How to know the wild flowers : $b a guide to the names, haunts, and habits of our common wild flowers

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Title: How to know the wild flowers : a guide to the names, haunts, and habits of our common wild flowers
Author: Parsons, Frances Theodora
Language: English
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HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS
=A Guide=
_TO THE NAMES, HAUNTS, AND HABITS OF OUR COMMON WILD FLOWERS_

MRS. WILLIAM STARR DANA

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 JEFFERIES

NEW YORK

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

1893

TROW DIRECTORY
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY
NEW YORK

CONTENTS

PAGE
_Preface_, vii
_How to Use the Book_, ix
_Introductory Chapter_, _1_
_Explanation of Terms_, _8_
_Notable Plant Families_, _13_
_Flower Descriptions_:
_I. White_, _22_
_II. Yellow_, _113_
_III. Pink_, _173_
_IV. Red_, _213_
_V. Blue and Purple_, _229_
_VI. Miscellaneous_, _276_
_Index to Latin Names_, _287_
„ _to English Names_, _292_
„ _of Technical Terms_, _298_

One of these days some one will give us a hand-book of our wild flowers,
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.

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 outdoor 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 outlandish 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 generously for the effort
expended in its achievement. Such an acquaintance serves to transmute
the tedium of a railway journey 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. Surely Sir
John Lubbock is right in maintaining that “those who love Nature can
never be dull,” provided that love be expressed by an intelligent
interest rather than by a purely sentimental 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., CI., XXII., XLII., LXXXI.), 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. Acknowledgment of their kind help
is also due to Mrs. Seth Doane, of Orleans, Massachusetts, and to Mr.
Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riverdale, New York. To Dr. N. L. Britton, of
Columbia College, we are indebted for permission to work in the College
Herbarium.

NEW YORK, March 15, 1893.

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 absence.

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 entitled to
prominence on account of their beauty, interest, or frequent 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 curiosity, are necessarily
dismissed with as brief a description as seems compatible with their
identification.

In parts of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania 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 including 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 position 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 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
suggest 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 conspicuously 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 one, little difficulty should be experienced
in the use of a botanical key. Many of the measurements and technical
descriptions have been based upon Gray’s “Manual.” It has been thought
best to omit any mention of species and varieties not included in the
latest edition of that work.

An ordinary magnifying 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 recommended. 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 scientific 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 mischievous 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.

LIST OF PLATES

PLATE PAGE

I. BLOOD-ROOT, _Sanguinaria Canadensis_, 23

II. RUE ANEMONE, _Anemonella thalictroides_, 25

WOOD ANEMONE, _Anemone nemorosa_, 25

III. STAR-FLOWER, _Trientalis Americana_, 27

—— _Maianthemum Canadense_, 27

IV. MAY-APPLE, _Podophyllum peltatum_, 31

V. SPRING BEAUTY, _Claytonia Virginica_, 33

VI. DUTCHMAN’S BREECHES, _Dicentra Cucullaria_, 35

VII. FOAM-FLOWER, _Tiarella cordifolia_, 37

VIII. PAINTED TRILLIUM, _Trillium erythrocarpum_, 41

IX. WILD SARSAPARILLA, _Aralia nudicaulis_, 43

X. SOLOMON’S SEAL, _Polygonatum biflorum_, 45

XI. FALSE SOLOMON’S SEAL, _Smilacina racemosa_, 47

XII. BELLWORT, _Uvularia perfoliata_, 51

„ _Oakesia sessilifolia_, 51

XIII. WHITE BANEBERRY, _Actæa alba_, 53

XIV. BUNCH-BERRY, _Cornus Canadensis_, 55

XV. MOUNTAIN LAUREL, _Kalmia latifolia_, 57

XVI. AMERICAN RHODODENDRON, _Rhododendron maximum_, 61

XVII. WOOD SORREL, _Oxalis Acetosella_, 63

XVIII. SHIN-LEAF, _Pyrola elliptica_, 67

XIX. PIPSISSEWA, _Chimaphila umbellata_, 69

XX. WINTERGREEN, _Gaultheria procumbens_, 73

XXI. INDIAN PIPE, _Monotropa uniflora_, 75

XXII. BLACK COHOSH, _Cimicifuga racemosa_, 79

XXIII. PARTRIDGE VINE, _Mitchella repens_, 81

XXIV. —— —— _Dalibarda repens_, 85

XXV. TALL MEADOW RUE, _Thalictrum polygamum_, 87

XXVI. MEADOW-SWEET, _Spiræa salicifolia_, 89

XXVII. POKEWEED, _Phytolacca decandra_, 93

XXVIII. WILD CARROT, _Daucus Carota_, 95

YARROW, _Achillea Millefolium_, 95

XXIX. ARROW-HEAD, _Sagittaria variabilis_, 99

XXX. TURTLE-HEAD, _Chelone glabra_, 101

XXXI. TRAVELLER’S JOY, _Clematis Virginiana_, 103

XXXII. BONESET, _Eupatorium perfoliatum_, 107

XXXIII. LADIES’ TRESSES, _Spiranthes cernua_, 109

XXXIV. GRASS OF PARNASSUS, _Parnassia Caroliniana_, 111

XXXV. MARSH MARIGOLD, _Caltha palustris_, 115

XXXVI. YELLOW ADDER’S TONGUE, _Erythronium Americanum_, 117

XXXVII. DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET, _Viola pubescens_, 119

XXXVIII. SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL, _Potentilla fructicosa_, 121

XXXIX. —— —— _Clintonia borealis_, 123

XL. SMALLER YELLOW LADY’S _Cypripedium parviflorum_,
SLIPPER, 125

XLI. INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT, _Medeola Virginica_, 129

XLII. WINTER-CRESS, _Barbarea vulgaris_, 131

XLIII. RATTLESNAKE-WEED, _Hieracium venosum_, 133

XLIV. BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE, _Diervilla trifida_, 135

XLV. MEADOW LILY, _Lilium Canadense_, 137

XLVI. FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE, _Lysimachia quadrifolia_, 139

XLVII. YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE, _Lysimachia stricta_, 141

XLVIII. YELLOW STAR-GRASS, _Hypoxis erecta_, 143

XLIX. BUTTER-AND-EGGS, _Linaria vulgaris_, 147

L. COMMON ST. JOHN’S-WORT, _Hypericum perforatum_, 149

LI. COMMON MULLEIN, _Verbascum Thapsus_, 151

LII. YELLOW FRINGED ORCHIS, _Habenaria ciliaris_, 153

LIII. PALE JEWEL-WEED, _Impatiens pallida_, 155

LIV. EVENING PRIMROSE, _Œnothera biennis_, 159

LV. BLACK-EYED SUSAN, _Rudbeckia hirta_, 161

LVI. ELECAMPANE, _Inula Helenium_, 163

LVII. WILD SUNFLOWER, _Helianthemum giganteus_, 165

LVIII. STICK-TIGHT, _Bidens frondosa_, 167

LIX. SMOOTH FALSE FOXGLOVE, _Gerardia quercifolia_, 169

LX. TANSY, _Tanacetum vulgare_, 171

LXI. TRAILING ARBUTUS, _Epigæa repens_, 175

TWIN-FLOWER, _Linnæa borealis_, 175

LXII. SHOWY ORCHIS, _Orchis spectabilis_, 177

LXIII. TWISTED STALK, _Streptopus roseus_, 179

LXIV. PINK LADY’S SLIPPER, _Cypripedium acaule_, 181

LXV. PINK AZALEA, _Rhododendron nudiflorum_, 183

LXVI. MILKWORT, _Polygala polygama_, 187

„ „ _sanguinea_, 187

LXVII. SPREADING DOGBANE, _Apocynum androsæmifolium_, 189

LXVIII. PURPLE-FLOWERING RASPBERRY, _Rubus odoratus_, 191

LXIX. HERB ROBERT, _Geranium Robertianum_, 195

LXX. BOUNCING BET, _Saponaria officinalis_, 197

LXXI. PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE, _Lythrum Salicaria_, 199

LXXII. MEADOW-BEAUTY, _Rhexia Virginica_, 201

LXXIII. SEA PINK, _Sabbatia stellaris_, 203

LXXIV. —— —— _Sabbatia chloroides_, 205

LXXV. ROSE MALLOW, _Hibiscus Moscheutos_, 207

LXXVI. FIREWEED, _Epilobium angustifolium_, 209

LXXVII. JOE-PYE-WEED, _Eupatorium purpureum_, 211

LXXVIII. WILD COLUMBINE, _Aquilegia Canadensis_, 215

LXXIX. WAKE ROBIN, _Trillium erectum_, 217

LXXX. WOOD LILY, _Lilium Philadelphicum_, 221

LXXXI. BUTTERFLY-WEED, _Asclepias tuberosa_, 223

LXXXII. OSWEGO TEA, _Monarda didyma_, 225

LXXXIII. CARDINAL-FLOWER, _Lobelia cardinalis_, 227

LXXXIV. LIVERWORT, _Hepatica triloba_, 231

LXXXV. BLUETS, _Houstonia cærulea_, 233

LXXXVI. ROBIN’S PLANTAIN, _Erigeron bellidifolius_, 237

LXXXVII. WILD GERANIUM, _Geranium maculatum_, 239

LXXXVIII. BLUE-EYED GRASS, _Sisyrinchium
angustifolium_, 243

LXXXIX. FLEUR-DE-LIS, _Iris versicolor_, 245

XC. AMERICAN BROOKLIME, _Veronica Americana_, 247

XCI. MONKEY-FLOWER, _Mimulus ringens_, 251

XCII. BLUE VERVAIN, _Verbena hastata_, 263

XCIII. SELF-HEAL, _Brunella vulgaris_, 255

XCIV. BLUEWEED, _Echium vulgare_, 259

XCV. GREAT LOBELIA, _Lobelia syphilitica_, 261

XCVI. INDIAN TOBACCO, _Lobelia inflata_, 263

XCVII. BEACH PEA, _Lathyrus maritimus_, 265

XCVIII. CHICORY, _Cichorium Intybus_, 267

XCIX. BLAZING STAR, _Liatris scariosa_, 271

C. CLOSED GENTIAN, _Gentiana Andrewsii_, 273

CI. FRINGED GENTIAN, _Gentiana crinita_, 275

CII. SKUNK CABBAGE, _Symplocarpus fœtidus_, 277

CIII. WILD GINGER, _Asarum Canadense_, 279

CIV. JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, _Arisæma 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 signatures” 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 distinct 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.”[1]

Although his once-renowned system of classification has since been
discarded on account of its artificial character, it is probably to
Linnæus that the honor is due of having raised the 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 subject. 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. 11) are the fertilizing organs. These produce the
powdery, quickening material called pollen, in little sacs which are
borne at the tips of their slender stalks.

The pistil (p. 11) 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 stamens, 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 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 immediate 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 transformed into a bloodless battle-ground, and which is
incapable of yielding nourishment to one-half or one-tenth or even one
hundredth 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 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, occasionally 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 appearance alone is rarely
fragrant.

When, attracted by either of these significant characteristics,—color or
fragrance,—the bee alights upon the blossom, it is sometimes 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.

Those flowers which are dependent upon night-flying insects 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 indicate 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. Linnæus 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.”[2] Our common
carrion-flower, which covers the thickets so profusely in early summer
that Thoreau complained 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 sufficiently noisome
smell! Yet this foul odor seems to answer the plant’s purpose as well as
their delicious aroma does that of 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 insects by their
irregular forms. The fringed or otherwise conspicuous lip and long
nectar-bearing spur of many orchids point to their probable dependence
upon insect-agency for perpetuation; 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 exclude 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 interesting 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 wayside. The common plantain of the country
dooryard, 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 corolla.” 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 effectually 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 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
allowing the seeds to escape uninjured into the earth at some
conveniently 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 elucidation 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 in everything.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

The comprehension of the flower descriptions and of the opening chapters
will be facilitated by the reading of the following 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 surface of the
earth. (See Blood-root and Solomon’s Seal. Pls. I. and X.)

A =Tuber= is a thickened end of a rootstock, bearing buds,—“eyes,”—on
its sides. The common Potato is a familiar example 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, Pl. 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 (Pl.
LXXXIV.).

A =Scape= is the leafless flower-stalk of a stemless plant. (See
Liver-leaf (Pl. LXXXIV.).)

An =Entire Leaf= is one the edge of which is not cut or lobed in any
way. (See Rhododendron, Pl. XVI., and Closed Gentian, 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. 1.)

[Illustration:

Fig. 1.
]

[Illustration:

Fig. 2.
]

[Illustration:

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 apparently the same
point, as in the Milkweeds, somewhat suggesting the spreading ribs of an
umbrella, is called an =Umbel= (Pl. LXXXI.).

A cluster which is formed of a number of small umbels, all of 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.;
Mullein, Pl. LI.)

A =Spadix= is a fleshy spike or head, with small and often imperfect
flowers, as in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Skunk Cabbage (Pls. CII. and
CIV., also Fig. 4).

[Illustration:

Fig. 4.
]

[Illustration:

Fig. 5.
]

[Illustration:

Fig. 6.
]

A =Spathe= is the peculiar leaf-like bract which usually envelopes a
spadix. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Skunk Cabbage, Pls. 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=.

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 =Perianth=. 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, Pls.
XLV. and LXXX.); or where the petals and sepals can only be
distinguished with difficulty, as with the Orchids.

[Illustration:

Fig. 7.
]

[Illustration:

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.

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 =Unisexual=.

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.

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 blossom 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 recognition 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 being 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.

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 tubular-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 different 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 blossoms; the
common thistle or the stick-tight (Pl. LVIII.) as an example 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 comprises 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 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 unsurpassed
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 dissolution 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, Pl. XXVIII.) whose radiating stalks
suggest the ribs of an umbrella, and give this Order its Latin name of
_Umbelliferæ_.

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. Sometimes 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 common and noticeable species will
be recognized by means of descriptions which give their general
appearance, season of blooming, and favorite haunts.

=Pulse Family.=—The Pulse family includes many of our common wood- and
field-flowers. The majority of its members are easily distinguished by
those irregular, butterfly-shaped blossoms 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 sometimes
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 contrary 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 detached
pollen is left, while a new cargo of this valuable material is
unconsciously secured, and the same process is indefinitely repeated.

=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 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. LXXXII.).

=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 (Pl. XLII.).

Its members may be recognized by their alternate leaves, their biting
harmless juice, and by their white, yellow, or purplish 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 spreading blades forming
a cross which gives the Order its Latin name _Cruciferæ_. There are
usually six stamens, two of which are inserted lower down than the
others. The single pistil becomes in fruit a pod. Many of the Mustards
are difficult of identification 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 responsible 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.

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
wondering admiration of the scientist, conveys to the uninitiated as
little of interest or beauty as would a page of Homer in the original 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 apprehended; for many seem
to hold it a righteous principle to cherish even a delusion till it be
replaced by a belief which affords 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 unsensational
details does not appeal to the popular mind, and so fails to win by its
accuracy the place already occupied by the incorrect 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 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 modification by means of insect-selection.

In the heart of the flower is the _column_; this is usually composed of
the stamen (of two in the _Cypripediums_), which is confluent 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 consisted 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 JEFFERIES

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 hill-sides and wood-borders are
jealously watched it may escape us altogether. One or two warm sunny
days will hasten it to maturity, 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 petals. _Stamens._—Numerous, short.
_Pistils._—With five styles. _Fruit._—Round, red, berry-like, sweet
and edible, ripening in June.

[Illustration:

PLATE I

BLOOD-ROOT.—_S. Canadensis._
]

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.

[Illustration:

PLATE II

RUE ANEMONE.—_A. thalictroides._

WOOD ANEMONE.—_A. nemorosa._
]

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 sickness by the Persians. Surely our delicate blossom is far
removed from any suggestion of disease or unwholesomeness, seeming
instead to hold the very essence of spring and purity in its quivering
cup.

RUE ANEMONE.
_Anemonella thalictroides._ Crowfoot Family.

_Stem._—Six to twelve inches high. _Leaves._—Divided into rounded
leaflets. _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 spreading 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. FLOWERS.—White, delicate, star-shaped. CALYX.—Generally
seven-parted. COROLLA.—Generally seven-parted, flat, spreading.
_Stamens._—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 strawberry, near which it often grows.

[Illustration:

PLATE III

STAR-FLOWER.—_T. Americana._

_Maianthemum Canadense._
]

——— ———
_Maianthemum Canadense._ Lily Family.

_Stem._—Three to six inches high, with two or three leaves.
_Leaves._—Lance-shaped to oval, heart-shaped at base. _Flowers._—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 signifies “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 blossom to be entitled “Mayflower.”

In late summer the red berries are often found in close proximity 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 appearing in May. Its
bright yellow thread-like roots give it its common name.

PYXIE. FLOWERING-MOSS.
_Pyxidanthera barbulata._ Order _Diapensiaceæ_.

_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 Lakewood
they appear even before those of the trailing arbutus which grows in the
same localities. The generic 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.

CRINKLE-ROOT. TOOTHWORT. PEPPER-ROOT.
_Dentaria diphylla._ Mustard Family (p. 17).

_Rootstock._—Five to ten inches long, wrinkled, crisp, of a pleasant,
pungent 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, varying 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.

MAY-APPLE. MANDRAKE.
_Podophyllum peltatum._ Barberry Family.

_Flowering stem._—Two-leaved, one-flowered. _Flowerless
stems._—Terminated 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 beneath 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE IV

MAY-APPLE.—_P. peltatum._
]

The pretty little harbinger-of-spring should be easily identified by
those who are fortunate enough to find it, for it is one of the smallest
members of the Parsley family. It is only common in certain localities,
being found in abundance in the neighborhood 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, clustered, small, yellowish-white, composed
entirely of tubular flowers.

In early spring the hill-sides are whitened with this, the earliest 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 pretty, so ashamed!
So hidden in her leaflets
Lest anybody find:

So breathless when I passed her,
So helpless when I turned
And bore her struggling, blushing,
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 something 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—

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 cannot
but appreciate that this poet was in close and peculiar sympathy with
flowers, and was wont to paint them with more than customary fidelity.

[Illustration:

PLATE V

SPRING BEAUTY.—_C. Virginica._
]

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 Central 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 exhausted 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 Cucullaria._ 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE VI

DUTCHMAN’S BREECHES.—_D. Cucullaria._
]

There is something singularly fragile and spring-like in the appearance
of this plant as its heart-shaped blossoms nod from 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 excluded 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 cordifolia._ 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 slender. _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,
somewhat 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE VII

FOAM-FLOWER.—_T. cordifolia._
]

In April we notice that the seams in the rocky cliffs and hill-sides
begin to whiten with the blossoms of the early saxifrage.
_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, and _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 appeared above the ground.
If we handle one of these we are impressed 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.

CARRION-FLOWER. CAT-BRIER.
_Smilax 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 occurring 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 luxuriant 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 grandiflorum._ 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, spreading sepals. _Corolla._—Of three long pointed
petals. _Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—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 pinkish 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.

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 Mountains.

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 quinquefolia._ Ginseng Family.

_Root._—Large and spindle-shaped, often forked. _Stem._—About one foot
high. _Leaves._—Three in a whorl, divided into leaflets.
_Flowers._—Greenish-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 command about one-fifth of that price in the home market.

[Illustration:

PLATE VIII

PAINTED TRILLIUM.—_T. erythrocarpum._
]

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 sarsaparilla. 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 November. 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 purple 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE IX

WILD SARSAPARILLA.—_A. nudicaulis._
]

The lance-leaved violet, _V. lanceolata_, is another 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 blossoms 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. giganteum_, grows to a height of from two to
seven feet, blossoming in the meadows and along the streams in June.

The common name was suggested by the rootstocks, which are marked with
large round scars left by the death and separation 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 _many_, and _knee_,
alluding to the numerous joints of the rootstock.

CHOKE-BERRY.
_Pyrus arbutifolia._ 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE X

SOLOMON’S SEAL.—_P. biflorum._
]

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 conspicuous 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 hill-sides. 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 puzzles one to understand why these two plants should so
constantly be found growing side by side—so close at times that they
almost appear to spring from one point. The generic name is from
_smilax_, on account of a supposed resemblance between the leaves of
this plant and those which belong to that genus.

[Illustration:

PLATE XI

FALSE SOLOMON’S SEAL.—_S. racemosa._
]

MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM. DOCKMACKIE. ARROW-WOOD.
_Viburnum acerifolium._ Honeysuckle Family.

A shrub from three to six feet high. _Leaves._—Somewhat three-lobed,
resembling 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, turning 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 inaccuracy 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 hobble-bush,
like those of the hydrangea, are much larger than the 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 mountains. 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 surrounds 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 appearance, 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 properties of quinine
less strongly marked. The Chinese peel its 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 _Uvularia perfoliata_, with
leaves which seem pierced by the stem, but otherwise of a strikingly
similar aspect.

HAWTHORN. WHITE-THORN.
_Cratægus 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.
_Actæa alba._ Crowfoot Family.

_Stem._—About two feet high. _Leaves._—Twice or thrice-compound,
leaflets incised and sharply toothed. _Flowers._—Small, white, in a
thick, oblong, 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_.

[Illustration:

PLATE XII

BELLWORT.
]

The feathery clusters of the white baneberry may be gathered when we go
to the woods for the columbine, the wild ginger, 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. rubra_, is a somewhat more Northern plant and
usually blossoms a week or two earlier. Its cherry-red (occasionally
white) berries on their _slender stalks_ are easily distinguished 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 fascicularis._ Holly Family.

A much branched shrub, with ash-gray bark. _Leaves._—Alternate,
oblong, 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, _I. opaca_, is closely related to this shrub, whose
generic name is the ancient Latin title for the holly-oak.

[Illustration:

PLATE XIII

WHITE BANEBERRY.—_A. alba._
]

RED-BERRIED ELDER.
_Sambucus racemosa._ Honeysuckle Family.

_Stems._—Woody, two to twelve feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into
leaflets. _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.
_Cornus 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 gluttony,” on account
of its supposed power of increasing the appetite. It is said to form
part of the winter food of the Esquimaux.

