NRLF 4 313 Ob? TO WILD FLOWEkS ARS.VfL ILLVS1 /\AR!ON SATTERLEE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Ex Libris BEATRIX JONES The Gift of Beatrix Farrand to the General Library University of California, Berkeley HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS B (BuiDe TO THE NAMES, HAUNTS, AND HABITS OF OUR COMMON WILD FLOWERS BY MRS. WILLIAM STARR DANA J^ ILLUSTRATED BY MARION SATTERLEE "The first conscious thought about wild flowers was to find out their names the first conscious pleasure and then I began to see so many that I had not previously noticed. Once you wish to identify them, there is nothing escapes, down to the little white chickweed of the path and the moss of the wall." RICHARD JKFFERIKS NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS COPYRIGHT, 1893, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS TROW DIRECTORY PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY NEW YORK idd'l LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE At Lt IsKo CONTENTS PAGE Preface, . . . ..... vii How to Use the Book, . . ' . . . . i x Introductory Chapter, . , . . '.. . / Explanation of Terms, ,. s Notable Plant Families, i 3 Flower Descriptions: I. wute, . . ' . '..- , ./ . . 22 II. Yellow, . / . . . . .. . /I3 III. Pink/. .' . . . . . . . . , 73 ir- Red, . . . . . - . . 2 , 3 V. Blue and Purple, " . , . . . . 229 VI. Miscellaneous, . . . . . . . 276 Index to Latin Names, . ._ . . . . 2^7 " to English Names, ..... 292 " of Technical Terms, 298 341 ONE of these days some one will give us a hand-book of our wild flow- ers, by the aid of which we shall all be able to name those we gather in our walks without the trouble of analyzing them. In this book we shall have a list of all our flowers arranged according to color, as white flowers, blue flowers, yellow flowers, pink flowers, etc., with place of growth and time of blooming. vi JOHN BURROUGHS. PREFACE * THE pleasure of a walk in the woods and fields is enhanced a hundredfold by some little knowledge of the flowers which we meet at every turn. Their names alone serve as a clew to their entire histories, giving us that sense of companionship with our surroundings which is so necessary to the full enjoyment of out- door life. . But if we have never studied botany it has been no easy matter to learn these names, for we find that the very people who have always lived among the flowers are often ignorant of even their common titles, and frequently increase our eventual confusion by naming them incorrectly. While it is more than probable that any attempt to attain our end by means of some "Key," which positively bristles with technical terms and out- landish titles, has only led us to replace the volume in despair, sighing with Emerson, that these scholars Love not the flower they pluck, and know it not, And all their botany is Latin names ! So we have ventured to hope that such a book as this will not be altogether unwelcome, and that our readers will find that even a bowing acquaintance with the flowers repays one gen- erously for the effort expended in its achievement. ' Such an acquaintance serves to transmute the tedium of a railway jour- ney into the excitement of a tour of discovery. It causes the monotony of a drive through an ordinarily uninteresting country to be forgotten in the diversion of noting the wayside flowers, and counting a hundred different species where formerly less than a dozen would have been detected. It invests each boggy meadow and bit of rocky woodland with almost irresistible charm. PREFACE Surely Sir John Lubbock is right in maintaining that "those who love Nature can never be dull," provided that love be ex- pressed by an intelligent interest rather than by a purely senti- mental rapture. Ninety-seven of the one hundred and four plates in this book are from original drawings from nature. Of the remaining seven plates, six (Nos. LXXX., XCIX., CL, XXII., XLIL, LXXXL), and the illustration of the complete flower, in the Explanation of Terms, are adapted with alterations from standard authors, part of the work in the first three plates mentioned being original. Plate IV. has been adapted from " American Medicinal Plants," by kind permission of the author, Dr. C. F. Millspaugh. The reader should always consult the " Flower Descriptions " in order to learn the actual dimensions of the different plants, as it has not always been possible to preserve their relative sizes in the illustrations. The aim in the drawings has been to help the reader to identify the flowers described in the text, and to this end they are presented as simply as possible, with no attempt at artistic arrangement or grouping. We desire to express our thanks to Miss Harriet Procter, of Cincinnati, for her assistance and encouragement. Acknowledg- ment of their kind help is also due to Mrs. Seth Doane, of Orleans, Massachusetts, and to Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riv- erdale, New York. To Dr. N. L. Britton, of Columbia College, we are indebted for permission to work in the College Herba- rium. NEW YORK, March 15, 1893. viii HOW TO USE THE BOOK MANY difficulties have been encountered in the arrangement of this guide to the flowers. To be really useful such a guide must be of moderate size, easily carried in the woods and fields ; yet there are so many flowers, and there is so much to say about them, that we have been obliged to control our selection and descriptions by certain regulations which we hope will commend themselves to the intelligence of our readers and secure their indulgence should any special favorite be conspicuous by its ab- sence. These regulations may be formulated briefly as follows : 1. Flowers so common as to be generally recognized are omitted, unless some peculiarity or fact in their history entitles them to special mention. Under this, Buttercups, Wild Roses, Thistles, and others are ruled out. 2. Flowers so inconspicuous as generally to escape notice are usually omitted. Here Ragweed, Plantain, and others are excluded. 3. Rare flowers and escapes from gardens are usually omitted. 4. Those flowers are chosen for illustration which seem en- titled to prominence on account of their beauty, interest, or fre- quent occurrence. 5. Flowers which have less claim upon the general public than those chosen for illustration and full description, yet which are sufficiently common or conspicuous to arouse occasional curi- osity, are necessarily dismissed with as brief a description as seems compatible with their identification. In parts of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- ix HOW TO USE THE BOOK vania and in the vicinity of Washington, I have been enabled to describe many of our wild flowers from personal observation ; and I have endeavored to increase the usefulness of the book by in- cluding as well those comparatively few flowers not found within the range mentioned, but commonly encountered at some point this side of Chicago. The grouping according to color was suggested by a passage in one of Mr. Burroughs's "Talks about Flowers." It seemed, on careful consideration, to offer an easier identification than any other arrangement. One is constantly asked the name of some "little blue flower," or some " large pink flower," noted by the wayside. While both the size and color of a flower fix themselves in the mind of the casual observer, the color is the more definitely appreciated characteristic of the two and serves far better as a clew to its identification. When the flowers are brought in from the woods and fields they should be sorted according to color and then traced to their proper places in the various sections. As far as possible the flowers have been arranged according to the seasons' sequence, the spring flowers being placed in the first part of each section, the summer flowers next, and the autumn flowers last. It has sometimes been difficult to determine the proper posi- tion of a flower blues, purples, and pinks shading so gradually one into another as to cause difference of opinion as to the color of a blossom among the most accurate. So if the object of our search is not found in the first section consulted, we must turn to that other one which seems most likely to include it. It has seemed best to place in the White section those flowers which are so faintly tinted with other colors as to give a white effect in the mass, or when seen at a distance. Some flowers are so green as to seem almost entitled to a section of their own, but if closely examined the green is found to be so diluted with white as to render them describable by the term greenish-white. A white flower veined with pink will also be described in the White section, unless its general effect should be so pink as to entitle it to a position in the Pink section. Such a flower again as the. HOW TO USE THE BOOK Painted Cup is placed in the Red section because its floral leaves are so red that probably none but the botanist would appreciate that the actual flowers were yellow. Flowers which fail to sug- gest any definite color are relegated to the Miscellaneous section. With the description of each flower is given 1. Its common English name if one exists. This may be looked upon as its "nickname," a title attached to it by chance, often endeared to us by long association, the name by which it may be known in one part of the country but not necessarily in another, and about which, consequently, a certain amount of disagreement and confusion often arises. 2. Its scientific name. This compensates for its frequent lack of euphony by its other advantages. It is usually composed of two Latin or Latinized words, and is the same in all parts of the world (which fact explains the necessity of its Latin form). Whatever confusion may exist as to a flower's English name, its scientific one is an accomplished fact except in those rare cases where an undescribed species is encountered and rarely admits of dispute. The first word of this title indicates the genus of the plant. It is a substantive, answering to the last or family name of a person, and shows the relationship of all the plants which bear it. The second word indicates the species. It is usually an adjective, which betrays some characteristic of the plant, or it may indicate the part of the country in which it is found, or the person in whose honor it was named. 3. The English title of the larger Family to which the plant belongs. All flowers grouped under this title have in common certain important features which in many cases are too obscure to be easily recognized ; while in others they are quite obvious. One who wishes to identify the flowers with some degree of ease should learn to recognize at sight such Families as present con- spicuously characteristic features. For fuller definitions, explanations, and descriptions than are here given, Gray's text-books and "Manual" should be consulted. After some few flowers have been compared with the partially technical description which prefaces each popular HOW TO USE THE BOOK one, little difficulty should be experienced in the use of a bo- tanical key. Many of the measurements and technical descrip- tions have been based upon Gray's "Manual." It has been thought best to omit any mention of species and varieties not in- cluded in the latest edition of that work. An ordinary magnify ing-glass (such as can be bought for seventy-five cents), a sharp penknife, and one or two dissecting- needles will be found useful in the examination of the smaller flowers. The use of a note-book, with jottings as to the date, color, surroundings, etc., of any newly identified flower, is recom- mended. This habit impresses on the memory easily forgotten but important details. Such a book is also valuable for further reference, both for our own satisfaction when some point which our experience had already determined has been forgotten, and for the settlement of the many questions which are sure to arise among flower-lovers as to the localities in which certain flowers are found, the dates at which they may be expected to appear and disappear, and various other points which even the scien- tific books sometimes fail to decide. Some of the flowers described are found along every country highway. It is interesting to note that these wayside flowers may usually be classed among the foreign population. They have been brought to us from Europe in ballast and in loads of grain, and invariably follow in the wake of civilization. Many of our most beautiful native flowers have been crowded out of the hospitable roadside by these aggressive, irresistible, and mis- chievous invaders ; for Mr. Burroughs points out that nearly all of our troublesome weeds are emigrants from Europe. We must go to the more remote woods and fields if we wish really to know our native plants. Swamps especially offer an eagerly sought asylum to our shy and lovely wild flowers. xii LIST OF PLATES i. ii. in. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. ' XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. BLOOD-ROOT, RUE ANEMONE, . * . WOOD ANEMONE, . STAR-FLOWER, MAY- APPLE, . SPRING BEAUTY, . DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES, FOAM- FLOWER, PAINTED TRILLIUM, . WILD SARSAPARILLA, . SOLOMON'S SEAL, . FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL, BELLWORT, . WHITE BANEBERRY, BUNCH-BERRY, . . MOUNTAIN LAUREL, AMERICAN RHODODEN- DRON, . WOOD SORREL, . , SHIN-LEAF, . . . PIPSISSEWA, ,\ . . WlNTERGREEN, . INDIAN PIPE, BLACK COHOSH, .. PARTRIDGE VINE, TALL MEADOW RUE, MEADOW-SWEET, . POKEWEEI), . WILD CARROT, YARROW, . , . XXIX, ARROW-HEAD, PAGE Sangiiinaria Canadensis, . .23 A nemonella thalictroides, . . 25 Anemone nemorosa, . . 25 T'rientalis Americana, , 27 Maianthemum Canadense i . 27 Podophy Hum peltatwn, . . 31 Claytonia Virginica, . . 33 Dicentra Cucullaria, . . 35 Tiarclla cor di folia, . . -37 Trillium erythrocarpum, . . 41 Aralia midicaulis, . . -43 Polygonatum biflorum, . . 45 Smilacina racemosa, . . 47 Uvularia perfoliata, . 5 1 Oakesia sessilifolia, . . 5 1 Actcea alba, . . . -53 Cornus Canadensis, . . 55 Kalmia latifolia, . . . -57 Rhododendron maximum . .61 Oxalis Acetosella, . . -63 Pyrola elliptica, . . . 67 Chimaphila umbellata, . . 69 Gaultheria procumbens, . 73 Monotropa uniflora, . , . 75 Cimicifuga racemosa, . . 79 Mitchella repens, . . .81 Dalibarda repens, . . -85 Thalictrum polygamum, . . 87 Spircca salicifolia, . . .89 Phytolacca decandra, . . 93 Datictts Carota, . 95 Achillea Millefolium, . . 95 Sagiltaria variabilis, . . 99 LIST OF PLATES PLATE XXX. TURTLE-HEAD, Chelone glabra, XXXI. TRAVELLER'S JOY, Clematis Virginiana, XXXII. BONESET, Eupatorium perfoliatum, XXXIII. LADIES' TRESSES, Spiranthes cernua, . XXXIV. GRASS OF PARNASSUS, . Parnassia Caroliniana, . XXXV. MARSH MARIGOLD, C alt ha palustris, XXXVI. YELLOW ADDER'S TONGUE, . Erythronium Americaniim , XXXVII. DOWNY YELLOW VIO- LET, .... Viola piibescens, XXXVIII. SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL, . Potentilla fructicosa, XXXIX C lintonia borcalis XL. SMALLER YELLOW LA- DY'S SLIPPER, . Cypripedium parviflorum, XLI. INDIAN CUCUMBER- ROOT, Medeola Virginica, . . XLII. WINTER-CRESS, Barbarea vulgaris, . XLIII. RATTLESNAKE- WEED, . Hieracium venosum, , XLIV. BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE, Diervilla trifida, XLV. MEADOW LILY, Liliiun Canadense, . XLVI. FOUR - LEAVED LOOSE- STRIFE, . . . Lysimachia qttadrifolia, . XLVII. YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE, . Lysimachia stricta, XLVIII. YELLOW STAR-GRASS, . Hypoxis erecta, XLIX. BUTTER-AND-EGGS, Linaria vulgar is, L. COMMON ST. JOHN'S- WORT, . '. . ' Hypericum per for at um, . LI. COMMON MULLEIN, Verbascum Thapsus, LII. YELLOW FRINGED OR- CHIS, .... Habenaria ci liar is, . LIII. PALE JEWEL-WEED, Impatiens fallida, LIV. EVENING PRIMROSE, . QLnothera biennis, . . LV. BLACK-EYED SUSAN, Rudbeckia hirta, . LVI. ELECAMPANE, Inula Uelenium, , LVII. WILD SUNFLOWER, Helianthemum giganteus, LVIII. STICK-TIGHT, Bidens frondosa, . LIX. SMOOTH FALSE P'ox- GLOVE, Gerardia quercifolia, LX. TANSY, ..... Tanacetum vulgar e, LXI. TRAILING ARBUTUS, Epig&a repens, . ' TWIN-FLOWER, Linnaa borealis, . LXII. SHOWY ORCHIS, . Orchis spectabilis, . . LXIII. TWISTED STALK, . Strep top us roseus, . LXIV. PINK LADY'S SLIPPER, . Cypripedium acaule, LXV. PINK AZALEA, Rhododendron nudiflorum, xiv PAGE 101 103 107 . 109 Ill "5 119 121 I2 3 I2 5 129 135 137 139 141 149 J 55 J 59 161 163 165 167 169 171 175 175 177 179 181 183 LIST OF PLATES PLATE LXVI. MlLKWORT, . LXVII. SPREADING DOGBANE, . LXVIII. PURPLE- FLOWERING RASPBERRY, LXIX. HERB ROBERT, . LXX. BOUNCING BET, . LXXI. PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE, . LXXII. MEADOW-BEAUTY, . LXXIII. SEA PINK, . LXXIV. - . LXXV. ROSE MALLOW, . LXXVI. FlREWEED, . LXXVII. JOE-PYE-WEED, . LXXVIII. WILD COLUMBINE, LXXIX. WAKE ROBIN, LXXX. WOOD LILY, LXXXI. BUTTERFLY-WEED, LXXXII. OSWEGO TEA, LXXXIII. CARDINAL-FLOWER, LXXXIV. LIVERWORT, . LXXXV. BLUETS, LXXX VI. ROBIN'S PLANTAIN, LXXXVII. WILD GERANIUM, LXXXVIII. BLUE-EYED GRASS, . LXXXIX. FLEUR-DE-LIS, . XC. AMERICAN BROOKLIME, XCI. MONKEY-FLOWER, XCII. BLUE VERVAIN, . XCIII. SELF-HEAL, XCIV. BLUEWEED, 'XCV. GREAT LOBELIA, XCVI. INDIAN TOBACCO, XCVII. BEACH PEA, XCVIII. CHICORY, ". . XCIX. BLAZING STAR, . C. CLOSED GENTIAN, CL FRINGED GENTIAN, . CII. SKUNK CABBAGE, CIII. WILD GINGER, . CIV. JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, . Poly gala polygama, . . .187 " sanguined, . . .187 Apocynum androsami folium, . 189 Rubus odoratus, . . .191 Geranium Robertianum, . . 195 Saponaria officinalis, . . 197 Ly 'thrum Salicaria, . . . 199 Rhexia Virginica, . . .201 Sabbatia stellaris, . . . 203 Sabbat ia ch lor aides, . . . 205 Hibiscus Moscheutos, . .207 Epilobium angustifoliiim, . 209 Eupatorium purpureum, . .211 Aquilegia Canadensis, . .215 TrilKum erectum, . . .217 Lilium Philadelphicum, . .221 Asclepias tuber osa, . . . 223 Monarda didyma, . . . 225 Lobelia cardinalis, . . .227 Hepatica triloba, . . -231 Houstonia carulea, . . . 233 Erigeron bellidifolius, . . 237 Geranium maculatutn, . . 239 Sisyrinchium angustifolinm, . 243 Iris versicolor, . . . 245 Veronica Americana, . . 247 Mimulus ringens, . . -251 Verbena hastata, . . . 263 Brtinella vulgaris, . . -255 Echium vulgare, . . . 259 Lobelia syphilitica, . . .261 Lobelia inflata, . . . 263 Lathyrus maritimus, . . 265 Cichorium Intybus, . . . 267 Liatris scariosa, . . .271 Gentiana Andre%vsii . -273 Gentiana crinita, . . . 275 Symplocarptis fattidus, . . 277 Asarum Canadense, . . 279 Ariscema triphyllum, . .281 MOST young people find botany a dull study. So it is, as taught from the text-books in the schools ; but study it yourself in the fields and woods, and you will find it a source of perennial delight. JOHN BURROUGHS. HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER UNTIL a comparatively recent period the interest in plants centred largely in the medicinal properties, and sometimes in the supernatural powers, which were attributed to them. O who can tell The hidden power of herbes and might of magick spell ? sang Spenser in the " Faerie Queene ; " and to this day the names of many of our wayside plants bear witness, not alone to the healing properties which their owners were supposed to possess, but also to the firm hold which the so-called " doctrine of sig- natures " had upon the superstitious mind of the public. In an early work on " The Art of Simpling," by one William Coles, we read as follows: " Yet the mercy of God which is over all his works, maketh Grasse to grow upon the Mountains and Herbes for the use of men, and hath not only stamped upon them a dis- tinct forme, but also given them particular signatures, whereby a man may read, even in legible characters, the use of them." Our hepatica or liver-leaf, owes both its generic and English titles to its leaves, which suggested the form of the organ after which the plant is named, and caused it to be considered "a sovereign remedy against the heat and inflammation of the liver."* Although his once-renowned system of classification has since been discarded on account of its artificial character, it is probably to Linnaeus that the honor is due of having raised the * Lyte. I HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS study of plants to a rank which had never before been accorded it. The Swedish naturalist contrived to inspire his disciples with an enthusiasm and to invest the flowers with a charm and personality which awakened a wide-spread interest in the sub- ject. It is only since his day that the unscientific nature-lover, wandering through those woods and fields where wide around, the marriage of the plants Is sweetly solemnized has marvelled to find the same laws in vogue in the floral as in the animal world. To Darwin we owe our knowledge of the significance of color, form, and fragrance in flowers. These subjects have been widely discussed during the last twenty-five years, because of their close connection with the theory of natural selection ; they have also been more or less enlarged upon in modern text-books. Nevertheless, it seems wiser to repeat what is perhaps already known to the reader, and to allude to some of the interesting theories connected with these topics, rather than to incur the risk of obscurity by omitting all explanation of facts and deductions to which it is frequently necessary to refer. It is agreed that the object of a flower's life is the making of seed, i.e., the continuance of its kind. Consequently its most essential parts are its reproductive organs, the stamens, and the pistil or pistils. The stamens (p. n) are the fertilizing organs. These pro- duce the powdery, quickening material called pollen, in little sacs which are borne at the tips of their slender stalks. The pistil (p. n) is the seed-bearing organ. The pollen- grains which are deposited on its roughened summit throw out minute tubes which reach the little ovules in the ovary below and quicken them into life. These two kinds of organs can easily be distinguished in any large, simple, complete flower (p. 10). The pollen of the sta- mens, and the ovules which line the base of the pistil, can also be detected with the aid of an ordinary magnifying glass. Now, we have been shown that nature apparently prefers that INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER the pistil of a flower should not receive its pollen from the stamens in the same flower-cup with itself. Experience teaches that, sometimes, when this happens no seeds result. At other times the seeds appear, but they are less healthy and vigorous than those which are the outcome of cross-fertilization the term used by botanists to describe the quickening of the ovules in one blossom by the pollen from another. But perhaps we hardly realize the importance of abundant health and vigor in a plant's offspring. Let us suppose that our eyes are so keen as to enable us to note the different seeds which, during one summer, seek to secure a foothold in some few square inches of the sheltered roadside. The neighboring herb Roberts and jewel-weeds discharge catapult fashion several small invaders into the very heart of the little territory. A battalion of silky-tufted seeds from the cracked pods of the milkweed float downward and take lazy possession of the soil, while the heavy rains wash into their im- mediate vicinity those of the violet from the overhanging bank. The hooked fruit of the stick-tight is finally brushed from the hair of some exasperated animal by the jagged branches of the neighboring thicket and is deposited on the disputed ground, while a bird passing just overhead drops earthward the seed of the partridge berry. The ammunition of the witch-hazel, too, is shot into the midst of this growing colony ; to say nothing of a myriad more little squatters that are wafted or washed or dropped or flung upon this one bit of earth, which is thus trans- formed into a bloodless battle-ground, and which is incapable of yielding nourishment to one-half or one-tenth or even one hun- dredth of these tiny strugglers for life ! So, to avoid diminishing the vigor of their progeny by self- fertilization (the reverse of cross-fertilization), various species take various precautions. In one species the pistil is so placed that the pollen of the neighboring stamens cannot reach it. In others one of these two organs ripens before the other, with the result that the contact of the pollen with the stigma of the pistil would be ineffectual. Often the stamens and pistils are in different flowers, sometimes on different plants. But these 3 HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS pistils must, if possible, receive the necessary pollen in some way and fulfil their destiny by setting seed. And we have been shown that frequently it is brought to them by insects, occa- sionally by birds, and that sometimes it is blown to them by the winds. Ingenious devices are resorted to in order to secure these desirable results. Many flowers make themselves useful to the insect world by secreting somewhere within their dainty cups little glands of honey, or, more properly speaking, nectar, for honey is the result of the bees' work. This nectar is highly prized by the insects and is, in many cases, the only object which attracts them to the flowers, although sometimes the pollen, which Darwin believes to have been the only inducement offered formerly, is sought as well. But of course this nectar fails to induce visits unless the bee's attention is first attracted to the blossom, and it is tempted to explore the premises ; and we now observe the interesting fact that those flowers which depend upon insect-agency for their pollen, usually advertise their whereabouts by wearing bright colors or by exhaling fragrance. It will also be noticed that a flower sufficiently conspicuous to arrest attention by its ap- pearance alone is rarely fragrant. When, attracted by either of these significant characteristics, color or fragrance, the bee alights upon the blossom, it is some- times guided to the very spot where the nectar lies hidden by markings of some vivid color. Thrusting its head into the heart of the flower for the purpose of extracting the secreted treasure, it unconsciously strikes the stamens with sufficient force to cause them to powder its body with pollen. Soon it flies away to another plant of the same kind, where, in repeating the process just described, it unwittingly brushes some of the pollen from the first blossom upon the pistil of the second, where it helps to make new seeds. Thus these busy bees which hum so restlessly through the long summer days are working better than they know and are accomplishing more important feats than the mere honey-making which we usually associate with their ceaseless activity. 