut down by wholesale in our woods, and converted into lumber. So rapid has been the consumption of our Pines, that there are townships which have been so stripjied of these trees, that in a few more years a full grown Pine will not be seen. As the Pine disappears a change takes place in the atmosphere and in the soil. It is true a new race of vegetables fakes possession of the ground, but something has been lost. The ultimate destruction of our native vegetable productions, including the valuable timber of our forests, which long series of years could not replace, is not the only change that arises from the clearing ■of a large portion of our woods. There is yet another and important result which will in course of time, be felt as an evil — I refer to the drying up of the inland streams and smaller tributary waters. It needs but little observation and is patent to the older settlers of the Dominion, that the creeks and ri\ulets which formerly flowed through their lands, are disappearing with the clearing away of the woods. The water- courses are grown up with Sedges and coarse aquatic herbage, and the thirsty cattle now wander far afield in search of water, unless duly supplied by the farmer at the homestead, or driven, at the cost of much time, to springs and water-holes, which are kept open with difficulty during seasons of drought. In many cases the sources that give rise to the streams might have been preserved fresh, and free from drying up, by allowing a growth of trees and bushes to remain about the head waters of the springs. The existence of springs is generally indicated by small Sedges, Water-ferns, Wild Persecarias, Mimulus, Brook-limes, Arums and Marsh Marigolds, with sundry other water-loving plants " that have their haunts by cool •springs and bubbling founts, or by the rushy margin of the stream." The wild animals and birds need no guide to direct them to these secret reservoirs. With no compass to steer by, they are led by an inward power which we call instinct, to spots where their needs will be supplied. I remember meeting with an old volume in my father's library, and in the quaint language of old Anthony Horneck were the words, " Doth God take care for oxen ? " The answer was brief " Yea, God doth take care ! " That was all — but it was sufficient, because borne out by His words who could not err, knowing the mind of His Father : " Consider the ravens," saith Christ, "for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedetH them." It seems now to be an established fact that the climate of many countries has been materially affected by the total destruction of its FOA'EST r/ii:ES. »S3 native forests. If this be so, then surely it behooves the legislators of this country to devise laws to protect future generations from similar evils, by preventing the entire destruction of the native trees. There are large tracts of Crown Lands yet in the power of the Government, and reserves might be made or laws enacted by which the valuable products of the soil might be in some measure protected. Let our wise, far- seeing statesmen see to it. " A tree is a round volume bound in its own bark. Each page, from heart to skin, registers a year of age and growth. The botanist may not only read the record of these leaves, but read the whole constitution of the tree, the laws that govern its vital functions ; may study and understand the system of its veins and arteries, the circulation of its white blood (the sap) and the whole machinery and process of its nutrition and growth. All this is wriUen by the same finger thpl he recognizes in man's physical system."- -C/zo'/. rz'/, p. 212 Burritfs '^Cfiips." There is a quaint remark made by an old writer, on forest trees, quoted by Evelyn : " Trees and woods have twice saved the world, first by the Ark, then by the Cross, making full amends for the evil fruit borne by the Tree in Paradise by that which was borne on the 'I'ree in Ca\\a.xy. " —ETelyn Syh'ti, Book IV, p. joo. The Canadian Pine — White Pine. — Ftfins S/ro/n/s, (L.) We paused amid the pines that stood llie giants of the waste, Tortured l)y storms to shapes as rude ; With stems liiie serpents interlaced. How calm it was, the silence there Hy such a chain was hound, That e'en the Inisy Woodpecker Seemed stiller by the sound . — Shd.ey. In the brief outline which I propose to give of thi- native forest trees of Canada, the Pine seems naturally to claim pre-emiiience, both on account of its noble growth, and its great value as a source of wealth to the Dominion, whether we regard it from a commercial point of view or as a means for affording employment to a large portion of the industrial classes, especially the habitans of Lower Canada. It would require the knowledge of a practical merchant to calculate the value of our Pine forests when summed up in all departments. Some idea may be formed of the importance of this branch of trade by even