[Illustration:

PLATE XIV

Fruit.

BUNCH-BERRY.—_C. Canadensis._
]

SWEET BAY. LAUREL MAGNOLIA.
_Magnolia glauca._ 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._—Numerous, 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.
_Flowers._—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._—Occurring on different plants.
_Fruit._—Berry-like, black, with a bloom.

Clambering over the thickets which line the streams, we notice 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.

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 depressions. _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 mountains 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 inland, 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 blossom like
the rose at this season.

The shrub is highly prized and carefully cultivated in England. Barewood
Gardens, the beautiful home of the editor of the London _Times_, is
celebrated for its fine specimens of mountain 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 stamens 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 hiding-place in the pore of the anther-cell on to the
body of the insect-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 finger, 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 suicidal 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 destination on the pistil of another flower.

The _Kalmia_ was named by Linnæus 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 Indians 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 viscosum._ Heath Family.

A shrub from three to ten feet high. _Leaves._—Oblong.
_Flowers._—White, clustered, appearing after the leaves.
_Calyx-lobes._—Minute. _Corolla._—White, five-lobed, the clammy tube
much longer than the lobes. _Stamens._—Usually five, protruding.
_Pistil._—One, protruding.

[Illustration:

PLATE XV

MOUNTAIN LAUREL.—_K. latifolia._
]

The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful shrub appear in early
summer along the swamps which skirt the coast, and occasionally farther
inland. The close family resemblance to the pink azalea (Pl. 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 country 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 American rhododendron are in their fulness of
beauty. As in the laurel, the clammy flower-stalks seem fitted to
protect the blossom 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 luxuriantly,
veritable rhododendron jungles termed “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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XVI

AMERICAN RHODODENDRON.—_R. maximum._
]

Comparatively little attention had been paid to this superb flower until
the Centennial Celebration at Philadelphia, when 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 sunlight only comes on sufferance, piercing its
difficult path through the tent-like foliage of the forest, resting only
long enough to become 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XVII

WOOD SORREL.—_O. Acetosella._
]

Our name sorrel is from the Greek for _sour_ and has reference to the
acrid juice of the plant. The delicate leaflets “sleep” at night; that
is, they droop and close one against another.

POISON SUMACH.
_Rhus 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 harmless 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 deterred from handling them by
the fear of being poisoned, not knowing that one glance at the crimson
fruit-plumes should reassure 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.

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 quinquefolia._ Vine Family.

A woody vine climbing by means of disk-bearing tendrils, and also by
rootlets. _Leaves._—Usually divided into five leaflets.
_Flowers._—Greenish, small, clustered, appearing in July. _Fruit._—A
small, blackish berry in October.

Surely in autumn, if not always, this is the most beautiful of our
native climbers. At that season its blood-like sprays are outlined
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 Virginia creeper is extensively cultivated
in Europe. Even in Venice, that sea-city where one so little anticipates
any reminders of home woods and meadows, many a dim canal mirrors in
October some crumbling wall or graceful trellis aglow with its vivid
beauty.

SHIN-LEAF.
_Pyrola elliptica._ 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. _Stamens._—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 procumbens_.

_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 clusters. _Calyx._—With five short teeth.
_Corolla._—Bell-shaped, with a five-cleft border. _Stamens._—Ten.
_Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A black, bloomless, edible 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 huckleberry. It is
found in swamps or low thickets in late summer.

[Illustration:

PLATE XVIII

SHIN-LEAF.—_P. elliptica._
]

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 protruding 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 latest of the fragile wood-flowers which
are so charming in the earlier year, and which have already begun to
surrender in favor of their hardier, more self-assertive brethren of the
fields and roadsides. 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).

[Illustration:

PLATE XIX

PIPSISSEWA.—_C. umbellata._
]

The common white daisy stars the June meadows with those gold-centred
blossoms which delight the eyes of the beauty-lover while they make sore
the heart of the farmer, for the “whiteweed,” 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. _Flower-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 whitened 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.

MAYWEED. CHAMOMILE.
_Anthemis Cotula._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Branching. _Leaves._—Finely dissected.
_Flower-heads._—Composed 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 Americanus._ 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 umbellata._ 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.

WINTERGREEN. CHECKERBERRY. MOUNTAIN TEA.
_Gaultheria procumbens._ Heath Family.

_Stem._—Three to six inches high, slender, leafy at the summit.
_Leaves._—Oval, shining, evergreen. _Flowers._—White, growing from the
axils of 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 escape.

WHITE SWEET CLOVER. WHITE MELILOT.
_Melilotus alba._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Two to four feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into three-toothed
leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, white, growing in spike-like
racemes.

Like its yellow sister, _M. officinalis_, this plant is found blossoming
along the roadsides throughout the summer. The flowers are said to serve
as flavoring in Gruyère cheese, snuff, and smoking-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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XX

WINTERGREEN.—_G. procumbens._
]

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 place
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
narrowly 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 everywhere, is _Stellaria
media_; this is much used as food for songbirds.

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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXI

INDIAN PIPE.—_M. uniflora._
]

ENCHANTER’S NIGHTSHADE.
_Circæa 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 burdened 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 described by Dioscorides nearly two thousand
years ago, was accidentally transferred to this unpretentious genus.

THIMBLE-WEED.
_Anemone Virginiana._ Crowfoot Family.

_Stem._—Two or three feet high. _Leaves._—Twice or thrice cleft, the
divisions 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 throughout the
continent. Its flowers, which appear in summer, are 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. _Flowers._—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 scenery 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. _Flowers._—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 recesses 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.

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._—Numerous, 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. _Flowers._—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 properties 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXII

BLACK COHOSH.—_C. racemosa._
]

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._ Spurge 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, 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
peculiarity of dimorphous flowers (p. 232).

[Illustration:

PLATE XXIII

PARTRIDGE VINE.—_M. repens._
]

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 appearance.” 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
belong, and equally excite the scornful exclamation, “You call _that_ an
orchid!” when brought home for analysis or preservation.

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 midsummer. It belongs to the
family of which the delicate bluet and fragrant partridge vine are also
members. Its flowers have a jasmine-like fragrance.

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._—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 dooryards and waste places, has slender, often prostrate, stems,
and small greenish flowers, which are clustered 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 because 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 margins. _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 comparatively
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 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 strawberry. 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 inopportunely. 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 naturalized 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXIV

_Dalibarda repens._
]

COLIC-ROOT. STAR-GRASS.
_Aletris 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 polygamum._ Crowfoot Family.

Four to eight feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into many firm, rounded
leaflets. _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 themselves 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 become elongated in
fruit.

The white 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 secure wide dispersion by attaching
themselves to animals or clothing. Other species of avens have more
conspicuous golden-yellow flowers.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXV

TALL MEADOW RUE.—_T. polygamum._
]

MEADOW-SWEET.
_Spiræa 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 mentioned 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.
_Nymphæa 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. _Stamens._—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 devoted to its
quest. We can hardly take the shortest railway journey in summer without
passing some shadowy pool whose greatest adornment is this spotless and
queenly blossom. The breath of the lily-pond is brought even into the
heart of our cities where dark-eyed little Italians peddle clusters of
the long-stemmed fragrant flowers about the streets.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXVI

MEADOW-SWEET.—_S. salicifolia._
]

In the water-lily may be seen an example of so-called
_plant-metamorphosis_. The petals appear to pass gradually into stamens,
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 subject
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 urticæfolia._ 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 uninteresting
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 rotundifolia._ 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. _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 attribute to them
altogether unfamiliar and ethereal habits. We find that the laws which
control their being are strangely suggestive 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 exudation, by means of which insects visiting the plant are
first captured; 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 reckless slaughter, they might
confine their offerings on the altar of science to mosquitoes, small
spiders, and other deservedly unpopular 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.

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 pleasing. In July
it is possible that we barely notice the white flowers 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 “portwine.” 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.
_Habenaria blephariglottis._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

About one foot high. _Leaves._—Oblong or lance-shaped, the upper
passing into pointed bracts. _Flowers._—Pure white, with a slender
spur and fringed lip; growing in an oblong spike.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXVII

POKEWEED.—_P. decandra._
]

This seems to me the most exquisite of our native orchids. The fringed
lips give the snowy, delicate flowers a feathery appearance as they
gleam from the shadowy woods of midsummer, 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.
_Goodyera 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 summer 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXVIII

WILD CARROT.—_D. carota._ YARROW.—_A. millefolium._
]

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 Highlanders. The early English botanists
called the plant “nosebleed,” “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.”
These same pungent leaves also won it the name of “old man’s pepper,”
while in Sweden its title signifies _field hop_, and refers to its
employment in the manufacture of beer. Linnæus 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
Switzerland 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, perhaps, the “peskiest” of all the
weeds with which he has to contend. 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 indications 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-leaves in their hair in place of feathers. One can picture the
dejected appearance of a ball-room belle at the close of an
entertainment.

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 flowers.

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 compound umbel.

The roots of the sweet Cicely are prized by country children for their
pleasant flavor. Great care should be taken not to confound 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 cicutæfolium._ Parsley Family (p. 15).

Two to six feet high. _Stem._—Stout. _Leaves._—Divided into from three
to eight pairs of sharply toothed leaflets. _Flowers._—White, in
compound umbels.

This plant is found growing in water or wet places throughout 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 in different
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 inconspicuous 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 bordered 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 sepals. _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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXIX

ARROW-HEAD.—_S. variabilis._
]

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; enlarging and much inflated in
fruit, loosely enclosing the berry. _Corolla._—Between wheel-shaped
and funnel-form. _Stamens._—Five, erect, with yellow 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 objects, 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 assigned 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.”

[Illustration:

PLATE XXX

TURTLE-HEAD.—_C. glabra._
]

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 spreading 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 tangled 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
curious herb sprang from the ground which succored it until it succeeded
in attaching itself to some plant; having accomplished this it severed
all connection with mother-earth by the withering away or snapping off
of the stem below.

The flax-dodder, _C. Epilinum_, 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 sepals. _Corolla._—None. _Stamens and Pistils._—Indefinite
in number, occurring on different plants.

In July and August this beautiful plant, covered with its white blossoms
and clambering over the shrubs which border the country 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 very striking.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXI

TRAVELLER’S JOY.—_Clematis Virginiana._
]

This graceful climber works its way by means of its bending or clasping
leaf-stalks. Darwin has made interesting experiments regarding the
movements of the young shoots of the _Clematis_. 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 midsummer, when
the fragrant blossoms of the sweet pepperbush begin to exhale their
perfume from the cool thickets which line the lanes along the New
England coast. There is a certain luxuriance in the vegetation of this
part of the country in August which is generally lacking farther inland,
where the fairer flowers 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 forming their usual
unattractive background. The plant is a rank, ill-scented one, which was
introduced into our country from Asia. 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 five-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 zigzag 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.

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 Indians 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._—Opposite, 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXII

BONESET.—_E. perfoliatum._
]

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.
_Flower-heads._—Dull white or flesh-color, composed of four tubular
flowers; clustered, 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.
_Spiranthes cernua._ 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 September 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 important 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXIII

LADIES’ TRESSES.—_S. cernua._
]

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, especially 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.
_Flower-heads._—Whitish 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 responsible 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. _Corolla._—Of five veiny petals. _True Stamens._—Five,
alternate with the petals, and with clusters of sterile gland-tipped
filaments. _Pistil._—One, with four stigmas.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXIV

GRASS OF PARNASSUS.—_P. Caroliniana._
]

Gerarde indignantly declares that this plant has been described 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 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 somehow partake of its nature. The slender-stemmed, creamy
flowers 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 September: “The pearly
everlasting is an interesting white at present. Though the stems and
leaves are still green, it is dry and 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 polycephalum._ 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 throughout 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 _greenish-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.

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.
_Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Numerous. _Pistils._—Five to ten, almost
without styles.

Hark, hark! the lark at Heaven’s gate sings,
And Phœbus ’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 harmonize 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 country—the
“golden eyes” of the Mary-buds, and we feel strengthened 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.

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 unrecognized 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_ simply. 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, surrounded 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 powdered 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.
_Erythronium Americanum._ Lily Family.

_Scape._—Six to nine inches high, one-flowered. _Leaves._—Two,
oblong-lance-shaped, pale green mottled with purple and white.
_Flower._—Rather large, pale yellow marked with purple, nodding.
_Perianth._—Of six recurved 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 these lilies, each one guarded by a pair of mottled, erect,
sentinel-like leaves.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXV

MARSH MARIGOLD.—_C. palustris._
]

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 suggested 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 flowering 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 roadside 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 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXVI

YELLOW ADDER’S TONGUE.—_E. Americanum._
]

Gray tells us that the generic name, _Chelidonium_, from the ancient
Greek for swallow, was given “because its flowers appear 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. _Flowers._—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 yellow, 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 foliage, and
that the “bluebird’s warble” has been heard for some time when these
pretty flowers begin to dot the woods.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXVII

DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET.—_V. pubescens._
]

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.
rotundifolia_, 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 leaflets. _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,
cinquefoil being derived from the French _cinque feuilles_. The generic
name, _Potentilla_, has reference to the powerful medicinal properties
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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXVIII

SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL.—_P. fruticosa._
]

Of all the cinquefoils perhaps this one most truly merits the title five
finger. Certainly its slender leaflets are much more 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, diminish 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 silvery hairs of age.

Closely allied to the golden ragwort is the common groundsel, _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. _Fruit._—A blue berry.

[Illustration:

PLATE XXXIX

_Clintonia borealis._
]

When rambling through the cool, moist woods our attention is often
attracted by patches of great dark, shining, leaves; and 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 return 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 complains; “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, elongated 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[3] 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 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 mountain sides.”

The long, wavy, brownish petals give the flower an alert, startled look
when surprised in its lonely hiding-places.

[Illustration:

PLATE XL

SMALLER YELLOW LADY’S SLIPPER.—_C. parviflorum._
]

_C. parviflorum_, the small yellow lady’s slipper, differs from _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 aquaticum._ 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.”

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 yellow, 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 especially 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, clustered, recurved, set close to
the upper leaves. _Perianth._—Of three sepals and three petals, oblong
and alike. _Stamens._—Six, reddish-brown. _Pistil._—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 account 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 nutritious food; in such a pursuit many of
the otherwise unattractive 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLI

INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT.—_M. Virginiana._
]

WINTER-CRESS, YELLOW ROCKET. HERB OF ST. BARBARA.
_Barbarea 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
racemes. _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. _Flowers._—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 throughout 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._—Yellow, veiny, turning white or purplish; larger than those
of the black mustard, otherwise resembling them. _Pod._—Often
necklace-form by constriction 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLII

WINTER-CRESS.—_B. vulgaris._
]

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 common name, grow close to the
ground and are supposed to be efficacious 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 resemblance between its leaves and the markings of the
rattlesnake.

_H. scabrum_ is another common species, which may be distinguished from
the rattlesnake-weed by its stout, leafy stem and unveined leaves.

DANDELION.
_Taraxacum officinale._ Composite Family (p. 13).

[Illustration:

PLATE XLIII

RATTLESNAKE-WEED.—_H. venosum._
]

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 valued 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 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 procure 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
country children, are delicately and beautifully adapted to
dissemination 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 England 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,
oblong, taper-pointed. _Flowers._—Yellow, sometimes much tinged with
red, clustered usually in threes, in the axils of the upper leaves and
at the summit of the stem. _Calyx._—With slender awl-shaped lobes.
_Corolla._—Funnel-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._—One.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLIV

BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE.—_D. trifida._
]

This pretty little shrub is found along our rocky hills and mountains.
The blossoms appear in early summer, and form a 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, _Melampyrum_, is from the Greek, and signifies _black
wheat_, in reference 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.
_Flowers._—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 tinkle at the least disturbance and
sound an alarum among the flowers?

[Illustration:

PLATE XLV

MEADOW LILY.—_L. Canadense._
]

These too are true “lilies of the field,” less gorgeous, less imposing
than 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 Rafinesquii._ 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 representatives 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.

_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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLVI

FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE.—_L. quadrifolia._
]

This slender pretty plant grows along the roadsides and attracts one’s
notice in June by its regular whorls of leaves and flowers. Linnæus says
that this genus is named after Lysimachus, King of Sicily. Loosestrife
is the English for Lysimachus; 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 17th 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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLVII

YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE.—_L. stricta._
]

——— ———
_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 unfortunately
it has no 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. _Flowers._—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 overgrown 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 Longfellow’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.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLVIII

YELLOW STAR-GRASS.—_H. erecta._
]

WILD INDIGO.
_Baptisia tinctoria._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

Two or three feet high. _Stems._—Smooth and slender. _Leaves._—Divided
into three rounded leaflets, somewhat pale with a whitish bloom,
turning black in drying. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, yellow, clustered
in many short, loose racemes.

This rather bushy-looking, bright-flowered plant is constantly
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 homœopathic remedy
for typhoid fever. Its young shoots are eaten at times in place of
asparagus. Both the botanical and common names refer to its having
yielded an economical 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. _Flowers._—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 _clava_-clubs, in
reference to the fancied resemblance between the three-pronged club of
Hercules and the clover leaf. The clubs of our playing-cards and the
_trèfle_ (trefoil) of the French are probably an imitation of the same
leaf.

The nonesuch, _Medicago lupulina_, with downy, procumbent stems, and
flowers which grow in short spikes, is nearly allied to the hop clover.
In its reputed superiority as fodder its English name is said to have
originated. Dr. Prior says that for many years this plant has been
recognized in Ireland as the true shamrock.

DYER’S GREEN-WEED. WOOD-WAXEN. NEW ENGLAND WHIN.
_Genista tinctoria._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

A shrubby plant from one to two feet high. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped.
_Flowers._—Papilionaceous, yellow, growing in spiked racemes.

This is another foreigner which has established itself in Eastern New
York and Massachusetts, where it covers the barren hill-sides with its
yellow flowers in early summer. It is a common English plant, formerly
valued for the yellow dye which it yielded. It is an undesirable
intruder in pasture-lands, as it gives a bitter taste to the milk of
cows which feed upon it.

YELLOW SWEET CLOVER. YELLOW MELILOT.
_Melilotus officinalis._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

Two to four feet high. _Stem._—Upright. _Leaves._—Divided into three
toothed leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, yellow, growing in
spike-like racemes.

This plant is often found blossoming along the roadsides in early
summer. It was formerly called in England “king’s-clover,” because, as
Parkinson writes, “the yellowe flowers doe crown the top of the
stalkes.” The leaves become fragrant in drying.

RATTLEBOX.
_Crotalaria sagittalis._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Hairy, three to six inches high. _Leaves._—Undivided, oval or
lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, yellow, but few in a cluster.
_Pod._—Inflated, many-seeded, blackish.

The yellow flowers of the rattlebox are found in the sandy meadows and
along the roadsides during the summer. Both the generic and English
names refer to the rattling of the loose seeds within the inflated pod.

BUTTER-AND-EGGS. TOADFLAX.
_Linaria vulgaris._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Smooth, erect, one to three feet high. _Leaves._—Alternate,
linear or nearly so. _Flowers._—Of two shades of yellow, growing in
terminal racemes. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Pale yellow tipped
with orange, long-spurred, two-lipped, closed in the throat.
_Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.

The bright blossoms of butter-and-eggs grow in full, close clusters
which enliven the waste places along the roadside so commonly, that
little attention is paid to these beautiful and conspicuous flowers.
They would be considered a “pest” if they did not display great
discrimination in their choice of locality, usually selecting otherwise
useless pieces of ground. The common name of butter-and-eggs is
unusually appropriate, for the two shades of yellow match perfectly
their namesakes. Like nearly all our common weeds, this plant has been
utilized in various ways by the country people. It yielded what was
considered at one time a valuable skin lotion, while its juice mingled
with milk constitutes a fly-poison. Its generic name, _Linaria_, and its
English title, toadflax, arose from a fancied resemblance between its
leaves and those of the flax.

WILD SENNA.
_Cassia Marilandica._ Pulse Family.

_Stem._—Three or four feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into from six to
nine pairs of narrowly oblong leaflets. _Flowers._—Yellow, in short
clusters from the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Of five sepals.
_Corolla._—Of five slightly unequal, spreading petals, usually
somewhat spotted with reddish-brown. _Stamens._—Five to ten, unequal,
some of them often imperfect. _Pistil._—One. _Pod._—Long and narrow,
slightly curved, flat.

This tall, striking plant, with clusters of yellow flowers which appear
in midsummer, grows abundantly along many of the New England roadsides,
and also far south and west, thriving best in sandy soil. Although a
member of the Pulse family its blossoms are not papilionaceous.

[Illustration:

PLATE XLIX

BUTTER-AND-EGGS.—_L. vulgaris._
]

PARTRIDGE-PEA.
_Cassia Chamæcrista._ Pulse Family.

_Stems._—Spreading, eight inches to a foot long. _Leaves._—Divided
into from ten to fifteen pairs of narrow delicate leaflets, which
close at night and are somewhat sensitive to the touch.
_Flowers._—Yellow, rather large and showy, on slender stalks beneath
the spreading leaves; not papilionaceous. _Calyx._—Of five sepals.
_Corolla._—Of five rounded, spreading, somewhat unequal petals, two or
three of which are usually spotted at the base with red or purple.
_Stamens._—Ten, unequal, dissimilar. _Pistil._—One, with a slender
style. _Pod._—Flat.

The partridge-pea is closely related to the wild senna, and a pretty,
delicate plant it is, with graceful foliage, and flowers in late summer
which surprise us with their size, abounding in gravelly, sandy places
where little else will flourish, brightening the railway embankments and
the road’s edge. It is at home all over the country south of
Massachusetts and east of the Rocky Mountains, but it grows with a
greater vigor and luxuriance in the south than elsewhere. The leaves can
hardly be called sensitive to the touch, yet when a branch is snapped
from the parent-stem or is much handled, the delicate leaflets will
droop and fold, displaying their curious mechanism.