4 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER Those flowers which are dependent upon night-flying in- sects for their pollen, contrive to make themselves noticeable by wearing white or pale yellow, red, blue, and pink being with difficulty detected in the darkness. They, too, frequently in- dicate their presence by exhaling perfume, which in many cases increases in intensity as the night falls, and a clue to their whereabouts becomes momentarily more necessary. This fact partially accounts for the large proportion of fragrant white flowers. Darwin found that the proportion of sweet- scented white flowers to sweet-scented red ones was 14.6 per cent, of white to 8.2 of red. We notice also that some of these night-fertilized flowers close during the day, thus insuring themselves against the visits of insects which might rob them of their nectar or pollen, and yet be unfitted by the shape of their bodies to accomplish their fertilization. On the other hand, many blossoms which are dependent upon the sun-loving bees close at night, securing the same advantage. Then there are flowers which close in the shade, others at the approach of a storm, thus protecting their pollen and nectar from the dissolving rain ; others at the same time every day. Linnaeus invented a famous " flower-clock," which indicated the hours of the day by the closing of different flowers. This habit of closing has been called the " sleep of flowers." There is one far from pleasing class of flowers which entices insect-visitors, not by attractive colors and alluring fragrance but " by deceiving flies through their resemblance to putrid meat imitating the lurid appearance as well as the noisome smell of carrion."* Our common carrion flower, which covers the thickets so profusely in early summer that Thoreau com- plained that every bush and copse near the river emitted an odor which led one to imagine that all the dead dogs in the neighborhood had drifted to its shore, is probably an example of this class, without lurid color, but certainly with a suf- ficiently noisome smell ! Yet this foul odor seems to answer the plant's purpose as well as their delicious aroma does that of * Grant Allen. 5 HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS more refined blossoms, if the numberless small flies which it manages to attract are fitted to successfully transmit its pollen. Certain flowers are obviously adapted to the visits of in- sects by their irregular forms. The fringed or otherwise con- spicuous lip and long nectar-bearing spur of many orchids point to their probable dependence upon insect-agency for perpetua- tion ; while the papilionaceous blossoms of the Pulse family also betray interesting adaptations for cross-fertilization by the same means. Indeed it is believed that irregularity of form is rarely conspicuous in. a blossom that is not visited by insects. The position of a nodding flower, like the harebell, protects its pollen and nectar from the rain and dew ; while the hairs in the throat of many blossoms answer the same purpose and ex- clude useless insects as well. Another class of flowers which calls for special mention is that which is dependent upon the wind for its pollen. It is interest- ing to observe that this group expends little effort in useless adornment. "The wind bloweth where it listeth " and takes no note of form or color. So here we find those Wan flowers without a name, which, unheeded, line the way-side. The common plantain of the country door yard, from whose long tremulous stamens the light, dry pollen is easily blown, is a familiar example of this usually ignored class. Darwin first observed, that "when a flower is fertilized by the wind it never has a gayly colored co- rolla." Fragrance and nectar as well are usually denied these sombre blossoms. Such is the occasional economy of that at times most reckless of all spendthrifts nature ! Some plants certain violets and the jewel-weeds among others bear small inconspicuous blossoms which depend upon no outside agency for fertilization. These never open, thus ef- fectually guarding their pollen from the possibility of being blown away by the wind, dissolved by the rain, or stolen by insects. They are called cleistogamous flowers. Nature's clever devices for securing a wide dispersion of seeds have been already hinted at. One is tempted to dwell at 6 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER length upon the ingenious mechanism of the elastically bursting capsules of one species, and the deft adjustment of the silky sails which waft the seeds of others ; on the barbed fruits which have pressed the most unwilling into their prickly service, and the bright berries which so temptingly invite the hungry winter birds to peck at them till their precious contents are released, or to devour them, digesting only the pulpy covering and allow- ing the seeds to escape uninjured into the earth at some conveni- ently remote spot. Then one would like to pause long enough to note the slow movements of the climbing plants and the uncanny ways of the insect-devourers. At our very feet lie wonders for whose eluci- dation a lifetime would be far too short. Yet if we study for ourselves the mysteries of the flowers, and, when daunted, seek their interpretation in those devoted students who have made this task part of their life-work, we may hope finally to attain at least a partial insight into those charmed lives which find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good iu everything. EXPLANATION OF TERMS THE comprehension of the flower descriptions and of the opening chapters will be facilitated by the reading of the fol- lowing explanation of terms. For words or expressions other than those which are included in this section, the Index of Technical Terms at the end of the book should be consulted. The Root of a plant is the part which grows downward into the ground and absorbs nourishment from the soil. True roots bear nothing besides root-branches or rootlets. " The Stem is the axis of the plant, the part which bears all the other organs." (Gray.) A Rootstock is a creeping stem which grows beneath the sur- face of the earth. (See Blood-root and Solomon's Seal. Pis. I. and X.) A Tuber is a thickened end of a rootstock, bearing buds, " eyes," on its sides. The common Potato is a familiar ex- ample of a tuber, being a portion of the stem of the potato plant. A Corm is a short, thick, fleshy underground stem which sends off roots from its lower face. (See Jack in the Pulpit, PI. CIV.) A Bulb is an underground stem, the main body of which consists of thickened scales, which are in reality leaves or leaf bases, as in the onion. A Simple Stem is one which does not branch. A Stemless plant is one which bears no obvious stem, but only leaves and flower-stalks, as in the Common Blue Violet and Liver-leaf (PI. LXXXIV.). A Scape is the leafless flower -stalk of a stemless plant. (See Liver-leaf (PI. LXXXIV.). 8 EXPLANATION OF TERMS An Entire Leaf is one the edge of which is not cut or lobed in any way. (See Rhododendron, PI. XVI., and Closed Gen- tian, PL C.) A Simple Leaf is one which is not divided into leaflets ; its edges may be either lobed or entire. (See Rhododendron, PL XVI. ; also Fig. i.) Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. A Compound Leaf is one which is divided into leaflets, as in the Wild Rose, Pink Clover, and Travellers' Joy (PL XXXI., also Fig. 2). A Much-divided Leaf is one which is several times divided into leaflets (Fig. 3). The Axil of a leaf is the upper angle formed by a leaf or leaf- stalk and the stem. Flowers which grow from the axils of the leaves are said to be Axillary. A cluster in which the flowers are arranged each on its own stalk along the sides of a common stem or stalk is called a Raceme. (See Cardinal-flower, PL LXXXIII. ; Shin-leaf, PL XVIII.) A cluster in which the flower-stalks all spring from ap- parently the same point, as in the Milkweeds, somewhat sug- gesting the spreading ribs of an umbrella, is called an Umbel (PL LXXXL). A cluster which is formed of a number of small umbels, all of HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS the stalks of which start from apparently the same point, is called a Compound Umbel. (See Wild Carrot, PL XXVIII.) A close, circular flower-cluster, like that of Pink Clover or Dandelion, is called a Head. (See Oswego Tea, PL LXXXII. ; Sunflower, PL LVII.) A flower-cluster along the lengthened axis of which the flowers are sessile or closely set is called a Spike. (See Vervain, PL XCII. j Mullein, PL LI.) A Spadix is a fleshy spike or head, with small and often im- perfect flowers, as in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Skunk Cabbage (Pis. CII. and CIV., also Fig. 4). -Ca Fig. 4. Fig. 5. Fig. 6. A Spathe is the peculiar leaf-like bract which usually en- velopes a spadix. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Skunk Cabbage, Pis. CII. and CIV., also Fig. 5.) A leaf or flower which is set so close in the stem as to show no sign of a separate leaf or flower-stalk, is said to be Sessile. A Complete Flower (Fig. 6) is " that part of a plant which subserves the purpose of producing seed, consisting of stamens and pistils, which are the essential organs, and the calyx and corolla, which are the protecting organs." (Gray.) The green outer flower-cup, or outer set of green leaves, which we notice at the base of many flowers, is the Calyx (Fig. 6 Ca). At times this part is brightly colored and may be the most conspicuous feature of the flower. When the calyx is divided into separate leaves, these leaves are called Sepals. 10 EXPLANATION OF TERMS The inner flower-cup or the inner set of leaves is the Corolla (Fig. 6, C). When the corolla is divided into separate leaves, these leaves are called Petals. We can look upon calyx and corolla as the natural tapestry which protects the delicate organs of the flower, and serves as well, in many cases, to attract the attention of passing insects. In some flowers only one of these two parts is present ; in such a case the single cup or set of floral leaves is generally considered to be the calyx. The floral leaves may be spoken of collectively as the Peri- anth. This word is used especially in describing members of families where there might be difficulty in deciding as to whether the single set of floral leaves present should be considered calyx or corolla (see Lilies, Pis. XLV. and LXXX.) ; or where the petals and sepals can only be distinguished with difficulty, as with the Orchids. -O Fig. 7. Fig. 8. The Stamens (Fig. 7) are the fertilizing organs of the flower. A stamen usually consists of two parts, its Filament (F), or stalk, and its Anther (A), the little sac at the tip of the filament which produces the dust-like, fertilizing substance called Pollen (p.). The Pistil (Fig. 8) is the seed-bearing organ of the flower. When complete it consists of Ovary (O), Style (Sty.), and Stigma (Stg.). The Ovary is the hollow portion at the base of the pistil. It contains the ovules or rudimentary seeds which are quickened into life by the pollen. ii HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS The Style is the slender tapering stalk above the ovary. The Stigma is usually the tip of the style. The pollen-grains which are deposited upon its moist roughened surface throw out minute tubes which penetrate to the little ovules of the ovary and cause them to ripen into seeds. A flower which has neither stamens nor pistils is described as Neutral. A flower with only one kind of these organs is termed Uni- sexual. A Male or Staminate flower is one with stamens but without pistils. A Female or Pistillate flower is one with pistils but without stamens. The Fruit of a plant is the ripened seed-vessel or seed-vessels, including the parts which are intimately connected with it or them. 12 NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES ALTHOUGH the great majority of plant families can only be distinguished by a combination of characteristics which are too obscure to obtain any general recognition, there are some few instances where these family traits are sufficiently conspicuous to be of great assistance in the ready identification of flowers. If, for instance, we recognize at sight a papilionaceous blos- som and know that such an one only occurs in the Pulse family, we save the time and energy which might otherwise have been expended on the comparison of a newly found blossom of this character with the descriptions of flowers of a different lineage. Consequently it has seemed wise briefly to describe the marked features of such important families as generally admit of easy identification. Composite Family. It is fortunate for the amateur botanist that the plant family which usually secures the quickest recog- nition should also be the largest in the world. The members of the Composite family attract attention in every quarter of the globe, and make themselves evident from early spring till late autumn, but more especially with us during the latter season. The most noticeable characteristic of the Composites is the crowding of a number of small flowers into a close cluster or head, which head is surrounded by an involucre, and has the effect of a single blossom. Although this grouping of small flowers in a head is not peculiar to this tribe, the same thing be- ing found in the clovers, the milkworts, and in various other plants still a little experience will enable one to distinguish a Composite without any analysis of the separate blossoms which form the head. HO IV TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS These heads vary greatly in size and appearance. At times they are large and solitary, as in the dandelion. Again they are small and clustered, as in the yarrow (PL XXVIII. ). In some genera they are composed of flowers which are all similar in form and color, as in the dandelion, where all the corollas are strap-shaped and yellow ; or, as in the common thistle, where they are all tubular-shaped and pinkish-purple. In others they are made up of both kinds of flowers, as in the daisy, where only the yellow central or disk-flowers are tu- bular-shaped, while the white outer or ray -flowers are strap- shaped. The flower-heads of the well-known asters and golden rods are composed of both ray and disk -flowers also ; but while the ray-flowers of the aster, like those of the daisy, wear a dif- ferent color from the yellow disk-flowers, both kinds are yellow in the golden rod. If the dandelion or the chicory (PL XCVIII.) is studied as an example of a head which is composed entirely of strap-shaped blos- soms ; the common thistle or the stick-tight (PL LVIII.) as an ex- ample of one which is made up of tubular -shaped blossoms ; and the daisy or the sunflower (PL LVII.) as an example of one which combines ray and disk-flowers as the strap-shaped and tubular blossoms are called when both are present there need be little difficulty in the after recognition of a member of this family. The identification of a particular species or even genus will be a less simple matter ; the former being a task which has been known to tax the patience of even advanced botanists. Mr. Grant Allen believes that the Composites largely owe their universal sway to their " co-operative system." He says : " If we look close into the Daisy we see that its centre com- prises a whole mass of little yellow bells, each of which consists of corolla, stamens, and pistil. The insect which alights on the head can take his fill in a leisurely way, without moving from his standing-place ; and meanwhile he is proving a good ally of the plant by fertilizing one after another of its numerous ovaries. Each tiny bell by itself would prove too inconspicuous to attract much attention from the passing bee ; but union is strength for the Daisy as for the State, and the little composites have found 14 NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES their co-operative system answer so well, that late as was their appearance upon the earth they are generally considered at the present day to be the most numerous family both in species and individuals of all flowering plants." While those of us who know the country lanes at that season when ranks of seeds their witness bear, feel that much of their omnipresence is due to their unsur- passed facilities for globe-trotting. Our roadsides every autumn are lined with tall golden-rods, whose brown, velvety clusters are composed of masses of tiny seeds whose downy sails are set for their aerial voyage ; with asters, whose myriad flower-heads are transformed into little puff-balls which are awaiting disso- lution by the November winds, and with others of the tribe whose hooked seeds win a less ethereal but equally effective transportation. Parsley Family, The most familiar representative of the Parsley family is the wild carrot, which so profusely decks the highways throughout the summer with its white, lace-like clusters ; while the meadow parsnip is perhaps the best known of its yellow members. This family can usually be recognized by the arrangement of its minute flowers in umbels (p. 9), which umbels are again so clustered as to form a compound umbel (Wild Carrot, PI. XXVIII.) whose radiating stalks suggest the ribs of an umbrella, and give this Order its Latin name of Umbelliferce. A close examination of the tiny flowers which compose these umbrella-like clusters discovers that each one has five white or yellow petals, five stamens, and a two-styled pistil. Some- times the calyx shows five minute teeth. The leaves are usually divided into leaflets or segments which are often much toothed or incised. The Parsleys are largely distinguished from one another by differences in their fruit, which can only be detected with the aid of a microscope. It is hoped, however, that the more com- mon and noticeable species will be recognized by means of HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS descriptions which give their general appearance, season of blooming, and favorite haunts. Pulse Family. The Pulse family includes many of our com- mon wood- and field-flowers. The majority of its members are easily distinguished by those irregular, butter fly -shaped blos- soms which are described as papilionaceous. The sweet pea is a familiar example of such a flower, and a study of its curious structure renders easy the after identification of a papilionaceous blossom, even if it be as small as one of the many which make up the head of the common pink clover. The calyx of such a flower is of five more or less and some- times unequally united sepals. The corolla consists of five irregular petals, the upper one of which is generally wrapped about the others in bud, while it spreads or turns backward in flower. This petal is called the standard. The two side petals are called wings. The two lower ones are usually somewhat united and form a sort of pouch which encloses the stamens and style ; this is called the keel, from a fancied likeness to the prow of an ancient vessel. There are usually ten stamens and one pistil. These flowers are peculiarly adapted to cross-fertilization through insect agency, although one might imagine the con- trary to be the case from the relative positions of stamens and pistil. In the pea-blossom, for example, the hairy portion of the style receives the pollen from the early maturing stamens. The weight of a visiting bee projects the stigma and the pollen- laden style against the insect's body. But it must be observed that in this action the stigma first brushes against the bee, while the pollen-laden style touches him later, with the result that the bee soon flies to another flower on whose fresh stigma the de- tached pollen is left, while a new cargo of this valuable material is unconsciously secured, and the same process is indefinitely re- peated. Mint Family. A member of the Mint family usually exhales an aromatic fragrance which aids us to place it correctly. If to this characteristic is added a square stem, opposite leaves, a two- lipped corolla, four stamens in pairs two being longer than the 16 NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES others or two stamens only, and a pistil whose style (two- lobed at the apex) rises from a deeply four-lobed ovary which splits apart in fruit into four little seed-like nutlets, we may feel sure that one of the many Mints is before us. Sometimes we think we have encountered one of the family because we find the opposite leaves, two-lipped corolla, four stamens, and an ovary that splits into four nutlets in fruit ; but unless the ovary was also deeply four-lobed in the flower, the plant is probably a Vervain, a tribe which greatly resembles the Mints. The Figworts, too, might be confused with the Mints did we not always keep in mind the four-lobed ovary. In this family we find the common catnip and pennyroyal, the pretty ground ivy, and the handsome bee balm (PL LXXXIL). Mustard Family, The Mustard family is one which is abundantly represented in waste places everywhere by the little shepherd's purse or pickpocket, and along the roadsides by the yellow mustard, wild radish, and winter-cress (PI. XLIL). Its members may be recognized by their alternate leaves, their biting harmless juice, and by their white, yellow, or pur- plish flowers, the structure of which at once betrays the family to which they belong. The calyx of these flowers is divided into four sepals. The four petals are placed opposite each other in pairs, their spread- ing blades forming a cross which gives the Order its Latin name Cruciferce. There are usually six stamens, two of which are in- serted lower down than the others. The single pistil becomes in fruit a pod. Many of the Mustards are difficult of identifica- tion without a careful examination of their pods and seeds. Orchis Family. To the minds of many the term orchid only suggests a tropical air-plant, which is rendered conspicuous either by its beauty or by its unusual and noticeable structure. This impression is, perhaps, partly due to the rude print in some old text-book which endeared itself to our childish minds by those startling and extravagant illustrations which are re- sponsible for so many shattered illusions in later life ; and partly to the various exhibitions of flowers in which only the exotic members of this family are displayed. HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS Consequently, when the dull clusters of the ragged fringed orchis, or the muddy racemes of the coral-root, or even the slender, graceful spires of the ladies' tresses are brought from the woods or roadside and exhibited as one of so celebrated a tribe, they are usually viewed with scornful incredulity, or, if the authority of the exhibitor be sufficient to conquer disbelief, with unqualified disappointment. The marvellous mechanism which is exhibited by the humblest member of the Orchis family, and which suffices to secure the patient scrutiny and wonder- ing admiration of the scientist, conveys to the uninitiated as lit- tle of interest or beauty as would a page of Homer in the orig- inal to one without scholarly attainments. The uprooting of a popular theory must be the work of years, especially when it is impossible to offer as a substitute one which is equally capable of being tersely defined and readily ap- prehended ; for many seem to hold it a righteous principle to cherish even a delusion till it be replaced by a belief which af- fords an equal amount of satisfaction. It is simpler to describe an orchid as a tropical air-plant which apes the appearance of an insect and never roots in the ground than it is to master by patient study and observation the various characteristics which so combine in such a plant as to make it finally recognizable and describable. Unfortunately, too, the enumeration of these un- sensational details does not appeal to the popular mind, and so fails to win by its accuracy the place already occupied by the in- correct but pleasing conception of an orchid. For the benefit of those who wish to be able to correctly place these curious and interesting flowers, as brief a description as seems compatible with their recognition is appended. Leaves. Alternate, parallel-nerved. Flowers. Irregular in form, solitary or clustered, each one subtended by a bract. Perianth. Of six divisions in two sets. The three outer divisions are sepals, but they are usually petal-like in appearance. The three inner are petals. By a twist of the ovary what would otherwise be the upper petal is made the lower. This division is termed the lip ; it is frequently brightly colored or grotesquely 18 NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES shaped, being at times deeply fringed or furrowed ; it has often a spur-like appendage which secretes nectar; it is an important feature of the flower and is apparently designed to attract insects for the purpose of securing their aid in the cross-fertilization which is usually necessary for the perpetuation of the different species of this family, all of which give evidence of great modi- fication by means of insect-selection. In the heart of the flower is the column ; this is usually com- posed of the stamen (of two in the Cypripediums) , which is con- fluent with the style or thick, fleshy stigma. The two cells of the anther are placed on either side of and somewhat above the stigma ; these cells hold the two pollen masses. Darwin tells us that the flower of an orchid originally con- sisted of fifteen different parts, three petals, three sepals, six stamens, and three pistils. He shows traces of all these parts in the modern orchid. FLOWER DESCRIPTIONS A fresh footpath, a fresh flower, a fresh delight " RICHARD JEFFEKIES 21 I WHITE BLOOD-ROOT. Sanguinaria Canadensis. Poppy Family. Rootstock. Thick, charged with a crimson juice. Scape. Naked, one- flowered. Leaves. Rounded, deeply-lobed. Flower. White, terminal. Calyx. Of two sepals falling early. Corolla. Of eight to twelve snow- white petals. Stamens. About twenty-four. Pistil. One, short. In early April the firm tip of the curled-up leaf of the blood- root pushes through the earth and brown leaves, bearing within its carefully shielded burden the young erect flower-bud. When the perils of the way are passed and a safe height is reached this pale, deeply lobed leaf resigns its precious charge and gradually unfolds itself; meanwhile the bud slowly swells into a blossom. Surely no flower of all the year can vie with this in spotless beauty. Its very transitoriness enhances its charm. The snowy petals fall from about their golden centre before one has had time to grow satiated with their perfection. Unless the rocky hillsides and wood-borders are jealously watched it may escape us altogether. One or two warm sunny days will hasten it to maturi- ty, and a few more hours of wind and storm shatter its loveliness. Care should be taken in picking the flower if it must be picked as the red liquid which oozes blood-like from the wounded stem makes a lasting stain. This crimson juice was prized by the Indians for decorating their faces and tomahawks. SHAD-BUSH. JUNE-BERRY. SERVICE-BERRY. Amelanchier oblongifolia. Rose Family. A tall shrub or small tree found in low ground. Leaves. Oblong, acutely pointed, finely toothed, mostly rounded at base. Flowers. White, growing in racemes. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla. Of five rather long 22 PLATE I BLOOD-ROOT. S. Canadensis. 23 WHITE petals. Stamens. Numerous, short. Pistils. With five styles. Fruit. Round, red, berry-like, sweet and edible, ripening in June. Down in the boggy meadow in early March we can almost fancy that from beneath the solemn purple cowls of the skunk- cabbage brotherhood comes the joyful chorus For lo, the winter is past ! but we chilly mortals still find the wind so frosty and the woods so unpromising that we return shivering to the fireside and refuse to take up the glad strain till the feathery clusters of the shad-bush droop from the pasture thicket. Then only are we ready to admit that The flowers appear upon the earth, The time of the singing of birds is come. Even then, search the woods as we may, we shall hardly find thus early in April another shrub in blossom, unless it be the spice-bush, whose tiny honey-yellow flowers escape all but the careful observer. The shad-bush has been thus named because of its flowering at the season when shad "run ; " June-berry, because the shrub's crimson fruit surprises us by gleaming from the copses at the very beginning of summer ; service-berry, because of the use made by the Indians of this fruit, which they gathered in great quantities, and, after much crushing and pounding, utilized in a sort of cake. WOOD ANEMONE. WIND-FLOWER. Anemone nemorosa. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Slender. Leaves. Divided into delicate leaflets. Flower. Solitary, white, pink, or purplish. Calyx. Of from four to seven petal-like sepals. Corolla. None. Stamens and Pistils. Numerous. Within the woods, Whose young and half transparent leaves scarce cast A shade, gay circles of anemones Danced on their stalks ; writes Bryant, bringing vividly before us the feathery foliage of the spring woods, and the tremulous beauty of the slender- stemmed anemones. Whittier, too, tells how these wind flowers sway Against the throbbing heart of May. ,4 PLATE II RUE ANEMONE. A. thalictroides. WOOD ANEMONE A. nemorosa. 25 WHITE And in the writings of the ancients as well we could find many allusions to the same flower were we justified in believing that the blossom christened the " wind-shaken," by some poet flower- lover of early Greece, was identical with our modern anemone. Pliny tells us that the anemone of the classics was so entitled because it opened at the wind's bidding. The Greek tradition claims that it sprang from the passionate tears shed by Venus over the body of the slain Adonis. At one time it was believed that the wind which had passed over a field of anemones was poisoned and that disease followed in its wake. Perhaps because of this superstition the flower was adopted as the emblem of sick- ness by the Persians. Surely our delicate blossom is far removed from any suggestion of disease or unwholesomeness, seeming in- stead to hold the very essence of spring and purity in its quiver- ing cup. RUE ANEMONE. Anemonella thalictroides. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Six to twelve inches high. Leaves. Divided into rounded leaf- lets. Flowers. White or pinkish, clustered. Calyx. Of five to ten petal- like sepals. Corolla. None. Stamens. Numerous. Pistils. Four to fifteen. The rue anemone seems to linger especially about the spread- ing roots of old trees. It blossoms with the wood anemone, from which it differs in bearing its flowers in clusters. STAR-FLOWER. Trientalis Americana. Primrose Family. Stem. Smooth, erect. Leaves. Thin, pointed, whorled at the summit of the stem. Floivers. White, delicate, star- shaped. Calyx. Gener- ally seven-parted. Corolla. Generally seven-parted, flat, spreading. Sta- mens. Four or five. Pistil. One. Finding this delicate flower in the May woods, one is at once reminded of the anemone. The whole effect of plant, leaf, and snow-white blossom is starry and pointed. The frosted tapering petals distinguish it from the rounded blossoms of the wild straw- berry, near which it often grows. 26 PLATE III STAR FLOWER. T. Americana. Fruit. Maianthemum Canadense. 27 Flower. WHITE Maianthemum Canadense. Lily Family. Stem. Three to six inches high, with two or three leaves. Leaves. Lance-shaped to oval, heart-shaped at base. F lowers. White or straw- color, growing in a raceme. Perianth. Four-parted. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One, with a two-lobed stigma. Fruit. A red berry. It seems unfair that this familiar and pretty little plant should be without any homely English name. Its botanical title signi- fies "Canada Mayflower," but while it undoubtedly grows in Canada and flowers in May, the name is not a happy one, for it abounds as far south as North Carolina, and is not the first blos- som to be entitled ' ' Mayflower. ' ' In late summer the red berries are often found in close prox- imity to the fruit of the shin-leaf and pipsissewa. GOLD THREAD. Coptis trifolia. Crowfoot Family. Scape. Slender, three to five inches high. Leaves. Evergreen, shining, divided into three leaflets. Flowers. Small, white, solitary. Calyx. Of five to seven petal-like sepals which fall early. Corolla. Of five to seven club-shaped petals. Stamens. Fifteen to twenty-five. Pistils. Three to seven. Root. Of long, bright yellow fibres. This little plant abundantly carpets the northern bogs and extends southward over the mountains, its tiny flowers appear- ing in May. Its bright yellow thread-like roots give it its common name. PYXIE. FLOWERING -MOSS. Pyxidanthera barbulata. Order Diapensiacea. Stems. Prostrate and creeping, branching. Leaves. Narrowly lance- shaped, awl-pointed. Flowers. White or pink, small, numerous. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. Five-lobed. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One, with a three-lobed stigma. In early spring we may look for the white flowers of this moss-like plant in the sandy pine-woods of New Jersey and southward. At Lake wood they appear even before those of the trailing arbutus which grows in the same localities. The gen- eric name is from two Greek words which signify a small box and anther ; and refers to the anthers, which open as if by a lid. 28 WHITE CRINKLE-ROOT. TOOTHWORT. PEPPER-ROOT. Dentaria diphylla. Mustard Family (p. 17). Rootstock. Five to ten inches long, wrinkled, crisp, of a pleasant, pun- gent taste. Stem. Leafless below, bearing two leaves above. Leaves. Divided into three toothed leaflets. Flowers. White, in a terminal cluster. Pod. Flat and lance-shaped. The crinkle-root has been valued not so much on account of its pretty flowers which may be found in the rich May woods but for its crisp edible root which has lent savor to many a simple luncheon in the cool shadows of the forest. SPRING-CRESS. Cardamine rhomboidea. Mustard Family (p. 17). Rootstock. Slender, bearing small tubers. Stem. From a tuberous base, upright, slender. Root-leaves. Round and often heart-shaped. Stem-leaves. The lower rounded, the upper almost lance-shaped. Flowers. White, large. Pod. Flat, lance-shaped, pointed with a slender style tipped with a conspicuous stigma ; smaller than that of the crinkle-root. The spring-cress grows abundantly in the wet meadows and about the borders of springs. Its large white flowers appear as early as April, lasting until June. WHITLOW-GRASS. Draba verna. . Mustard Family (p. 17). Scapes. One to three inches high. Leaves. All from the root, oblong or lance-shaped. Flowers. White, with two-cleft petals. Pod. Flat, vary- ing from oval to oblong, lance-shaped. This little plant may be found flowering along the roadsides and in sandy places during April and May. It has come to us from Europe. SHEPHERD'S PURSE. Capsella Bursa-pastoris. Mustard Family (p. 17). Stem. Low, branching. Root-leaves. Clustered, incised or toothed. Stem-leaves. Arrow-shaped, set close to the stem. Flowers. White, small, in general structure resembling other members of the Mustard family. Pod. Triangular, heart-shaped. This is one of the commonest of our wayside weeds, working its way everywhere with such persistency and appropriating other people's property so shamelessly, that it has won for itself the nickname of pickpocket. Its popular title arose from the shape of its little seed-pods. 29- WHITE MAY-APPLE. MANDRAKE. Podophylhim peltatum. Barberry Family. Flowering-stem. Two-leaved, one-flowered. Flowerless-stems. Ter- minated by one large, rounded, much-lobed leaf. Leaves (of flowering- stems). One-sided, five to nine-lobed, the lobes oblong, the leaf-stalks fastened to their lower side near the inner edge. Flower. White, large, nodding from the fork made by the two leaves. Calyx. Of six early-falling sepals. Corolla. Of six to nine rounded petals. Stamens. Twice as many as the petals. Pistil. One, with a large, thick stigma set close to the ovary. Fruit. A large, fleshy, egg-shaped berry, sweet and edible. " The umbrellas are out ! " cry the children, when the great green leaves of the May-apple first unfold themselves in spring. These curious-looking leaves at once betray the hiding-place of the pretty but unpleasantly odoriferous flower which nods be- neath them. They lie thickly along the woods and meadows in many parts of the country, arresting one's attention by the railways. The fruit, which ripens in July, has been given the name of " wild lemon," in some places on account of its shape. It was valued by the Indians for medicinal purposes, and its mawkish flavor still seems to find favor with the children, notwithstanding its frequently unpleasant after-effects. The leaves and roots are poisonous if taken internally, and are said to have been used as a pot herb, with fatal results. They yield an extract which has been utilized in medicine. TWIN-LEAF. RHEUMATISM-ROOT. Jeffersonia diphylla. Barberry Family. A low plant. Leaves. From the root, long-stalked, parted into two rounded leaflets. Scape. One-flowered. Flower. White, one inch broad. Sepals. Four, falling early. Petals. Eight ; flat, oblong. Stamens. Eight. Pistil. One, with a two-lobed stigma. The twin-leaf is often found growing with the blood-root in the woods of April or May. It abounds somewhat west and southward. HARBINGER-OF-SPRING. Erigenia bulbosa. Parsley Family (p. 15). Stem. Three to nine inches high, from a deep round tuber. Leaves. One or two, divided into linear-oblong leaf-segments. Flowers. White, small, few, in a leafy-bracted compound umbel. The pretty little harbinger-of-spring should be easily identi- fied by those who are fortunate enough to find it, for it is one of 30 PLATE IV Fruit. MAY-APPLE P. peltatum. 31 WHITE the smallest members of the Parsley family. It is only common in certain localities, being found in abundance in the neighbor- hood of Washington, where its flowers appear as early as March. EARLY EVERLASTING. PLANTAIN-LEAVED EVERLASTING. Antennaria plantaginifolia. Composite Family (p. 13). Stems. Downy or woolly, three to eighteen inches high. Leaves. Silky, woolly when young ; those from the root, oval, three-nerved ; those on the flowering stems, small, lance-shaped. Flower-heads. Crowded, clus- tered, small, yellowish-white, composed entirely of tubular flowers. In early spring the hillsides are whitened with this, the earli- est of the everlastings. SPRING BEAUTY. Claytonia Virginica. Purslane Family. Stem. From a small tuber, often somewhat reclining. Leaves. Two ; opposite, long and narrow. Flowers. White, with pink veins, or pink with deeper-colored veins, growing in a loose cluster. Calyx. Of two sepals. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One, with style three- cleft at apex. So bashful when I spied her, So breathless when I passed her, So pretty, so ashamed ! So helpless when I turned So hidden in her leaflets And bore her struggling, blushing, Lest anybody find : Her simple haunts beyond ! For whom I robbed the dingle, For whom betrayed the dell, Many will doubtless ask me, But I shall never tell ! Yet we are all free to guess and what flower at least in the early year, before it has gained that touch of confidence which it acquires later is so bashful, so pretty, so flushed with rosy shame, so eager to defend its modesty by closing its blushing petals when carried off by the despoiler as the spring beauty ? To be sure, she is not ' ' hidden in her leaflets, ' ' although often seeking concealment beneath the leaves of other plants but why not assume that Miss Dickinson has availed herself of some- thing of the license so freely granted to poets especially, it seems to me to poets of nature ? Perhaps of this class few are more accurate than she, and although we wonder at the sudden blindness which leads her to claim that Nature rarer uses yellow Than another hue 3 2 PLATE V SPRING BEAUTY.-?, 33 WHITE when it seems as though it needed but little knowledge of flowers to recognize that yellow, probably, occurs more frequently among them than any other color, and also at the representation of this same nature as Spending scarlet like a woman when in reality she is so chary of this splendid hue ; still we can- not but appreciate that this poet was in close and peculiar sym- pathy with flowers, and was wont to paint them with more than customary fidelity. We look for the spring beauty in April and May, and often find it in the same moist places on a brook's edge or skirting the wet woods as the yellow adder's tongue. It is sometimes mistaken for an anemone, but its rose-veined corolla and linear leaves easily identify it. Parts of the carriage-drive in the Cen- tral Park are bordered with great patches of the dainty blossoms. One is always glad to discover these children of the country within our city limits, where they can be known and loved by those other children who are so unfortunate as to be denied the knowledge of them in their usual haunts. If the day chances to be cloudy these flowers close and are only induced to open again by an abundance of sunlight. This habit of closing in the shade is common to many flowers, and should be remembered by those who bring home their treasures from the woods and fields, only to discard the majority as hopelessly wilted. If any such ex- hausted blossoms are placed in the sunlight, with their stems in fresh water, they will probably regain their vigor. Should this treatment fail, an application of very hot almost boiling water should be tried. This heroic measure often meets with success. DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES. WHITE-HEARTS. Dicentra Cucttllaria. Fumitory Family. Scape. Slender. Leaves. Thrice - compound. Flowers. White and yellow, growing in a raceme. Calyx. Of two small, scale-like sepals. Corolla. Closed and flattened ; of four somewhat cohering white petals tipped with yellow ; the two outer large, with spreading tips and deep spurs ; the two inner small, with spoon-shaped tips uniting over the anthers and stigma. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. There is something singularly fragile and spring-like in the appearance of this plant as its heart-shaped blossoms nod from 34 PLATE VI Tuberous rootstocks. DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES. D. Cucullaria. 35 WHITE the rocky ledges where they thrive best. One would suppose that the firmly closed petals guarded against any intrusion on the part of insect-visitors and indicated the flower's capacity for self-fertilization ; but it is found that when insects are ex- cluded by means of gauze no seeds are set, which goes to prove that the pollen from another flower is a necessary factor in the continuance of this species. The generic name, Dicentra, is from the Greek and signifies two-spurred. The flower, when seen, explains its two English titles. It is accessible to every New Yorker, for in early April it whitens many of the shaded ledges in the upper part of the Central Park. SQUIRREL CORN. Dicentra Canadensis. Fumitory Family. The squirrel corn closely resembles the dutchman's breeches. Its greenish or pinkish flowers are heart-shaped, with short, rounded spurs. They have the fragrance of hyacinths, and are found blossoming in early spring in the rich woods of the North. FOAM-FLOWER. FALSE MITRE-WORT. Tiarella cordifclia. Saxifrage Family. Stem. Five to twelve inches high, leafless, or rarely with one or two leaves. Leaves. From the rootstock or runners, heart-shaped, sharply lobed. Flowers. White, in a full raceme. Calyx. Bell-shaped, five- parted. Corolla. Of five petals on claws. Stamens. Ten, long and slen- der. Pistil. One, with two styles. Over the hills and in the rocky woods of April and May the graceful white racemes of the foam flower arrest our attention. This is a near relative of the Mitella or true mitre-wort. Its generic name is a diminutive from the Greek for turban, and is said to refer to the shape of the pistil. EARLY SAXIFRAGE. Saxifraga Virginiensis. Saxifrage Family. Scape. Four to nine inches high. Leaves. Clustered at the root, some- what wedge-shaped, narrowed into a broad leaf-stalk. Flowers. White, small, clustered. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One, with two styles. In April we notice that the seams in the rocky cliffs and hill- sides begin to whiten with the blossoms of the early saxifrage. 36 PLATE VII Fruit. FOAM-FLOWER T. cordifotia. 37 WHITE Steinbrech stonebreak the Germans appropriately entitle this little plant, which bursts into bloom from the minute clefts in the rocks and which has been supposed to cause their disintegration by its growth. The generic and common names are from saxum a rock, zxi&frango to break. MITRE-WORT. BISHOP'S CAP. Mitella diphylla. Saxifrage Family. Stem. Six to twelve inches high, hairy, bearing two opposite leaves. Leaves. Heart-shaped, lobed and toothed, those of the stem opposite and nearly sessile. Flowers. White, small, in a slender raceme. Calyx. Short, five-cleft. Corolla. Of five slender petals which are deeply incised. Stamens. Ten, short. Pistil. One, with two styles. The mitre-wort resembles the foam flower in foliage, but bears its delicate crystal-like flowers in a more slender raceme. It also is found in the rich woods, blossoming somewhat later. INDIAN POKE. FALSE HELLEBORE. Veratrum viride. Lily Family. Root. Poisonous, coarse and fibrous. Stem. Stout, two to seven feet high, very leafy to the top. Leaves. Broadly oval, pointed, clasping. Flowers. Dull greenish, inconspicuous, clustered. Perianth. Of six spreading sepals. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One, with three styles. When we go to the swampy woods in March or April we notice an array of green, solid-looking spears which have just ap- peared above the ground. If we handle one of these we are im- pressed with its firmness and rigidity. When the increasing warmth and sunshine have tempted the veiny, many-plaited leaves of the false hellebore to unfold themselves it is difficult to realize that they composed that sturdy tool which so effectively tunnelled its way upward to the earth's surface. The tall stems and large bright leaves of this plant are very noticeable in the early year, forming conspicuous masses of foliage while the trees and shrubs are still almost leafless. The dingy flowers which appear later rarely attract attention. 38 WHITE CARRION-FLOWER. CAT-BRIER. Sniilax herbacea. Lily Family. Stem. Climbing, three to fifteen feet high. Leaves. Ovate, or rounded heart-shaped, or abruptly cut off at base, shining. -Flowers. Greenish or yellowish, small, clustered, unisexual. Perianth. Six-parted. Stamens. six. Pistil. One, with three spreading stigmas. (Stamens and pistils oc- curring on different plants. ) Fruit. A bluish-black berry. One whiff of the foul breath of the carrion flower suffices for its identification. Thoreau likens its odor to that of "a dead rat in the wall." It seems unfortunate that this strikingly handsome plant which clambers so ornamentally over the luxuri- ant thickets which border our lanes and streams, should be so handicapped each June. Happily with the disappearance of the blossoms, it takes its place as one of the most attractive of our climbers. The common green-brier, S. rotundifolia, is a near relation which is easily distinguished by its prickly stem. The dark berries and deeply tinted leaves of this genus add greatly to the glorious autumnal display along our roadsides and in the woods and meadows. LARGER WHITE TRILLIUM. Trillium grandifloritm. Lily Family. Stem. Stout, from a tuber-like rootstock. Leaves. Ovate, three in a whorl, a short distance below the flower. Flower. Single, terminal, large, white, turning pink or marked with green. Calyx. Of three green, spread- ing sepals. Corolla. Of three long pointed petals. Stamens. Six. Pts- ///._One, with three spreading stigmas. Fruit. A large ovate, somewhat angled, red berry. This very beautiful and decorative flower must be sought far from the highway in the cool rich woods of April and May. Mr. Ellwanger speaks of the " chaste pure triangles of the white wood-lily," and says that it often attains a height of nearly two feet. T. cernuum has no English title. Its smaller white or pink- ish blossom is borne on a stalk which is so much curved as to sometimes quite conceal the flower beneath the leaves. It may be sought in the moist places in the woods. 