a casual glance at the vast piles of Pine boards and timbers, laths and shingles that are ready at every port along the St. Lawrence and the great lakes, to freight the vessels that are waiting to bear off the ever accumulating mass to the destined markets— east and west ; to England or the United States. To distant islands and foreign lands, our noble trees, in the form of if 1 1 1 FOREST rA'E/:s. lumber, find tlicir way. It would be a curious history could wc follow one of our grand old forest Fines,- - from its first development in the backwoods a tiny slender thing, of a few threndy-sjjiny leavt s to its towering height and pillar-like grandeur, lifting its dark ] lumy head above its compeers, drinking in the light and rains of heaven,- -to the time when it measures its giant length upon the ground, brought low by the axe of tlie sturdy chopper. It would be vain to follow out the destiny even of one such mighty I'ine, or to weave a romnniic history of its voyagings, its wanderings, and its uses. So, leaving the inuiginary, we will take up again the sober thread of our subject. Extensive as is the reign of the Fine tribe in this couiury of woods and forests, forming a large proportion of the native trees, it has probably at some distant period occupied a still further range than it does now. In the hardwood lands where the largest Fine trees are now found growing, singly or in isolated groups, from three or four to perhaps a small group—the .resinous substance commonly known as /of pine is found m larger (juantities and in finer quality than that on the pine ridges where the trees are more abundant. 'This fat pine is the residue of concentrated resinous knots, and roots, where the mighty trunks of which they formed a part have long since crumbled into dust ; now Oaks, and Beeches, and Maples, in every stage of growth, from the hoary tree in extreme old age to the tiny seedling, occupy the soil where once those giant Fines grew and flourished. The decay of the Fine is a slow process — more than a century, perhaps two or three, must have passed over before one of the massive trunks, to which those knots and roots belonged, would have become so complctelydecomposed as to leave no trace behind, excepting these almost imperishable portions. Some of the pieces of fat pine are so saturated with the oils and resinous secretions as to assume somewhat the colour and fragrance of fat amber, an article that is often found in small nodules and water- washed fragments on the beach of the eastern shores of England. The forced marches of civilization have wrought such wondrous and rapid changes in what used to be the backwoods of Canada forty years ago, that now it seems almost a thing of the past, to write about or to speak of such matters. The writer recalls to mind the old time when in early Spring the waters of the still lake, with its dark Pine-clad shores used to be enlivened with the canoes and skiffs of the fisher, stealing out from the little bays and coves, with the red glare of the fat- pine all ablaze, casting its strec m of light upon the dark surface of the waters, from the open-grated iion basket or jack, as it was called, raised at one end of the little vessel on a tall pole. In those days the lakes and inland waters swarmed with fish, which formed one of the resources I- ON EST 7 NEKS, 155 for the tabic of the backwoods settler. Hut now, the saw-mills and saw-logs, the pine-bark and the sawdust, have driven away the fish by rendering the water unhealthy and poisonous, and the game laws have told hard upon the i)oo Indian also. The little fishing skiff, and the fish-spear, like the natives, are ])assing away. The pine-knots, still however, h^.ve their uses in lighting up the caboose fires on the lumber rafts, and, may be, in the far backwoods shanty the settler's wife still performs her evening task of sewing and knitting by the bla/e of the pine i-nots and roots, which the younger children have collected before the vvintry snow has hidden them away under its cold, lleecy covering. There are still lingering among some of the older settlers, those who can recall to mind the time when lam])s and candles were hard to obtain, and the evening light was supplied by these homely gleanings from the forest. I have seen a cheerful circle gathered round the wide hearth so lighted up. The litttle ones shared the rugs of the bear and and wolf skin with the favoured hound and shaggy retriever, while the glancing light fell on the swiftly plied knitting-needles of the mother and elder sisters, and the father sat ([uietly enjoying the cheerful scene, and rest from a day of manly toil, or superintending some rustic work of his sons. Nor was there any want of pleasant talk or memories and tales of better days, to entertain us as we sat listening in that log-house by the light of the pine-knots. Ah, well ! if those days of the old pioneers in the backwoods had