COMMON ST. JOHN’S-WORT.
_Hypericum perforatum._ St. John’s-wort Family.

_Stem._—Much branched. _Leaves._—Small, opposite, somewhat oblong,
with pellucid dots. _Flowers._—Yellow, numerous, in leafy clusters.
_Calyx._—Of five sepals. _Corolla._—Of five bright yellow petals,
somewhat spotted with black. _Stamens._—Indefinite in number.
_Pistil._—One, with three spreading styles.

“Too well known as a pernicious weed which it is difficult to
extirpate,” is the scornful notice which the botany gives to this plant
whose bright yellow flowers are noticeable in waste fields and along
roadsides nearly all summer. Its rank, rapid growth proves very
exhausting to the soil, and every New England farmer wishes it had
remained where it rightfully belongs—on the other side of the water.

[Illustration:

PLATE L

COMMON ST. JOHN’S-WORT.—_H. perforatum._
]

Perhaps more superstitions have clustered about the St. John’s-wort than
about any other plant on record. It was formerly gathered on St. John’s
eve, and was hung at the doors and windows as a safeguard against
thunder and evil spirits. A belief prevailed that on this night the soul
had power to leave the body and visit the spot where it would be finally
summoned from its earthly habitation, hence the all-night vigils which
were observed at that time.

The wonderful herb whose leaf will decide
If the coming year shall make me a bride,

is the St. John’s-wort, and the maiden’s fate is favorably forecast by
the healthy growth and successful blossoming of the plant which she has
accepted as typical of her future.

In early times poets and physicians alike extolled its properties. An
ointment was made of its blossoms, and one of its early names was
“balm-of-the-warrior’s-wound.” It was considered so efficacious a remedy
for melancholia that it was termed “fuga dæmonum.” Very possibly this
name gave rise to the general idea that it was powerful in dispelling
evil spirits.

ST. ANDREW’S CROSS.
_Ascyrum Crux-Andreæ._ St. John’s-wort Family.

_Stem._—Low, branched. _Leaves._—Opposite, narrowly oblong,
black-dotted. _Flowers._—Light-yellow. _Calyx._—Of four sepals, the
two outer broad and leaf-like, the inner much smaller. _Corolla._—Of
four narrowly oblong petals. _Stamens._—Numerous. _Pistil._—One, with
two short styles.

From July till September these flowers may be found in the pine-barrens
of New Jersey and farther south and westward, and on the island of
Nantucket as well.

COMMON MULLEIN.
_Verbascum Thapsus._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Tall and stout, from three to five feet high.
_Leaves._—Oblong, woolly. _Flowers._—In a long dense spike.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Yellow, with five slightly unequal
rounded lobes. _Stamens._—Ten, the three upper with white wool on
their filaments. _Pistil._—One.

[Illustration:

PLATE LI

COMMON MULLEIN.—_V. Thapsus._
]

The common mullein is a native of the island of Thapsos, from which it
takes its specific name. It was probably brought to this country from
Europe by the early colonists, notwithstanding the title of “American
velvet plant,” which it is rumored to bear in England. The Romans called
it “candelaria,” from their custom of dipping the long dried stalk in
suet and using it as a funeral torch, and the Greeks utilized the leaves
for lamp-wicks. In more modern times they have served as a remedy for
the pulmonary complaints of men and beasts alike, “mullein tea” being
greatly esteemed by country people. Its especial efficacy with cattle
has earned the plant its name of “bullocks’ lungwort.”

A low rosette of woolly leaves is all that can be seen of the mullein
during its first year, the yellow blossoms on their long spikes opening
sluggishly about the middle of the second summer. It abounds throughout
our dry, rolling meadows, and its tall spires are a familiar feature in
the summer landscape.

MOTH MULLEIN.
_Verbascum Blattaria._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Tall and slender. _Leaves._—Oblong, toothed, the lower
sometimes lyre-shaped, the upper partly clasping. _Flowers._—Yellow or
white, tinged with red or purple, in a terminal raceme.
_Calyx._—Deeply five-parted. _Corolla._—Butterfly-shape, of five
rounded, somewhat unequal lobes. _Stamens._—Five, with filaments
bearded with violet wool and anthers loaded with orange-colored
pollen. _Pistil._—One.

Along the highway from July till October one encounters a slender weed
on whose erect stem it would seem as though a number of canary-yellow or
purplish-white moths had alighted for a moment’s rest. These are the
fragile, pretty flowers of the moth mullein, and they are worthy of a
closer examination. The reddened or purplish centre of the corolla
suggests the probability of hidden nectar, while the pretty tufts of
violet wool borne by the stamens are well fitted to protect it from the
rain. A little experience of the canny ways of these innocent-looking
flowers lead one to ask the wherefore of every new feature.

YELLOW FRINGED ORCHIS. ORANGE ORCHIS.
_Habenaria ciliaris._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Stem._—Leafy, one to two feet high. _Leaves._—The lower oblong to
lance-shaped, the upper passing into pointed bracts. _Flowers._—Deep
orange color, with a slender spur and deeply fringed lip; growing in
an oblong spike.

[Illustration:

PLATE LII

YELLOW FRINGED ORCHIS.—_H. ciliaris._
]

Years may pass without our meeting this the most brilliant of our
orchids. Suddenly one August day we will chance upon just such a boggy
meadow as we have searched in vain a hundred times, and will behold
myriads of its deep orange, dome-like spires erecting themselves in
radiant beauty over whole acres of land. The separate flowers, with
their long spurs and deeply fringed lips, will repay a close
examination. They are well calculated, massed in such brilliant
clusters, to arrest the attention of whatever insects may specially
affect them. Although I have watched many of these plants I have never
seen an insect visit one, and am inclined to think that they are
fertilized by night moths.

Mr. Baldwin declares: “If I ever write a romance of Indian life, my
dusky heroine, Birch Tree or Trembling Fawn, shall meet her lover with a
wreath of this orchis on her head.”

JEWEL-WEED. TOUCH-ME-NOT.
Geranium Family.

_Impatiens pallida._ Pale Touch-me-not.

_Flowers._—Pale yellow, somewhat spotted with reddish-brown; common
northward.

_Impatiens fulva._ Spotted Touch-me-not.

_Flowers._—Orange-yellow, spotted with reddish-brown; common
southward.

Two to six feet high. _Leaves._—Alternate, coarsely toothed, oval.
_Flowers._—Nodding, loosely clustered, or growing from the axils of
the leaves. _Calyx_ and _Corolla_.—Colored alike, and difficult to
distinguish; of six pieces, the largest one extended backward into a
deep sac ending in a little spur, the two innermost unequally
two-lobed. _Stamens._—Five, very short, united over the pistil.
_Pistil._—One.

These beautiful plants are found along shaded streams and marshes, and
are profusely hung with brilliant jewel-like flowers during the summer
months. In the later year they bear those closed inconspicuous blossoms
which fertilize in the bud and are called cleistogamous flowers. The
jewel-weed has begun to appear along the English rivers, and it is said
that the ordinary showy blossoms are comparatively rare, while the
cleistogamous ones abound. Does not this look almost like a
determination on the part of the plant to secure a firm foothold in its
new environment before expending its energy on flowers which, though
radiant and attractive, are quite dependent on insect-visitors for
fertilization and perpetuation?

[Illustration:

PLATE LIII

PALE JEWEL-WEED.—_I. pallida._
]

The name touch-me-not refers to the seed-pods, which burst open with
such violence when touched, as to project their seeds to a comparatively
great distance. This ingenious mechanism secures the dispersion of the
seeds without the aid of the wind or animals. In parts of New York the
plant is called “silver-leaf,” from its silvery appearance when touched
with rain or dew, or when held beneath the water.

AGRIMONY.
_Agrimonia Eupatoria._ Rose Family.

One or two feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into several coarsely toothed
leaflets. _Flowers._—Small, yellow, in slender spiked racemes.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft, beset with hooked teeth. _Corolla._—Of five
petals. _Stamens._—Five to fifteen. _Pistils._—One to four.

The slender yellow racemes of the agrimony skirt the woods throughout
the later summer. In former times the plant was held in high esteem by
town physician and country herbalist alike. Emerson longed to know

Only the herbs and simples of the wood,
Rue, cinquefoil, gill, vervain, and agrimony.

Up to a recent date the plant has been dried and preserved by country
people and might be seen exposed for sale in the shops of French
villages. It has also been utilized in a dressing for shoe-leather. When
about to flower it yields a pale yellow dye.

Chaucer calls it _egremoine_. The name is supposed to be derived from
the Greek title for an eye-disease, for which the juice of a plant
similarly entitled was considered efficacious. The crushed flower yields
a lemon-like odor.

YELLOW WOOD SORREL.
_Oxalis stricta._ Geranium Family.

_Stem._—Erect. _Leaves._—Divided into three delicate clover-like
leaflets. _Flowers._—Golden-yellow. _Calyx._—Of five sepals.
_Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with five
styles.

All summer the small flowers of the yellow wood sorrel show brightly
against their background of delicate leaves. The plant varies greatly in
its height and manner of growth, flourishing abundantly along the
roadsides. The small leaflets are open to the genial influence of sun
and air during the hours of daylight, but at night they protect
themselves from chill by folding one against another.

SUNDROPS.
_Œnothera fruticosa._ Evening Primrose Family.

This is a day-blooming species of the evening primrose, with large,
pale yellow blossoms and alternate oblong or narrowly lance-shaped
leaves, and of a much less rank habit. In early summer our roadsides
are illuminated with these flowers.

_Œnothera pumila_ is also a diurnal species. Its loosely spiked blossoms
are much smaller than those of the sundrops.

EVENING PRIMROSE.
_Œnothera biennis._ Evening Primrose Family.

Stout, erect, one to five feet high. _Leaves._—Alternate, lance-shaped
to oblong. _Flowers._—Pale yellow, in a leafy spike, opening at night.
_Calyx._—With a long tube, four-lobed. _Corolla._—Of four somewhat
heart-shaped petals. _Stamens._—Eight, with long anthers.
_Pistil._—One, with a stigma divided into four linear lobes.

Along the roadsides in midsummer we notice a tall, rank-growing plant,
which seems chiefly to bear buds and faded blossoms. And unless we are
already familiar with the owl-like tendencies of the evening primrose,
we are surprised, some dim twilight, to find this same plant resplendent
with a mass of fragile yellow flowers, which are exhaling their faint
delicious fragrance on the evening air.

One brief summer night exhausts the vitality of these delicate blossoms.
The faded petals of the following day might serve as a text for a homily
against all-night dissipation, did we not know that by its strange habit
the evening primrose guards against the depredations of those myriad
insects abroad during the day, which are unfitted to transmit its pollen
to the pistil of another flower.

We are impressed by the utilitarianism in vogue in this floral world, as
we note that the pale yellow of these blossoms gleams so vividly through
the darkness as to advertise effectively their whereabouts, while their
fragrance serves as a mute invitation to the pink night-moth, which is
their visitor and benefactor. Why they change their habits in the late
year and remain open during the day, I have not been able to discover.

HORSE BALM. RICH-WEED. STONE-ROOT.
_Collinsonia Canadensis._ Mint Family (p. 16).

One to three feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, large, ovate, toothed,
pointed. _Flowers._—Yellowish, lemon-scented, clustered loosely.
_Calyx._—Two-lipped, the upper lip three-toothed, the lower two-cleft.
_Corolla._—Elongated, somewhat two-lipped, the four upper lobes nearly
equal, the lower large and long, toothed or fringed. _Stamens._—Two
(sometimes four, the upper pair shorter), protruding, diverging.
_Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed style.

In the damp rich woods of midsummer these strong-scented herbs, with
their loose terminal clusters of lemon-colored, lemon-scented flowers
are abundant. The plant was introduced into England by the amateur
botanist and flower-lover, Collinson, after whom the species is named.
The Indians formerly employed it as an application to wounds.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN. CONE-FLOWER.
_Rudbeckia hirta._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Stout and hairy, one to two feet high. _Leaves._—Rough and
hairy, the upper long, narrow, set close to the stem; the lower
broader, with leaf-stalks. _Flower-heads._—Composed of both ray and
disk-flowers; the former yellow, the latter brown and arranged on a
cone-like receptacle.

By the middle of July our dry meadows are merry with black-eyed Susans,
which are laughing from every corner and keeping up a gay midsummer
carnival in company with the yellow lilies and brilliant milkweeds. They
seem to revel in the long days of blazing sunlight, and are veritable
salamanders among the flowers. Although now so common in our eastern
fields they were first brought to us with clover-seed from the West, and
are not altogether acceptable guests, as they bid fair to add another
anxiety to the already harassed life of the New England farmer.

[Illustration:

PLATE LIV

EVENING PRIMROSE.—_Œ. biennis._
]

——— ———
_Rudbeckia laciniata._ Composite Family (p. 13).

Two to seven feet high. _Stem._—Smooth, branching. _Leaves._—The lower
divided into lobed leaflets, the upper irregularly three to
five-parted. _Flower-heads._—Yellow, rather large, composed of both
ray and disk-flowers, the former drooping and yellow, the later dull
greenish and arranged on a columnar receptacle.

This graceful, showy flower is even more decorative than the black-eyed
Susan. Its drooping yellow rays are from one to two inches long. It may
be found throughout the summer in the low thickets which border the
swamps and meadows.

GOLDEN ASTER.
_Chrysopsis Mariana._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Silky, with long weak hairs when young. _Leaves._—Alternate,
oblong. _Flower-heads._—Golden-yellow, rather large, composed of both
ray and disk-flowers.

In dry places along the roadsides of Southern New York and farther
south, one can hardly fail to notice in late summer and autumn the
bright clusters of the golden aster.

_C. falcata_ is a species which may be found in dry sandy soil as far
north as Massachusetts, with very woolly stems, crowded linear leaves,
and small, clustered flower-heads.

GOLDEN-ROD.
_Solidago._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Flower-heads._—Golden-yellow, composed of both ray and disk-flowers.

About eighty species of golden-rod are native to the United States: of
these forty-two species can be found in our Northeastern States. Many of
them are difficult of identification, and it would be useless to
describe any but a few of the more conspicuous forms.

[Illustration:

PLATE LV

BLACK-EYED SUSAN.—_R. hirta._
]

A common and noticeable species which flowers early in August is _S.
Canadensis_, with a tall stout stem from three to six feet high,
lance-shaped leaves, which are usually sharply toothed and pointed, and
small flower-heads clustered along the branches which spread from the
upper part of the stem.

Another early flowering species is _S. rugosa_. This is a lower plant
than _S. Canadensis_, with broader leaves. Still another is the dusty
golden-rod, _S. nemoralis_, which has a hoary aspect and very bright
yellow flowers which are common in dry fields.

_S. lanceolata_ has lance-shaped or linear leaves, and flowers which
grow in flat-topped clusters, unlike other members of the family; the
information that this is a golden-rod often creates surprise, as for
some strange reason it seems to be confused with the tansy.

The sweet golden-rod, _S. odorata_, is easily recognized by its
fragrant, shining, dotted leaves. _S. cæsia_, or the blue-stemmed, is a
wood-species and among the latest of the year, putting forth its bright
clusters for nearly the whole length of its stem long after many of its
brethren look like brown wraiths of their former selves. The silver rod,
_S. bicolor_, whose whitish flowers are a departure from the family
habit, also survives the early cold and holds its own in the dry woods.

The only species native to Great Britain is _S. Virga-aurea_.

The generic name is from two Greek words which signify _to make whole_,
and refer to the healing properties which have been attributed to the
genus.

ELECAMPANE.
_Inula Helenium._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Stout, three to five feet high. _Leaves._—Alternate, large,
woolly beneath, the upper partly clasping. _Flower-heads._—Yellow,
large, composed of both ray and disk-flowers.

[Illustration:

PLATE LVI

ELECAMPANE.—_I. Helenium._
]

When we see these great yellow disks peeping over the pasture walls or
flanking the country lanes, we feel that midsummer is at its height.
Flowers are often subservient courtiers, and make acknowledgment of
whatever debt they owe by that subtlest of flatteries—imitation. Did not
the blossoms of the dawning year frequently wear the livery of the snow
which had thrown its protecting mantle over their first efforts? And
these newcomers—whose gross, rotund countenances so clearly betray the
results of high living—do not they pay their respects to their great
benefactor after the same fashion?—with the result that a myriad
miniature suns shine upward from meadow and roadside.

The stout, mucilaginous root of this plant is valued by farmers as a
horse-medicine, especially in epidemics of epizootic, one of its common
names in England being horse-heal.

In ancient times the elecampane was considered an important stimulant to
the human brain and stomach, and it was mentioned as such in the
writings of Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” over two thousand
years ago.

The common name is supposed to be a corruption of _ala campania_, and
refers to the frequent occurrence of the plant in that ancient province
of Southern Italy.

FALL DANDELION.
_Leontodon autumnalis._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Scape._—Five to fifteen inches high, branching. _Leaves._—From the
root, toothed or deeply incised. _Flower-heads._—Yellow, composed
entirely of strap-shaped flowers; smaller than those of the common
dandelion.

From June till November we find the fall dandelion along the New England
roadsides, as well as farther south. While the yellow flower-heads
somewhat suggest small dandelions the general habit of the plant recalls
some of the hawkweeds.

WILD SUNFLOWER.
_Helianthus giganteus._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Rough or hairy, from three to ten feet high, branched above.
_Leaves._—Lance-shaped, pointed, rough to the touch, set close to the
stem. _Flower-heads._—Yellow, composed of both ray and disk-flowers.

[Illustration:

PLATE LVII

WILD SUNFLOWER.—_H. giganteus._
]

In late summer many of our lanes are hedged by this beautiful plant,
which, like other members of its family, lifts its yellow flowers
sunward in pale imitation of the great life-giver itself. We have
twenty-two different species of sunflower. _H. divaricatus_ is of a
lower growth, with opposite, widely spreading leaves and larger
flower-heads. _H. annuus_ is the garden species familiar to all; this is
said to be a native of Peru. Mr. Ellwanger writes regarding it: “In the
mythology of the ancient Peruvians it occupied an important place, and
was employed as a mystic decoration in ancient Mexican sculpture. Like
the lotus of the East, it is equally a sacred and an artistic emblem,
figuring in the symbolism of Mexico and Peru, where the Spaniards found
it rearing its aspiring stalk in the fields, and serving in the temples
as a sign and a decoration, the sun-god’s officiating handmaidens
wearing upon their breasts representations of the sacred flower in
beaten gold.”

Gerarde describes it as follows: “The Indian Sun or the golden floure of
Peru is a plant of such stature and talnesse that in one Sommer, being
sowne of a seede in April, it hath risen up to the height of fourteen
foot in my garden, where one floure was in weight three pound and two
ounces, and crosse overthwart the floure by measure sixteen inches
broad.”

The generic name is from _helios_—the sun, and _anthos_—a flower.

SNEEZEWEED. SWAMP SUNFLOWER.
_Helenium autumnale._ Composite Family (p. 13).

One to six feet high. _Stem._—Angled, erect, branching.
_Leaves._—Alternate, lance-shaped. _Flower-heads._—Yellow, composed of
both ray and disk-flowers, the rays being somewhat cleft.

As far north as Connecticut we see masses of these bright flowers
bordering the streams and swamps in September.

STICK-TIGHT. BUR MARIGOLD, BEGGAR-TICKS.
_Bidens frondosa._ Composite Family (p. 13).

Two to six feet high. _Stem._—Branching. _Leaves._—Opposite, three to
five-divided. _Flower-heads._—Consisting of brownish-yellow tubular
flowers, with a leaf-like involucre beneath.

[Illustration:

PLATE LVIII

STICK-TIGHT.—_B. frondosa._
]

If one were only describing the attractive wild flowers, the stick-tight
would certainly be omitted, as its appearance is not prepossessing, and
the small barbed seed-vessels so cleverly fulfil their destiny in making
one’s clothes a means of conveyance to “fresh woods and pastures new” as
to cause all wayfarers heartily to detest them. “How surely the
desmodium growing on some cliff-side, or the bidens on the edge of a
pool, prophesy the coming of the traveller, brute or human, that will
transport their seeds on his coat,” writes Thoreau. But the plant is so
constantly encountered in late summer, and yet so generally unknown,
that it can hardly be overlooked.

The larger bur marigold, _B. chrysanthemoides_, does its best to
retrieve the family reputation for ugliness, and surrounds its dingy
disk-flowers with a circle of showy golden rays which are strictly
decorative, having neither pistils nor stamens, and leaving all the work
of the household to the less attractive but more useful disk-flowers.
Their effect is pleasing, and late into the autumn the moist ditches
look as if sown with gold through their agency. The plant varies in
height from six inches to two feet. Its leaves are opposite,
lance-shaped, and regularly toothed.

SMOOTH FALSE FOXGLOVE.
_Gerardia quercifolia._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Smooth, three to six feet high, usually branching.
_Leaves._—The lower usually deeply incised, the upper narrowly oblong,
incised, or entire. _Flowers._—Yellow, large, in a raceme or spike.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft. _Corolla._—Two inches long, somewhat tubular,
swelling above, with five more or less unequal, spreading lobes,
woolly within. _Stamens._—Four, in pairs, woolly. _Pistil._—One.

These large pale yellow flowers are very beautiful and striking when
seen in the dry woods of late summer. They are all the more appreciated
because there are few flowers abroad at this season save the Composites,
which are decorative and radiant enough, but usually somewhat lacking in
the delicate charm we look for in a flower.

The members of this genus, which is named after Gerarde, the author of
the famous “Herball,” are supposed to be more or less parasitic in their
habits, drawing their nourishment from the roots of other plants.

[Illustration:

PLATE LIX

SMOOTH FALSE FOXGLOVE.—_G. quercifolia._
]

The downy false foxglove, _G. flava_, is usually a somewhat lower plant,
with a close down, a less-branched stem, more entire leaves, and
smaller, similar flowers.

TANSY.
_Tanacetum vulgare._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Two to four feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into toothed
leaflets. _Flower-heads._—Yellow, composed of tiny flowers which are
nearly, if not all, tubular in shape; borne in flat-topped clusters.