39 WHITE The painted trillium, T. erythrocarpum, is also less large and showy than the great white trillium, but it is quite as pleasing. Its white petals are painted at their base with red stripes. This species is very plentiful in the Adirondack and Catskill Moun- tains. GROUND-NUT. DWARF GINSENG. Aralia trifolia. Ginseng Family. Stem. Four to eight inches high. Leaves. Three in a whorl, divided into from three to five leaflets. Flowers. White, in an umbel. Fruit. Yellowish, berry-like. Root. A globular tuber. The tiny white flowers of the dwarf ginseng are so closely clustered as to make " one feathery ball of bloom," to quote Mr. Hamilton Gibson. This little plant resembles its larger relative, the true ginseng. It blossoms in our rich open woods early in spring, and hides its small round tuber so deep in the earth that it requires no little care to uproot it without breaking the slender stem. This tuber is edible and pungent-tasting, giving the plant its name of ground-nut. GINSENG. Aralia quinqtie folia. Ginseng Family. Root. Large and spindle-shaped, often forked. Stem. About one foot high. Leaves. Three in a whorl, divided into leaflets. Flowers. Green- ish-white, in a simple umbel. Fruit. Bright red, berry-like. This plant is well known by name, but is yearly becoming, more scarce. The aromatic root is so greatly valued in China for its supposed power of combating fatigue and old age that it can only be gathered by order of the emperor. The forked specimens are believed to be the most powerful, and their fancied likeness to the human form has obtained for the plant the Chinese title of Jin-chen (from which ginseng is a corruption), and the Indian one of Garan-toguen, both of which, strangely enough, are said to signify, like a man. The Canadian Jesuits first began to ship the roots of the American species to China, where they sold at about five dollars a pound. At present they are said to com- mand about one-fifth of that price in the home market. 40 PLATE VIII Fruit. PAINTED TRILLIUM. I', erythrocarpum. 41 WHITE WILD SARSAPARILLA. Aralia nudicaulis. Ginseng Family. / Stem. Bearing a single large, long-stalked, much-divided leaf, and a shorter naked scape which bears the rounded flower-clusters. Flowers. Greenish-white, in umbels. Calyx. With short or obsolete teeth. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Five. Fruit. Black or dark-purple, berry- like. In the June woods the much-divided leaf and rounded flower-clusters of the wild sarsaparilla are frequently noticed, as well as the dark berries of the later year. The long aromatic roots of this plant are sold as a substitute for the genuine sar- saparilla. The rice-paper plant of China is a member of this genus. SPIKENARD. Aralia racemosa. Ginseng Family. Root. Large and aromatic. Stem. Often tall and widely branched, leafy. Leaves. Divided into many leaflets. Flowers. Greenish-white, in clusters which are racemed. Fruit. Dark purple, berry-like. CANADA VIOLET. Viola Canadensis. Violet Family. Stem. Leafy, upright, one to two feet high. Leaves. Heart-shaped, pointed, toothed. Flowers. White, veined with purple, violet beneath, otherwise greatly resembling the common blue violet. We associate the violet with the early year, but I have found the delicate fragrant flowers of this species blossoming high up on the Catskill Mountains late into September ; and have known them to continue to appear in a New York city-garden into No- vember. They are among the loveliest of the family, having a certain sprightly self-assertion which is peculiarly charming, perhaps because so unexpected. The tiny sweet white violet, V. blanda, with brown or pur- ple veins, which is found in nearly all low, wet, woody places in spring, is perhaps the only uniformly fragrant member of the family, and its scent, though sweet, is faint and elusive. The lance-leaved violet, V. lanceolata, is another white 42 PLATE IX Flower. Fruit. WILD SARSAPARILLA. A. nudicaulis. 43 WHITE species which is easily distinguished by its smooth lance-shaped leaves, quite unlike those of the common violet. It is found in damp soil, especially eastward. SOLOMON'S SEAL. Polygonatum biflorum. Lily Family. Stem. Slender, curving, one to three feet long. Leaves. Alternate, oval, set close to the stem. Flowers. Greenish-white or straw-colored, ^^ _^ bell-shaped, nodding from the axils of the leaves. Perianth. Six-lobed at \, ' - the summit. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. Fruit. A dark blue berry. The graceful leafy stems of the Solomon's seal are among the most decorative features of our spring woods. The small blos- soms which appear in May grow either singly or in clusters on a flower-stalk which is so fastened into the axil of each leaf that they droop beneath, forming a curve of singular grace which is sustained in later summer by the dark blue berries. The larger species, P. siganteum, grows to a height of from two to seven feet, blossoming in the meadows and along the I streams in June. The common name was suggested by the rootstocks, which | are marked with large round scars left by the death and separa- !tion of the base of the stout stalks of the previous years. These scars somewhat resemble the impression of a seal upon wax. The generic name is from two Greek words signifying J many, and knee, alluding to the numerous joints of the rootstock. CHOKE-BERRY. Pyrus arbiitifolia. Rose Family. A shrub from one to three feet high. Leaves. Oblong or somewhat lance-shaped, finely toothed, downy beneath. Flowers. White or reddish, small, clustered. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Numerous. Pistil. One, with two to five styles. Fruit. Small, pear- shaped or globular, berry-like, dark red or blackish. This low shrub is common in swamps and moist thickets all along the Atlantic coast, as well as farther inland. Its flowers appear in May or June ; its fruit in late summer or autumn. 44 PLATE X Rootstock. SOLOMON'S SEAL P. biflorum. 45 WHITE CREEPING SNOWBERRY. Chiogenes serpyllifolia. Heath Family. Stem. Slender, trailing and creeping. Leaves. Evergreen, small, ovate, pointed. Flowers. Small, white, solitary from the axils of the leaves. Calyx. Four-parted, with four large bracelets beneath. Corolla. Deeply four-parted. Stamens. Eight. Pistil. One. Fruit. A pure white berry. This pretty little creeper is found blossoming in May in the peat-bogs and mossy woods of the North. It is only conspicu- ous when hung with its snow-white berries in late summer. It has the aromatic flavor of the wintergreen. BEARBERRY. Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi. Heath Family. A trailing shrub. Leaves. Thick and evergreen, smooth, somewhat wedge-shaped. Flowers. Whitish, clustered. Calyx. Small. Corolla. Urn-shaped, five-toothed. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One. Fruit. Red, berry-like. This plant blossoms in May, and is found on rocky hillsides. Its name refers to the relish with which bears are supposed to devour its fruit. FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL. Smilacina racemosa. Lily Family. Stem. Usually curving, one to three feet long. Leaves. Oblong, veiny. Flowers. Greenish-white, small, in a terminal raceme. Perianth. Six- parted. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. Fruit. A pale red berry speckled with purple. A singular lack of imagination is betrayed in the common name of this plant. Despite a general resemblance to the true Solomon's seal, and the close proximity in which the two are constantly found, S. racemosa, has enough originality to deserve an individual title. The position of the much smaller flowers is markedly different. Instead of drooping beneath the stem they terminate it, having frequently a pleasant fragrance, while the berries of late summer are pale red, flecked with purple. It puz- zles one to understand why these two plants should so constantly be found growing side by side so close at times that they al- most appear to spring from one point. The generic name is PLATE XI Single flower. FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL. S. racemosa. 47 WHITE from smilax, on account of a supposed resemblance between the leaves of this plant and those which belong to that genus. MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM. DOCKMACKIE. ARROW-WOOD. Viburnum acerifolium. Honeysuckle Family. A shrub from three to six feet high. Leaves. Somewhat three -lobed, re- sembling those of the maple, downy underneath. Flowers. White, small, in flat-topped clusters. Calyx. Five-toothed. Corolla. Spreading, five- lobed. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One. Fruit. Berry-like, crimson, turn- ing purple. Perhaps our flowering shrubs contribute even more to the beauty of the early-summer woods and fields than the smaller plants. Along many of the lanes which intersect the woodlands the viburnums are conspicuous in June. When the blossoms of the dockmackie have passed away we need not be surprised if we are informed that this shrub is a young maple. There is certainly a resemblance between its leaves and those of the maple, as the specific name indicates. To be sure, the first red, then purple berries, can scarcely be accounted for, but such a trifling incongruity would fail to daunt the would-be wiseacre of field and forest. With Napoleonic audacity he will give you the name of almost any shrub or flower about which you may inquire. Seizing upon some feature he has observed in another plant, he will immediately christen the one in question with the same title somewhat modified, perhaps and in all probability his authority will remain unquestioned. There is a marvellous amount of in- accuracy afloat in regard to the names of even the commonest plants, owing to this wide-spread habit of guessing at the truth and stating a conjecture as a fact. HOBBLE-BUSH. AMERICAN WAYFARING-TREE. Viburnum lantanoides. Honeysuckle Family. Leaves. Rounded, pointed, closely toothed, heart-shaped at the base, the veins beneath as well as the stalks and small branches being covered with a rusty scurf. Fruit. Coral-red, berry-like. The marginal flowers of the flat-topped clusters of the hob- ble-bush, like those of the hydrangea, are much larger than the 48 WHITE inner ones, and are without either stamens or pistils ; their only part in the economy of the shrub being to form an attractive setting for the cluster, and thus to allure the insect- visitors that are usually so necessary to the future well-being of the species. The shrub is a common one in our northern woods and moun- tains. Its straggling growth, and its reclining branches, which often take root in the ground, have suggested the popular names of hobble-bush, and wayfaring-tree. ROUND-LEAVED DOGWOOD. Cornus circinata. Dogwood Family. A shrub six to ten feet high. Leaves. Rounded, abruptly pointed. Flowers. Small, white, in flat, spreading clusters. Calyx. Minutely four- toothed. Corolla. Of four white, oblong, spreading petals. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One. Fruit. Light blue, berry-like. The different members of the Dogwood family are important factors in the lovely pageant which delights our eyes along the country lanes every spring. Oddly enough, only the smallest and largest representative of the tribe (the little bunch-berry, and the flowering-dogwood, which is sometimes a tree of goodly dimensions), have in common the showy involucre which is usually taken for the blossom itself; but which instead only sur- rounds the close cluster of inconspicuous greenish flowers. The other members of the genus are all comprised in the shrubby dogwoods ; many of these are very similar in ap- pearance, bearing their white flowers in flat, spreading clusters, and differing chiefly in their leaves and fruit. The branches of the round-leaved dogwood are greenish and warty-dotted. Its fruit is light blue, and berry-like. The panicled dogwood, C. paniculata, may be distinguished by its white fruit and smooth, gray branches. The red-osier dogwood, C. stolonifera, is common in wet places. Its young shoots and branches are a bright purplish- red. Its flower-clusters are small ; its fruit, white or lead-color. The bark of this genus has been considered a powerful tonic, and an extract entitled " cornine," is said to possess the prop- erties of quinine less strongly marked. The Chinese peel its 49 WHITE twigs, and use them for whitening their teeth. It is said that the Creoles also owe the dazzling beauty of their teeth to this same practice. BELLWORT. Oakesia sessilifolia. Lily Family. Stem. Acutely angled, rather low. Leaves. Set close to or clasping the stem, pale, lance-oblong. Flower. Yellowish-white or straw-color. Perianth. Narrowly bell-shaped, divided into six distinct sepals. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One, with a deeply three-cleft style. In spring this little plant is very abundant in the woods. It bears one or two small lily-like blossoms which droop modestly beneath the curving stems. With the same common name and near of kin is Uimlaria perfoliata, with leaves which seem pierced by the stem, but otherwise of a strikingly similar aspect. HAWTHORN. WHITE-THORN. Cratagus coccinea. Rose Family. A shrub or small tree, with spreading branches, and stout thorns or spines. Leaves. On slender leaf -stalks, thin, rounded, toothed, sometimes lobed. Flowers. White or sometimes reddish, rather large, clustered, with a somewhat disagreeable odor. Calyx. Urn-shaped, five-cleft. Corolla. Of five broad, rounded petals. Stamens. Five to ten, or many. Pistil. One, with one to five styles. Fruit. Coral-red, berry-like. The flowers of the white-thorn appear in spring, at the same time with those of the dogwoods. Its scarlet fruit gleams from the thicket in September. WHITE BANEBERRY. Actcea alba. Crowfoot Family. Stem. About two feet high. Leaves. Twice or thrice-compound, leaf- lets incised and sharply toothed. Flowers. Small, white, in a thick, ob- long, terminal raceme. Calyx. Of four to five tiny sepals which fall as the flower expands. Corolla. Of four to ten small flat petals with slender claws. Stamens. Numerous, with slender white filaments. Pistil. One, with a depressed, two-lobed stigma. Fruit. An oval white berry, with a dark spot, on a thick red stalk, The feathery clusters of the white baneberry may be gathered when we go to the woods for the columbine, the wild ginger, r L PLATE XII Fruit. Fruit. Oakesia sessilifolia. BELLWORT. 51 U. perfoliata. WHITE the Jack-in-the-pulpit, and Solomon's seal. These flowers are very nearly contemporaneous and seek the same cool shaded nooks, all often being found within a few feet of one another. The red baneberry, A. rtibra, is a somewhat more Northern plant and usually blossoms a week or two earlier. Its cherry-red (occasionally whits) berries on their slender stalks are easily dis- tinguished from the white ones of A. alba, which look strikingly like the china eyes that small children occasionally manage to gouge from their dolls' heads. MOUNTAIN HOLLY. Nemopanthes fdscicularis. Holly Family. A much-branched shrub, with ash-gray bark. Leaves. Alternate, ob- long, smooth, on slender leaf-stalks. Flowers. White, some perfect, others unisexual ; solitary or clustered in the axils of the leaves on long, slender flower-stalks. Calyx. Minute or obsolete. Corolla. Of four or five spreading petals. Stamens. Four or five. Pistil. One. Fruit. Coral-red, berry-like. The flowers of this shrub appear in the damp woods of May. Its light red berries on their slender stalks are noticed in late summer when its near relation, the black alder or winterberry is also conspicuous. Its generic name signifies flower with a thread-like stalk. WINTERBERRY. BLACK ALDER. Ilex verticillata. Holly Family. A shrub, common in low grounds. Leaves. Oval or lance-shaped, pointed at apex and base, toothed. Flowers. White ; some perfect, others unisexual ; clustered on very short flower-stalks in the axils of the leaves ; appearing in May or June. Calyx. Minute. Corolla. Of four to six petals. Stamens. Four to six. Pistil. One. Fruit. Coral-red, berry-like. The year may draw nearly to its close without our attention being arrested by this shrub. But in September it is well nigh impossible to stroll through the country lanes without pausing to admire the bright red berries clustered so thickly among the leaves of the black alder. The American holly, /. opaca, is 5 2 PLATE XIII Fruit. WHITE BANEBERRY.-4. alba. S3 WHITE closely related to this shrub, whose generic name is the ancient Latin title for the holly-oak. RED-BERRIED ELDER. Sambucus racemosa. Honeysuckle Family. Stems, Woody, two to twelve feet high. Leaves. Divided into leaf- lets. Flowers. White, resembling those of the Common Elder (p. 78), but borne in pyramidal instead of in flat-topped clusters. Fruit. Bright red, berry-like. The white clusters of the red-berried elder are found in the rocky woods of May ; its scarlet fruit, like that of the shad- bush, appearing in June. BUNCH-BERRY. DWARF CORNEL. Cormts Canadensis. Dogwood Family. Stem. Five to seven inches high. Leaves. Ovate, pointed, the upper crowded into an apparent whorl of four to six. Flowers. Greenish, small, in a cluster which is surrounded by a large and showy four-leaved, petal -like, white or pinkish involucre. Calyx. Minutely four-toothed. Corolla. Of four spreading petals. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One. Fruit. Bright red, berry-like. When one's eye first falls upon the pretty flowers of the bunch-berry in the June woods, the impression is received that each low stem bears upon its summit a single large white blossom. A more searching look discovers that what appeared like rounded petals are really the showy white leaves of the involucre which surround the small, closely clustered, greenish flowers. The bright red berries which appear in late summer make brilliant patches in the woods and swamps. Both in flower and fruit this is one of the prettiest of our smaller plants. It is closely allied to the well-known flowering-dogwood, which is so ornamental a tree in early spring. In the Scotch Highlands it is called the " plant of glut- tony," on account of its supposed power of increasing the appe- tite. It is said to form part of the winter food of the Esqui- maux. 54 PLATE XIV Fruit BUNCH-BERRY. C. Canadensis. 55 WHITE SWEET BAY. LAUREL MAGNOLIA. Magnolia glatica. Magnolia Family. A shrub from four to twenty feet high. Leaves. Oval to broadly lance- shaped, from three to six inches long. Flowers. White, two inches long, growing singly at the ends of the branches. Calyx. Of three sepals. Corolla. Globular, with from six to nine broad petals. Stamens. Numer- ous, with short filaments and long anthers. Pistils. Many, packed so as to make a sort of cone in fruit Fruit. Cone-like, red, fleshy when ripe ; the pistils opening at maturity and releasing the scarlet seeds which hang by delicate threads. The beautiful fragrant blossoms of the sweet bay may be found from June till August, in swamps along the coast from Cape Ann southward. LIZARD'S TAIL. Saururus cernuus. Pepper Family. Stem. Jointed, often tall. Leaves. Alternate, heart-shaped. Flow- ers. White, without calyx or corolla, crowded into a slender, wand-like terminal spike which nods at the end. Stamens. Usually six or seven. Pistils. Three or four, united at their base. The nodding, fragrant spikes of the lizard's tail abound in certain swamps from June till August. While the plant is not a common one, it is occasionally found in great profusion, and is sure to arrest attention by its odd appearance. MOONSEED. Menispermum Canadense. Moonseed Family. Stem. Woody, climbing. Leaves. Three to seven-angled or lobed, their stalks fastened near the edge of the lower surface. Flowers. White or yellowish, in small loose clusters, unisexual. Calyx. Of four to eight sepals. Corolla. Of six to eight short petals. Stamens and Pistils. Oc- curring on different plants. Fruit. Berry-like, black, with a bloom. Clambering over the thickets which line the streams, we no- tice in September the lobed or angled leaves and black berries of the moonseed, the small white or yellowish flowers of which were, perhaps, overlooked in June. WHITE MOUNTAIN LAUREL. SPOONWOOD. CALICO-BUSH. Kalmia latifolia. Heath Family. An evergreen shrub. Leaves. Oblong, pointed, shining, of a leathery texture. Flowers. White or pink, in terminal clusters. Calyx. Five- parted. Corolla. Marked with red, wheel-shaped, five-lobed, with ten de- pressions. Stamens. Ten, each anther lodged in one of the depressions of the corolla. Pistil. One. The shining green leaves which surround the white or rose- colored flowers of the mountain laurel are familiar to all who have skirted the west shore of the Hudson River, wandered across the hills that lie in its vicinity, or clambered across the moun- tains of Pennsylvania, where the shrub sometimes grows to a height of thirty feet. Not that these localities limit its range : for it abounds more or less from Canada to Florida, and far in- land, especially along the mountains, whose sides are often clothed with an apparent mantle of pink snow during the month of June, and whose waste places are, in very truth, made to blos- som like the rose at this season. The shrub is highly prized and carefully cultivated in Eng- land. Barewood Gardens, the beautiful home of the editor of the London Times, is celebrated for its fine specimens of moun- tain laurel and American rhododendron. The English papers advertise the approach of the flowering season, the estate is thrown open to the public, and the people for miles around flock to see the radiant strangers from across the water. The shrub is not known there as the laurel, but by its generic title, Kalmia. ' The head gardener of the place received with some incredulity . my statement that in parts of America the waste hill-sides were brilliant with its beauty every June. The ingenious contrivance of these flowers to secure cross- fertilization is most interesting. The long filaments of the sta- mens are arched by each anther being caught in a little pouch of the corolla ; the disturbance caused by the sudden alighting of an insect on the blossom, or the quick brush of a bee's wing, dislodges the anthers from their niches, and the stamens spring upward with such violence that the pollen is jerked from its hid- ing-place in the pore of the anther-cell on to the body of the insect- 57 WHITE visitor, who straightway carries it off to another flower upon whose protruding stigma it is sure to be inadvertently deposited. In order to see the working of this for one's self, it is only necessary to pick a fresh blossom and either brush the corolla quickly with one's ringer, or touch the stamens suddenly with a pin, when the anthers will be dislodged and the pollen will be seen to fly. This is not the laurel of the ancients the symbol of victory and fame notwithstanding some resemblance in the form of the leaves. The classic shrub is supposed to be identical with the Laurus nobilis which was carried to our country by the early colonists, but which did not thrive in its new environment. The leaves of our species are supposed to possess poisonous qualities, and are said to have been used by the Indians for sui- cidal purposes. There is also a popular belief that the flesh of a partridge which has fed upon its fruit becomes poisonous. The clammy exudation about the flower-stalks and blossoms may serve the purpose of excluding from the flower such small insects as would otherwise crawl up to it, dislodge the stamens, scatter the pollen, and yet be unable to carry it to its proper destina- tion on the pistil of another flower. The Kalmia was named by Linnaeus after Peter Kalm, one of his pupils who travelled in this country, who was, perhaps, the first to make known the shrub to his great master. The popular name spoonwood grew from its use by the Indi- ans for making eating-utensils. The wood is of fine grain and takes a good polish. The title calico-bush probably arose from the marking of the corolla, which, to an imaginative mind, might suggest the cheap cotton-prints sold in the shops. WHITE SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE. CLAMMY AZALEA. Rhododendron viscostun. Heath Family. A shrub from three to ten feet high. Leaves. Oblong. Flowers. White, clustered, appearing after the leaves. Calyx-lobes. Minute. Co- rolla. White, five-lobed, the clammy tube much longer than the lobes. Stamens. Usually five, protruding. Pistil. One, protruding. The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful shrub appear in early summer along the swamps which skirt the coast, and occa- 58 PLATE XV MOUNTAIN LAUREL K. latifolia. 59 WHITE sionally farther inland. The close family resemblance to the pink azalea (PI. LXV) will be at once detected. On the branches of both species will be found those abnormal, fleshy growths, called variously " swamp apples" and "May apples," which are so relished by the children. Formerly these growths were attributed to the sting of an insect, as in the "oak apple; " now they are generally believed to be modified buds. AMERICAN RHODODENDRON. GREAT LAUREL. Rhododendron maximum. Heath Family. A shrub from six to thirty-five feet high. Leaves. Thick and leathery, oblong, entire. Flowers. White or pink, clustered. Calyx. Minute, five-toothed. Corolla. Somewhat bell-shaped, five-parted, greenish in the throat, with red, yellow, or green spots. Stamens. Usually ten. Pistil. One. This beautiful native shrub is one of the glories of our coun- try when in the perfection of its loveliness. The woods which nearly cover many of the mountains of our Eastern States hide from all but the bold explorer a radiant display during the early part of July. Then the lovely waxy flower -clusters of the Ameri- can rhododendron are in their fulness of beauty. As in the laurel, the clammy flower-stalks seem fitted to protect the blos- som from the depredations of small and useless insects, while the markings on the corolla attract the attention of the desirable bee. In those parts of the country where it flourishes most luxuri- antly, veritable rhododendron jungles termed ' f hells ' ' by the mountaineers are formed. The branches reach out and interlace in such a fashion as to be almost impassable. The nectar secreted by the blossoms is popularly supposed to be poisonous. We read in Xenophon that during the retreat of the Ten Thousand, the soldiers found a quantity of honey of which they freely partook, with results that proved almost fatal. This honey is said to have been made from a rhododendron which is still common in Asia Minor and which is believed to possess intoxicating and poisonous properties. Comparatively little attention had been paid to this superb flower until the Centennial Celebration at Philadelphia, when 60 PLATE XVI AMERICAN RHODODENDRON.