their privations, they also had their pleasures : they remain as way-marks on the journey of life, and are not without their uses. The White Pine generally occupies the ridges of light land above the shores of lakes and streams, not flourishing on the low alluvial flats and swampy ground. In wettish soil, such as old beaver meadows, the tree becomes gnarled, and knotty and misshapen, throwing out many rugged, twisted branches, and is utterly useless as timber. On castmg your eye along the border land of any of our inland waters a distinct series of vegetable productions may be noted, each belt distinguished from the other. First, then, we perceive on the ground nearest to the water, rooted in the deep alluvial soil, dwarf Willows of several kinds, the Red-barked Cornel, Black Alder, American Guelder-Rose, Poplars, and some kinds of Hawthorn ; and wreathing these in leafy-tangled masses, the Frost and Fox Grape vines. Then come Cedars, Black Ash, the fragrant Balsam Poplar and Balsam Fir. These moisture-loving trees fill up the lower range. The stately White Pine towering above takes the high ground, often in a continuous belt, while the deciduous, or ■ I 156 F0RES7 7KEKS. hardwood trees, which seern ever pressing onward, take the tableland — a Benjamin's jwrtion — seeming ever bent on encroar*""-:? on the pine limits, fulfilling their great mission, that of pi for man a more fertile soil, better suited for the operations of .•> iiands and the growth of the life-supporting cereals. The decomposition of the leavts, bark, and woody fibre of the Oak, Basswood, Beech, Maple, Cherry, and other deciduous trees, is in God's kind providence a source of fertility, of the blessings of which min is ultin^ately the recipient. Yet he that receives the gift is often unmindful of the way in which for unnumbered ages it has been jireparing for him, by agents ai)pointed for the work. These unconscious labourers have silently been fulfilling the will of Him " who commandeth and it is done." A noble object is one of our stately forest Pines rising in one uninterrupted column. The grander to the eye as it measures it, for the very simplicity of its outline, and we repeat with the poet : — " Than a tree — a grander chilil earth bears not." Looking upwards, the eye follows its massy shaft rising in solitary majesty -" fit mast for some high admiral;" and such its probable •destiny if chancing to grow in the vicinity of lake or river shore it come within the ken of some adventurous lumberman (your Jean Baptiste has a specially keen eye for a good stick of timber), its fate is sealed. Soon the lonely echoes of the forest are ringmg with the blows of the sturdy axeman on the devoted trunk — and many a vigorous blow is struck before that forest giant inclines its dark-plumed head, and with a rending crash, measures its length upon the groaning and trembling earth. The height of one of these large Pines, varies from a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet in height, and occasionally reaches a higher altitude. A lumberman told me that he had cut nine saw-logs, each measuring twelve feet in length, from one Pine, besides, leaving the butt end in the ground, four feet high. Yet even a tree of this size sinks into insignificance when compared with the giants of Oregon and California. The Wellingtonia gigantea which reaches the enormous height of two hundred and fifty feet, three hundred, and even nearly four hundred feet ; or the gigantic Araucarias of the ancient world. 'Ihe roots of the Pine do not strike so deeply into the ground as might be supposed, but grow more horizontally, almost on the surface. This one circumstance accounts for the frequent sight of upturned trees of great size. The feathery heads of the Pine rise on an average fifty feet above the tops of the tallest hardwood trees. In the rich and generous FOA'fiST TK/:/:s. 157 soil of the Hccch and Maple woods, the I'ine attains its greatest bulk and height. There, straight, tall, and robust, it looks indeed the monarch of the woods, une(|ualled even by the stately Oak so often called the King of trees. When growing in open ground as oh some of our |)lain-Ian(ls where the soil is light, the I'ine develops an abundance of lateral branches and a bushy head, which give it so different an appearance, that you might be inclined to regard it as a distinct species, (juite unlike the Pine of the forest. 