With the name of tansy we seem to catch a whiff of its strong-scented
breath and a glimpse of some New England homestead beyond whose borders
it has strayed to deck the roadside with its deep yellow, flat-topped
flower-clusters. The plant has been used in medicine since the Middle
Ages, and in more recent times it has been gathered by the country
people for “tansy wine” and “tansy tea.” In the Roman Church it typifies
the bitter herbs which were to be eaten at the Paschal season; and cakes
made of eggs and its leaves are called “tansies,” and eaten during Lent.
It is also frequently utilized in more secular concoctions.

The common name is supposed to be a corruption of the Greek word for
_immortality_.

WITCH-HAZEL.
_Hamamelis Virginiana._ Witch-hazel Family.

A tall shrub. _Leaves._—Oval, wavy-toothed, mostly falling before the
flowers appear. _Flowers._—Honey-yellow, clustered, autumnal.
_Calyx._—Four-parted. _Corolla._—Of four long narrow petals.
_Stamens._—Eight. _Pistils._—Two. _Fruit._—A capsule which bursts
elastically, discharging its large seeds with vigor.

[Illustration:

PLATE LX

TANSY.—_T. vulgare._
]

It seems as though the flowers of the witch-hazel were fairly entitled
to the “booby-prize,” of the vegetable world. Surely no other blossoms
make their first appearance so invariably late upon the scene of action.
The fringed gentian often begins to open its “meek and quiet eye” quite
early in September. Certain species of golden-rod and aster continue to
flower till late in the year, but they began putting forth their bright
clusters before the summer was fairly over; while the elusively
fragrant, pale yellow blossoms of the witch-hazel need hardly be
expected till well on in September, when its leaves have fluttered
earthward and its fruit has ripened. Does the pleasure which we
experience at the spring-like apparition of this leafless
yellow-flowered shrub in the autumn woods arise from the same depraved
taste which is gratified by strawberries at Christmas, I wonder? Or is
it that in the midst of death we have a foretaste of life; a prophecy of
the great yearly resurrection which even now we may anticipate?

Thoreau’s tastes in such directions were certainly not depraved, and he
writes: “The witch-hazel loves a hill-side with or without woods or
shrubs. It is always pleasant to come upon it unexpectedly as you are
threading the woods in such places. Methinks I attribute to it some
elfish quality apart from its fame. I love to behold its gray speckled
stems.” Under another date he writes: “Heard in the night a snapping
sound, and the fall of some small body on the floor from time to time.
In the morning I found it was produced by the witch-hazel nuts on my
desk springing open and casting their seeds quite across my chamber,
hard and stony as these nuts were.”

The Indians long ago discovered the value of its bark for medicinal
purposes, and it is now utilized in many well-known extracts. The forked
branches formerly served as divining-rods in the search for water and
precious ores. This belief in its mysterious power very possibly arose
from its suggestive title, which Dr. Prior says should be spelled
_wych_-hazel, as it was called after the wych-elm, whose leaves it
resembles, and which was so named because the chests termed in old times
“wyches” were made of its wood—

His hall rofe was full of bacon flytches,
The chambre charged was with wyches
Full of egges, butter, and chese.[4]

NOTE.—The flowers of the American Woodbine and of the Fly Honeysuckle
(p. 228), and of the Golden Corydalis (p. 192) are also yellow.

III
PINK

TRAILING ARBUTUS. MAYFLOWER. GROUND LAUREL.
_Epigæa repens._ Heath Family.

_Stem._—With rusty hairs, prostrate or trailing. _Leaves._—Rounded,
heart-shaped at base, evergreen. _Flowers._—Pink, clustered, fragrant.
_Calyx._—Of five sepals. _Corolla._—Five-lobed, salver-shaped, with a
slender tube which is hairy within. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One,
with a five-lobed stigma.

Pink, small, and punctual,
Aromatic, low,

describes, but does scant justice to the trailing arbutus, whose waxy
blossoms and delicious breath are among the earliest prophecies of
perfume-laden summer. We look for these flowers in April—not beneath the
snow—where tradition rashly locates them—but under the dead brown leaves
of last year; and especially among the pines and in light sandy soil.
Appearing as they do when we are eager for some tangible assurance that

—the Spring comes slowly up this way,

they win from many of us the gladdest recognition of the year.

In New England they are called Mayflowers, being peddled about the
streets of Boston every spring, under the suggestive and loudly
emphasized title of “Ply-y-mouth Ma-ayflowers!” Whether they owe this
name to the ship which is responsible for so much, or to their season of
blooming, in certain localities, might remain an open question had we
not the authority of Whittier for attributing it to both causes. In a
note prefacing “The Mayflowers,” the poet says: “The trailing arbutus or
Mayflower grows abundantly in the vicinity of Plymouth, and was the
first flower to greet the Pilgrims after their fearful winter.” In the
poem itself he wonders what the old ship had

Within her ice-rimmed bay
In common with the wild-wood flowers,
The first sweet smiles of May?

and continues—

Yet “God be praised!” the Pilgrim said,
Who saw the blossoms peer
Above the brown leaves, dry and dead,
“Behold our Mayflower here!”

God wills it, here our rest shall be,
Our years of wandering o’er,
For us the Mayflower of the sea
Shall spread her sails no more.

O sacred flowers of faith and hope,
As sweetly now as then,
Ye bloom on many a birchen slope,
In many a pine-dark glen.

· · · · ·

So live the fathers in their sons,
Their sturdy faith be ours,
And ours the love that overruns
Its rocky strength with flowers.

If the poet’s fancy was founded on fact, and if our lovely and
wide-spread Mayflower was indeed the first blossom noted and christened
by our forefathers, it seems as though the problem of a national flower
must be solved by one so lovely and historic as to silence all dispute.
And when we read the following prophetic stanzas which close the poem,
showing that during another dark period in our nation’s history these
brave little blossoms, struggling through the withered leaves, brought a
message of hope and courage to the heroic heart of the Quaker poet, our
feeling that they are peculiarly identified with our country’s perilous
moments is intensified:

The Pilgrim’s wild and wintry day
At shadow round us draws;
The Mayflower of his stormy bay
Our Freedom’s struggling cause.

But warmer suns erelong shall bring
To life the frozen sod;
And, through dead leaves of hope shall spring
Afresh the flowers of God!

[Illustration:

PLATE LXI

TRAILING ARBUTUS.—_E. repens._

TWIN-FLOWER.—_L. borealis._
]

TWIN-FLOWER.
_Linnæa borealis._ Honeysuckle Family.

_Stem._—Slender, creeping and trailing. _Leaves._—Rounded, shining and
evergreen. _Flowers._—Growing in pairs, delicate pink, fragrant,
nodding on thread-like, upright flower-stalks. _Calyx._—Five-toothed.
_Corolla._—Narrowly bell-shaped, five-lobed, hairy within.
_Stamens._—Four, two shorter than the others. _Pistil._—One.

Whoever has seen

—beneath dim aisles, in odorous beds,
The slight Linnæa hang its twin-born heads,[5]

will not soon forget the exquisite carpeting made by its nodding pink
flowers and dark shining leaves; or the delicious perfume which actually
filled the air and drew one’s attention to the spot from which it was
exhaled, tempting one to exclaim with Richard Jefferies, “Sweetest of
all things is wild-flower air!” That this little plant should have been
selected as “the monument of the man of flowers” by the great Linnæus
himself, bears testimony to his possession of that appreciation of the
beautiful which is supposed to be lacking in men of long scientific
training. I believe that there is extant at least one contemporary
portrait of Linnæus in which he wears the tiny flowers in his
buttonhole. The rosy twin-blossoms are borne on thread-like, forking
flower-stalks, and appear in June in the deep, cool, mossy woods of the
North.

SHOWY ORCHIS.
_Orchis spectabilis._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Stem._—Four-angled, with leaf-like bracts, rising from fleshy,
fibrous roots. _Leaves._—Two, oblong, shining, three to six inches
long. _Flowers._—In a loose spike, purple-pink, the lower lip white.

This flower not only charms us with its beauty when its clusters begin
to dot the rich May woods, but interests us as being usually the first
member of the Orchis family to appear upon the scene; although it is
claimed in certain localities that the beautiful Calypso always, and the
Indian moccason occasionally, precedes it.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXII

SHOWY ORCHIS.—_O. spectabilis._
]

A certain fascination attends the very name of orchid. Botanist and
unscientific flower-lover alike pause with unwonted interest when the
discovery of one is announced. With the former there is always the
possibility of finding some rare species, while the excitement of the
latter is apt to be whetted with the hope of beholding a marvellous
imitation of bee or butterfly fluttering from a mossy branch with roots
that draw their nourishment from the air! While this little plant is
sure to fail of satisfying the hopes of either, it is far prettier if
less rare than many of its brethren, and its interesting mechanism will
repay our patient study. It is said closely to resemble the “long
purples,” _O. mascula_, which grew near the scene of Ophelia’s tragic
death.

TWISTED STALK.
_Streptopus roseus._ Lily Family.

_Stems._—Rather stout and zigzag, forking and diverging.
_Leaves._—Taper-pointed, slightly clasping. _Flowers._—Dull
purplish-pink, hanging on thread-like flower-stalks from the axils of
the leaves. _Perianth._—Somewhat bell-shaped, of six distinct sepals.
_Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—One, with a three-cleft stigma.

This plant presents a graceful group of forking branches and pointed
leaves. No blossom is seen from above, but on picking a branch one finds
beneath each of its outspread leaves one or two slender, bent stalks
from which hang the pink, bell-like flowers. In general aspect the plant
somewhat resembles its relations, the Solomon’s seal, with which it is
found blossoming in the woods of May or June. The English title is a
translation of the generic name, _Streptopus_.

WILD PINK.
_Silene Pennsylvanica._ Pink Family.

_Stems._—Four to eight inches high. _Leaves._—Those from the root
narrowly wedge-shaped, those on the stem lance-shaped, opposite.
_Flowers._—Bright pink, clustered. _Calyx._—Five-toothed.
_Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with three
styles.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXIII

TWISTED STALK.—_S. roseus._
]

When a vivid cluster of wild pinks gleams from some rocky opening in the
May woods, it is difficult to restrain one’s eagerness, for there is
something peculiarly enticing in these fresh, vigorous-looking flowers.
They are quite unlike most of their fragile contemporaries, for they
seem to be already imbued with the glowing warmth of summer, and to have
no memory of that snowy past which appears to leave its imprint on so
many blossoms of the early year.

In waste places, from June until September or later, we find the small
clustered pink flowers, which open transiently in the sunshine of the
sleepy catchfly, _S. antirrhina_.

PINK LADY’S SLIPPER. MOCCASON-FLOWER.
_Cypripedium acaule._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Scape._—Eight to twelve inches high, two-leaved at base, downy,
one-flowered. _Leaves._—Two, large, many-nerved and plaited, sheathing
at the base. _Flower._—Solitary, purple-pink. _Perianth._—Of three
greenish spreading sepals, the two lateral petals narrow, spreading,
greenish, the pink lip in the shape of a large inflated pouch.
_Stamens._—Two, the short filaments each bearing a two-celled anther.
_Stigma._—Broad, obscurely three-lobed, moist and roughish.

Graceful and tall the slender, drooping stem,
With two broad leaves below,
Shapely the flower so lightly poised between,
And warm her rosy glow,

writes Elaine Goodale of the moccason-flower. This is a blossom whose
charm never wanes. It seems to be touched with the spirit of the deep
woods, and there is a certain fitness in its Indian name, for it looks
as though it came direct from the home of the red man. All who have
found it in its secluded haunts will sympathize with Mr. Higginson’s
feeling that each specimen is a rarity, even though he should find a
hundred to an acre. Gray assigns it to “dry or moist woods,” while Mr.
Baldwin writes: “The finest specimens I ever saw sprang out of cushions
of crisp reindeer moss high up among the rocks of an exposed hill-side,
and again I have found it growing vigorously in almost open swamps, but
nearly colorless from excessive moisture.” The same writer quotes a lady
who is familiar with it in the Adirondacks. She says: “It seems to have
a great fondness for decaying wood, and I often see a whole row perched
like birds along a crumbling log.” While I recall a mountain lake where
the steep cliffs rise from the water’s edge, here and there, on a tiny
shelf strewn with pine-needles, can be seen a pair of large veiny
leaves, above which, in early June, the pink balloon-like blossom floats
from its slender scape.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXIV

PINK LADY’S SLIPPER.—_C. acaule._
]

——— ———
_Calopogon pulchellus._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Scape._—Rising about one foot from a small solid bulb.
_Leaf._—Linear, grass-like. _Flowers._—Two to six on each scape,
purple-pink, about one inch broad, the lip as if hinged at its
insertion, bearded toward the summit with white, yellow, and purple
hairs. The peculiarity of this orchid is that the ovary is not
twisted, and consequently the lip is on the upper instead of the lower
side of the flower.

One may hope to find these bright flowers growing side by side with the
glistening sundew in the rich bogs of early summer. Mr. Baldwin assigns
still another constant companion to the _Calopogon_, an orchid which
staggers under the terrifying title of _Pogonia ophioglossoides_. The
generic name of _Calopogon_ is from two Greek words signifying
_beautiful beard_ and has reference to the delicately bearded lip.

PINK AZALEA. WILD HONEYSUCKLE. PINXTER FLOWER. SWAMP PINK.
_Rhododendron nudiflorum._ Heath Family.

A shrub from two to six feet high. _Leaves._—Narrowly oblong, downy
underneath, usually appearing somewhat later than the flowers.
_Flowers._—Pink, clustered. _Calyx._—Minute. _Corolla._—Funnel-shaped,
with five long recurved lobes. _Stamens._—Five or ten, long,
protruding noticeably. _Pistil._—One, long, protruding.

Our May swamps and moist woods are made rosy by masses of the pink
azalea which is often known as the wild honeysuckle, although not even a
member of the Honeysuckle family. It is in the height of its beauty
before the blooming of the laurel, and heralds the still lovelier
pageant which is even then in rapid course of preparation.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXV

PINK AZALEA.—_R. nudiflorum._
]

In the last century the name of Mayflower was given to the shrub by
the Swedes in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. Peter Kalm, the pupil
of Linnæus, after whom our laurel, _Kalmia_, is named, writes the
following description of the shrub in his “Travels,” which were
published in English in 1771, and which explain the origin of one of
its titles: “Some of the Swedes and Dutch call them Pinxter-bloem
(Whitsunday-flower) as they really are in bloom about Whitsuntide; and
at a distance they have some similarity to the Honeysuckle or
‘Lonicera.’... Its flowers were now open and added a new ornament to
the woods.... They sit in a circle round the stem’s extremity and have
either a dark red or a lively red color; but by standing for some time
the sun bleaches them, and at last they get to a whitish hue.... They
have some smell, but I cannot say it is very pleasant. However, the
beauty of the flower entitles them to a place in every flower-garden.”
While our pink azalea could hardly be called “dark red” under any
circumstances, it varies greatly in the color of its flowers.

The azalea is the national flower of Flanders.

——— ———
_Rhododendron Rhodora._ Heath Family.

A shrub from one to two feet high. _Leaves._—Oblong, pale.
_Flowers._—Purplish-pink. _Calyx._—Small. _Corolla._—Two-lipped,
almost without any tube. _Stamens._—Ten, not protruding.
_Pistil._—One, not protruding.

In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being;
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew;
But in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there, brought you.[6]

SHEEP LAUREL. LAMBKILL.
_Kalmia angustifolia._ Heath Family.

A shrub from one to three feet high. _Leaves._—Narrowly oblong,
light green. _Flowers._—Deep pink, in lateral clusters.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Five-lobed, between wheel and
bell-shaped, with stamens caught in its depressions as in the
mountain laurel. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One.

This low shrub grows abundantly with the mountain laurel, bearing
smaller deep pink flowers at the same season, and narrower, paler
leaves. It is said to be the most poisonous of the genus, and to be
especially deadly to sheep, while deer are supposed to feed upon its
leaves with impunity.

AMERICAN CRANBERRY.
_Vaccinium macrocarpon._ Heath Family.

_Stems._—Slender, trailing, one to four feet long. _Leaves._—Oblong,
obtuse. _Flowers._—Pale pink, nodding. _Calyx._—With short teeth.
_Corolla._—Four-parted. _Stamens._—Eight or ten, protruding.
_Fruit._—A large, acid, red berry.

In the peat-bogs of our Northeastern States we may look in June for the
pink nodding flowers, and in late summer for the large red berries of
this well-known plant.

ADDER’S MOUTH.
_Pogonia ophioglossoides._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Stem._—Six to nine inches high, from a fibrous root. _Leaves._—An
oval or lance-oblong one near the middle of the stem, and a smaller or
bract-like one near the terminal flower, occasionally one or two
others, with a flower in their axils. _Flower._—Pale pink, sometimes
white, sweet-scented, one inch long, lip bearded and fringed.

Mr. Baldwin maintains that there is no wild flower of as pure a pink as
this unless it be the _Sabbatia._ Its color has also been described as a
“peach-blossom red.” As already mentioned, the plant is found blossoming
in bogs during the early summer in company with the Calopogons and
sundews. Its violet-like fragrance greatly enhances its charm.

COMMON MILKWORT.
_Polygala sanguinea._ Milkwort Family.

_Stem._—Six inches to a foot high, sparingly branched above, leafy to
the top. _Leaves._—Oblong-linear. _Flowers._—Growing in round or
oblong heads which are somewhat clover-like in appearance, bright pink
or almost red, occasionally paler. _Calyx._—Of five sepals, three of
which are small and often greenish, while the two inner ones are much
larger and colored like the petals. _Corolla._—Of three petals
connected with each other, the lower one keel-shaped. _Stamens._—Six
or eight. _Pistil._—One. (Flowers too difficult to be analyzed by the
non-botanist.)

This pretty little plant abounds in moist and also sandy places, growing
on mountain heights as well as in the salt meadows which skirt the sea.
In late summer its bright flower-heads gleam vividly through the
grasses, and from their form and color might almost be mistaken for pink
clover. Occasionally they are comparatively pale and inconspicuous.

——— ———
_Polygala polygama._ Milkwort Family.

_Stems._—Very leafy, six to nine inches high, with cleistogamous
flowers on underground runners. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped or oblong.
_Flowers._—Purple-pink, loosely clustered in a terminal raceme. _Keel
of Corolla._—Crested. _Stamens._—Eight. _Pistil._—One.

Like its more attractive sister, the fringed polygala, this little plant
hides its most useful, albeit unattractive, blossoms in the ground,
where they can fulfil their destiny of perpetuating the species without
danger of molestation by thievish insects or any of the distractions
incidental to a more worldly career. Exactly what purpose the little
above-ground flowers, which appear so plentifully in sandy soil in July,
are intended to serve, it is difficult to understand.

FRINGED POLYGALA.
_Polygala paucifolia._ Milkwort Family.

_Flowering stems._—Three or four inches high, from long, prostrate or
underground shoots which also bear cleistogamous flowers.
_Leaves._—The lower, small and scale-like, scattered, the upper,
ovate, and crowded at the summit. _Flowers._—Purple-pink, rarely
white, rather large. _Keel of Corolla._—Conspicuously fringed and
crested. _Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—One.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXVI

MILKWORT.
]

“I must not forget to mention that delicate and lovely flower of May,
the fringed polygala. You gather it when you go for the fragrant showy
orchis—that is, if you are lucky enough to find it. It is rather a shy
flower, and is not found in every wood. One day we went up and down
through the woods looking for it—woods of mingled oak, chestnut, pine,
and hemlock,—and were about giving it up when suddenly we came upon a
gay company of them beside an old wood-road. It was as if a flock of
small rose-purple butterflies had alighted there on the ground before
us. The whole plant has a singularly fresh and tender aspect. Its
foliage is of a slightly purple tinge and of very delicate texture. Not
the least interesting feature about the plant is the concealed fertile
flower which it bears on a subterranean stem, keeping, as it were, one
flower for beauty and one for use.”

It seems unnecessary to tempt “odorous comparisons” by endeavoring to
supplement the above description of Mr. Burroughs.

MOSS POLYGALA.
_Polygala cruciata._ Milkwort Family.

_Stems._—Three to ten inches high, almost winged at the angles, with
spreading opposite leaves and branches. _Leaves._—Linear, nearly all
whorled in fours. _Flowers._—Greenish or purplish-pink, growing in
short, thick spikes which terminate the branches.

There is something very moss-like in the appearance of this little plant
which blossoms in late summer. It is found near moist places and salt
marshes along the coast, being very common in parts of New England.

SPREADING DOGBANE. INDIAN HEMP.
_Apocynum androsæmifolium._ Dogbane Family.

_Stems._—Erect, branching, two or three feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite,
oval. _Flowers._—Rose-color veined with deep pink, loosely clustered.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Small, bell-shaped, five-cleft.
_Stamens._—Five, slightly adherent to the pistil. _Pistil._—Two
ovaries surmounted by a large, two-lobed stigma. _Fruit._—Two long and
slender pods.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXVII

SPREADING DOGBANE.—_A. androsæmifolium._
]

The flowers of the dogbane, though small and inconspicuous are very
beautiful if closely examined. The deep pink veining of the corolla
suggests nectar, and the insect-visitor is not misled, for at its base
are five nectar-bearing glands. The two long, slender seed-pods which
result from a single blossom seem inappropriately large, often appearing
while the plant is still in flower. Rafinesque states that from the
stems may be obtained a thread similar to hemp which can be woven into
cloth, from the pods, cotton, and from the blossoms, sugar. Its generic
and one of its English titles arose from the belief, which formerly
prevailed, that it was poisonous to dogs. The plant is constantly found
growing in roadside thickets, with bright, pretty foliage, and blossoms
that appear in early summer.

HEDGE BINDWEED.
_Convolvulus Americanus._ Convolvulus Family.

_Stem._—Twining or trailing. _Leaves._—Somewhat arrow-shaped.
_Flowers._—Pink. _Calyx._—Of five sepals enclosed in two broad leafy
bracts. _Corolla._—Five-lobed, bell-shaped. _Stamens._—Five.
_Pistil._—One, with two stigmas.