-/*, maximum. 6l WHITE some fine exhibits attracted the admiration of thousands. The shrub has been carefully cultivated in England, having been brought to great perfection on some of the English estates. It is yearly winning more notice in this country. The generic name is from the Greek for rose-tree. WOOD SORREL. Oxalis Acetosella. Geranium Family. Scape. One-flowered, two to five inches high. Leaves. Divided into three clover - like leaflets. Flower. White veined with red, solitary. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One with five styles. Surely nowhere can be found a daintier carpeting than that made by the clover-like foliage of the wood sorrel when studded with its rose-veined blossoms in the northern woods of June. At the very name comes a vision of mossy nooks where the sun- light only comes on sufferance, piercing its difficult path through the tent-like foliage of the forest, resting only long enough to be- come a golden memory. The early Italian painters availed themselves of its chaste beauty. Mr. Ruskin says: " Fra Angelico's use of the Oxalis Acetosella is as faithful in representation as touching in feeling. The triple leaf of the plant and white flower stained purple probably gave it strange typical interest among the Christian painters." Throughout Europe it bears the odd name of ' ' Hallelujah ' ' on account of its flowering between Easter and Whitsuntide, the season when the Psalms sung in the churches resound with that word. There has been an unfounded theory that this title sprang from St. Patrick's endeavor to prove to his rude audience the possibility of a Trinity in Unity from the three-divided leaves. By many this ternate leaf has been considered the shamrock of the ancient Irish. The English title, " cuckoo- bread," refers to the appearance of the blossoms at the season when the cry of the cuckoo is first heard. Our name sorrel is from the Greek for sour and has reference 62 PLATE XVII WOOD SORREL O. Acetosclla. WHITE to the acrid juice of the plant. The delicate leaflets "sleep " at night ; that is, they droop and close one against another. POISON SUMACH. Rkus venenata. Cashew Family. A shrub from six to eighteen feet high. Leaves. Divided into seven to thirteen oblong entire leaflets, flowers. Greenish or yellowish-white, in loose axillary clusters ; some perfect, others unisexual. Fruit. Whitish or dun-colored, small, globular. The poison sumach infests swampy places and flowers in June. In early summer it can be distinguished from the harm- less members of the family by the slender flower-clusters which grow from the axils of the leaves, those of the innocent sumachs being borne in pyramidal, terminal clusters. In the later year the fruits of the respective shrubs are, of course, similarly situated, but, to accentuate the distinction, they differ in color ; that of the poison sumach being whitish or dun-colored, while that of the other is crimson. STAGHORN SUMACH. Rhus typhina. Cashew Family. A shrub or tree from ten to thirty feet high. Leaves. Divided into eleven to thirty-one somewhat lance-shaped, toothed leaflets. Flowers. Greenish or yellowish-white, in upright terminal clusters, some perfect, others unisexual, appearing in June. Fruit. Crimson, small, globular, hairy. This is the common sumach which illuminates our hill-sides every autumn with masses of flame-like color. Many of us would like to decorate our homes with its brilliant sprays, but are de- terred from handling them by the fear of being poisoned, not knowing that one glance at the crimson fruit-plumes should re- assure us, as the poisonous sumachs are white-fruited. These tossing pyramidal fruit-clusters at first appear to explain the common title of staghorn sumach. It is not till the foliage has disappeared, and the forked branches are displayed in all their nakedness, that we feel that these must be the feature in which the common name originated. 64 WHITE POISON IVY. Rhus Toxicodendron. Cashew Family. A shrub which usually climbs by means of rootlets over rocks, walls, and trees ; sometimes low and erect. Leaves. Divided into three somewhat four-sided pointed leaflets. Flowers, Greenish or yellowish-white, small, some perfect, others unisexual ; in loose clusters in the axils of the leaves in June. Fruit. Small, globular, somewhat berry-like, dun-colored, clustered. This much- dreaded plant is often confused with the beautiful Virginia creeper, occasionally to the ruthless destruction of the latter. Generally the two can be distinguished by the three- divided leaves of the poison ivy, the leaves of the Virginia creeper usually being five-divided. In the late year the whitish fruit of the ivy easily identifies it, the berries of the creeper being blackish. The poison ivy is reputed to be especially harmful during the night, or at any time in early summer when the sun is not shining upon it. VIRGINIA CREEPER. AMERICAN IVY. Ampelopsis qiiinquefolia. Vine Family. A woody vine climbing by means of disk-bearing tendrils, and also by rootlets. Leaves. Usually divided into five leaflets. Florvers. Greenish, small, clustered, appearing in July. Fruit. A small, blackish berry in Oc- tober. Surely in autumn, if not always, this is the most beautiful of our native climbers. At that season its blood-like sprays are out- lined against the dark evergreens about which they delight to twine, showing that marvellous discrimination in background which so constantly excites our admiration in nature. The Vir- ginia creeper is extensively cultivated in Europe. Even in Venice, that sea-city where one so little anticipates any re- minders of home woods and meadows, many a dim canal mir- rors in October some crumbling wall or graceful trellis aglow with its vivid beauty. WHITE SHIN-LEAF. Pyrola clliptica. Heath Family. Scape. Upright, scaly, terminating in a many-flowered raceme. Leaves. From the root, thin and dull, somewhat oval. Flowers. White, nodding. Calyx. Five-parted. Corolla. Of five rounded, concave petals. Sta- mens. Ten. Pistil. One, with a long curved style. In the distance these pretty flowers suggest the lilies-of- the- valley. They are found in the woods of June and July, often in close company with the pipsissewa. The ugly common name of shin-leaf arose from an early custom of applying the leaves of this genus to bruises or sores ; the English peasantry being in the habit of calling any kind of plaster a " shin-plaster " without regard to the part of the body to which it might be applied. The old herbalist, Salmon, says that the name Pyrola was given to the genus by the Romans on account of the fancied resemblance of its leaves and flowers to those of a pear-tree. The English also call the plant " wintergreen," which name we usually reserve for Gaultheria procumbent. P. rotundifolia is a species with thick, shining, rounded leaves. COMMON BLACK HUCKLEBERRY. Gaylussacia resinosa. Heath Family. One to three feet high. Stems. Shrubby, branching. Leaves. Oval or oblong, sprinkled more or less with waxy, resinous atoms. Flowers. White, reddish, or purplish, bell-shaped, growing in short, one-sided clus- ters. Calyx. With five short teeth. Corolla. Bell-shaped, with a five-cleft border. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One. Frtiit. A black, bloomless, edi- ble berry. The flowers of the common huckleberry appear in May or June ; the berries in late summer. The shrub abounds in rocky woods and swamps. COMMON BLUEBERRY. Vaccinium corymbosun. Heath Family. Five to ten feet high. The blueberry has a bloom which is lacking in the huckle- berry. It is found in swamps or low thickets in late summer. 66 PLATE XVIII SHIN-LEAF.-P. elliptica. WHITE SQUAW HUCKLEBERRY. Vaccinium stamineum. Heath Family. Two or three feet high. Stems. Diffusely branched. This large greenish or yellowish berry is hardly edible. The flowers appear in June, and are easily recognized by their pro- truding stamens. The leaves are pale green above and whitish underneath. PIPSISSEWA. PRINCE'S PINE. Chimaphila umbellata. Heath Family. Stem. Four to ten inches high, leafy. Leaves. Somewhat whorled or scattered, evergreen, lance-shaped, with sharply toothed edges. Flowers. White or purplish, fragrant, in a loose terminal cluster. Calyx. Five- lobed. Corolla. With five rounded, widely spreading petals. Stamens. Ten, with violet anthers. Pistil. One, with a short top-shaped style and disk-like stigma. When strolling through the woods in summer one is apt to chance upon great patches of these deliciously fragrant and pretty flowers. The little plant, with its shining evergreen foliage, flourishes abundantly among decaying leaves in sandy soil, and puts forth its dainty blossoms late in June. It is one of the lat- est of the fragile wood-flowers which are so charming in the ear- lier year, and which have already begun to surrender in favor of their hardier, more self-assertive brethren of the fields and road- sides. The common name, pipsissewa, is evidently of Indian origin, and perhaps refers to the strengthening properties which the red men ascribed to it. SPOTTED PIPSISSEWA. Chimaphila maculata. Heath Family. The spotted pipsissewa blossoms a little later than its twin- sister. Its slightly toothed leaves are conspicuously marked with white. WHITE DAISY. WHITE-WEED. OX-EYED DAISY. Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. Composite Family (p. 13). The common white daisy stars the June meadows with those gold-centred blossoms which delight the eyes of the beauty- 68 PLATE XIX PIPSISSEWA. C. nmbellata. 69 WHITE lover while they make sore the heart of the farmer, for the " white- weed," as he calls it, is hurtful to pasture land and difficult to eradicate. The true daisy is the Bellis perennis of England, the Wee, modest crimson-tippit flower of Burns. This was first called " day's eye," because it closed at night and opened at dawn, That well by reason men it call may, The Daisie, or else the eye of the day, sang Chaucer nearly four hundred years ago. In England our flower is called "ox-eye" and "moon daisy;" in Scotland, " dog-daisy." The plant is not native to this country, but was brought from the Old World by the early colonists. DAISY FLEABANE. SWEET SCABIOUS. Erigeron annuus. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Stout, from three to five feet high, branched, hairy. Leaves. Coarsely and sharply toothed, the lowest ovate, the upper narrower. P lower- heads. Small, clustered, composed of both ray and disk-flowers, the former white, purplish, or pinkish, the latter yellow. During the summer months the fields and waysides are whi- tened with these very common flowers which look somewhat like small white daisies or asters. Another common species is E. strigosus, a smaller plant, with smaller flower-heads also, but with the white ray-flowers longer. The generic name is from two Greek words signifying spring and an old man, in allusion to the hoariness of certain species which flower in the spring. The fleabanes were so named from the belief that when burned they were objectionable to insects. They were formerly hung in country cottages for the purpose of excluding such unpleasant intruders. 70 WHITE MAYWEED. CHAMOMILE. Anthemis Cotula. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Branching. Leaves. Finely dissected. Flower-heads. Com- posed of, white ray and yellow disk- flowers, resembling the common white daisy. In midsummer the pretty daisy-like blossoms of this strong- scented plant are massed along the roadsides. So nearly a counterpart of the common daisy do they appear that they are constantly mistaken for that flower. The smaller heads, with the yellow disk-flowers crowded upon a receptacle which is much more conical than that of the daisy, and the finely dissected, feathery leaves, serve to identify the Mayweed. The country- folk brew " chamomile tea" from these leaves, and through their agency raise painfully effective blisters in an emergency. NEW JERSEY TEA. RED-ROOT. Ceanothus Americamis. Buckthorn Family. Root. Dark red. Stem. Shrubby, one to three feet high. Flowers. White, small, clustered. Calyx. White, petal-like, five-lobed, incurved. Corolla. With five long-clawed hooded petals. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One, with three stigmas. This shrubby plant is very common in dry woods. In July its white feathery flower-clusters brighten many a shady nook in an otherwise flowerless neighborhood. During the Revolution its leaves were used as a substitute for tea. BASTARD TOADFLAX. Comandra ^lmbellata. Sandalwood Family. Stem. Eight to ten inches high, branching, leafy. Leaves. Alternate, oblong, pale. Flowers. Greenish-white, small, clustered. Calyx. Bell or urn-shaped. Corolla. None. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One. The bastard toadflax is commonly found in dry ground, flowering in May or June. Its root forms parasitic attachments to the roots of trees. 7 1 WHITE WlNTERGREEN. CHECKERBERRY. MOUNTAIN TEA. Gaultheria proc umbens. Heath Family. Stem. Three to six inches high, slender, leafy at the summit. Leaves. /"-' Oval, shining, evergreen. Flowers. White, growing from the axils of f* the leaves. Calyx. Five-lobed. Corolla. Urn-shaped, with five small teeth. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One. Fruit. A globular red berry. He who seeks the cool shade of the evergreens on a hot July day is likely to discover the nodding wax-like flowers of this little plant. They are delicate and pretty, with a background of shining leaves. These leaves when young have a pleasant aromatic flavor similar to that of the sweet birch ; they are sometimes used as a substitute for tea. The bright red berries are also edible and savory, and are much appreciated by the hungry birds and deer during the winter. If not thus consumed they remain upon the plant until the following spring when they either drop or rot upon the stem, thus allowing the seeds to es- cape. WHITE SWEET CLOVER. WHITE MELILOT. Melilotus alba. Pulse Family (p. 16). Stem. Two to four feet high. Leaves. Divided into three-toothed leaf- lets. Flowers. Papilionaceous, white, growing in spike-like racemes. ^> Like its yellow sister, M. officinalis, this plant is found blos- soming along the roadsides throughout the summer. The flowers are said to serve as flavoring in Gruyere cheese, snuff, and smok- ing-tobacco, and to act like camphor when packed with furs to preserve them from moths, besides imparting a pleasant fragrance. WATERLEAF. Hydrophyllum Virginicum. Waterleaf Family. One to two feet high. Leaves. Divided into five to seven oblong, pointed, toothed divisions. Flowers. White or purplish, in one-sided raceme-like clusters which are usually coiled from the apex when young. Calyx. Five- parted. Corolla. Five-cleft, bell-shaped. Stamens. Five, protruding. Pistil. One. This plant is found flowering in summer in the rich woods. 72 PLATE XX Fruit. WINTERGREEN. G. procumbens. 73 INDIAN PIPE. CORPSE-PLANT. Monotropa uniflora. Heath Family. A low fleshy herb from three to eight inches high, without green foliage, of a wax-like appearance, with colorless bracts in the pla.ce of leaves, flower. White or pinkish, single, terminal, nodding. Calyx. Of two to four bract-like scales. Corolla. Of four or five wedge-shaped petals. Stamens. Eight or ten, with yellow anthers. Pistil. One, with a disk-like, four or five-rayed stigma. The effect of a cluster of these nodding, wax-like flowers in the deep woods of summer is singularly fairy-like. They spring from a ball of matted rootlets, and are parasitic, drawing their nourishment from decaying vegetable matter. In fruit the plant erects itself and loses its striking resemblance to a pipe. Its clammy touch, and its disposition to decompose and turn black when handled, has earned it the name of corpse-plant. It was used by the Indians as an eye-lotion, and is still believed by some to possess healing properties. FIELD CHICKWEED. Cerastium arvense. Pink Family. Four to eight inches high. Stems. Slender. Leaves. Linear or nar- rowly lance-shaped, flowers. White, large, in terminal clusters. Calyx. Usually of five sepals. Corolla. Usually of five two-lobed petals which are more than twice the length of the calyx. Stamens. Twice as many, or fewer than the petals. Pistil. -One, with as many styles as there are sepals. This is one of the most noticeable of the chickweeds. Its starry flowers are found in dry or rocky places, blossoming from May till July. The common chickweed, which besets damp places every- where, is Stellaria media ; this is much used as food for song- . birds. The long-leaved stitchwort, S. longifolia, is a species which is common in grassy places, especially northward. It has linear leaves, unlike those of S. media, which are ovate or oblong. 74 PLATE XXf INDIAN PIPE M. uniflora. 75 WHITE ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE. Circtza Lutetiana. Evening Primrose Family. Stem. One or two feet high. Leaves. Opposite, thin, ovate, slightly toothed. Flowers. Dull white, small, growing in a raceme. Calyx. Two- lobed. Corolla. Of two petals. Stamens. Two. Pistil. One. This insignificant and ordinarily uninteresting plant arrests attention by the frequency with which it is found flowering in the summer woods and along shady roadsides. C. Alpina is a smaller, less common species, which is found along the mountains and in deep woods. Both species are bur- dened with the singularly inappropriate name of enchanter's nightshade. There is nothing in their appearance to suggest an enchanter or any of the nightshades. It seems, however, that the name of a plant called after the enchantress Circe, and de- scribed by Dioscorides nearly two thousand years ago, was acci- dentally transferred to this unpretentious genus. THIMBLE-WEED. Anemone Virginiana. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Two or three feet high. Leaves. Twice or thrice cleft, the di- visions again toothed or cleft. Flowers. Greenish or sometimes white, borne on long, upright flower-stalks. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. None. Stamens and Pistils. Indefinite in number. These greenish flowers, which may be found in the woods and meadows throughout the summer, are only striking by reason of their long, erect flower-stalks. The oblong, thimble-like fruit- head, which is rather noticeable in the later year, gives to the plant its common name. CLEAVERS. GOOSE-GRASS. BEDSTRAW. Galium Aparine. Madder Family. Stem. Weak and reclining, bristly. Leaves. Lance-shaped, about eight in a whorl. Flowers. White, small, growing from the axils of the leaves. Calyx-teeth. Obsolete. Corolla. Usually four-parted, wheel- shaped. Stamens. Usually four. Pistil. One with two styles. Fruit. Globular, bristly, with hooked prickles. This plant may be found in wooded or shady places through- out the continent. Its flowers, which appear in summer, are 76 9 WHITE rather inconspicuous, one's attention being chiefly attracted by its many whorls of slender leaves. BITTER-SWEET. WAX-WORK. Celastrus scandens. Staff- tree Family. Stem. Woody, twining. Leaves. Alternate, oblong, finely toothed, pointed. Flovuers. Small, greenish, or cream-color, in raceme-like clusters, appearing in June. Pod. Orange-colored, globular, and berry-like, curling back in three divisions when ripe so as to display the scarlet covering of the seeds within. The small flowers of the bitter-sweet, which appear in June, rarely attract attention. But in October no lover of color can fail to admire the deep orange pods which at last curl back so as advantageously to display the brilliant scarlet covering of the seeds. Perhaps we have no fruit which illuminates more vividly the roadside thicket of late autumn ; or touches with greater warmth those tumbled, overgrown walls which are so picturesque a feature in parts of the country, and do in a small way for our quiet landscapes what vine-covered ruins accomplish for the scen- ery of the Old World. CULVER'S ROOT. Veronica Virginica. Figwort Family. Stem. Straight and tall, from two to six feet high. Leaves, Whorled, lance-shaped, finely toothed. Floivers. White, small, growing in slender clustered spikes. Calyx. Irregularly four or five-toothed. Corolla. Four or five-lobed. Stamens. Two, protruding. Pistil. One. The tall straight stems of the culver's root lift their slender spikes in midsummer to a height that seems strangely at variance with the habit of this genus. The small flowers, however, at once betray their kinship with the speedwells. Although it is, perhaps, a little late to look for the white wands of the black cohosh the two plants might easily be confused in the distance, as they have much the same aspect and seek alike the cool re- cesses of the woods. This same species grows in Japan and was introduced into English gardens nearly two hundred years ago. It is one of the many Indian remedies which were adopted by our forefathers. 77 WHITE BLACK COHOSH. BUGBANE. BLACK SNAKEROOT. Cimicifuga racemosa. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Three to eight feet high. Leaves. Divided, the leaflets toothed or incised. Flowers. White, growing in elongated wand-like racemes. Calyx. Of four or five white petal-like sepals, falling early. Corolla. Of from one to eight white petals or transformed stamens. Stamens. Numer- ous, with slender white filaments. Pistils. One to three. The tall white wands of the black cohosh shoot up in the shadowy woods of midsummer like so many ghosts. A curious- looking plant it is, bearing aloft the feathery flowers which have such an unpleasant odor that even the insects are supposed to avoid them. Fortunately they are sufficiently conspicuous to be admired at a distance, many a newly cleared hill-side and wood- border being lightened by their slender, torch-like racemes which flash upon us as we travel through the country. The plant was one of the many which the Indians believed to be efficacious for snake-bites. The generic name is from cimex a bug, and fugare to drive away. COMMON ELDER. Sambucus Canadensis. Honeysuckle Family. Stems. Scarcely woody, five to ten feet high. Leaves. Divided into toothed leaflets. Floivers. White, small, in flat-topped clusters. Calyx. Lobes minute or none. Corolla. With five spreading lobes. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One, with three stigmas. Fruit. Dark-purple, berry-like. The common elder borders the lanes and streams with its spreading flower-clusters in early summer, and in the later year is noticeable for the dark berries from which " elderberry wine " is brewed by the country people. The fine white wood is easily cut and is used for skewers and pegs. A decoction of the leaves serves the gardener a good purpose in protecting delicate plants from caterpillars. Evelyn wrote of it: "If the medicinal prop- erties of the leaves, berries, bark, etc., were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our countrymen could ail for which he might not fetch from every hedge, whether from sickness or wound." The white pith can easily be removed from the stems, hence the old English name of bore-wood. 78 PLATE XXII Fruit BLACK COHOSH.-C'. racemosa. 79 WHITE The name elder is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon aeld a fire and is thought to refer to the former use of the hollow branches in blowing up a fire. SPURGE. Euphorbia corollata. Spui'ge Family. Stem. Two or three feet high. Leaves. Ovate, lance-shaped or linear. Flowers. Clustered within the usually five-lobed, cup-shaped involucre which was formerly considered the flower itself ; the male flowers numerous and lining its base, consisting each of a single stamen; the female flower solitary in the middle of the involucre, consisting of a three-lobed ovary with three styles, each style being two-cleft. Pod. On a slender stalk, smooth. In this plant the showy white appendages of the cup-shaped clustered involucres are usually taken for the petals of the flower ; only the botanist suspecting that the minute organs within these involucres really form a cluster of separate flowers of different sexes. While the most northerly range in the Eastern States of this spurge is usually considered to be New York, the botany states that it has been recently naturalized in Massachusetts. It blossoms from July till October. PARTRIDGE VINE. Mitchella repens. Madder Family. Stems. Smooth and trailing. Leaves. Rounded, evergreen, veined with white. Flowers. White, fragrant, in pairs. Calyx. Four-toothed. Corolla. Funnel-form, with four spreading lobes, bearded within. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One, its ovary united with that of its sister flower, its four stigmas linear. At all times of the year this little plant faithfully fulfils its mission of adorning that small portion of the earth to which it finds itself rooted. But only the early summer finds the partridge , vine exhaling its delicious fragrance from the delicate sister- blossoms which are its glory. Among the waxy flowers will be found as many of the bright red berries of the previous year as have been left unmolested by the hungry winter birds. This plant is found not only in the moist woods of North America, 80 PLATE XXIII PARTRIDGE VINE.-lf. repens. 81 WHITE but also in the forests of Mexico and Japan. It is a near relative of the dainty bluets or Quaker ladies, and has the same pecu- liarity of dimorphous flowers (p. 232). GREEN ORCHIS. Habenaria virescens. RAGGED FRINGED ORCHIS. Habenaria lacera. Orchis Family (p. 17). Leaves. Oblong or lance-shaped. Flowers. Greenish or yellowish- white, growing in a spike. These two orchids are found in wet boggy places during the earlier summer, the green antedating the ragged fringed orchis by a week or more. The lip of the ragged fringed is three- parted, the divisions being deeply fringed, giving what is called in Sweet's "British Flower-Garden" an " elegantly jagged ap- pearance." The lip of the green orchis is furnished with a tooth on each side and a strong protuberance in the middle. So far as superficial beauty and conspicuousness are concerned these flowers do scant justice to the brilliant family to which they be- long, and equally excite the scornful exclamation, "You call that an orchid ! ' ' when brought home for analysis or preserva- tion. BUTTON-BUSH. Cephalanthus occidentalis. Madder Family. A shrub three to eight feet high. Leaves. Opposite or whorled in threes, somewhat oblong and pointed. Flowers. Small, white, closely crowded in round button-like heads. Calyx. Four-toothed. Corolla. Four-toothed. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One, with a thread-like protruding style and blunt stigma. This pretty shrub borders the streams and swamps throughout the country. Its button-like flower -clusters appear in midsum- mer. It belongs to the family of which the delicate bluet and fragrant partridge vine are also members. Its flowers have a jas- mine-like fragrance. 82 WHITE MILD WATER-PEPPER. Polygonum hydropiperoides. Buckwheat Family. Stem. One to three feet high, smooth, branching. Leaves. Alternate, narrowly lance-shaped or oblong. Flowers. White or flesh-color, small, growing in erect, slender spikes. Calyx. Five-parted. Corolla. r None. Stamens. Eight. Pistil. One, usually with three styles. These rather inconspicuous but very common flowers are found in moist places and shallow water. The common knotweed, P. aviculare, which grows in such abundance in country door-yards and waste places, has slender, often prostrate, stems, and small greenish flowers, which are clus- tered in the axils of the leaves or spiked at the termination of the stems. This is perhaps the " hindering knotgrass " to which Shakespeare refers in the "Midsummer Night's Dream," so terming it, not on account of its knotted trailing stems, but be- cause of the belief that it would hinder the growth of a child. In Beaumont and Fletcher's "Coxcomb" the same superstition is indicated : We want a boy Kept under for a year with milk and knotgrass. It is said that many birds are nourished by the seeds of this plant. CLIMBING FALSE BUCKWHEAT. Polygonum scandens. Buckwheat Family. Stem. Smooth, twining, and climbing over bushes, eight to twelve feet high. Leaves. Heart or arrow shaped, pointed, alternate. Flowers. Greenish or pinkish, in racemes. Calyx. Five-parted, with colored mar- gins. Corolla. None. Stamens. Usually eight. Pistil. One, with three stigmas. Seed- vessel. Green, three-angled, winged, conspicuous in autumn. In early summer this plant, which clambers so perseveringly over the moist thickets which line our country lanes, is compara- tively inconspicuous. The racemes of small greenish flowers are not calculated to attract one's attention, and it is late summer or autumn before the thick clusters of greenish fruit composed of the 83 WHITE winged seed-vessels arrest one's notice. At this time the vine is very beautiful and striking, and one wonders that it could have escaped detection in the earlier year. Dalibarda repens. Rose Family. Scape. Low. Leaves. Heart-shaped, wavy-toothed. Flowers. White, one or two borne on each scape. Calyx. Deeply five or six-parted, three of the divisions larger and toothed. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Many. Pistils. Five to ten. The foliage of this pretty little plant suggests the violet ; while its white blossom* betrays its kinship with the wild straw- berry. It may be found from June till August in woody places, being one of those flowers which we seek deliberately, whose charm is never decreased by its being thrust upon us inoppor- tunely. Who can tell how much the attractiveness of the wild carrot, the dandelion, or butter-and-eggs would be enhanced were they so discreet as to withdraw from the common haunts of men into the shady exclusiveness which causes us to prize many far less beautiful flowers ? STARRY CAMPION. Silene stellata. Pink Family. Stem. Swollen at the joints, about three feet high. Leaves. Whorled in fours, oval, taper-pointed. Flowers. White, in a large pyramidal cluster. Calyx. Inflated, five-toothed. Corolla. Of five deeply fringed petals. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One, with three styles. In late July many of our wooded banks are decorated with the tall stems, whorled leaves, and prettily fringed flowers of the starry campion. Closely allied to it is the bladder campion of the fields, S. Cucubalus, a much smaller plant, with opposite leaves, loosely clustered white flowers, a greatly inflated calyx, and two-cleft petals. This is an emigrant from Europe, which was first natu- ralized near Boston, and has now become wild in different parts of the country, quite overrunning some of the farm-lands which border the Hudson River. 84 PLATE XXiV Dalibarda repent. 85 WHITE COLIC-ROOT. STAR-GRASS. A letris farinosa. Bloodwort Family. Leaves. Thin, lance-shaped, in a spreading cluster from the root. Scape. Slender, two to three feet high. Flowers. White, small, growing in a wand-like, spiked raceme. Perianth. Six-cleft at the summit, oblong- tubular. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One, with style three-cleft at apex. In summer we find these flowers in the grassy woods. The generic title is the Greek word for "a female slave who grinds corn," and refers to the mealy appearance of the blossoms. TALL MEADOW RUE. Thalictrum poly gam ttm. Crowfoot Family. Four to eight feet high. Leaves. Divided into many firm, rounded leaf- lets. Flowers. White, in large clusters ; some perfect, others unisexual. Calyx. Of four or five small petal-like sepals which usually fall off very early. Corolla. None. Stamens. Numerous. Pistils. Four to fifteen. Where a stream trails its sluggish length through the fields of midsummer, its way is oftentimes marked by the tall meadow rue, the feathery, graceful flower-clusters of which erect them- selves serenely above the myriad blossoms which are making radiant the wet meadows at this season. For here, too, we may search for the purple flag and fringed orchis, the yellow meadow lily, the pink swamp milkweed, each charming in its way, but none with the cool chaste beauty of the meadow rue. The staminate flowers of this plant are especially delicate and feathery. WHITE AVENS. Geum album. Rose Family. Stem. Slender, about two feet high. Root-leaves. Divided into from three to five leaflets, or entire. Stem-leaves. Three-lobed or divided, or only toothed. Flowers. White. Calyx. Deeply five-cleft, usually with five small bractlets alternating with its lobes. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Numerous. Pistils. Numerous, with hooked styles which be- come elongated in fruit. The whke avens is one of the less noticeable plants which border the summer woods, blossoming from May till August. Later the hooked seeds which grow in round burr-like heads 86 PLATE XXV TALL MEADOW RUE. T. polygamum. WHITE secure wide dispersion by attaching themselves to animals or clothing. Other species of avens have more conspicuous gol- den-yellow flowers. MEADOW-SWEET. Spiraa salicifolia. Rose Family. Stem. Nearly smooth, two or three feet high. Leaves.-^- Alternate, somewhat lance-shaped, toothed. Flowers. Small, white or flesh-color, in pyramidal clusters. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla. Of five rounded petals. Stamens. Numerous. Pistils. Five to eight. The feathery spires of the meadow-sweet soar upward from the river banks and low meadows in late July. Unlike its pink sister, the steeple-bush, its leaves and stems are fairly smooth. The lack of fragrance in the flowers is disappointing, because of the hopes raised by the plant's common name. This is said by Dr. Prior to be a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon mead-wort, which signifies honey-wine herb, alluding to a fact which is men- tioned in Hill's " Herbal," that " the flowers mixed with mead give it the flavor of the Greek wines. ' ' Although the significance of many of the plant-names seems clear enough at first sight, such an example as this serves to show how really obscure it often is. WHITE WATER-LILY. Nympha>a odorata. Water-lily Family. Leaves. Rounded, somewhat heart-shaped, floating on the surface of the water. Flowers. Large, white, or sometimes pink, fragrant. Calyx. Of four sepals which are green without. Corolla. Of many petals. Sta- mens. Indefinite in number. Pistil. With a many-celled ovary whose summit is tipped with a globular projection around which are the radiating stigmas. This exquisite flower calls for little description. Many of us are so fortunate as to hold in our memories golden mornings de- voted to its quest. We t can hardly take the shortest railway journey in summer without passing some shadowy pool whose greatest adornment is this spotless and queenly blossom. The b-eath of the lily-pond is brought even into the heart of our cit- 88 PLATE XXVI MEADOW-SWEET. salicifolia. 80 WHITE ies where dark-eyed little Italians peddle clusters of the long- stemmed fragrant flowers about the streets. In the water-lily may be seen an example of so-called plant- metamorphosis. The petals appear to pass gradually into sta- mens, it being difficult to decide where the petals end and the stamens begin. But whether stamens are transformed petals, or petals transformed stamens seems to be a mooted question. In Gray we read, " Petals numerous, in many rows, the innermost gradually passing into stamens," while Mr. Grant Allen writes : "Petals are in all probability enlarged and flattened stamens, which have been set apart for the work of attracting insects," and goes on to say, " Flowers can and do exist without petals, . . . but no flower can possibly exist without stamens, which are one of the two essential reproductive organs in the plant." From this he argues that it is more rational to consider a petal a transformed stamen than vice versa. To go further into the sub- ject here would be impossible, but a careful study of the water- lily is likely to excite one's curiosity in the matter. WHITE VERVAIN. Verbena ^lrt^C(zfolia. Verbena Family. Three to five feet high. Leaves. Oval, coarsely toothed. Flowers. Small, white, in slender spikes, otherwise resembling Purple Vervain. It almost excites one's incredulity to be told that this unin- teresting looking plant, which grows rankly along the highways, is an importation from the tropics, yet for this statement the botany is responsible. ROUND-LEAVED SUNDEW. Drosera rotundifolid. Sundew Family. Scape. A few inches high. Leaves. Rounded, abruptly narrowed into spreading, hairy leaf-stalks ; beset with reddish, gland-bearing bristles. Flowers. White, growing in a one-sided raceme, which so nods at its apex that the fresh-blown blossom is always uppermost. Calyx. Of five sepals. 90 WHITE Corolla. Of five petals. Pistil. One, with three or five styles, which are sometimes so deeply two-parted as to be taken for twice as many. What's this I hear About the new carnivora ? Can little plants Eat bugs and ants And gnats and flies ? A sort of retrograding : Surely the fare Of flowers is air, Or sunshine sweet ; They shouldn't eat, Or do aught so degrading ! But by degrees we are learning to reconcile ourselves to the fact that the more we study the plants the less we are able to at- tribute to them altogether unfamiliar and ethereal habits. We find that the laws which control their being are strangely sug- gestive of those which regulate ours, and after the disappearance of the shock which attends the shattered illusion, their charm is only increased by the new sense of kinship. The round-leaved sundew is found blossoming in many of our marshes in midsummer. When the sun shines upon its leaves they look as though covered with sparkling dewdrops, hence its common name. These drops are a glutinous exuda- tion, by means of which insects visiting the plant are first capt- ured ; the reddish bristles then close tightly about "them, and it is supposed that their juices are absorbed by the plant. At all events the rash visitor rarely escapes. In many localities it is easy to secure any number of these little plants and to try for one's self the rather grewsome experiment of feeding them with small insects. Should the tender-hearted recoil from such reck- less slaughter, they might confine their offerings on the altar of science to mosquitoes, small spiders, and other deservedly un- popular creatures. D. Americana is a very similar species, with longer, narrower leaves. The thread-leaved sundew, D. filiformis has fine, thread- like leaves and pink flowers, and is found in wet sand along the coast. WHITE POKEWEED. GARGET. PIGEON-BERRY. Phytolacca decandra. Pokeweed Family. Stems. In length from six to ten feet high; purple-pink or bright red, stout. Leaves. Large, alternate, veiny. Flowers. White or pinkish, the green ovaries conspicuous, growing in racemes. Calyx. Of five rounded or petal-like sepals, pinkish without. Corolla. None. Stamens. Ten. Pistil. One, with ten styles. Fruit. A dark purplish berry. There is a vigor about this native plant which is very pleas- ing. In July it is possible that we barely notice the white flow- ers and large leaves; but when in September the tall purple stems rear themselves above their neighbors in the roadside thicket, the leaves look as though stained with wine, and the long clusters of rich dark berries hang heavily from the branches, we cannot but admire its independent beauty. The berries serve as food for the birds. A tincture of them at one time acquired some reputation as a remedy for rheumatism. In Pennsylvania they have been used with whiskey to make a so-called "port- wine." From their dark juice arose the name of "red-ink plant," which is common in some places. The large roots are poisonous, but the acrid young shoots are rendered harmless by boiling, and are eaten like asparagus, being quite as good, I have been told by country people. Despite the difference in the spelling of the names, it has been suggested that the plant was called after President Polk. This is most improbable, as it was common throughout the country long before his birth, and its twigs are said to have been plucked and worn by his followers during his campaign for the Presidency. WHITE FRINGED ORCHIS. Ilabenaria blephariglottis. Orchis Family (p. 17). About one foot high. Leaves. Oblong or lance-shaped, the upper pass- ing into pointed bracts. Flowers. Pure white, with a slender spur and fringed lip ; growing in an oblong spike. This seems to me the most exquisite of our native orchids. The fringed lips give the snowy, delicate flowers a feathery ap- pearance as they gleam from the shadowy woods of midsummer, 92 PLATE XXVII Fruit. POKEWEED. P. decandra. 93 WHITE or from the peat-bogs where they thrive best ; or perhaps they spire upward from among the dark green rushes which border some lonely mountain lake. Like the yellow fringed orchis (PL LII), which they greatly resemble in general structure, they may be sought in vain for many seasons and then will be discovered one midsummer day lavishing their spotless loveliness upon some unsuspected marsh which has chanced to escape our vigilance. RATTLESNAKE-PLANTAIN. Goody era pubescens. Orchis Family (p. 17). Scape. Six to twelve inches high. Leaves. From the root in a sort of flat rosette ; conspicuously veined with white ; thickish, evergreen. Flowers. Small, greenish-white, crowded in a close spike. The flowers of the rattlesnake-plantain appear in late sum- mer and are less conspicuous than the prettily tufted, white- veined leaves which may be found in the rich woods throughout the year. The plant has been reputed an infallible cure for hydrophobia and snake-bites. It is said that the Indians had such faith in its remedial virtues that they would allow a snake to drive its fangs into them for a small sum, if they had these leaves on hand to apply to the wound. COMMON YARROW. MILFOIL. Achillea Millefolium* Composite Family (p. 13). ( Stem. Simple at first, often branching near the summit. Leaves. Divided into finely toothed segments. Flower 'heads. White, occasionally pink, clustered, small, made up of both ray and disk-flowers. This is one of our most frequent roadside weeds, blossoming throughout the summer and late into the autumn. Tradition claims that it was used by Achilles to cure the wounds of his soldiers, and the genus is named after that mighty hero. It still forms one of the ingredients of an ointment valued by the Scotch High- landers. The early English botanists called the plant "nose- bleed," " because the leaves being put into the nose caused it to bleed ; " and Gerarde writes that " Most men say that the leaves chewed, and especially greene, are a remedie for the toothache." 94 PLATE XXVIII WILD CARROT. D. carola. YARROW. -^. millefolium. 95 WHITE These same pungent leaves also won it the name of " old man's pepper," while in Sweden its title signifies field hop, and re- fers to its employment in the manufacture of beer. Linnaeus considered the beer thus brewed to be more intoxicating than that in which hops were utilized. The old women of the Orkney Islands hold "milfoil tea" in high repute, believing it to be gifted with the power of dispelling melancholy. In Switzer- land a good vinegar is said to be made from the Alpine species. The plant is cultivated in the gardens of Madeira, where so many beautiful, and in our eyes rare, flowers grow in wild profusion. WILD CARROT. BIRD'S NEST. QUEEN ANNE'S LACE. Daucus carota. Parsley Family (p. 15). Stems. Tall and slender. Leaves. Finely dissected. Flowers. White, in a compound umbel, forming a circular flat-topped cluster. When the delicate flowers of the wild carrot are still unsoiled by the dust from the highway, and fresh from the early summer rains, they are very beautiful, adding much to the appearance of the roadsides and fields along which they grow so abundantly as to strike despair into the heart of the farmer, for this is, per- haps, the " peskiest " of all the weeds with which he has to con- tend. As time goes on the blossoms begin to have a careworn look and lose something of the cobwebby aspect which won them the title of Queen Anne's lace. In late summer the flower- stalks erect themselves, forming a concave cluster which has the appearance of a bird's nest. I have read that a species of bee makes use of this ready-made home, but have never seen any in- dications of such an occupancy. This is believed to be the stock from which the garden carrot was raised. The vegetable was well known to the ancients, and we learn from Pliny that the finest specimens were brought to Rome from Candia. When it was first introduced into Great Britain is not known, although the supposition is that it was brought over by the Dutch during the reign of -Elizabeth. In the writings of Parkinson we read that the ladies wore carrot- . 96 WHITE leaves in their hair in place of feathers. One can picture the dejected appearance of a ball-room belle at the close of an enter- tainment. WATER HEMLOCK. SPOTTED COWBANE. Cicuta maculata. Parsley Family (p. 15). Stem. Smooth, stout, from two to six feet high, streaked with purple. Leaves. Twice or thrice-compound, leaflets coarsely toothed. Flowers. White, in compound umbels, the little umbels composed of numerous flow- ers. This plant is often confused with the wild carrot, the sweet Cicely, and other white-flowered members of the Parsley family ; but it can usually be identified by its purple-streaked stem. The umbels of the water-hemlock are also more loosely clustered than those of the carrot, and their stalks are much more unequal. It is commonly found in marshy ground, blossoming in midsummer. Its popular names refer to its poisonous properties, its root being said to contain the most dangerous vegetable-poison native to our country and to have been frequently confounded with that of the edible sweet Cicely with fatal results. MOCK BISHOP-WEED. Discopleura capillacea. Parsley Family (p. 15). One or two feet high, occasionally much taller. Stems. Branching. Leaves. Dissected into fine, thread-like divisions. Flowers. White, very small, growing in compound umbels with thread-like bracts. This plant blossoms all summer in wet meadows, both inland and along the coast ; but it is especially common in the salt- marshes near New York City. It probably owes its English name to the fancied resemblance between the bracted flower-clusters and a bishop's cap. Its effect is feathery and delicate. SWEET CICELY. Osmorrhiza longistylis. Parsley Family (p. 15). One to three feet high. Root. Thick, aromatic, edible. Leaves. Twice or thrice-compound. Flowers. White, growing in a few-rayed com- pound umbel. The roots of the sweet Cicely are prized by country children for their pleasant flavor. Great care should be taken not to con- 97 WHITE found this plant with the water-hemlock, which is very poisonous, and which it greatly resembles, although flowering earlier in the year. The generic name is from two Greek words which signify scent and root. WATER-PARSNIP. Sium cicutczfolium. Parsley Family (p. 15). Two to six feet high. Stem. Stout. Leaves. Divided into from three to eight pairs of sharply toothed leaflets. Floivers. White, in compound umbels. This plant is found growing in water or wet places through- out North America. ARROW-HEAD. Sagittaria variabilis. Water-plantain Family. Scape. A few inches to several feet high. Leaves. Arrow-shaped. Flowers. White, unisexual, in whorls of three on the leafless scape. Calyx. Of three sepals. Corolla. Of three white, rounded petals. Stamens and Pistils. Indefinite in number, occurring indifferent flowers, the lower whorls of flowers usually being pistillate, the upper staminate. Among our water-flowers none are more delicately lovely than those of the arrow-head. Fortunately the ugly and inconspic- uous female flowers grow on the lower whorls, while the male ones, with their snowy petals and golden centres, are arranged about the upper part of the scape, where the eye first falls. It is a pleasure to chance upon a slow stream whose margins are bor- dered with these fragile blossoms and bright, arrow-shaped leaves. WATER-PLANTAIN. Alisma Plantago. Water-plantain Family. Scape. One to three feet high, bearing the flowers in whorled, panicled branches. Leaves. From the root, oblong, lance-shaped or linear, mostly rounded or heart-shaped at base. Flowers. White or pale pink, small, in large, loose clusters which branch from the scape. Calyx. Of three se- pals. Corolla. Of three petals. Stamens. Usually six. Pistils. Many, on a flattened receptacle. The water-plantain is nearly related to the arrow-head, and is often found blossoming with it in marshy places or shallow water, PLATE XXIX ARROW-HEAD. S. variabilis. 99 WHITE GROUND CHERRY. Physalis Virginiana. Nightshade Family. A strong-scented, low, much-branched and spreading herb. Leaves. Somewhat oblong or heart-shaped, wavy-toothed. Flowers. Greenish or yellowish-white, solitary on nodding flower-stalks. Calyx. Five-cleft ; en- larging and much inflated in fruit, loosely enclosing the berry. Corolla. Between wheel-shaped and funnel-form. Stamens. Five, erect, with yel- low anthers. Pistil. One. Fruit. A green or yellow edible berry which is loosely enveloped in the much-inflated calyx. We find the ground cherry in light sandy soil, and are more apt to notice the loosely enveloped berry of the late year than the rather inconspicuous flowers which appear in summer. TURTLE-HEAD. Chelone glabra. Figwort Family. One to seven feet high. Stem. Smooth, upright, branching. Leaves. Opposite, lance-shaped, toothed. Flowers. White or pinkish, growing in a spike or close cluster. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. Two-lipped, the upper lip broad and arched, notched at the apex, lower lip three-lobed at the apex, woolly bearded in the throat. Stamens. Four perfect ones, with woolly filaments and very woolly, heart-shaped anthers, and one small sterile one. Pistil. One. It seems to have been my fate to find the flowers which the botany relegates to " dry, sandy soil " flourishing luxuriantly in marshes ; and to encounter the flowers which by rights belong to " wet woods " flaunting themselves in sunny meadows. .This cannot be attributed to the natural depravity of inanimate ob- jects, for what is more full of life than the flowers ? and no one would believe in their depravity except perhaps the amateur- botanist who is endeavoring to master the different species of golden-rods and asters. Therefore it is pleasant to record that I do not remember ever having met a turtle-head, which is as- signed by the botany to "wet places," which had not gotten as close to a stream or a marsh or a moist ditch as it well could without actually wetting its feet. The flowers of this plant are more odd and striking than pretty. Their appearance is such that their common name seems fairly appropriate. I have heard unbotanical people call them " white closed gentians." 100 PLATE XXX TURTLE-HEAD. C. glcibra. 101 WHITE COMMON DODDER. LOVE VINE. Cuscuta Gronovii. Convolvulus Family. Stems. Yellow or reddish, thread-like, twining, leafless. Flowers. White, in close clusters. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla. With five spread- ing lobes. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One, with two styles. Late in the summer we are perhaps tempted deep into some thicket by the jasmine-scented heads of the button-bush or the fragrant spikes of the clethra, and note for the first time the tan- gled golden threads and close white flower-clusters of the dodder. If we try to trace to their source these twisted stems, which the Creoles know as "angels' hair," we discover that they are fastened to the bark of the shrub or plant about which they are twining by means of small suckers ; but nowhere can we find any connection with the earth, all their nourishment being extracted from the plant to which they are adhering. Originally this curi- ous herb sprang from the ground which succored it until it suc- ceeded in attaching itself to some plant ; having accomplished this it severed all connection with mother-earth by the wither- ing away or snapping off of the stem below. The flax-dodder, C. Epilmum, is a very injurious plant in European flax-fields. It has been sparingly introduced into this country with flax-seed. TRAVELLER'S JOY. VIRGIN'S BOWER. Clematis Virginiana. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Climbing, somewhat woody. Leaves. Opposite, three-divided. Flowers. Whitish, in clusters, unisexual. Calyx. Of four petal-like se- pals. Corolla. None. Stamens and Pistils. Indefinite in number, oc- curring on different plants. In July and August this beautiful plant, covered with its white blossoms and clambering over the shrubs which border the coun- try lanes, makes indeed a fitting bower for any maid or traveller who may chance to be seeking shelter. Later in the year the seeds with their silvery plumes give a feathery effect which is N very striking. This graceful climber works its way by means of its bending 102 PLATE XXXI Fruit-cluster. TRAVELLER'S JOY. Clematis Virginiana. I0 3 WHITE or clasping leaf-stalks. Darwin has made interesting experi- ments regarding the movements of the young shoots of the Clem- atis. He discovered that, " one revolved describing a broad oval, in five hours, thirty minutes ; and another in six hours, twelve minutes ; they follow the course of the sun." SWEET PEPPERBUSH. WHITE ALDER. Clethra alnifolia. Heath Family. A shrub from three to ten feet high. Leaves. Alternate, ovate, sharply toothed. Flowers. White, growing in clustered finger-like racemes. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. Of five oblong petals. Stamens. Ten, protruding. Pistil. One, three-cleft at apex. Nearly all our flowering shrubs are past their glory by mid- summer, when the fragrant blossoms of the sweet pepperbush be- gin to exhale their perfume from the cool thickets which line the lanes along the New England coast. There is a certain luxuri- ance in the vegetation of this part of the country in August which is generally lacking farther inland, where the fairer flow- ers have passed away, and the country begins to show the effects of the long days of heat and drought. The moisture of the air, and the peculiar character of the soil near the sea, are responsible for the freshness and beauty of many of the late flowers which we find in such a locality. Clethra is the ancient Greek name for the alder, which this plant somewhat resembles in foliage. THORN-APPLE. JAMESTOWN WEED. Datura Stramonium. Nightshade Family. Stem. Smooth and branching. Leaves. Ovate, wavy-toothed or angled. Flowers. White, large and showy, on short flower-stalks from the forks of the branching stem. Calyx. Five-toothed. Corolla. Funnel-form, the border five-toothed. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One. Fruit. Green, globular, prickly. The showy white flowers of the thorn-apple are found in waste places during the summer and autumn, a heap of rubbish form- ing their usual unattractive background. The plant is a rank, ill-scented one, which was introduced into our country from Asia. 104 WHITE It was so associated with civilization as to be called the " white man's plant " by the Indians. Its purple-flowered relative, D. Tatula, is an emigrant from the tropics. This genus possesses narcotic-poisonous properties. WILD BALSAM-APPLE. Echinocystis lobata. Gourd Family. Stem. Climbing, nearly smooth, with three-forked tendrils. Leaves. Deeply and sharply rive-lobed. Flowers. Numerous, small, greenish-white, unisexual ; the staminate ones growing in long racemes, the pistillate ones in small clusters or solitary. Fruit. Fleshy, oval, green, about two inches long, clothed with weak prickles. This is an ornamental climber which is found bearing its flowers and fruit at the same time. It grows in rich soil along rivers in parts of New England, Pennsylvania, and westward ; and is often cultivated in gardens, making an effective arbor- vine. The generic name is from two Greek words which signify hedgehog and bladder, in reference to the prickly fruit. WHITE ASTERS. Aster. Composite Family (p. 13). Flower-heads. Composed of white ray-flowers with a centre of yellow disk-flowers. While we have far fewer species of white than of blue or purple asters, some of these few are so abundant in individuals as to hold their own fairly well against their bright-hued rivals. The slender zig-zag stems, thin, coarsely toothed, heart- shaped leaves, and white, loosely clustered flower-heads of A. corymbosus, are noticeable along the shaded roadsides and in the open woods of August. Bordering the dry fields at this same season are the spreading wand-like branches, thickly covered with the tiny flower-heads as with snowflakes, of A. ericoides. A. umbellatus is the tall white aster of the swamps and moist thickets. It sometimes reaches a height of seven feet, and can be identified by its long tapering leaves and large, flat flower- clusters. 105 WHITE A beautiful and abundant seaside species is A. multiflorus. Its small flower-heads are closely crowded on the low, bushy, spreading branches ; its leaves are narrow, rigid, crowded, and somewhat hoary. The whole effect of the plant is heath-like ; it also somewhat suggests an evergreen. BONESET. THOROUGHWORT. Eupatorium perfoliatum. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Stout and hairy, two to four feet high. Leaves. Opposite, widely spreading, lance-shaped, united at the base around the stem. Flower- heads. Dull white, small, composed entirely of tubular blossoms borne in large clusters. To one whose childhood was passed in the country some fifty years ago the name or sight of this plant is fraught with unpleasant memories. The attic or wood-shed was hung with bunches of the dried herb which served as so many grewsome warnings against wet feet, or any over-exposure which might result in cold or malaria. A certain Nemesis, in the shape of a nauseous draught which was poured down the throat under the name of " boneset tea," attended such a catastrophe. The Ind- ians first discovered its virtues, and named the plant ague-weed. Possibly this is one of the few herbs whose efficacy has not been over-rated. Dr. Millspaugh says : ' ' It is prominently adapted to cure a disease peculiar to the South, known as break-bone fever (Dengue), and it is without doubt from this property that the name boneset was derived." WHITE SNAKEROOT. Eupatorium ageratoides. Composite Family (p. 13). About three feet high. Stem. Smooth and branching. Leaves. Op- posite, long-stalked, broadly ovate, coarsely and sharply toothed. Flower- heads. White, clustered, composed of tubular blossoms. Although this species is less common than boneset, it is frequently found blossoming in the rich Northern woods of late summer. 106 PLATE XXXII BONE SET. E. perfoliatum. I0 7 WHITE CLIMBING HEMP-WEED. Mikania scandens. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Twining and climbing, nearly smooth. Leaves. Opposite, somewhat triangular-heart-shaped, pointed, toothed at the base. Flo%ver- heads. Dull white or flesh -color, composed of four tubular flowers ; clus- tered, resembling boneset. In late summer one often finds the thickets which line the slow streams nearly covered with the dull white flowers of the climbing hemp-weed. At first sight the likeness to the boneset is so marked that the two plants are often confused, but a second glance discovers the climbing stems and triangular leaves which clearly distinguish this genus. LADIES' TRESSES. Spirant hes cermia. Orchis Family (p. 17). Stem. Leafy below, leafy-bracted above, six to twenty inches high. Leaves. Linear-lance-shaped, the lowest elongated. Flowers. White, fragrant, the lips wavy or crisped ; growing in slender spikes. This pretty little orchid is found in great abundance in Sep- tember and October. The botany relegates it to " wet places," but I have seen dry upland pastures as well as low-lying swamps profusely flecked with its slender, fragrant spikes. The braided appearance of these spikes would easily account for the popular name of ladies' tresses ; but we learn that the plant's English name was formerly " ladies' traces " from a fancied resemblance between its twisted clusters and the lacings which played so im- portant a part in the feminine toilet. I am told that in parts of New England the country people have christened the plant ' ' wild hyacinth." The flowers of S. gracilis are very small, and grow in a much more slender, one-sided spike than those of S. cernua. They are found in the dry woods and along the sandy hill sides from July onward. 108 PLATE XXXIII LADIES' TRESSES. 8. cernua. 109 WHITE GREEN-FLOWERED MILKWEED. Asclepias verticillata. Milkweed Family. Stem, Slender, very leafy to the summit. Leaves. Very narrow, from three to six in a whorl. Flowers. Greenish-white, in small clusters at the summit and along the .sides of the stem. Fruit. Two erect pods, one often stunted. This species is one commonly found on dry uplands, espe- cially southward, with flowers resembling in structure those of the other milkweeds. (PL .) GROUNDSEL TREE. Baccharis halimifolia. Composite Family (p. 13). A shrub from six to twelve feet high. Leaves. Somewhat ovate and wedge-shaped, coarsely toothed on the upper entire. F 'lower-heads. Whit- ish or yellowish, composed of unisexual tubular flowers, the stamens and pistils occurring on different plants. Some October day, as we pick our way through the salt marshes which lie back of the beach, we may spy in the distance a thicket which looks as though composed of such white-flowered shrubs as belong to June. Hastening to the spot we discover that the silky-tufted seeds of the female groundsel-tree are re- sponsible for our surprise. The shrub is much more noticeable and effective at this season than when a few weeks previous it was covered with its small white or yellowish flower-heads. GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Parnassia Caroliniana. Saxifrage Family. Stem. Scape-like, nine inches to two feet high, with usually one small rounded leaf clasping it below ; bearing at its summit a single flower. Leaves. Thickish, rounded, often heart-shaped, from the root. Flower. White or cream-color, veiny. Calyx. Of five slightly united sepals. Co- rolla. Of five veiny petals. True Stamens. Five, alternate with the pet- als, and with clusters of sterile gland-tipped filaments. Pistil. One, with four stigmas. Gerarde indignantly declares that this plant has been de- scribed by blind men, not "such as are blinde in their eyes, but in their understandings, for if this plant be a kind of grasse then no PLATE XXXIV GRASS OF PARNASSUS P. Caroliniana. Ill WHITE may the Butter-burre or Colte's-foote be reckoned for grasses as also all other plants whatsoever." But if it covered Parnassus with its delicate veiny blossoms as abundantly as it does some moist New England meadows each autumn, the ancients may have reasoned that a plant almost as common as grass must some- how partake of its nature. The slender -stemmed, creamy flow- ers are never seen to better advantage than when disputing with the fringed gentian the possession of some luxurious swamp. PEARLY EVERLASTING. Anaphilis margaritacea. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Erect, one or two feet high, leafy. Leaves. Broadly linear to lance-shaped. Flower-heads. Composed entirely of tubular flowers with very numerous pearly white involucral scales. This species is common throughout our Northern woods and pastures, blossoming in August. Thoreau writes of it in Sep- tember : " The pearly everlasting is an interesting white at pres- ent. Though the stems and leaves are still green, it is 4 rv an d unwithering like an artificial flower ; its white, flexuous stem and branches, too, like wire wound with cotton. Neither is there any scent to betray it. Its amaranthine quality is instead of high color. Its very brown centre now affects me as a fresh and original color. It monopolizes small circles in the midst of sweet fern, perchance, on a dry hill-side." FRAGRANT LIFE-EVERLASTING. Gnaphalium polycephahim. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. Erect, one to three feet high, woolly. Leaves. Lance-shaped. Flower-heads. Yellowish-white, clustered at the summit of the branches, composed of many tubular flowers. This is the "fragrant life-everlasting," as Thoreau calls it, of late summer. It abounds in rocky pastures and through- out the somewhat open woods. NOTE. Flowers so faintly tinged with color as to give a white effect in the mass or at a distance are placed in the White section : greenish or green- ish-white flowers are also found here. The Moth Mullein (p. 152) and Bouncing Bet (p. 196) are found frequently bearing white flowers : indeed, white varieties of flowers which are usually colored, need never surprise one. 112 II YELLOW MARSH MARIGOLD. Caltha palustris. Crowfoot Family. Stem. Hollow, furrowed. Leaves. Rounded, somewhat kidney-shaped. Flowers. Golden-yellow. Calyx. Of five to nine petal-like sepals. Co- rolla. None. Stamens. Numerous. Pistils. Five to ten, almost with- out styles. Hark, hark ! the lark at Heaven's gate sings, And Phoebus 'gins arise, His steeds to water at those springs, On chaliced flowers that lies : And winking Mary-buds begin To ope their golden eyes ; With everything that pretty is My lady sweet, arise ! Arise, arise. Cymbeline. We claim and not without authority that these " winking Mary-buds ' ' are identical with the gay marsh marigolds which border our springs and gladden our wet meadows every April. There are those who assert that the poet had in mind the garden marigold Calendula but surely no cultivated flower could har- monize with the spirit of the song as do these gleaming swamp blossoms. We will yield to the garden if necessary The marigold that goes to bed with the sun And with him rises weeping of the " Winter's Tale," but insist on retaining for that larger, lovelier garden in which we all feel a certain sense of possession even if we are not taxed on real estate in any part of the coun- try the " golden eyes " of the Mary-buds, and we feel strength- ened in our position by the statement in Mr. Robinson's "Wild Garden ' ' that the marsh marigold is so abundant along certain English rivers as to cause the ground to look as though paved with gold at those seasons when they overflow their banks. "3 YELLOW These flowers are peddled about our streets every spring under the name of cowslips a title to which they have no claim, and which is the result of that reckless fashion of christening un- recognized flowers which is so prevalent, and which is responsible for so much confusion about their English names. The derivation of marigold is somewhat obscure. In the " Grete Herball " of the sixteenth century the flower is spoken of as Mary Gowles, and by the early English poets as gold sim- ply. As the first part of the word might be derived from the Anglo-Saxon mere a marsh, it seems possible that the entire name may signify marsh-gold, which would be an appropriate and poetic title for this shining flower of the marshes. SPICE-BUSH. BENJAMIN-BUSH. FEVER-BUSH. Lindera Benzoin. Laurel Family. An aromatic shrub from six to fifteen feet high. Leaves. Oblong, pale underneath. Flowers. Appearing before the leaves in March or April, honey-yellow, borne in clusters which are composed of smaller clusters, sur- rounded by an involucre of four early falling scales. Fruit. Red, berry- like, somewhat pear-shaped. These are among the very earliest blossoms to be found in the moist woods of spring. During the Revolution the pow- dered berries were used as a substitute for allspice ; while at the time of the Rebellion the leaves served as a substitute for tea. YELLOW ADDER'S TONGUE. DOG'S TOOTH VIOLET. Erytkroniwn Americanum. Lily Family. Scape. Six to nine inches high, one-flowered. Leaves. Two, oblong- lance-shaped, pale green mottled with purple and white. Floiver. Rather large, pale yellow marked with purple, nodding. Perianth. Of six re- curved or spreading sepals. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. The white blossoms of the shad-bush gleam from the thicket, and the sheltered hill-side is already starred with the blood-root and anemone when we go to seek the yellow adder's tongue. We direct our steps toward one of those hollows in the wood which is watered by such a clear gurgling brook as must appeal to every country-loving heart ; and there where the pale April sunlight filters through the leafless branches, nod myriads of 114 PLATE XXXV MARSH MARIGOLD. C. palustris. "5 YELLOW these lilies, each one guarded by a pair of mottled, erect, senti- nel-like leaves. The two English names of this plant are unsatisfactory and inappropriate. If the marking of its leaves resembles the skin of an adder why name it after its tongue ? And there is equally little reason for calling a lily a violet. Mr. Burroughs has sug- gested two pretty and significant names. "Fawn lily," he thinks, would be appropriate, because a fawn is. also mottled, and because the two leaves stand up with the alert, startled look of a fawn's ears. The speckled foliage and perhaps its flower- ing season are indicated in the title " trout-lily," which has a spring-like flavor not without charm. It is said that the early settlers of Pennsylvania named the flower "yellow snowdrop," in memory of their own " harbinger of spring." The white adder's tongue, E. albidum, is a species which is usually found somewhat westward. CELANDINE. Chelidonium majus. Poppy Family. Stem. Brittle, with saffron-colored, acrid juice. Leaves. Compound or divided, toothed or cut. Flowers. Yellow, clustered. Calyx. Of two sepals falling early. Corolla. Of four petals. Stamens. Sixteen to twenty-four. Pistil. One, with a two-lobed stigma. Pod. Slender, linear. The name of celandine must always suggest the poet who never seemed to weary of writing in its honor : Pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies, Let them live upon their praises ; Long as there's a sun that sets, Primroses will have their glory ; Long as there are violets, They will have a place in story ; There's a flower that shall be mine, Tis the little celandine. And when certain yellow flowers which frequent the village road- side are pointed out to us as those of the celandine, we feel a sense of disappointment that the favorite theme of Wordsworth should arouse within us so little enthusiasm. So perhaps we are rather relieved than otherwise to realize that the botanical name 1(6 PLATE XXXVI Bulb. YELLOW ADDERS TONGUE. E. Anusricanum. 117 YELLOW of this plant signifies greater celandine ; for we remember that the poet never failed to specify the small celandine as the object of his praise. The small celandine is Ranunculus ficaria, one of the Crowfoot family, and is only found in this country as an escape from gardens. Gray tells us that the generic name, Chelidonium, from the ancient Greek for swallow, was given " because its flowers ap- pear with the swallows ; ' ' but if we turn to Gerarde we read that the title was not bestowed " because it first springeth at the coming in of the swallowes, or dieth when they go away, for as we have saide, it may be founde all the yeare ; but because some holde opinion, that with this herbe the dams restore sight to their young ones, when their eies be put out. ' ' CELANDINE POPPY. Stylophorum diphyllum. Poppy Family. Stem. Low, two-leaved. Stem-leaves. Opposite, deeply incised. Root- leaves. Incised or divided. Flovvers. Deep yellow, large, one or more at the summit of the stem. Calyx. Of two hairy sepals. Corolla. Of four petals. Stamens. Many. Pistil. One, with a two to four-lobed stigma. In April or May, somewhat south and westward, the woods are brightened, and occasionally the hill-sides are painted yel- low, by this handsome flower. In both flower and foliage the plant suggests the celandine. DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET. Viola pubescens. Violet Family. Stems. Leafy above, erect. Leaves. Broadly heart-shaped, toothed. Flowers. Yellow, veined with purple, otherwise much like those of the common blue violet. When beechen buds begin to swell, And woods the blue-bird's warble know, The yellow violet's modest bell Peeps from the last year's leaves below, sings Bryant, in his charming, but not strictly accurate poem, for the chances are that the " beechen buds " have almost burst into 118 PLATE XXXVII DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET. V. pubescens. 119 YELLOW foliage, and that the "blue-bird's warble" has been heard for some time when these pretty flowers begin to dot the woods. The lines which run : Yet slight thy form, and low thy seat, And earthward bent thy gentle eye, Unapt the passing view to meet, When loftier flowers are flaunting nigh, would seem to apply more correctly to' the round-leaved, V. ro- tundifolia, than to the downy violet, for although its large, flat shining leaves are somewhat conspicuous, its flowers are borne singly on a low scape, which would be less apt to attract notice than the tall, leafy flowering stems of the other. COMMON CINQUEFOIL. FIVE FINGER. Potentilla Canadensis. Rose Family. Stem. Slender, prostrate, or sometimes erect. Leaves. Divided really into three leaflets, but apparently into five by the parting of the lateral leaf- lets. Flowers. Yellow, growing singly from the axils of the leaves. Calyx. Deeply five-cleft, with bracts between each tooth, thus appearing ten-cleft. Corolla. Of five rounded petals. Stamens. Many. Pistils. Many in a head. From spring to nearly midsummer the roads are bordered and the fields carpeted with the bright flowers of the common cinquefoil. The passer-by unconsciously betrays his recognition of some of the prominent features of the Rose family by often assuming that the plant is a yellow-flowered wild strawberry. Both of the English names refer to the pretty foliage, cinque- foil being derived from the French cinque feui lies. The generic name, Potentilla, has reference to the powerful medicinal proper- ties formerly attributed to the genus. SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL. FIVE FINGER. Potentilla fruticosa. Rose Family. Stem. Erect, shrubby, one to four feet high. Leaves, Divided into five to seven narrow leaflets. Flowers. Yellow, resembling those of the common cinquefoil. Of all the cinquefoils perhaps this one most truly merits the .title five finger. Certainly its slender leaflets are much more 120 PLATE XXXVIII Leaf. SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL. P. fruticosa. 121 YELLOW finger-like than those of the common cinquefoil. It is not a common plant in most localities, but is very abundant among the Berkshire Hills. SILVERY CINQUEFOIL. Potentilla argentea. Rose Family. Stems. Ascending, branched at the summit, white, woolly. Leaves. Divided into five wedge-oblong, deeply incised leaflets, which are green above, white with silvery wool, beneath. The silvery cinquefoil has rather large yellow flowers which are found in dry fields throughout the summer as far south as New Jersey. GOLDEN RAGWORT. SQUAW-WEED. Senecio aureus. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem. One to three feet high. Root-leaves. Rounded, the larger ones mostly heart-shaped, toothed, and long-stalked. Stem-leaves. The lower lyre-shaped, the upper lance-shaped, incised, set close to the stem. Flower- heads. Yellow, clustered, composed of both ray and disk-flowers. A child would perhaps liken the flower of the golden ragwort to a yellow daisy. Stain yellow the white rays of the daisy, di- minish the size of the whole head somewhat, and you have a pretty good likeness of the ragwort. There need be little difficulty in the identification of this plant although there are several marked varieties for its flowers are abundant in the early year, at which season but few members of the Composite family are abroad. The generic name is from senex an old man alluding to the silky down of the seeds, which is supposed to suggest the sil- very hairs of age. Closely allied to the golden ragwort is the common ground- sel, S. vulgaris, which is given as food to caged birds. The flower-heads of this species are without rays. Clintonia borealis. Lily Family. Scape. Five to eight inches high, sheathed at its base by the stalks of two to four large, oblong, conspicuous leaves. Flowers. Greenish-yellow, rather large, rarely solitary. Perianth. Of six sepals. Stamens. Six, protruding. Pistil. One, protruding. Frttit. A blue berry. When rambling through the cool, moist woods our attention is often attracted by patches of great dark, shining, leaves ; and PLATE XXXIX Fruit. Clintonia borealis. 123 YELLOW if it be late in the year we long to know the flower of which this rich foliage is the setting. To satisfy our curiosity we must re- turn the following May or June, when we shall probably find that a slender scape rises from its midst bearing at its summit several bell-shaped flowers, which, without either high color or fragrance, are peculiarly charming. It is hard to understand why this beautiful plant has received no English name. As to its generic title we cannot but sympathize with Thoreau. " Gray should not have named it from the Governor of New York," he com- plains ; " what is he to the lovers of flowers in Massachusetts? If named after a man, it must be a man of flowers. . . . Name your canals and railroads after Clinton, if you please, but his name is not associated with flowers. ' ' C. umbellata is a more Southern species, with smaller white flowers, which are speckled with green or purplish dots. YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER. WHIP-POOR-WILL'S SHOE. Cypripedium pubescens. Orchis Family (p. 17). Stem. About two feet high, downy, leafy to the top, one to three- flowered. Leaves. Alternate, broadly oval, many-nerved and plaited. Flowers. Large, yellow. Perianth. Two of the three brownish, elon- gated sepals united into one under the lip ; the lateral petals linear, wavy- twisted, brownish ; the pale yellow lip an inflated pouch. Stamens. Two, the short filaments of each bearing a two-celled anther. Stigma. Broad, obscurely three-lobed, moist and roughish. The yellow lady's slipper usually blossoms in May or June, a few days later than its pink sister, C. acaule. Regarding its favorite haunts, Mr. Baldwin* says: "Its preference is for maples, beeches, and particularly butternuts, and for sloping or *** hilly ground, and I always look with glad suspicion at a knoll J\ covered with ferns, cohoshes, and trilliums, expecting to see a clump of this plant among them. Its sentinel-like habit of choosing ' sightly places ' leads it to venture well up on moun- tain sides." The long, wavy, brownish petals give the flower an alert, startled look when surprised in its lonely hiding-places. C. parviflorum, the small yellow lady's slipper, differs from * Orchids of New England. 124 . PLATE XL SMALLER YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER. C. parvijlorum. I2 5 YELLOW C. pubescens in the superior richness of its color as well as in its size. It also has the charm of fragrance. EARLY MEADOW PARSNIP. Zizia aurea. Parsley Family (p. 15). One to three feet high. Leaves. Twice or thrice-compound, leaflets oblong to lance-shaped, toothed. Flowers. Yellow, small, in compound umbels. This is one of the earliest members of the Parsley family to appear. Its golden flower-clusters brighten the damp meadows and the borders of streams in May or June and closely resemble the meadow parsnip, Thaspium aureum, of which this species was formerly considered a variety, of the later year. The tall, stout, common wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is another yellow representative of this family in which white flowers prevail, the three plants here mentioned being the only yellow species commonly encountered. The common parsnip may be identified by its grooved stem and simply compound leaves. Its roots have been utilized for food at least since the reign of Tiberius, for Pliny tells us that that Emperor brought them to Rome from the banks of the Rhine, where they were successfully cultivated. GOLDEN CLUB. Orontium aqiiaticum. Arum Family. Scape. Slender, elongated. Leaves. Long-stalked, oblong, floating. Flowers. Small, yellow, crowded over the narrow spike or spadix. When we go to the bogs in May to hunt for the purple flower of the pitcher-plant we are likely to chance upon the well-named golden-club. This curious-looking club-shaped object, which is found along the borders of ponds, indicates its relationship to the jack-in-the-pulpit, and still more to the calla-lily, but unlike them its tiny flowers are shielded by no protecting spathe. Kalm tells us in his " Travels," " that the Indians called the plant Taw-Kee, and used its dried seeds as food." 126 YELLOW SPEARWORT. Ranunculus ambigens. Crowfoot Family. Stems. One to two feet high. Leaves. Oblong or lance-shaped, mostly toothed, contracted into a half -clasping leaf -stalk. Flowers. Bright yel- low, solitary or clustered. Calyx. Of five sepals. Corolla. Of five to seven oblong petals. Stamens. Indefinite in number, occasionally few. Pistils. Numerous in a head. Many weeks after the marsh marigolds have passed away, just such marshy places as they affected are brightly flecked with gold. Wondering, perhaps, if they can be flowering for the second time in the season, we wade recklessly into the bog to rescue, not the marsh marigold, but its near relation, the spearwort, which is still more closely related to the buttercup, as a little comparison of the two flowers will show. This plant is espe- cially common at the North. INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT. Medeola Virginica. Lily Family. Root. Tuberous, shaped somewhat like a cucumber, with a suggestion of its flavor. Stem. Slender, from one to three feet high, at first clothed with wool. Leaves. In two whorls on the flowering plants, the lower of five to nine oblong, pointed leaves set close to the stem, the upper usually of three or four much smaller ones. Flowers. Greenish -yellow, small, clus- tered, recurved, set close to the upper leaves. Perianth. Of three sepals and three petals, oblong and alike. Stamens. Six, reddish-brown. Pis- til. With three stigmas, long, recurved, and reddish-brown. Fruit. A purple berry. One is more apt to pause in September to note the brilliant foliage and purple berries of this little plant than to gather the drooping inconspicuous blossoms for his bunch of wood-flowers in June. The generic name is after the sorceress Medea, on ac- count of its supposed medicinal virtues, of which, however, there seems to be no record. The tuberous rootstock has the flavor, and something the shape, of the cucumber, and was probably used as food by the Indians. It would not be an uninteresting study to discover which of our common wild plants are able to afford pleasant and 127 YELLOW nutritious food ; in such a pursuit many of the otherwise unat- tractive popular names would prove suggestive. COMMON BLADDERWORT. Utricularia vulgaris. Bladderwort Family. Stems. Immersed, one to three feet long. Leaves. Many-parted, hair-like, bearing numerous bladders. Scape. Six to twelve inches long. Flowers. Yellow, five to twelve on each scape. Calyx. Two-lipped. Corolla. Two-lipped, spurred at the base. Stamens. Two. Pistil. One. This curious water-plant may or may not have roots ; in either case it is not fastened to the ground, but is floated by means of the many bladders which are borne on its finely dissected leaves. It is commonly found in ponds and slow streams, flowering throughout the summer. Thoreau calls it " a dirty-conditioned flower, like a sluttish woman with a gaudy yellow bonnet." The horned bladderwort, U. cornuta, roots in the peat-bogs and sandy swamps. Its large yellow helmet-shaped flowers are very fragrant, less than half a dozen being borne on each scape. YELLOW POND-LILY. SPATTER DOCK. Nuphar advena. Water-lily Family. Leaves. Floating or erect, roundish to oblong, with a deep cleft at their base. Flowers. Yellow, sometimes purplish, large, somewhat globular. Calyx. Of five or six sepals or more, yellow or green without. Corolla. Of numerous small, thick, fleshy petals which are shorter than the stamens and resemble them. Stamens. Very numerous. Pistil. One, with a disk-like, many-rayed stigma. Bordering the slow streams and stagnant ponds from May till August may be seen the yellow pond-lilies. These flowers lack the delicate beauty and fragrance of the white water-lilies ; having, indeed, either from their odor, or appearance, or the form of their fruit, won for themselves in England the unpoetic title of " brandy-bottle." Owing to their love of mud they have also been called < ' frog-lilies. ' ' The Indians used their roots for food. 128 PLATE XLI Rootstock. Fruit. INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT. Jf. Virginiana. I2 9 YELLOW WINTER-CRESS, YELLOW ROCKET. HERB OF ST. BARBARA. Bar bar ea vulgaris. Mustard Family (p. 17). Stem. Smooth. Leaves. The lower lyre-shaped ; the upper ovate, toothed or deeply incised at their base. Flowers. Yellow, growing in ra- cemes. Pod. Linear, erect or slightly spreading. As early as May we find the bright flowers of the winter- cress along the roadside. This is probably the first of the yellow mustards to appear. BLACK MUSTARD. Brassica nigra. Mustard Family (p. 17). Often several feet high. Stem. Branching. Leaves. The lower with a large terminal lobe and a few small lateral ones. Flovvers. Yellow, rather small, growing in a raceme. Pods. Smooth, erect, appressed, about half an inch long. Many are familiar with the appearance of this plant who are ignorant of its name. The pale yellow flowers spring from the waste places along the roadside and border the dry fields through- out the summer. The tall spreading branches recall the biblical description: " It groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches ; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." This plant is extensively cultivated in Europe, its ground seeds forming the well-known condiment. The ancients used it for medicinal purposes. It has come across the water to us, and is a troublesome weed in many parts of the country. WILD RADISH. Raphanus Raphanistrum. Mustard Family (p. 17). One to three feet high. Leaves. Rough, lyre-shaped. Flowers. Yel- low, veiny, turning white or purplish ; larger than those of the black mus- tard, otherwise resembling them. Pod. Often necklace-form by constric- tion between the seeds. This plant is a troublesome weed in many of our fields. It is the stock from which the garden radish has been raised. 130 PLATE XLII WINTER-CRESS. B. vulgaris. YELLOW CYNTHIA. DWARF DANDELION. Krigia Virginica. Composite Family (p. 13). Stems. Several, becoming branched, leafy. Leaves. Earlier ones roundish ; the latter narrower and often cleft. Flower-heads. Yellow, composed entirely of strap-shaped flowers. . In some parts of the country these flowers are among the earliest to appear. They are found in New England, as well as south and westward. The flowers of K. amplexicaulis appear later, and their range is a little farther south. Near Philadelphia great masses of the orange-colored blossoms and pale green stems and foliage line the railway embankments in June. RATTLESNAKE-WEED. Hieracium venosum. Composite Family (p. 13). Stem or Scape. One or two feet high, naked or with a single leaf, smooth, slender, forking above. Leaves. From the root, oblong, often making a sort of flat rosette, usually conspicuously veined with purple. Flower-heads. Yellow, composed entirely of strap-shaped flowers. The loosely clustered yellow flower-heads of the rattlesnake- weed somewhat resemble small dandelions. They abound in the pine-woods and dry, waste places of early summer. The purple- veined leaves, whose curious markings give to the plant its com- mon name, grow close to the ground and are supposed to be effi- cacious in rattlesnake bites. Here again crops out the old " doctrine of signatures," for undoubtedly this virtue has been attributed to the species solely on account of the fancied resem- blance between its leaves and the markings of the rattlesnake. H. scabrum is another common species, which may be distin- guished from the rattlesnake-weed by its stout, leafy stem and un- veined leaves. DANDELION. Taraxacum officinale. Composite Family (p. 13). If Emerson's definition of a weed, as a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered, be correct, we can hardly place the dandelion in that category, for its young sprouts have been val- ued as a pot-herb, its fresh leaves enjoyed as a salad, and its dried roots used as a substitute for coffee in various countries and PLATE XLIII RATTLESNAKE-WEED. 77. venosum. 133 YELLOW ages. It is said that the Apache Indians so greatly relish it as food, that they scour the country for many days in order to pro- cure enough to appease their appetites, and that the quantity consumed by one individual exceeds belief. The feathery-tufted seeds which form the downy balls beloved as " clocks " by coun- try children, are delicately and beautifully adapted to dissemina- tion by the wind, which ingenious arrangement partly accounts for the plant's wide range. The common name is a corruption of the French dent de lion. There is a difference of opinion as to which part of the plant is supposed to resemble a lion's tooth. Some fancy the jagged leaves gave rise to the name, while others claim that it refers to the yellow flowers, which they liken to the golden teeth of the heraldic lion. In nearly every European country the plant bears a name of similar signification. POVERTY-GRASS. Hudsonia tomentosa. Rock-rose Family. "Bushy, heath-like little shrubs, seldom a foot high." (Gray.) Leaves. Small, oval or narrowly oblong, pressed close to the stem. Flowers. Bright yellow, small, numerous, crowded along the upper part of the branches. Calyx. Of five sepals, the two outer much smaller. Corolla. Of five petals. Stamens. Nine to thirty. Pistil. One, with a long and slender style. In early summer many of the sand-hills along the New Eng- land coast are bright with the yellow flowers of this hoary little shrub. It is also found as far south as Maryland and near the Great Lakes. Each blossom endures for a single day only. The plant's popular name is due to its economical habit of utilizing sandy unproductive soil where little else will flourish. BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE. Diervilla trifida. Honeysuckle Family. An upright shrub from one to four feet high. Leaves. Opposite, ob- long, taper-pointed. Flowers. Yellow, sometimes much tinged with red, clustered usually in threes, in the axils of the upper leaves and at the sum- mit of the stem. Calyx. With slender awl-shaped lobes. Corolla. Fun- nel-form, five-lobed, the lower lobe larger than the others and of a deeper yellow, with a small nectar-bearing gland at its base. Stamens. Five. Pistil. This pretty little shrub is found along our rocky hills and mountains. The blossoms appear in early summer, and form a T 34 PLATE XLIV BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE. D. trifida. 135 YELLOW good example of nectar-bearing flowers. The lower lobe of the corolla is crested and more deeply colored than the others, thus advising the bee of secreted treasure. The hairy filaments of the stamens are so placed as to protect the nectar from injury by rain. When the blossom has been despoiled and at the same time fertilized, for the nectar -seeking bee has probably deposited some pollen upon its pistil, the color of the corolla changes from a pale to a deep yellow, thus giving warning to the insect-world that further attentions would be useless to both parties. Cow WHEAT. Melampyrum Americanum. Figwort Family. Stem. Low, erect, branching. Leaves. Opposite, lance-shaped. Flowers. Small, greenish-yellow, solitary in the axils of the upper leaves. Calyx. Bell-shaped, four-cleft. Corolla. Two-lipped, upper lip arched, lower three-lobed and spreading at the apex. Stamens. Four. Pistil. One. In the open woods, from June until September, we encounter the pale yellow flowers of this rather insignificant little plant. The cow wheat was formerly cultivated by the Dutch as food for cattle. The Spanish name, Trigo de Vaca, would seem to indicate a similar custom in Spain. The generic name, Me- lampyrum, is from the Greek, and signifies black wheat, in refer- ence to the appearance of the seeds of some species when mixed with grain. The flower would not be likely to attract one's attention were it not exceedingly common in some parts of the country, flourishing especially in our more eastern woodlands.. MEADOW LILY. WILD YELLOW LILY. Lilium Canadense. Lily Family. Stem. Two to five feet high. Leaves. Whorled, lance-shaped. Flow- ers. Yellow, spotted with reddish-brown, bell-shaped, two to three inches long. Perianth. Of six recurved sepals, with a nectar-bearing furrow at their base. Stamens. Six, with anthers loaded with brown pollen. Pistil. One, with a three-lobed stigma. What does the summer bring which is more enchanting than a sequestered wood-bordered meadow hung with a thousand of these delicate, nodding bells which look as though ready to 136 PLATE XLV MEADOW LILY. L. Canadense. 137 YELLOW tinkle at the least disturbance and sound an alarum among the flowers ? These too are true "lilies of the field," less gorgeous, less imposing that the Turks' caps, but with an unsurpassed grace and charm of their own. " Fairy-caps," these pointed blossoms are sometimes called; "witch-caps," would be more appropriate still. Indeed they would make dainty headgear for any of the dim inhabitants of Wonder-Land. The growth of this plant is very striking when seen at its best. The erect stem is surrounded with regular whorls of leaves, from the upper one of which curves a circle of long-stemmed, nodding flowers. They suggest an exquisite design for a church candelabra. PRICKLY PEAR. INDIAN FIG. Opuntia Rafinesqtdi. Cactus Family. Flowers. Yellow, large, two and a half to three and a half inches across. Calyx. Of numerous sepals. Corolla. Of ten or twelve petals. Stamens. Numerous. Pistil. One, with numerous stigmas. Fruit. Shaped like a small pear, often with prickles over its surface. This curious looking plant is one of the*only two representa- tives of the Cactus family in the Northeastern States. It has deep green, fleshy, prickly, rounded joints and large yellow flowers, which are often conspicuous in summer in dry, sandy places along the coast. O. vulgaris, the only other species found in Northeastern America, has somewhat smaller flowers, but otherwise so closely resembles O. Rafinesquii as to make it difficult to distinguish between the two. FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE. Lysimachia quadrifolia. Primrose Family. **y Stem. Slender, one or two feet high. Leaves. Narrowly oblong, whorled in fours, fives, or sixes. Flowers. Yellow, spotted or streaked with red, on slender, hair-like flower-stalks from the axils of the leaves. Calyx. Five or six-parted. Corolla. Very deeply five or six-parted. Stamens. Four or five. Pistil. One. This slender pretty plant grows along the roadsides and at- tracts one's notice in June by its regular whorls of leaves and \ PLATE XLVI FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE. L. quadrifolia. '39 YELLOW flowers. Linnaeus says that this genus is named after Lysim- achus, King of Sicily. Loosestrife is the English for Lysim- achus ; but whether the ancient superstition that the placing of these flowers upon the yokes of oxen rendered the beasts gentle and submissive arose from the peace-suggestive title or from other causes, I cannot discover. YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE. Lysimachia stricta. Primrose Family. The yellow loosestrife bears its flowers, which are similar to those of L. quadrifolia, in a terminal raceme ; it has opposite lance-shaped leaves. Its bright yellow clusters border the streams and brighten the marshes from June till August. ROCK-ROSE. FROST-WEED. Helianthemum Canadense. Rock-rose Family. About one foot high. Leaves. Set close to the stem, simple, lance- oblong. Flowers. Of two kinds : the earlier, more noticeable ones, yellow, solitary, about one inch across ; the later ones small and clustered, usually without petals. Calyx. (Of the petal-bearing flowers) of five sepals. Corolla. Of five early falling petals which are crumpled in the bud. Stamens. Numerous. Pistil. One, with a three-lobed stigma. These fragile bright yellow flowers are found in gravelly places in early summer. Under the influence of the sunshine they open once; by the next day their petals have fallen, and their brief beauty is a thing of the past. On June iyth Thoreau finds this " broad, cup-like flower, one of the most delicate yellow flowers, with large spring-yellow petals, and its stamens laid one way. ' ' In the Vale of Sharon a nearly allied rose-colored species abounds. This is believed by some of the botanists who have travelled in that region to be the Rose of Sharon which Solomon has celebrated. The name of frost-weed has been given to our plant because of the crystals of ice which shoot from the cracked bark at the base of the stem in late autumn. 140 PLATE XLVII YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE. L. stricta. YELLOW Steironema ciliatum. Primrose Family. Stem. Erect, two to four feet high. Leaves. Opposite, narrowly oval, on fringed leaf-stalks. Flowers. Yellow, on slender stalks from the axils of the leaves. Calyx. Deeply five-parted. Corolla. Deeply five-lobed, wheel-shaped, yellow, with a reddish centre. Stamens. Five. Pistil. One. This plant is nearly akin to the yellow loosestrifes, but un- fortunately it has na English name. It abounds in low grounds and thickets, putting forth its bright wheel-shaped blossoms early in July. COMMON BARBERRY. Berberis vulgaris. Barberry Family. A shrub. Leaves. Oblong, toothed, in clusters from the axil of a thorn. F towers. Yellow, in drooping racemes. Calyx. Of six sepals, with from two to six bractlets without. Corolla. Of six petals. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. Fruit. An oblong scarlet berry. This European shrub has now become thoroughly wild and very plentiful in parts of New England. The drooping yellow flowers of May and June are less noticeable than the oblong clustered berries of September, which light up so many over- grown lanes, and often decorate our lawns and gardens as well. The ancients extracted a yellow hair-dye from the barberry ; and to-day it is used to impart a yellow color to wool. Both its common and botanical names are of Arabic origin. YELLOW STAR-GRASS. Hypoxis erecta. Amaryllis Family. Scapes. Slender, few -flowered. Leaves. Linear, grass -like, hairy. Flowers. Yellow. Perianth. Six-parted, spreading, the divisions hairy and greenish outside, yellow within. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One. When our eyes fall upon what looks like a bit of evening sky set with golden stars, but which proves to be only a piece of shaded turf gleaming with these pretty flowers, we recall Long- fellow's musical lines : Spake full well in language quaint and olden, One who dwelleth on the castled Rhine, When he called the flowers so blue and golden, Stars, which in earth's firmament do shine. The plant grows abundantly in open woods and meadows, flowering in early summer. 142 PLATE XLVIII YELLOW STAR-GRASS. H. erecta. YELLOW WILD INDIGO. Baptisia tinctoria. Pulse Family (p. 16). Two or three feet high. Stems. Smooth and slender. Leaves. Di- vided into three rounded leaflets, somewhat pale with a whitish bloom, turn- ing black in drying. Flowers. Papilionaceous, yellow, clustered in many short, loose racemes. This rather bushy - looking, bright - flowered plant is con- stantly encountered in our rambles throughout the somewhat dry and sandy parts of the country in midsummer. It is said that it is found in nearly every State in the Union, and that it has been used as a homoeopathic remedy for typhoid fever. Its young shoots are eaten at times in place of asparagus. Both the botan- ical and common names refer to its having yielded an economi- cal but unsuccessful substitute for indigo. YELLOW CLOVER. HOP CLOVER. Trifolium agrarium. Pulse Family (p. 16). Six to twelve inches high. Leaves. Divided into three oblong leaflets. Florvers. Papilionaceous, yellow, small, in close heads. Although this little plant is found in such abundance along our New England roadsides and in many other parts of the country as well, comparatively few people seem to recognize it as a member of the clover group, despite a marked likeness in the leaves and blossoms to others of the same family. The name clover probably originated in the Latin