'I'hese branching feathery Pines seldom attain to any great size and are very handsome objects, with their dark evergreen boughs clothing the stem even to the ground, but they are only useful for ornament in the landscape. As timber they are worthless for building purposes. In the dense forest it is not till it has surmounted the tops of the adjacent trees, which have hitherto disputed its right to a fair share of air and light, that the I'ine is able to develop its branches. Up to this period of its life its course has been upwards, always upwards— its branches few and weak and but .scantily clothed with leaves, scarcely give promise for its glorious future— it has had to work its way under many difficulties, but having once obtained access to freer air and sunshine, it increases in growth rapidly. The comparative height of the Pines mav be seen at a glance by casting your eye along the dark line that divides them from the hardwood trees, 'i'hey stand in serried ranks, their arms extending on either side in a horizontal direction like an army drawn up in line. Each whorl of branches answers for a year's growth. The usual way in which the age of a tree is a.scertained is by counting the rings of wood, each ring counting for a year, but this is not a perfectly accurate method, as in its early infancy these woody deposits cannot be ascer- tained, and a time may come when the tree, having attained to its l)erfect maturity, may continue to exist as a tree, long after its vital functions have cea.sed to add to its yearly substance to any appreciable amount. There is another way in which we may approach to a knowledge of the tree's age, this is by counting the whorls of branches which are added year by year till it has attained its full meridian height. The leaves deepen in colour till about the beginning of July when they have reached their usual size. This growth of leaves endures the intense cold of winter but as the frost intensifies they lose their verdure and acquire a ^ombre blackish hue. A perceptible change has come over the evergreens, even these hardy natives of the forest seem to mourn the absence of the warm sunbeams, and to be sensible of the iron rigours of a Canadian Winter. In April the rising of the sap is felt in every branch, fresh energy pervades the tree in every part. A deep refreshing greenness enlivens i' I '5« FOKI-Sr TKEES. the dark dull foliage, and llic rinc trihu, i 'toiK lied l)y the hrcath of returning Spring, stands forth in renewed beauty long before the bare, lealless trees of the forest have i)Ut fortli one sinj;le green bud. The new growth of the yearly shoots does not lake plat e till the month of May ; it is but the refreshing and retinting of the old leaves that conies to < lieer our eyes thus early in the season ; and as we look ujion the rich verdure we call to memory those sweet lines of Mrs. Ilemans, HO familiar and so des( riptive of our I'ine woods, in the " N'oice of Spring : " " I have l(Mil,t'il III! tlio iiill.s iif iho storiii) Ni)rih, Ami till.' L.ircli lias liiinj; ;ill its tasscK torlh ; I 111.' I'ilii' h:\^ .1 fliiijjc of soflci uri'fll, And the f.irlli lonUs |iri^;lu wlitri- my .-lips h.ivo lici'ii." i'he cone of the White I'ine appears a little later than tlu' new shoots, but near the to|i of the wood of the tbrmer year ; they are narrow, curved of a deej) or rather bluish green, soft and leathery, slightly pointed, and often covered with clear droi)s of turpentine, which becomes white and hartlened in the course of the year. 'I'he winged seeds lie at the base of the scales, imbedded in the leathery covering, carefully secured from injury during its embrvo state. The ripened seeds form the food of a large number, both of our birds and smaller animals. The seedling |)ine is a pretty, tiny, tufted thing, with a slender stem, and a number of dark gieeii needle-like leaves. Look at this pigni), can it be the original form of yonder stately tree ? And yet it is so. I'^very year a new set of shoots springs from a conical scaly head at the top of the main central stem of the former year's growth. From tliis head are developed from five to seven straight upright shoots ; of these the middle one is the longest and strongest, and forms the leader ; sometimes accident, as wind or frost, or insects, injures this central shoot, and two of the nearest and stoutest take its place, so that a double crown is formed. After a little while the scales that had protected the young spiny leaves fall away, leaving the leaves in clusters of fives, clothing the fibrous woody stems of the new growth which hardens as the season advances. The leaves deepen in colour, and by the latter end of June and July the cones begin to form in the older trees. * 'I'he yearly growth of the new Pine shoots measures from eighteen inches.to fully two feet, in a healthy free-growing young tree ; but in the dense forest the length of the main shoots is still longer. The bark of ihe Pine for many years remains smooth and greeii. As the trunk increa; es from within, rifts in the surface, near the roots, begin to appear, • Th.a^i' ofii pine tree, till it ifiiflies its iiiciicliim luM^-ht, lias Inrii rccliiuu'il nt a (iiiiod of frimi line liniiclri'cl to oiu' Imiidivil ami lifty years. This is as if>,':iiils its iijuvar'i ■^rowtli ; but does not imliide the full lUiratioii of the tive while living. /■Oh'KSr 7A'A'A.?. iS'i trioil of th ; but itvr.