Many an unsightly heap of rubbish left by the roadside is hidden by the
delicate pink bells of the hedge bindweed, which again will clamber over
the thickets that line the streams and about the tumbled stone-wall that
marks the limit of the pasture. The pretty flowers at once suggest the
morning-glory, to which they are closely allied.

The common European bindweed, _C. arvensis_, has white or pinkish
flowers, without bracts beneath the calyx, and a low procumbent or
twining stem. It has taken possession of many of our old fields where it
spreads extensively and proves troublesome to farmers.

PURPLE-FLOWERING RASPBERRY.
_Rubus odoratus._ Rose Family.

_Stem._—Shrubby, three to five feet high; branching, branches bristly
and glandular. _Leaves._—Three to five-lobed, the middle lobe
prolonged. _Flowers._—Purplish-pink, large and showy, two inches
broad. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Of five rounded petals.
_Stamens and Pistils._—Numerous. _Fruit._—Reddish, resembling the
garden raspberry.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXVIII

PURPLE-FLOWERING RASPBERRY.—_R. odoratus._
]

This flower betrays its relationship to the wild rose, and might easily
be mistaken for it, although a glance at the undivided leaves would at
once correct such an error. The plant is a decorative one when covered
with its showy blossoms, constantly arresting our attention along the
wooded roadsides in June and July.

PALE CORYDALIS.
_Corydalis glauca._ Fumitory Family.

_Stem._—Six inches to two feet high. _Leaves._—Pale, divided into
delicate leaflets. _Flowers._—Pink and yellow, in loose clusters.
_Calyx._—Of two small, scale-like sepals. _Corolla._—Pink, tipped with
yellow; closed and flattened, of four petals, with a short spur at the
base of the upper petal. _Stamens._—Six, maturing before the pistil,
thus avoiding self-fertilization. _Pistil._—One.

From the rocky clefts in the summer woods springs the pale corydalis,
its graceful foliage dim with a whitish bloom, and its delicate rosy,
yellow-tipped flowers betraying by their odd flat corollas their kinship
with the Dutchman’s breeches and squirrel corn of the early year, as
well as with the bleeding hearts of the garden. Thoreau assigns them to
the middle of May, and says they are “rarely met with,” which statement
does not coincide with the experience of those who find the rocky
woodlands each summer abundantly decorated with their fragile clusters.

The generic name, _Corydalis_, is the ancient Greek title for the
crested lark, and said to refer to the crested seeds of this genus. The
specific title, _glauca_, refers to the pallor of leaves and stem.

The golden corydalis, _C. aurea_, is found on rocky banks somewhat
westward.

COMMON MILKWEED.
_Asclepias Cornuti._ Milkweed Family.

_Stem._—Tall, stout, downy, with a milky juice. _Leaves._—Generally
opposite or whorled, the upper sometimes scattered, large, oblong,
pale, minutely downy underneath. _Flowers._—Dull, purplish-pink,
clustered at the summit and along the sides of the stem. (These
flowers are too difficult to be successfully analyzed by the
non-botanist.) _Calyx._—Five-parted, the divisions small and reflexed.
_Corolla._—Deeply five-parted, the divisions reflexed; above them a
crown of five hooded nectaries, each containing an incurved horn.
_Stamens._—Five, inserted on the base of the corolla, united with each
other and enclosing the pistils. _Pistils._—Properly two, enclosed by
the stamens, surmounted by a large five-angled disk. _Fruit._—Two
pods, one of which is large and full of silky-tufted seeds, the other
often stunted.

This is probably the commonest representative of this striking and
beautiful native family. The tall, stout stems, large, pale leaves, dull
pink clustered flowers which appear in July, and later the puffy pods
filled with the silky-tufted seeds beloved of imaginative children, are
familiar to nearly everyone who spends a portion of the year in the
country. The young sprouts are said to make an excellent pot-herb; the
silky hairs of the seed-pods have been used for the stuffing of pillows
and mattresses, and can be mixed with flax or wool and woven to
advantage; while paper has been manufactured from the stout stalks.

The four-leaved milkweed, _A. quadrifolia_, is the most delicate member
of the family, with fragrant rose-tinged flowers which appear on the dry
wooded hill-sides quite early in June, and slender stems which are
usually leafless below, and with one or two whorls and one or two pairs
of oval, taper-pointed leaves above.

The swamp milkweed, _A. incarnata_, grows commonly in moist places. Its
very leafy stems are two or three feet high, with narrowly oblong,
pointed leaves. Its intense purple-pink flowers gleam from the wet
meadows nearly all summer. They are smaller than those of the purple
milkweed, _A. purpurascens_, which abounds in dry ground, and which may
be classed among the deep pink or purple flowers according to the eye of
the beholder.

HERB ROBERT.
_Geranium Robertianum._ Geranium Family.

_Stem._—Forking, slightly hairy. _Leaves._—Three, divided, the
divisions again dissected. _Flowers._—Purple-pink, small. _Calyx._—Of
five sepals. _Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One,
with five styles which split apart in fruit.

From June until October many of our shaded woods and glens are
abundantly decorated by the bright blossoms of the herb Robert. The
reddish stalks of the plant have won it the name of “red-shanks” in the
Scotch Highlands. Its strong scent is caused by a resinous secretion
which exists in several of the geraniums. In some species this resin is
so abundant that the stems will burn like torches, yielding a powerful
and pleasant perfume. The common name is said to have been given the
plant on account of its supposed virtue in a disease which was known as
“Robert’s plague,” after Robert, Duke of Normandy. In some of the early
writers it is alluded to as the “holy herb of Robert.”

In fruit the styles of this plant split apart with an elasticity which
serves to project the seeds to a distance, it is said, of twenty-five
feet.

BUSH CLOVER.
_Lespedeza procumbens._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stems._—Slender, trailing, and prostrate. _Leaves._—Divided into
three clover-like leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, purplish-pink,
veiny. _Pod._—Small, rounded, flat, one-seeded.

The flowers of this plant often have the appearance of springing
directly from the earth amid a mass of clover leaves. They are common in
dry soil in the late summer and autumn, as are the other members of the
same genus.

_L. reticulata_ is an erect, very leafy species with similar blossoms,
which are chiefly clustered near the upper part of the stem. The bush
clovers betray at once their kinship with the tick-trefoils, but are
usually found in more sandy, open places.

_L. polystachya_ has upright wand-like stems from two to four feet high.
Its flowers grow in oblong spikes on elongated stalks. Those of _L.
capitata_ are clustered in globular heads.

TICK-TREFOIL.
_Desmodium Canadense._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Hairy, three to six feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into three
somewhat oblong leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, dull
purplish-pink, growing in densely flowered racemes. _Pod._—Flat,
deeply lobed on the lower margin, from one to three inches long,
roughened with minute hooked hairs by means of which they adhere to
animals and clothing.

Great masses of color are made by these flowers in the bogs and rich
woods of midsummer. They are effective when seen in the distance, but
rather disappointing on closer examination, and will hardly bear
gathering or transportation. They are by far the largest and most showy
of the genus.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXIX

HERB ROBERT.—_G. Robertianum._
]

TICK-TREFOIL.
_Desmodium nudiflorum._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Scape._—About two feet long. _Leaves._—Divided into three broad
leaflets, crowded at the summit of the flowerless stems.
_Flowers._—Papilionaceous, purplish-pink, small, growing in an
elongated raceme on a mostly leafless scape.

This is a smaller, less noticeable plant than _D. Canadense_. It
flourishes abundantly in dry woods, where it often takes possession in
late summer to the exclusion of nearly all other flowers.

The flowers of _D. acuminatum_ grow in an elongated raceme from a stem
about whose summit the leaves, divided into very large leaflets, are
crowded; otherwise it resembles _D. nudiflorum_.

_D. Dillenii_ grows to a height of from two to five feet, with erect
leafy stems and medium-sized flowers. It is found commonly in open
woods.

Many of us who do not know these plants by name have uttered various
imprecations against their roughened pods. Thoreau writes: “Though you
were running for your life, they would have time to catch and cling to
your clothes.... These almost invisible nets, as it were, are spread for
us, and whole coveys of desmodium and bidens seeds steal transportation
out of us. I have found myself often covered, as it were, with an
imbricated coat of the brown desmodium seeds or a bristling
_chevaux-de-frise_ of beggar-ticks, and had to spend a quarter of an
hour or more picking them off in some convenient spot; and so they get
just what they wanted—deposited in another place.”

BOUNCING BET. SOAPWORT.
_Saponaria officinalis._ Pink Family.

_Stem._—Rather stout, swollen at the joints. _Leaves._—Oval, opposite.
_Flowers._—Pink or white, clustered. _Calyx._—Of five united sepals.
_Corolla._—Of five pinkish, long-clawed petals (frequently the flowers
are double). _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with two styles.

A cheery pretty plant is this with large, rose-tinged flowers which are
especially effective when double.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXX

BOUNCING BET.—_S. officinalis._
]

Bouncing Bet is of a sociable turn and is seldom found far from
civilization, delighting in the proximity of farm-houses and their
belongings, in the shape of children, chickens, and cattle. She comes to
us from England, and her “feminine comeliness and bounce” suggest to Mr.
Burroughs a Yorkshire housemaid. The generic name is from _sapo_—soap,
and refers to the lather which the juice forms with water, and which is
said to have been used as a substitute for soap.

STEEPLE-BUSH. HARDHACK.
_Spiræa tomentosa._ Rose Family.

_Stems._—Very woolly. _Leaves._—Alternate, oval, toothed.
_Flowers._—Small, pink, in pyramidal clusters. _Calyx._—Five-cleft.
_Corolla._—Of five rounded petals. _Stamens._—Numerous.
_Pistils._—Five to eight.

The pink spires of this shrub justify its rather unpoetic name of
steeple-bush. It is closely allied to the meadow-sweet (Pl. XXVI.),
blossoming with it in low grounds during the summer. It differs from
that plant in the color of its flowers and in the woolliness of its
stems and the lower surface of its leaves.

DEPTFORD PINK.
_Dianthus Armeria._ Pink Family.

One or two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, long and narrow, hairy.
_Flowers._—Pink, with white dots, clustered. _Calyx._—Five-toothed,
cylindrical, with awl-shaped bracts beneath. _Corolla._—Of five small
petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with two styles.

In July and August we find these little flowers in our eastern fields.
The generic name, which signifies _Jove’s own flower_, hardly applies to
these inconspicuous blossoms. Perhaps it was originally bestowed upon
_D. caryophyllus_, a large and fragrant English member of the genus,
which was the origin of our garden carnation.

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE.
_Lythrum Salicaria._ Loosestrife Family.

_Stem._—Tall and slender. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped, with a heart-shaped
base, sometimes whorled in threes. _Flowers._—Deep purple-pink,
crowded and whorled in an interrupted spike. _Calyx._—Five to
seven-toothed, with little processes between the teeth. _Corolla._—Of
five or six somewhat wrinkled petals. _Stamens._—Usually twelve, in
two sets, six longer and six shorter. _Pistil._—One, varying in size
in the different blossoms, being of three different lengths.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXI

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE.—_L. Salicaria._
]

One who has seen an inland marsh in August aglow with this beautiful
plant, is almost ready to forgive the Old Country some of the many pests
she has shipped to our shores in view of this radiant acquisition. The
botany locates it anywhere between Nova Scotia and Delaware. It may be
seen in the perfection of its beauty along the marshy shores of the
Hudson and in the swamps of the Wallkill Valley.

When we learn that these flowers are called “long purples,” by the
English country people, the scene of Ophelia’s tragic death rises before
us:

There is a willow grows aslant a brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream,
There with fantastic garlands did she come,
Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men’s fingers call them.

Dr. Prior, however, says that it is supposed that Shakespeare intended
to designate the purple-flowering orchis, _O. mascula_, which is said to
closely resemble the showy orchis (Pl. LXII.) of our spring woods.

The flowers of the purple loosestrife are especially interesting to
botanists on account of their _trimorphism_, which word signifies
_occurring in three forms_, and refers to the stamens and pistils, which
vary in size in the different blossoms, being of three different
lengths, the pollen from any given set of stamens being especially
fitted to fertilize a pistil of corresponding length.

MEADOW-BEAUTY. DEER-GRASS.
_Rhexia Virginica._ Melastoma Family.

_Stem._—Square, with wing-like angles. _Leaves._—Opposite, narrowly
oval. _Flowers._—Purplish-pink, clustered. _Calyx-tube._—Urn-shaped,
four-cleft at the apex. _Corolla._—Of four large rounded petals.
_Stamens._—Eight, with long curved anthers. _Pistil._—One.

It is always a pleasant surprise to happen upon a bright patch of these
delicate deep-hued flowers along the marshes or in the sandy fields of
midsummer. Their fragile beauty is of that order which causes it to seem
natural that they should belong to a genus which is the sole northern
representative of a tropical family. In parts of New England they grow
in profusion, while in Arkansas the plant is said to be a great favorite
with the deer, hence one of its common names. The flower has been
likened to a scarlet evening primrose, and there is certainly a
suggestion of the evening primrose in the four rounded, slightly
heart-shaped petals. The protruding stamens, with their long yellow
anthers, are conspicuous.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXII

MEADOW-BEAUTY.—_R. Virginica._
]

Of the plant in the late year, Thoreau writes: “The scarlet leaves and
stem of the rhexia, sometime out of flower, make almost as bright a
patch in the meadows now as the flowers did. Its seed-vessels are
perfect little cream-pitchers of graceful form.”

CLAMMY CUPHEA. WAX-WEED.
_Cuphea viscosissima._ Loosestrife Family.

_Stem._—Sticky, hairy, branching. _Leaves._—Usually opposite, rounded,
lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Deep purplish-pink, solitary or in racemes.
_Calyx._—Tubular, slightly spurred at the base on the upper side,
six-toothed at the apex, usually with a slight projection between each
tooth. _Corolla._—Small, of six unequal petals. _Stamens._—Eleven or
twelve, of unequal sizes, in two sets. _Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed
stigma.

In the dry fields and along the roadsides of late summer this plant is
found in blossom. Its rather wrinkled purplish-pink petals and unequal
stamens suggest the flowers of the spiked loosestrife, _L. Salicaria_,
to which it is closely related.

SEA PINK.
_Sabbatia stellaris._ Gentian Family.

_Stem._—Slender, loosely branched. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong to
lance-shaped, the upper narrowly linear. _Flowers._—Large, deep pure
pink to almost white. _Calyx._—Usually five-parted, the lobes long and
slender. _Corolla._—Usually five-parted, conspicuously marked with red
and yellow in the centre. _Stamens._—Usually five. _Pistil._—One, with
two-cleft style.

The advancing year has few fairer sights to show us than a salt meadow
flushed with these radiant blossoms. They are so abundant, so deep-hued,
so delicate! One feels tempted to lie down among the pale grasses and
rosy stars in the sunshine of the August morning and drink his fill of
their beauty. How often nature tries to the utmost our capacity of
appreciation and leaves us still insatiate! At such times it is almost a
relief to turn from the mere contemplation of beauty to the study of its
structure; it rests our overstrained faculties.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXIII

SEA PINK.—_S. stellaris._
]

The vivid coloring and conspicuous marking of these flowers indicate
that they aim to attract certain members of the insect world. As in the
fireweed the pistil of the freshly opened blossom is curved sideways,
with its lobes so closed and twisted as to be inaccessible on their
stigmatic surfaces to the pollen which the already mature stamens are
discharging. When the effete anthers give evidence that they are _hors
de combat_ by their withered appearance, the style erects itself and
spreads its stigmas.

_S. angularis_ is a species which may be found in rich soil inland. Its
somewhat heart-shaped, clasping, five-nerved leaves and angled stem
serve to identify it.

_S. chloroides_ is a larger and peculiarly beautiful species which
borders brackish ponds along the coast. Its corolla is about two inches
broad and eight to twelve-parted.

MARSH ST. JOHN’S-WORT.
_Elodes campanulata._ St. John’s-wort Family.

_Stem._—One or two feet high, often pinkish, later bright red.
_Leaves._—Opposite, set close to the stem or clasping by a broad base.
_Flowers._—Pinkish or flesh-color, small, closely clustered at the
summit of the stem and in the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Of five
sepals, often pinkish. _Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Nine, in
three sets, the sets separated by orange-colored glands.
_Pistil._—One, with three styles.

If one has been so unlucky, from the usual point of view, or so
fortunate, looking at the matter with the eyes of the flower-lover, as
to find himself in a rich marsh early in August, his eye is likely to
fall upon the small, pretty pinkish flowers and pale clasping leaves of
the marsh St. John’s-wort. A closer inspection will discover that the
foliage is dotted with the pellucid glands, and that the stamens are
clustered in groups after the family fashion. Should the same marsh be
visited a few weeks later dashes of vivid color will guide one to the
spot where the little pink flowers were found. In their place glow the
conspicuous ovaries and bright leaves which make the plant very
noticeable in late August.

_Elodes_ is a corruption from a Greek word which signifies _growing in
marshes_.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXIV

_Sabbatia chloroides._
]

ROSE MALLOW. SWAMP MALLOW.
_Hibiscus Moscheutos._ Mallow Family.

_Stem._—Stout and tall, four to eight feet high. _Leaves._—The lower
three-lobed, the upper oblong, whitish and downy beneath.
_Flowers._—Large and showy, pink. _Calyx._—Five-cleft, with a row of
narrow bractlets beneath. _Corolla._—Of five large petals.
_Stamens._—Many, on a tube which encloses the lower part of the style.
_Pistils._—Five, united into one, with five stigmas which are like
pin-heads.

When the beautiful rose mallow slowly unfolds her pink banner-like
petals and admits the eager bee to her stores of golden pollen, then we
feel that the summer is far advanced. As truly as the wood anemone and
the blood-root seem filled with the essence of spring and the promise of
the opening year, so does this stately flower glow with the maturity and
fulfilment of late summer. Here is none of the timorousness of the early
blossoms which peep shyly out, as if ready to beat a hasty retreat
should a late frost overtake them, but rather a calm assurance that the
time is ripe, and that the salt marshes and brackish ponds are only
awaiting their rosy lining.

The marsh mallow, whose roots yield the mucilaginous substance utilized
in the well-known confection, is _Althæa officinalis_, an emigrant from
Europe. It is a much less common plant than the _Hibiscus_, its pale
pink flowers being found in some of the salt marshes of New England and
New York.

The common mallow, _Malva rotundifolia_, which overruns the country
dooryards and village waysides, is a little plant with rounded,
heart-shaped leaves and small purplish flowers. It is used by the
country people for various medicinal purposes and is cultivated and
commonly boiled with meat in Egypt. Job pictures himself as being
despised by those who had been themselves so destitute as to “cut up
mallows by the bushes ... for their meat.”[7]

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXV

ROSE MALLOW.—_H. Moscheutos._
]

SALT MARSH FLEABANE.
_Pluchea camphorata._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Two to five feet high. _Leaves._—Pale, thickish, oblong or
lance-shaped, toothed. _Flower-heads._—Pink, small, in flat-topped
clusters, composed entirely of tubular flowers.

In the salt marshes where we find the starry sea pinks and the feathery
sea lavender, we notice a pallid-looking plant whose pink flower-buds
are long in opening. It is late summer or autumn before the salt marsh
fleabane is fairly in blossom. There is a strong fragrance to the plant
which hardly suggests camphor, despite its specific title.

HAIRY WILLOW-HERB.
_Epilobium hirsutum._ Evening Primrose Family.

Three to five feet high. _Stem._—Densely hairy, stout, branching.
_Leaves._—Mostly opposite, lance-oblong, finely toothed.
_Flower._—Purplish, pink, small, in the axils of the upper leaves, or
in a leafy, short raceme. _Calyx._—Four or five-parted. _Corolla._—Of
four petals. _Stamens._—Eight. _Pistil._—One, with a four-parted
stigma.

The hairy willow-herb is found in waste places, blossoming in midsummer.
It is an emigrant from Europe.

FIREWEED. GREAT WILLOW-HERB.
_Epilobium angustifolium._ Evening Primrose Family.

_Stem._—Four to seven feet high. _Leaves._—Scattered, lance-shaped,
willow-like. _Flowers._—Purplish-pink, large, in a long raceme.
_Calyx._—Four-cleft. _Corolla._—Of four petals. _Stamens._—Eight.
_Pistil._—One, with a four-lobed stigma.

In midsummer this striking plant begins to mass its deep-hued blossoms
along the roadsides and low meadows. It is supposed to flourish with
especial abundance in land that has newly been burned over; hence, its
common name of fireweed. Its willow-like foliage has given it its other
English title. The likeness between the blossoms of this plant and those
of the evening primrose betray their kinship. When the stamens of the
fireweed first mature and discharge their pollen the still immature
style is curved backward and downward with its stigmas closed. Later it
straightens and lengthens to its full dimensions, so spreading its four
stigmas as to be in position to receive the pollen of another flower
from the visiting bee.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXVI

FIREWEED.—_E. angustifolium._
]

——— ———
_Epilobium coloratum._ Evening Primrose Family.

One to three feet high. _Leaves._—Rather large, lance-shaped, sharply
toothed. _Flowers._—Pale pink, small, more or less nodding, resembling
in structure those of the hairy willow-herb. _Pistil._—One, with a
club-shaped stigma.

This species is found in abundance in wet places in summer.

PURPLE GERARDIA.
_Gerardia purpurea._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—One to four feet high, widely branching. _Leaves._—Linear,
sharply pointed. _Flowers._—Bright purplish-pink, rather large.
_Calyx._—Five-toothed. _Corolla._—One inch long, somewhat tubular,
swelling above, with five more or less unequal, spreading lobes, often
downy and spotted within. _Stamens._—Four, in pairs, hairy.
_Pistil._—One.

In late summer and early autumn these pretty noticeable flowers brighten
the low-lying ground along the coast and in the neighborhood of the
Great Lakes. The sandy fields of New England and Long Island are
oftentimes a vivid mass of color owing to their delicate blossoms. The
plant varies somewhat in the size of its flowers and in the manner of
its growth.

The little seaside gerardia, _G. maritima_, is from four inches to a
foot high. Its smaller blossoms are also found in salt marshes.

The slender gerardia, _G. tenuifolia_, is common in mountainous regions.
The leaves of this species are exceedingly narrow. Like the false
foxglove (Pl. LIX.) and other members of this genus, these plants are
supposed to be parasitic in their habits.

JOE-PYE-WEED. TRUMPET-WEED.
_Eupatorium purpureum._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Stout and tall, two to twelve feet high, often dotted.
_Leaves._—In whorls of three to six, oblong or oval, pointed, rough,
veiny, toothed. _Flower-heads._—Purplish-pink, small, composed
entirely of tubular blossoms, with long protruding styles, growing in
large clusters at or near the summit of the stem.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXVII

JOE-PYE-WEED.—_E. purpureum._
]

The summer is nearly over when the tall, conspicuous Joe-Pye-weed begins
to tinge with “crushed raspberry” the lowlands through which we pass. In
parts of the country it is nearly as common as the golden-rods and
asters which appear at about the same season. With the deep purple of
the iron-weed it gives variety to the intense hues which herald the
coming of autumn.

“Joe Pye” is said to have been the name of an Indian who cured typhus
fever in New England by means of this plant. The tiny trumpet-shaped
blossoms which make up the flower-heads may have suggested the other
common name.

PINK KNOTWEED.
_Polygonum Pennsylvanicum._ Buckwheat Family.

One to four feet high. _Stem._—Branching. _Leaves._—Alternate,
lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Bright pink, growing in thick, short, erect
spikes. _Calyx._—Mostly five-parted, the divisions petal-like, pink.
_Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Usually eight. _Pistil._—One, with a
two-cleft style.

In late summer this plant can hardly escape notice. Its erect pink
spikes direct attention to some neglected corner in the garden or
brighten the fields and roadsides. The rosy divisions of the calyx
persist till after the fruit has formed, pressing closely against the
dark seed-vessel within.

SAND KNOTWEED.
_Polygonella articulata._ (Formerly _Polygonum articulatum_.) Buckwheat
Family.

Erect, branching, four to twelve inches high. _Leaves._—Linear,
inconspicuous. _Flowers._—Rose-color, nodding, in very slender
racemes. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Eight.
_Pistil._—One, with three styles.

Under date of September 26th, Thoreau writes: “The _Polygonum
articulatum_, giving a rosy tinge to Jenny’s desert, is very interesting
now, with its slender dense racemes of rose-tinted flowers, apparently
without leaves, rising cleanly out of the sand. It looks warm and brave,
a foot or more high, and mingled with deciduous blue curls. It is much
divided, with many spreading, slender-racemed branches, with
inconspicuous linear leaves, reminding me, both by its form and its
colors, of a peach-orchard in blossom, especially when the sunlight
falls on it; minute rose-tinted flowers that brave the frosts, and
advance the summer into fall, warming with their color sandy hill-sides
and deserts, like the glow of evening reflected on the sand, apparently
all flower and no leaf. Rising apparently with clean bare stems from the
sand, it spreads out into this graceful head of slender, rosy racemes,
wisp-like. This little desert of less than an acre blushes with it.”

* * * * *

NOTE.—The Moss Pink, _Phlox subulata_, with purple-pink flowers, and
_Phlox glaberrima_, with pink or whitish flowers, will be found in the
Blue and Purple section (p. 235). The Mountain Laurel (p. 57) and the
American Rhododendron (p. 60) are frequently found bearing pink
flowers. At times it has been difficult to determine whether certain
flowers should be described in the Pink or in the Purple section. The
reader should bear this in mind, consulting both in dubious cases.

IV
RED

WILD COLUMBINE.
_Aquilegia Canadensis._ Crowfoot Family.

Twelve to eighteen inches high. _Stem._—Branching.
_Leaves._—Much-divided, the leaflets lobed. _Flowers._—Large, bright
red, yellow within, nodding. _Calyx._—Of five red petal-like sepals.
_Corolla._—Of five petals in the form of large hollow spurs, which are
red without and yellow within. _Stamens._—Numerous. _Pistils._—Five,
with slender styles.

—A woodland walk,
A quest of river-grapes, a mocking thrush,
A wild-rose or rock-loving columbine,
Salve my worst wounds,

declares Emerson; and while perhaps few among us are able to make so
light-hearted and sweeping a claim for ourselves, yet many will admit
the soothing power of which the woods and fields know the secret, and
will own that the ordinary annoyances of life may be held more or less
in abeyance by one who lives in close sympathy with nature.

About the columbine there is a daring loveliness which stamps it on the
memories of even those who are not ordinarily minute observers. It
contrives to secure a foothold in the most precipitous and uncertain of
nooks, its jewel-like flowers gleaming from their lofty perches with a
graceful _insouciance_ which awakens our sportsmanlike instincts and
fires us with the ambition to equal it in daring and make its loveliness
our own. Perhaps it is as well if our greediness be foiled and we get a
tumble for our pains, for no flower loses more with its surroundings
than the columbine. Indeed, these destructive tendencies which are
strong within most of us generally defeat themselves by decreasing our
pleasure in a blossom the moment we have ruthlessly and without purpose
snatched it from its environment. If we honestly wish to study its
structure, or to bring into our homes for preservation a bit of the
woods’ loveliness, its interest and beauty are sure to repay us. But how
many pluck every striking flower they see only to toss it carelessly
aside when they reach their destination, if they have not already
dropped it by the way. Surely if in such small matters sense and
self-control were inculcated in children, more would grow up to the
poet’s standard of worthiness:

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXVIII

WILD COLUMBINE.—_A. Canadensis._
]

Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Loved the wood-rose and left it on its stalk?
At rich men’s tables eaten bread and pulse?
Unarmed, faced danger with a heart of trust?
And loved so well a high behavior,
In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained,
Nobility more nobly to repay?
O, be my friend, and teach me to be thine![8]

The name of columbine is derived from _colomba_—a dove, but its
significance is disputed. Some believe that it was associated with the
bird-like claws of the blossom; while Dr. Prior maintains that it refers
to the “resemblance of its nectaries to the heads of pigeons in a ring
around a dish, a favorite device of ancient artists.”

The meaning of the generic title is also doubtful. Gray derives it from
_aquilegus_—water-drawing, but gives no further explanation, while other
writers claim that it is from _aquila_, an eagle, seeing a likeness to
the talons of an eagle in the curved nectaries.

WAKE ROBIN. BIRTHROOT.
_Trillium erectum._ Lily Family.

_Stem._—Stout, from a tuber-like rootstock. _Leaves._—Broadly ovate,
three in a whorl a short distance below the flower. _Flower._—Single,
terminal, usually purplish-red, occasionally whitish, pinkish, or
greenish, on an erect or somewhat inclined flower-stalk. _Calyx._—Of
three green spreading sepals. _Corolla._—Of three large lance-shaped
petals. _Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—One, with three large spreading
stigmas. _Fruit._—A large, ovate, six-angled reddish berry.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXIX

WAKE ROBIN.—_T. erectum._
]

This wake robin is one of the few self-assertive flowers of the early
year. Its contemporaries act as if somewhat uncertain as to whether the
spring had really come to stay, but no such lack of confidence possesses
our brilliant young friend, who almost flaunts her lurid petals in your
face, as if to force upon you the welcome news that the time of birds
and flowers is at hand. Pretty and suggestive as is the common name, it
is hardly appropriate, as the robins have been on the alert for many
days before our flower unfurls its crimson signal. Its odor is most
unpleasant. Its reddish fruit is noticeable in the woods of late summer.

The sessile trillium, _T. sessile_, has no separate flower-stalk, its
red or greenish blossom being set close to the stem-leaves. Its petals
are narrower, and its leaves are often blotched or spotted. Its berry is
globular, six-angled, and red or purplish.

The wake robins are native to North America, only one species being
found just beyond the boundaries in the Russian territory.

WOOD BETONY. LOUSEWORT.
_Pedicularis Canadensis._ Figwort Family.

_Stems._—Clustered, five to twelve inches high. _Leaves._—The lower
ones deeply incised, the upper less so. _Flowers._—Yellow and red,
growing in a short dense spike. _Calyx._—Of one piece split in front.
_Corolla._—Two-lipped, the narrow upper lip arched, the lower
three-lobed. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.

The bright flowers of the wood betony are found in our May woods, often
in the company of the columbine and yellow violet. Near Philadelphia
they are said to be among the very earliest of the flowers, coming soon
after the trailing arbutus. In the later year the plant attracts
attention by its uncouth spikes of brown seed-pods.

Few wayside weeds have been accredited with greater virtue than the
ancient betony, which a celebrated Roman physician claimed could cure
forty-seven different disorders. The Roman proverb, “Sell your coat and
buy betony,” seems to imply that the plant did not flourish so
abundantly along the Appian Way as it does by our American roadsides.
Unfortunately we are reluctantly forced to believe once more that our
native flower is not identical with the classic one, but that it has
received its common name through some superficial resemblance to the
original betony or _Betonica_.

PAINTED CUP.
_Castilleia coccinea._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Hairy, six inches to a foot high. _Root-leaves._—Clustered,
oblong. _Stem-leaves._—Incised, those among the flowers three to
five-cleft, bright scarlet toward the summit, showy. _Flowers._—Pale
yellow, spiked. _Calyx._—Tubular, flattened. _Corolla._—Two-lipped,
its upper lip long and narrow, its lower short and three-lobed.
_Stamens._—Four, unequal. _Pistil._—One.

——Scarlet tufts
Are glowing in the green like flakes of fire;
The wanderers of the prairie know them well,
And call that brilliant flower the painted cup.[9]

But we need not go to the prairie in order to see this plant, for it is
equally abundant in certain low sandy New England meadows as well as in
the near vicinity of New York City. Under date of June 3d, Thoreau
graphically describes its appearance near Concord, Mass.: “The painted
cup is in its prime. It reddens the meadow, painted-cup meadow. It is a
splendid show of brilliant scarlet, the color of the cardinal-flower,
and surpassing it in mass and profusion.... I do not like the name. It
does not remind me of a cup, rather of a flame when it first appears. It
might be called flame flower, or scarlet tip. Here is a large meadow
full of it, and yet very few in the town have ever seen it. It is
startling to see a leaf thus brilliantly painted, as if its tip were
dipped into some scarlet tincture, surpassing most flowers in intensity
of color.”

WOOD LILY. WILD RED LILY.
_Lilium Philadelphicum._ Lily Family.

_Stem._—Two to three feet high. _Leaves._—Whorled or scattered,
narrowly lance-shaped. _Flower._—Erect, orange-red or scarlet, spotted
with purple. _Perianth._—Of six erect narrowly clawed sepals, with
nectar-bearing furrows at their base. _Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—One,
with three-lobed stigma.

Here and there in the shadowy woods is a vivid dash of color made by
some wild red lily which has caught a stray sunbeam in its glowing cup.
The purple spots on its sepals guide the greedy bee to the nectar at
their base; we too can take the hint and reap a sweet reward if we will,
after which we are more in sympathy with those eager, humming bees.

This erect, deep-hued flower is so different from its nodding sister of
the meadows, that we wonder that the two should be so often confused.
When seen away from its surroundings it has less charm perhaps than
either the yellow or the Turk’s cap lily; but when it rears itself in
the cool depths of its woodland home we feel the uniqueness of its
beauty.

TURK’S CAP LILY.
_Lilium superbum._ Lily Family.

_Stem._—Three to seven feet high. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped, the lower
whorled. _Flowers._—Orange or scarlet, with purple spots within, three
inches long, from three to forty growing in pyramidal clusters.
_Perianth._—Of six strongly recurved sepals. _Stamens._—Six, with long
anthers. _Pistil._—One, with a three-lobed stigma.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
They toil not, neither do they spin;
And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory
Was not arrayed like one of these.

How they come back to us, the beautiful hackneyed lines, and flash into
our memories with new significance of meaning when we chance suddenly
upon a meadow bordered with these the most gorgeous of our wild flowers.

We might doubt whether our native lilies at all resembled those alluded
to in the scriptural passage, if we did not know that a nearly allied
species grew abundantly in Palestine; for we have reason to believe that
_lily_ was a title freely applied by many Oriental poets to any
beautiful flower.

Perhaps this plant never attains far inland the same luxuriance of
growth which is common to it in some of the New England lowlands near
the coast. Its radiant, nodding blossoms are seen in great profusion as
we travel by rail from New York to Boston.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXX

WOOD LILY.—_L. Philadelphicum._
]

HOUND’S TONGUE.
_Cynoglossum officinale._ Borage Family.

_Stem._—Clothed with soft hairs. _Leaves._—Alternate, hairy, the upper
ones lance-shaped, clasping somewhat by a rounded or heart-shaped
base. _Flowers._—Purplish-red, growing in a curved raceme-like cluster
which straightens as the blossoms expand. _Calyx._—Five-parted.
_Corolla._—Funnel-form, five-lobed. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One.
_Fruit._—A large nutlet roughened with barbed or hooked prickles.

This coarse plant, whose disagreeable odor strongly suggests mice, is
not only a troublesome weed in pasture-land but a special annoyance to
wool-growers, as its prickly fruit adheres with pertinacity to the
fleece of sheep. Its common name is a translation of its generic title
and refers to the shape and texture of the leaves. The dull red flowers
appear in summer.

BUTTERFLY-WEED. PLEURISY-ROOT.
_Asclepias tuberosa._ Milkweed Family.

_Stem._—Rough and hairy, one or two feet high, erect, very leafy,
branching at the summit, without milky juice. _Leaves._—Linear to
narrowly lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Bright orange-red, in flat-topped,
terminal clusters, otherwise closely resembling those of the common
milkweed (p. 192.) _Fruit._—Two hoary erect pods, one of them often
stunted.

Few if any of our native plants add more to the beauty of the midsummer
landscape than the milkweeds, and of this family no member is more
satisfying to the color-craving eye than the gorgeous butterfly-weed,
whose vivid flower-clusters flame from the dry sandy meadows with such
luxuriance of growth as to seem almost tropical. Even in the tropics one
hardly sees anything more brilliant than the great masses of color made
by these flowers along some of our New England railways in July, while
farther south they are said to grow even more profusely. Its gay
coloring has given the plant its name of butterfly-weed, while that of
pleurisy-root arose from the belief that the thick, deep root was a
remedy for pleurisy. The Indians used it as food and prepared a crude
sugar from the flowers; the young seed-pods they boiled and ate with
buffalo-meat. The plant is worthy of cultivation and is easily
transplanted, as the fleshy roots when broken in pieces form new plants.
Oddly enough, at the Centennial much attention was attracted by a bed of
these beautiful plants which were brought from Holland. Truly, flowers
like prophets are not without honor save in their own country.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXI

BUTTERFLY-WEED.—_A. tuberosa._
]

EUROPEAN HAWKWEED. DEVIL’S PAINTBRUSH.
_Hieracium aurantiacum._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Hairy, erect. _Leaves._—Hairy, oblong, close to the ground.
_Flower-heads._—Orange-red, composed entirely of strap-shaped flowers,
clustered.

In parts of New York and of New England the midsummer meadows are ablaze
with the brilliant orange-red flowers of this striking European weed. It
is among the more recent emigrants to this country and bids fair to
become an annoyance to the farmer, hence its not altogether
inappropriate title of devil’s paintbrush. In England it was called
“Grimm the Collier,” on account of its black hairs and after a comedy of
the same title which was popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Both its common and generic names refer to an ancient superstition to
the effect that birds of prey used the juice of this genus to strengthen
their eyesight.

OSWEGO TEA. BEE BALM.
_Monarda didyma._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Square, erect, about two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, ovate,
pointed, aromatic; those near the flowers tinged with red.
_Flowers._—Bright red, clustered in a close round head.
_Calyx._—Reddish, five-toothed. _Corolla._—Elongated, tubular,
two-lipped. _Stamens._—Two, elongated, protruding. _Pistil._—One, with
a two-lobed style, protruding.

We have so few red flowers that when one flashes suddenly upon us it
gives us a pleasant thrill of wonder and surprise. Then red flowers
know so well how to enhance their beauty by seeking an appropriate
setting. They select the rich green backgrounds only found in moist,
shady places, and are peculiarly charming when associated with a
lonely marsh or a mountain brook. The bee balm especially haunts these
cool nooks, and its rounded flower-clusters touch with warmth the
shadows of the damp woods of midsummer. The Indians named the flower
_O-gee-chee_—flaming flower, and are said to have made a tea-like
decoction from the blossoms.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXII

OSWEGO TEA.—_M. didyma._
]

PIMPERNEL. POOR-MAN’S-WEATHER-GLASS.
_Anagallis arvensis._ Primrose Family.

_Stems._—Low, spreading. _Leaves._—Opposite, ovate, set close to the
stem. _Flowers._—Red, occasionally blue or white, growing singly from
the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Five-parted,
wheel-shaped. _Stamens._—Five, with bearded filaments. _Pistil._—One.

This flower is found in sandy fields, being noted for its sensitiveness
to the weather. It folds its petals at the approach of rain, and fails
to open at all on a wet or cloudy day. Even in fine weather it closes in
the early afternoon and “sleeps” till the next morning. Its ripened
seeds are of value as food for many songbirds. It was thought at one
time to be serviceable in liver complaints, which reputed virtue may
have given rise to the old couplet:

No ear hath heard, no tongue can tell
The virtues of the pimpernel.

CARDINAL-FLOWER.
_Lobelia cardinalis._ Lobelia Family.

_Stem._—From two to four feet high. _Leaves._—Alternate, narrowly
oblong, slightly toothed. _Flowers._—Bright red, growing in a raceme.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft. _Corolla._—Somewhat two-lipped, the upper lip of
two rather erect lobes, the lower spreading and three-cleft.
_Stamens._—Five, united into a tube. _Pistil._—One, with a fringed
stigma.

We have no flower which can vie with this in vivid coloring. In late
summer its brilliant red gleams from the marshes or is reflected from
the shadowy water’s edge with unequalled intensity——

As if some wounded eagle’s breast
Slow throbbing o’er the plain,
Had left its airy path impressed
In drops of scarlet rain.[10]

The early French Canadians were so struck with its beauty that they sent
the plant to France as a specimen of what the wilds of the New World
could yield. Perhaps at that time it received its English name which
likens it to the gorgeously attired dignitaries of the Roman Church.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXIII

CARDINAL-FLOWER.—_L. cardinalis._
]

TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE.
_Lonicera sempervirens._ Honeysuckle Family.

A twining shrub. _Leaves._—Entire, opposite, oblong, the upper pairs
united around the stem. _Flowers._—Deep red without, yellowish within;
in close clusters from the axils of the upper leaves. _Calyx._—With
very short teeth. _Corolla._—Trumpet-shaped, five-lobed.
_Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A red or orange berry.

Many of us are so familiar with these flowers in our gardens that we
have, perhaps, considered them “escapes” when we found them brightening
the pasture thicket where really they are most at home, appearing at any
time from May till October.

The fragrant woodbine, _L. grata_, is also frequently cultivated. Its
natural home is the rocky woodlands, where its sweet-scented whitish or
yellowish flowers appear in May. Its stamens and style protrude
conspicuously beyond the corolla-tube, which is an inch in length.

The greenish or yellowish flowers of the fly honeysuckle, _L. ciliata_,
grow in pairs. They are found in the rocky woods of May, on an erect,
bushy shrub, the leaves of which are all distinct, never meeting about
the stem.

V
BLUE AND PURPLE

LIVERWORT. LIVER-LEAF.
_Hepatica triloba._ Crowfoot Family.

_Scape._—Fuzzy, one-flowered. _Leaves._—Rounded, three-lobed, from the
root. _Flowers._—Blue, white, or pinkish. _Calyx._—Of six to twelve
petal-like sepals; easily taken for a corolla, because directly
underneath are three little leaves which resemble a calyx.
_Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Usually numerous. _Pistils._—Several.

The liver-leaf puts forth her sister blooms
Of faintest blue—

soon after the late snows have melted. Indeed these fragile-looking,
enamel-like flowers are sometimes found actually beneath the snow, and
form one of the many instances which we encounter among flowers, as
among their human contemporaries, where the frail and delicate-looking
withstand storm and stress far better than their more robust-appearing
brethren. We welcome these tiny newcomers with especial joy, not alone
for their delicate beauty, but because they are usually the first of all
the flowers upon the scene of action, if we rule out the never-tardy
skunk-cabbage. The rusty leaves of last summer are obliged to suffice
for the plant’s foliage until some little time after the blossoms have
appeared, when the young fresh leaves begin to uncurl themselves. Some
one has suggested that the fuzzy little buds look as though they were
still wearing their furs as a protection against the wintry weather
which so often stretches late into our spring. The flowers vary in color
from a lovely blue to pink or white. They are found chiefly in the
woods, but occasionally on the sunny hill-sides as well.

The generic name, _Hepatica_, is from the Greek for liver, and was
probably given to the plant on account of the shape of its leaf. Dr.
Prior says that “in consequence of this fancied likeness it was used as
a remedy for liver complaints, the common people having long labored
under the belief that nature indicated in some such fashion the uses to
which her creations might be applied.”

COMMON BLUE VIOLET.
_Viola cucullata._ Violet Family.

_Scape._—Slender, one-flowered. _Leaves._—Heart-shaped, all from the
root. _Flowers._—Varying from a pale blue to deep purple, borne singly
on a scape. _Calyx._—Of five sepals extended into ears at the base.
_Corolla._—Of five somewhat unequal petals, the lower one spurred at
the base. _Stamens._—Short and broad, somewhat united around the
pistil. _Pistil._—One with a club-shaped style and bent stigma.

Perhaps this is the best-beloved as well as the best known of the early
wild flowers. Whose heart has not been gladdened at one time or another
by a glimpse of some fresh green nook in early May where

—purple violets lurk,
With all the lovely children of the shade?

It seems as if no other flower were so suggestive of the dawning year,
so associated with the days when life was full of promise. Although I
believe that more than a hundred species of violets have been recorded,
only about thirty are found in our country; of these perhaps twenty are
native to the Northeastern States. Unfortunately we have no strongly
sweet-scented species, none

—sweeter than the lids of Juno’s eyes
Or Cytherea’s breath,—

as Shakespeare found the English blossom. Prophets and warriors as well
as poets have favored the violet; Mahomet preferred it to all other
flowers, and it was chosen by the Bonapartes as their emblem.

Perhaps its frequent mention by ancient writers is explained by the
discovery that the name was one applied somewhat indiscriminately to
sweet-scented blossoms.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXIV

LIVERWORT.—_H. triloba._
]

The bird-foot violet, _V. pedata_, unlike other members of the family,
has leaves which are divided into linear lobes. Its flower is peculiarly
lovely, being large and velvety. The variety, _V. bicolor_, is
especially striking and pansy-like, its two upper petals being of a
deeper hue than the others. It is found in the neighborhood of
Washington in abundance, and on the shaly soil of New Jersey.

An interesting feature of many of these plants is their cleistogamous
flowers. These are small and inconspicuous blossoms, which never open
(thus guarding their pollen against all depredations), but which are
self-fertilized, ripening their seeds in the dark. They are usually
found near or beneath the ground, and are often taken for immature buds.

DOG VIOLET.
_Viola canina, var. Muhlenbergii._ Violet Family.

Three to eight inches high. _Stems._—Leafy. _Leaves._—Heart-shaped,
wavy-toothed. _Flowers._—Pale violet.

This is the commonest blue species of the leafy-stemmed violets. It is
found in wet, shady places from May till July.

BLUETS. QUAKER LADIES.
_Houstonia cærulea._ Madder Family.

_Stem._—Erect, three to five inches high. _Leaves._—Very small,
opposite. _Flowers._—Small, delicate blue, lilac, or nearly white,
with a yellowish eye. _Calyx._—Four-lobed. _Corolla._—Salver-shaped,
four-lobed, corolla-tube long and slender. _Stamens._—Four.
_Pistil._—One, with two stigmas.

No one who has been in the Berkshire Hills during the month of May can
forget the loveliness of the bluets. The roadsides, meadows, and even
the lawns, are thickly carpeted with the dainty enamel-like blossoms
which are always pretty, but which seem to flourish with especial vigor
and in great profusion in this lovely region. Less plentiful, perhaps,
but still common is the little plant in grassy places far south and
west, blossoming in early spring.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXV

BLUETS.—_H. cærulea._
]

The flowers are among those which botanists term “dimorphous.” This word
signifies _occurring in two forms_, and refers to the stamens and
pistils, which vary in size, some flowers having a tall pistil and short
stamens, others tall stamens and a short pistil. Darwin has proved, not
only that one of these flowers can seldom fully fertilize itself, but
that usually the blossoms with tall pistils must be fertilized with
pollen from the tall stamens, and that the short pistils are only acted
upon by the short stamens. With a good magnifier and a needle these two
forms can easily be studied. This is one of the many interesting
safeguards against close-fertilization.

BLUEBELLS. VIRGINIAN COWSLIP. LUNGWORT.
_Mertensia Virginica._ Borage Family.

One to two feet high. _Stem._—Smooth, pale, erect. _Leaves._—Oblong,
veiny. _Flowers._—Blue, pinkish in bud, in raceme-like clusters which
are rolled up from the end and straighten as the flowers expand.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft. _Corolla._—Trumpet-shaped, one inch long,
spreading. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One.

These very lovely blossoms are found in moist places during April and
May in parts of New York as well as south and westward. The English
naturalist, Mr. Alfred Wallace, seeing them, for the first time, in the
vicinity of Cincinnati, writes in the _Fortnightly Review_: “In a damp
river-bottom, the exquisite blue _Mertensia Virginica_ was found. It is
called here the ‘Virginian cowslip,’ its drooping porcelain-blue bells
being somewhat of the size and form of those of the true cowslip.”

BLUE-EYED MARY. INNOCENCE.
_Collinsia verna._ Figwort Family.

Six to twenty inches high. _Stems._—Branching, slender.
_Leaves._—Opposite, the lower oval, the upper ovate—lance-shaped,
clasping by the heart-shaped base. _Flowers._—Blue and white,
long-stalked, appearing whorled in the axils of the upper leaves.
_Calyx._—Deeply five-cleft. _Corolla._—Deeply two-lipped, the upper
lip two-cleft, the lower three-cleft. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.

Unfortunately these dainty flowers are not found farther east than
Western New York. From there they spread south and westward, abounding
so plentifully in the vicinity of Cincinnati that the moist meadows are
blue with their blossoms in spring or early summer.

FORGET-ME-NOT.
_Myosotis laxa._ Borage Family.

_Stems._—Slender. _Leaves._—Alternate, lance-oblong.
_Flowers._—Blue, small, growing in a raceme. _Calyx._—Five-lobed.
_Corolla._—Salver-shaped, five-toothed. _Stamens._—Five.
_Pistil._—One.

Along the banks of the stream, and in low wet places, we may look for
these exquisite little flowers. This plant is smaller and less luxuriant
than the European species, blossoming in early summer.

WILD PHLOX.
_Phlox divaricata._ Polemonium Family.

Nine to eighteen inches high. _Stems._—Spreading or ascending.
_Leaves._—Opposite, oblong or lance-oblong, _Flowers._—Pale
lilac-purple, in a loose, spreading cluster. _Calyx._—With five
slender teeth. _Corolla._—With a five-parted border, salver-shaped,
with a long tube. _Stamens._—Five, unequally inserted in the tube of
the corolla. _Pistil._—One, with a three-lobed style.

We may search for these graceful, delicately tinted flowers in the rocky
woods of April and May.

Nearly allied to them is the wild sweet William, _P. maculata_, the
pink-purple blossoms of which are found along the streams and in the
rich woods of somewhat southern localities.

The beautiful moss pink, _P. subulata_, is also a member of this genus.
This little evergreen heath-like plant clothes the dry hill-sides with a
glowing mantle of purple-pink every spring, Southern New York being
probably its most northerly range in our Eastern States. Great masses of
these flowers may be seen covering the rocks in the Central Park in May.

The pink or whitish clusters of _P. glaberrima_ are found in the open
woods and prairies somewhat westward in July.

ROBIN’S PLANTAIN. BLUE SPRING-DAISY.
_Erigeron bellidifolius._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Simple, hairy, producing offsets from the base.
_Root-leaves._—Somewhat rounded or wedge-shaped.
_Stem-leaves._—Somewhat oblong, lance-shaped, partly clasping.
_Flower-heads._—Rather large, on slender flower-stalks, composed of
both strap-shaped and tubular flowers, the former (ray-flowers)
bluish-purple, the latter (disk-flowers) yellow.

This is one of the earliest members of the Composite family to make its
appearance, that great tribe being usually associated with the late
summer months. The flower might easily be taken for a purple aster which
had mistaken the season, or for a blue daisy, as one of its common names
suggests. _E. Philadelphicus_ is a later very similar species with
smaller flower-heads.

ONE-FLOWERED CANCER-ROOT.
_Aphyllon uniflorum._ Broom-Rape Family.

_Scape._—Slender, fleshy, three to five inches high, one-flowered.
_Leaves._—None. _Flower._—Pale purple, solitary, one inch long, with a
delicate fragrance. _Calyx._—Five-cleft. _Corolla._—Somewhat
two-lipped, with two yellow bearded folds in the throat.
_Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.

In April or May the odd pretty flower of the parasitic one-flowered
cancer-root is found in the damp woodlands.

VIOLET WOOD SORREL.
_Oxalis violacea._ Geranium Family.

_Scape._—Five to nine inches high, several-flowered. _Leaves._—Divided
into three clover-like leaflets. _Flowers._—Violet-colored, clustered
on the scape. _Calyx._—Of five sepals. _Corolla._—Of five petals.
_Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with five styles.

This little plant is found in somewhat open or rocky woods, its lovely
delicate flower-clusters appearing in May or June. This species is more
common southward, while the pink-veined wood sorrel (Pl. XVII.) abounds
in the cool woods of the North.

PITCHER-PLANT. SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER. HUNTSMAN’S CUP.
_Sarracenia purpurea._ Pitcher-plant Family.

_Scape._—Naked, one-flowered, about one foot high.
_Leaves._—Pitcher-shaped, broadly winged, hooded.
_Flower._—Red-purple, large, nodding. _Calyx._—Of five colored sepals,
with three bractlets at the base. _Corolla._—Of five fiddle-shaped
petals which are arched over the greenish-yellow style.
_Stamens._—Numerous. _Pistil._—One, with a short style which expands
at the summit into a petal-like umbrella-shaped body, with five small
hooked stigmas.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXVI

ROBIN’S PLANTAIN.—_E. bellidifolius._
]

The large nodding flower of the pitcher-plant may be found during June
in the peat-bogs of New England as well as farther south and west. It is
less familiar to most people than the curious pitcher-like leaves, which
are usually partially filled with water and drowned insects; part of
their inner surface being covered with a sugary exudation, below which,
for a space, they are highly polished, while on the lower portion grow
the stiff bristles which point downward. Insects attracted by the sugary
secretion find themselves prisoners, as they can seldom fight their way
through the opposing bristles, neither can they usually escape by such a
perpendicular flight as would be necessary from the form of the cavity.
The decomposed bodies of these unfortunates are supposed to contribute
to the nourishment of the plant, as it is hardly probable that this
elaborate contrivance answers no special purpose.

WILD GERANIUM. WILD CRANESBILL.
_Geranium maculatum._ Geranium Family.

_Stem._—Erect, hairy. _Leaves._—About five-parted, the divisions lobed
and cut. _Flowers._—Pale pink-purple, rather large. _Calyx._—Of five
sepals. _Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—With five
styles, which split apart at maturity so elastically as to discharge
the seeds to some distance.

In spring and early summer the open woods and shaded roadsides are
abundantly brightened with these graceful flowers. They are of peculiar
interest because of their close kinship with the species, _G. pratense_,
which first attracted the attention of the German scholar, Sprengel, to
the close relations existing between flowers and insects. The beak-like
appearance of its fruit give the plant both its popular and scientific
names, for _geranium_ is from the Greek for crane. The specific title,
_maculatum_, refers to the somewhat blotched appearance of the older
leaves.

GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND. GROUND IVY.
_Nepeta Glechoma._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stems._—Creeping and trailing. _Leaves._—Small and kidney-shaped.
_Flowers._—Bluish-purple, loosely clustered in the axils of the
leaves. _Calyx._—Five-toothed. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, the upper lip
erect and two-cleft, the lower spreading and three-cleft.
_Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One, two-lobed at the apex.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXVII

WILD GERANIUM.—_G. maculatum._
]

As the pleasant aroma of its leaves suggest, this little plant is
closely allied to the catnip. Its common title of Gill-over-the-ground,
appeals to one who is sufficiently without interest in pasture-land (for
it is obnoxious to cattle) to appreciate the pleasant fashion in which
this little immigrant from Europe has made itself at home here,
brightening the earth with such a generous profusion of blossoms every
May. But it is somewhat of a disappointment to learn that this name is
derived from the French _guiller_, and refers to its former use in the
fermentation of beer. Oddly enough the name of alehoof, which the plant
has borne in England and which naturally has been supposed to refer to
this same custom, is said by a competent authority (Professor Earle, of
Oxford) to have no connection with it, but to signify _another sort of
hofe_, _hofe_ being the early English name for the violet, which
resembles these flowers in color.

The plant was highly prized formerly as a domestic medicine. Gerarde
claims that “boiled in mutton-broth it helpeth weake and akeing backs.”

LARKSPUR.
_Delphinium._ Crowfoot Family.

Six inches to five feet high. _Leaves._—Divided or cut.
_Flowers._—Blue or purplish, growing in terminal racemes. _Calyx._—Of
five irregular petal-like sepals, the upper one prolonged into a spur.
_Corolla._—Of four irregular petals, the upper pair continued backward
in long spurs which are enclosed in the spur of the calyx, the lower
pair with short claws. _Stamens._—Indefinite in number. _Pistils._—One
to five, forming pods in fruit.

In April and May the bright blue clusters of the dwarf larkspur, _D.
tricorne_, are noticeable in parts of the country. Unfortunately they
are not found east of Western Pennsylvania.

The tall wand-like purplish racemes of the tall larkspur, _D.
exaltatum_, are found in July in the rich soil of Pennsylvania, and much
farther south and west as well.

WILD LUPINE.
_Lupinus perennis._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Erect, one to two feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into seven to
eleven leaflets. _Flowers._—Blue, papilionaceous, showy, in a long
raceme. _Pod._—Broad, hairy.

In June and July the long bright clusters of the wild lupine are very
noticeable in many of our sandy fields. Its pea-like blossoms serve to
easily identify it. Under date of June 8th, Thoreau writes: “The lupine
is now in its glory.... It paints a whole hill-side with its blue,
making such a field (if not meadow) as Proserpine might have wandered
in. Its leaf was made to be covered with dewdrops. I am quite excited by
this prospect of blue flowers in clumps, with narrow intervals, such a
profusion of the heavenly, the Elysian color, as if these were the
Elysian fields.... That is the value of the lupine. The earth is blued
with it.”

HAREBELL.
_Campanula rotundifolia._ Campanula Family.

_Stem._—Slender, branching, from five to twelve inches high.
_Root-leaves._—Heart-shaped or ovate, early withering.
_Stem-leaves._—Numerous, long and narrow. _Flowers._—Bright blue,
nodding from hair-like stalks. _Calyx._—Five-cleft, the lobes
awl-shaped. _Corolla._—Bell-shaped, five-lobed. _Stamens._—Five.
_Pistil._—One, with three stigmas.

This slender, pretty plant, hung with its tremulous flowers, springs
from the rocky cliffs which buttress the river as well as from those
which crown the mountain. I have seen the west shore of the Hudson
bright with its delicate bloom in June, and the summits of the Catskills
tinged with its azure in September. The drooping posture of these
flowers protect their pollen from rain or dew. They have come to us from
Europe, and are identical, I believe, with the celebrated Scotch
bluebells.

BLUE-EYED GRASS.
_Sisyrinchium angustifolium._ Iris Family.

Four to twelve inches high. _Leaves._—Narrow and grass-like.
_Flowers._—Blue or purple, with a yellow centre.
_Perianth._—Six-parted, the divisions bristle-pointed.
_Stamens._—Three, united. _Pistil._—One, with three thread-like
stigmas.

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat,
But it withereth the grass,
And the flower thereof falleth,
And the grace of the fashion of it perisheth.

So reads the passage in the Epistle of James, which seems so graphically
to describe the brief life of this little flower, that we might almost
believe the Apostle had had it in mind, were it to be found in the East.

The blue-eyed grass belongs to the same family as the showy fleur-de-lis
and blossoms during the summer, being especially plentiful in moist
meadows. It is sometimes called “eye-bright,” which name belongs by
rights to _Euphrasia officinalis._

VENUS’S LOOKING-GLASS.
_Specularia perfoliata._ Campanula Family.

_Stem._—Somewhat hairy, three to twenty inches high.
_Leaves._—Toothed, rounded, clasping by the heart-shaped base.
_Flowers._—Blue. _Calyx._—Three, four, or five-lobed.
_Corolla._—Wheel-shaped, five-lobed. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One,
with three stigmas.

We borrow from Mr. Burroughs’s “Bunch of Herbs” a description of this
little plant, which blossoms from May till August. “A pretty and curious
little weed, sometimes found growing in the edge of the garden, is the
clasping specularia, a relative of the harebell and of the European
Venus’s looking-glass. Its leaves are shell-shaped, and clasp the stalk
so as to form little shallow cups. In the bottom of each cup three buds
appear that never expand into flowers, but when the top of the stalk is
reached, one and sometimes two buds open a large, delicate purple-blue
corolla. All the first-born of this plant are still-born as it were;
only the latest, which spring from its summit, attain to perfect bloom.”

SKULL-CAP.
_Scutellaria._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Square, usually one or two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite,
oblong, lance-shaped or linear. _Flowers._—Blue. _Calyx._—Two-lipped,
the upper lip with a small, helmet-like appendage which at once
identifies this genus. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, the upper lip arched,
the lateral lobes mostly connected with the upper lip, the lower lip
spreading and notched at the apex. _Stamens._—Four, in pairs.
_Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed style.

The prettiest and most striking of this genus is the larger skull-cap,
_S. integrifolia_, whose bright blue flowers are about one inch long,
growing in terminal racemes. In June and July they may be found among
the long grass of the roadsides and meadows. They are easily identified
by the curious little appendage on the upper part of the calyx, which
gives to this genus its common name.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXVIII

BLUE-EYED GRASS.—_S. angustifolium._
]

Perhaps the best-known member of the group is the mad-dog skull-cap, _S.
lateriflora_, which delights in wet places, bearing small, inconspicuous
flowers in one-sided racemes. This plant is quite smooth, while that of
_S. integrifolia_ is rather downy. It was formerly believed to be a sure
cure for hydrophobia.

_S. galericulata_ is usually found somewhat northward. Its flowers are
much larger than those of _S. lateriflora_, but smaller than those of
_S. integrifolia._ They grow singly from the axils of the upper leaves.

FLEUR-DE-LIS. LARGER BLUE FLAG.
_Iris versicolor._ Iris Family.

_Stem._—Stout, angled on one side, leafy, one to three feet high.
_Leaves._—Flat and sword-shaped, with their inner surfaces coherent
for about half of their length. _Flowers._—Large and showy,
violet-blue, variegated with green, yellow, or white; purple-veined.
_Perianth._—Six-cleft, the three outer divisions recurved, the three
inner smaller and erect. _Stamens._—Three, covered by the three
overarching, petal-like divisions of the style. _Pistil._—One, with
its style cleft into three petal-like divisions, each of which bears
its stigma on its inner surface.

Born in the purple, born to joy and pleasance,
Thou dost not toil nor spin,
But makest glad and radiant with thy presence
The meadow and the lin.[11]

In both form and color this is one of the most regal of our wild
flowers, and it is easy to understand why the fleur-de-lis was chosen as
the emblem of a royal house, although the especial flower which Louis
VII. of France selected as his badge was probably white.

It will surprise most of us to learn that the common name which we have
borrowed from the French does not signify “flower-of-the-lily,” as it
would if literally translated, but “flower of Louis,” _lis_ being a
corruption of the name of the king who first adopted it as his badge.

[Illustration:

PLATE LXXXIX

FLEUR-DE-LIS.—_I. versicolor._
]

For the botanist the blue-flag possesses special interest. It is a
conspicuous example of a flower which has guarded itself against
self-fertilization, and which is beautifully calculated to secure the
opposite result. The position of the stamens is such that their pollen
could not easily reach the stigmas of the same flower, for these are
borne on the inner surface of the petal-like, overarching styles. There
is no prospect here of any seed being set unless the pollen of another
flower is secured. Now what are the chances in favor of this? They are
many: In the first place the blossom is unusually large and showy, from
its size and shape alone almost certain to arrest the attention of the
passing bee; next, the color is not only conspicuous, but it is also one
which has been found to be especially attractive to bees; blue and
purple flowers being particularly sought by these insects. When the bee
reaches the flower he alights on the only convenient landing-place, one
of the recurved sepals; following the deep purple veins which experience
has taught him lead to the hidden nectar, he thrusts his head below the
anther, brushing off its pollen, which he carries to another flower.

The rootstocks of the Florentine species of iris yield the familiar
“orris-root.”

The family name is from the Greek for _rainbow_, on account of the rich
and varied hues of its different members.

The plant abounds in wet meadows, the blossoms appearing in June.

AMERICAN BROOKLIME.
_Veronica Americana._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Smooth, reclining at base, then erect, eight to fifteen inches
high. _Leaves._—Mostly opposite, oblong, toothed. _Flowers._—Blue,
clustered in the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Four-parted.
_Corolla._—Wheel-shaped, four-parted. _Stamens._—Two. _Pistil._—One.

Perhaps the prettiest of the blue _Veronicas_ is the American brooklime.
Its clustered flowers make bright patches in moist ground which might,
at a little distance, be mistaken for beds of forget-me-nots. It
blossoms from June till August, and is almost as common in wet ditches
and meadows as its sister, the common speedwell, is in dry and open
places. Some of the members of this genus were once believed to possess
great medicinal virtues, and won for themselves in Europe the laudatory
names of Honor and Praise.

[Illustration:

PLATE XC

AMERICAN BROOKLIME.—_V. Americana._
]

COMMON SPEEDWELL.
_Veronica officinalis._ Figwort Family.

The little speedwell’s darling blue

is noticeable during June and July, when clusters of these tiny flowers
brighten many a waste spot along the sunny roadsides. This is a hairy
little plant, with a stem which lies upon the ground and takes root,
thus spreading itself quickly over the country.

ARETHUSA.
_Arethusa bulbosa._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Scape._—Sheathed, from a globular bulb, usually one-flowered.
_Leaf._—“Solitary, linear, nerved, hidden in the sheaths of the scape,
protruding after flowering.” (Gray.) _Flower._—Rose-purple, large,
with a bearded lip.

In some localities this beautiful flower is very plentiful. Every June
will find certain New England marshes tinged with its rose-purple
blossoms, while in other near and promising bogs it may be sought vainly
for years. At least it may be hoped for in wet places as far south as
North Carolina, its most favorite haunt being perhaps a cranberry-swamp.
Concerning it, Mr. Burroughs writes: “Arethusa was one of the nymphs who
attended Diana, and was by that goddess turned into a fountain, that she
might escape the god of the river Alpheus, who became desperately in
love with her on seeing her at her bath. Our Arethusa is one of the
prettiest of the orchids, and has been pursued through many a marsh and
quaking-bog by her lovers. She is a bright pink-purple flower an inch or
more long, with the odor of sweet violets. The sepals and petals rise up
and arch over the column, which we may call the heart of the flower, as
if shielding it. In Plymouth County, Mass., where the Arethusa seems
common, I have heard it called Indian pink.”

PURPLE FRINGED ORCHISES.
Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Habenaria fimbriata._

_Leaves._—Oval or oblong; the upper, few, passing into lance-shaped
bracts. _Flowers._—Purple, rather large; with a fan-shaped,
three-parted lip, its divisions fringed; with a long curving spur;
growing in a spike.

_Habenaria psycodes._

_Leaves._—Oblong or lance-shaped, the upper passing into linear
bracts. _Flowers._—Purple, fragrant, resembling those of _H.
fimbriata_, but much smaller, with a less fringed lip; growing in a
spike.

We should search the wet meadows in early June if we wish to be surely
in time for the larger of the purple fringed orchises, for _H.
fimbriata_ somewhat antedates _H. psycodes_, which is the commoner
species of the two and appears in July. Under date of June 9th, Thoreau
writes: “Find the great fringed orchis out apparently two or three days,
two are almost fully out, two or three only budded; a large spike of
peculiarly delicate, pale purple flowers growing in the luxuriant and
shady swamp, amid hellebores, ferns, golden senecio, etc.... The village
belle never sees this more delicate belle of the swamp.... A beauty
reared in the shade of a convent, who has never strayed beyond the
convent-bell. Only the skunk or owl, or other inhabitant of the swamp,
beholds it.”

AMERICAN PENNYROYAL.
_Hedeoma pulegioides._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Square, low, erect, branching _Leaves._—Opposite, aromatic,
small. _Flowers._—Purplish, small, whorled in the axils of the leaves.
_Calyx._—Two-lipped, upper lip three-toothed, the lower two-cleft.
_Corolla._—Two-lipped, upper erect, notched at apex, the lower
spreading and three-cleft. _Fertile stamens._—Two. _Pistil._—One, with
a two-lobed style.

This well-known, strong-scented little plant is found throughout the
greater part of the country, blossoming in midsummer. Its taste and odor
nearly resemble that of the true pennyroyal, _Mentha pulegium_, of
Europe.

MONKEY-FLOWER.
_Mimulus ringens._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—Square, one to two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong or
lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Pale violet-purple, rarely white, growing
singly from the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Five-angled,
five-toothed, the upper tooth largest. _Corolla._—Tubular, two-lipped,
the upper lip erect or spreading, two-lobed, the lower spreading and
three-lobed, the throat closed. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One, with a
two-lobed stigma.

From late July onward the monkey-flowers tinge the wet fields and border
the streams and ponds; not growing in the water like the pickerel-weed,
but seeking a hummock in the swamp, or a safe foothold on the brook’s
edge, where they can absorb the moisture requisite to their vigorous
growth.

The name is a diminutive of _mimus_—a buffoon, and refers to the
somewhat grinning blossom. The plant is a common one throughout the
eastern part of the country.

COMMON MOTHERWORT.
_Leonurus cardiaca._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Tall and upright. _Leaves._—Opposite, the lower rounded and
lobed, the floral wedge-shaped at base and three-cleft.
_Flowers._—Pale purple, in close whorls in the axils of the leaves.
_Calyx._—“With five nearly equal teeth, which are awl-shaped, and
when old rather spiny, pointed, and spreading.” (Gray.)
_Corolla._—Two-lipped, the upper lip somewhat arched and bearded,
the lower three-lobed and spreading. _Stamens._—Four, in pairs.
_Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed style.

The tall erect stems, opposite leaves, and regular whorls of closely
clustered pale purple flowers help us to easily identify the motherwort,
if identification be needed, for it seems as though such old-fashioned,
time-honored plants as catnip, tansy, and motherwort, which cling so
persistently to the skirts of the old homestead in whose domestic
economy they once played so important a part, should be familiar to us
all.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCI

MONKEY-FLOWER.—_M. ringens._
]

CORN COCKLE.
_Lychnis Githago._ Pink Family.

About two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, long and narrow, pale green,
with silky hairs. _Flowers._—Rose-purple, large, long-stalked.
_Calyx-lobes._—Five, long and slender, exceeding the petals.
_Corolla._—Of five broad petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with
five styles.

In many countries some of the most beautiful and noticeable flowers are
commonly found in grain-fields. England’s scarlet poppies flood her
farm-lands with glorious color in early summer; while the bluets lighten
the corn-fields of France. Our grain-fields seem to have no native
flower peculiar to them; but often we find a trespasser of foreign
descent hiding among the wheat or straying to the roadsides in early
summer, whose deep-tinted blossoms secure an instant welcome from the
flower-lover if not from the farmer. “What hurte it doeth among corne!
the spoyle unto bread, as well in colour, taste, and unwholesomeness, is
better known than desired,” wrote Gerarde. The large dark seeds fill the
ground wheat with black specks, and might be injurious if existing in
any great quantity. Its former generic name was _Agrostemma_, signifying
_crown of the fields_. Its present one of _Lychnis_, signifies _a light_
or _lamp_.

BLUE VERVAIN. SIMPLER’S JOY.
_Verbena hastata._ Vervain Family.

Four to six feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, somewhat lance-shaped,
the lower often lobed and sometimes halberd-shaped at
base. _Flowers._—Purple, small, in slender erect spikes.
_Calyx._—Five-toothed. _Corolla._—Tubular, somewhat unequally
five-cleft. _Stamens._—Two, in pairs. _Pistil._—One.

Along the roadsides in midsummer we notice these slender purple spikes,
the appearance of which would be vastly improved if the tiny blossoms
would only consent to open simultaneously.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCII

BLUE VERVAIN.—_V. hastata._
]

In earlier times the vervain was beset with classic associations. It was
claimed as the plant which Virgil and other poets mention as being used
for altar-decorations and for the garlands of sacrificial beasts. It was
believed to be the _herba sacra_ of the ancients, until it was
understood that the generic title _Verbena_ was a word which was applied
to branches of any description which were used in religious rites. It
certainly seems, however, to have been applied to some especial plant in
the time of Pliny, for he writes that no plant was more honored among
the Romans than the sacred _Verbena_. In more modern times as well the
vervain has been regarded as an “herb of grace,” and has been gathered
with various ceremonies and with the invocation of a blessing, which
began as follows:

Hallowed be thou, Vervain,
As thou growest on the ground,
For in the Mount of Calvary
There thou was first found.

It was then supposed to be endued with especial virtue, and was worn on
the person to avert disaster.

The time-honored title of Simpler’s joy arose from the remuneration
which this popular plant brought to the “Simplers”—as the gatherers of
medicinal herbs were entitled.

BEARD-TONGUE.
_Pentstemon pubescens._ Figwort Family.

_Stem._—One or two feet high, clammy above. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong
to lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Dull purple or partly whitish, showy, in a
slender open cluster. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Tubular,
slightly dilated, the throat nearly closed by a bearded palate;
two-lipped, the upper lip two-lobed, the lower three-cleft.
_Stamens._—Four, one densely bearded sterile filament besides.
_Pistil._—One.

These handsome, showy flowers are found in summer in dry or rocky
places. They are especially plentiful somewhat southward.

The white beard-tongue of more western localities is _P. digitalis_.
This is a very effective plant, which sometimes reaches a height of five
feet, having large inflated white flowers.

SELF-HEAL. HEAL-ALL.
_Brunella vulgaris._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stems._—Low. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong. _Flowers._—Bluish-purple, in
a spike or head. _Calyx._—Two-lipped, upper lip with three short
teeth, the lower two-cleft. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, the upper lip
arched, entire, the lower spreading, three-cleft. _Stamens._—Four.
_Pistil._—One, two-lobed at the apex.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCIII

SELF-HEAL.—_B. vulgaris._
]

Throughout the length and breadth of the country, from June until
September, the short, close spikes of the self-heal can be found along
the roadsides. The botanical name, _Brunella_, is a corruption from
_Prunella_, which is taken from the German for quinsy, for which this
plant was considered a certain cure. It was also used in England as an
application to the wounds received by rustic laborers, as its common
names, carpenter’s herb, hook-heal, and sicklewort, imply. That the
French had a similar practice is proved by an old proverb of theirs to
the effect that “No one wants a surgeon who keeps _Prunelle_.”

WILD BERGAMOT.
_Monarda fistulosa._ Mint Family (p. 16).

Two to five feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, fragrant, toothed.
_Flowers._—Purple or purplish, dotted, growing in a solitary, terminal
head. _Calyx._—Tubular, elongated, five-toothed. _Corolla._—Elongated,
two-lipped. _Stamens._—Two, elongated. _Pistil._—One, with style
two-lobed at apex.

Although the wild bergamot is occasionally found in our eastern woods,
it is far more abundant westward, where it is found in rocky places in
summer. This is a near relative of the bee balm (Pl. LXXXII.), which it
closely resembles in its manner of growth.

DAY-FLOWER.
_Commelina Virginica._ Spiderwort Family.

_Stem._—Slender, branching. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped to linear, the
floral ones heart-shaped and clasping, folding so as to enclose the
flowers. _Flowers._—Blue. _Calyx._—Of three unequal somewhat colored
sepals, the two lateral ones partly united. _Corolla._—Of three
petals, two large, rounded, pale blue, one small, whitish, and
inconspicuous. _Stamens._—Six, unequal in size, three small and
sterile, with yellow cross-shaped anthers, three fertile, one of which
is bent inward. _Pistil._—One.

The odd day-flower is so named because its delicate blossoms only expand
for a single morning. At the first glance there seem to be but two
petals which are large, rounded, and of a delicate shade of blue. A
closer examination, however, discovers still another, so inconspicuous
in form and color as to escape the notice of the casual observer. This
inequality recalls the quaint tradition as to the origin of the plant’s
generic name. There were three brothers Commelin, natives of Holland.
Two of them were botanists of repute, while the tastes of the third had
a less marked botanical tendency. The genus was dedicated to the trio:
the two large bright petals commemorating the brother botanists, while
the small and unpretentious one perpetuates the memory of him who was so
unwise as to take little or no interest in so noble a science. These
flowers appear throughout the summer in cool woods and on moist banks.

BLUE LINARIA. BLUE TOADFLAX.
_Linaria Canadensis._ Figwort Family.

_Stems._—Slender, six to thirty inches high. _Leaves._—Linear.
_Flowers._—Pale blue or purple, small, in a long terminal raceme.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, with a slender spur,
closed in the throat. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.

The slender spikes of the blue linaria flank the sandy roadsides nearly
all summer, and even in November we find a few delicate blossoms still
left upon the elongated stems. These flowers have a certain spirituality
which is lacking in their handsome, self-assertive relation,
butter-and-eggs.

SPIDERWORT.
_Tradescantia Virginica._ Spiderwort Family.

_Stems._—Mucilaginous, leafy, mostly upright. _Leaves._—Linear,
keeled. _Flowers._—Blue, clustered, with floral leaves as in the
day-flower. _Calyx._—Of three sepals. _Corolla._—Of three petals.
_Stamens._—Six, with bearded filaments. _Pistil._—One.

The flowers of the spiderwort, like those of the day-flower, to which
they are nearly allied, are very perishable, lasting only a few hours.
They are found throughout the summer, somewhat south and westward. The
genus is named in honor of Tradescant, gardener to Charles I. of
England.

PICKEREL-WEED.
_Pontedaria cordata._ Pickerel-weed Family.

_Stem._—Stout, usually one-leaved. _Leaves._—Arrow or heart-shaped.
_Flowers._—Blue, fading quickly, with an unpleasant odor, growing in a
dense spike. _Perianth._—Two-lipped, the upper lip three-lobed and
marked with a double greenish-yellow spot, the lower of three
spreading divisions. _Stamens._—Six, three long and protruding, the
three others, which are often imperfect, very short and inserted lower
down. _Pistil._—One.

The pickerel-weed grows in such shallow water as the pickerel seek, or
else in moist, wet places along the shores of streams and rivers. We can
look for the blue, closely spiked flowers from late July until some time
in September. They are often found near the delicate arrow-head.

BLUEWEED. VIPER’S BUGLOSS.
_Echium vulgare._ Borage Family.

_Stem._—Rough, bristly, erect, about two feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, lance-shaped, set close to the stem.
_Flowers._—Bright blue, spiked on one side of the branches, which are
at first rolled up from the end, straightening as the blossoms expand.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Of five somewhat unequal, spreading
lobes. _Stamens._—Five, protruding, red. _Pistil._—One.

When the blueweed first came to us from across the sea it secured a
foothold in Virginia. Since then it has gradually worked its way
northward, lining the Hudson’s shores, overrunning many of the dry
fields in its vicinity, and making itself at home in parts of New
England. We should be obliged to rank it among the “pestiferous” weeds
were it not that, as a rule, it only seeks to monopolize land which is
not good for very much else. The pinkish buds and bright blue blossoms
with their red protruding stamens make a valuable addition, from the
æsthetic point of view, to the bunch of midsummer field-flowers in which
hitherto the various shades of red and yellow have predominated.

NIGHTSHADE.
_Solanum Dulcamara._ Nightshade Family.

_Stem._—Usually somewhat climbing or twining. _Leaves._—Heart-shaped,
the upper halberd-shaped or with ear-like lobes or leaflets at the
base. _Flowers._—Purple, in small clusters. _Calyx._—Five-parted.
_Corolla._—Five-parted, wheel-shaped. _Stamens._—Five, yellow,
protruding. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A red berry.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCIV

BLUEWEED.—_E. vulgare._
]

The purple flowers, which at once betray their kinship with the potato
plant, and, in late summer, the bright red berries of the nightshade,
cluster about the fences and clamber over the moist banks which line the
highway. This plant, which was imported from Europe, usually indicates
the presence of civilization. It is not poisonous to the touch, as is
often supposed, and it is doubtful if the berries have the baneful power
attributed to them. Thoreau writes regarding them: “The Solanum
Dulcamara berries are another kind which grow in drooping clusters. I do
not know any clusters more graceful and beautiful than these drooping
cymes of scented or translucent, cherry-colored elliptical berries....
They hang more gracefully over the river’s brim than any pendant in a
lady’s ear. Yet they are considered poisonous; not to look at surely....
But why should they not be poisonous? Would it not be bad taste to eat
these berries which are ready to feed another sense?”

GREAT LOBELIA.
_Lobelia syphilitica._ Lobelia Family.

_Stem._—Leafy, somewhat hairy, one to three feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, ovate to lance-shaped, thin, irregularly toothed.
_Flowers._—Rather large, light blue, spiked. _Calyx._—Five-cleft, with
a short tube. _Corolla._—Somewhat two-lipped, the upper lip of two
rather erect lobes, the lower spreading and three-cleft.
_Pistil._—One, with a fringed stigma.

The great lobelia is a striking plant which grows in low ground,
flowering in midsummer. In some places it is called “High-Belia,” a pun
which is supposed to reflect upon the less tall and conspicuous species,
such as the Indian tobacco, _L. inflata_, which are found flowering at
the same season.

If one of its blossoms is examined, the pistil is seen to be enclosed by
the united stamens in such a fashion as to secure self-fertilization,
one would suppose. But it is hardly probable that a flower as noticeable
as this, and wearing a color as popular as blue, should have adorned
itself so lavishly to no purpose. Consequently we are led to inquire
more closely into its domestic arrangements. Our curiosity is rewarded
by the discovery that the lobes of the stigma are so tightly pressed
together that they can at first receive no pollen upon their sensitive
surfaces. We also find that the anthers open only by a pore at their
tips, and when irritated by the jar of a visiting bee, discharge their
pollen upon its body through these outlets. This being accomplished the
fringed stigma pushes forward, brushing aside whatever pollen may have
fallen within the tube. When it finally projects beyond the anthers, it
opens, and is ready to receive its pollen from the next insect-visitor.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCV

GREAT LOBELIA.—_L. syphilitica._
]

The genus is named after an early Flemish herbalist, de l’Obel.

INDIAN TOBACCO.
_Lobelia inflata._ Lobelia Family.

One to two feet high. _Stem._—Branching from the root.
_Leaves._—Alternate, ovate, or oblong, somewhat toothed.
_Flowers._—Blue or purple, small, growing in a loose raceme,
resembling in structure those of the great lobelia. _Pod._—Much
inflated.

During the summer we note in the dry, open fields the blue racemes of
the Indian tobacco, and in the later year the inflated pods which give
it its specific name. The plant is said to be poisonous if taken
internally, and yields a “quack-medicine” of some notoriety. The Indians
smoked its dried leaves, which impart to the tongue a peculiar
tobacco-like sensation.

There are other species of lobelia which may be distinguished by their
narrower leaves and uninflated pods, and by their choice of moist
localities.

HOG PEA-NUT.
_Amphicarpæa monoica._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Climbing and twining over plants and shrubs. _Leaves._—Divided
into three somewhat four-sided leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous,
pale lilac, or purplish, in nodding racemes. _Pod._—One inch long.

Along the shadowy lanes which wind through the woods the climbing
members of the Pulse family are very abundant. During the late summer
and autumn the lonely wayside is skirted by

Vines, with clust’ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing.

And in and out among this luxuriant growth twist the slender stems of
the ill-named hog pea-nut, its delicate lilac blossoms nodding from the
coarse stalks of the golden-rods and iron-weeds or blending with the
purple asters.

This plant bears flowers of two kinds: the upper ones are perfect, but
apparently useless, as they seldom ripen fruit; while the lower or
subterranean ones are without petals or attractiveness of appearance,
but yield eventually at least one large ripe seed.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCVI

INDIAN TOBACCO.—_L. inflata._
]

BEACH PEA.
_Lathyrus maritimus._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

About one foot high, or more. _Stem._—Stout. _Leaves._—Divided
into from three to five pairs of thick oblong leaflets.
_Flowers._—Papilionaceous, large, purple, clustered.

The deep-hued flowers of this stout plant are commonly found along the
sand-hills of the seashore, and also on the shores of the Great Lakes,
blooming in early summer. Both flowers and leaves are at once recognized
as belonging to the Pulse family.

——— ———
_Strophostyles angulosa._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stems._—Branched, one to six feet long, prostrate or climbing.
_Leaves._—Divided into three leaflets, which are more or less
prominently lobed toward the base, the terminal two-lobed; or some or
all without lobes. _Flowers._—Purplish or greenish, on long
flower-stalks. _Pod._—Linear, straight, or nearly so.

This somewhat inconspicuous plant is found back of the sand-hills along
the coast, often in the neighborhood of the beach pea, and climbing over
river-banks, thickets, and fences as well. It can usually be identified
by its oddly lobed leaflets.

BLUE VETCH.
_Vicia cracca._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Leaves._—Divided into twenty to twenty-four leaflets, with slender
tips. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, blue turning purple, growing in
close, many-flowered, one-sided spikes.

This is an emigrant from Europe which is found in some of our eastern
fields and thickets as far south as New Jersey. It usually climbs more
or less by means of the tendril at the tip of its divided leaves, and
sometimes forms bright patches of vivid blue over the meadows.

Another member of this genus is _V. sativa_, the common vetch or tare,
with purplish or pinkish flowers, growing singly or in pairs from the
axils of the leaves, which leaves are divided into fewer and narrower
leaflets than those of the blue vetch. This species also takes
possession of cultivated fields as well as of waste places along the
roadside.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCVII

BEACH PEA.—_L. maritimus._
]

CHICORY. SUCCORY.
_Cichorium Intybus._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stems._—Branching. _Leaves._—The lower oblong or lance-shaped, partly
clasping, sometimes sharply incised, the floral ones minute.
_Flower-heads._—Blue, set close to the stem, composed entirely of
strap-shaped flowers; opening at different times.

Oh, not in Ladies’ gardens,
My peasant posy!
Smile thy dear blue eyes,
Nor only—nearer to the skies—
In upland pastures, dim and sweet,—
But by the dusty road
Where tired feet
Toil to and fro;
Where flaunting Sin
May see thy heavenly hue,
Or weary Sorrow look from thee
Toward a more tender blue![12]

This roadside weed blossoms in late summer. It is extensively cultivated
in France, where the leaves are blanched and used in a salad which is
called “Barbe des Capucins.” The roots are roasted and mixed with coffee
both there and in England.

Horace mentions its leaves as part of his frugal fare, and Pliny remarks
upon the importance of the plant to the Egyptians, who formerly used it
in great quantities, and of whose diet it is still a staple article.

BLUE AND PURPLE ASTERS.
_Aster._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Flower-heads._—Composed of blue or purple ray-flowers, with a centre
of yellow disk-flowers.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCVIII

CHICORY.—_C. Intybus._
]

As about one hundred and twenty different species of aster are native to
the United States, and as fifty-four of these are found in Northeastern
America, all but a dozen being purple or blue (_i.e._, with purple or
blue ray-flowers), and as even botanists find that it requires patient
application to distinguish these many species, only a brief description
of the more conspicuous and common ones is here attempted.

Along the dry roadsides in early August we may look for the bright
blue-purple flowers of _A. patens_. This is a low-growing species, with
rough, narrowly oblong, clasping leaves, and widely spreading branches,
whose slender branchlets are usually terminated by a solitary
flower-head.

Probably no member of the group is more striking than the New England
aster, _A. Novæ Angliæ_, whose stout hairy stem (sometimes eight feet
high), numerous lance-shaped leaves, and large violet-purple or
sometimes pinkish flower-heads, are conspicuous in the swamps of late
summer.

_A. puniceus_ is another tall swamp-species, with long showy pale
lavender ray-flowers.

One of the most commonly encountered asters is _A. cordifolius_, which
is far from being the only heart-leaved species, despite its title. Its
many small, pale blue or almost white flower-heads mass themselves
abundantly along the wood-borders and shaded roadsides.

Perhaps the loveliest of all the tribe is the seaside purple aster, _A.
spectabilis_, a low plant with narrowly oblong leaves and large bright
heads, the violet-purple ray-flowers of which are nearly an inch long.
This grows in sandy soil near the coast and may be found putting forth
its royal, daisy-like blossoms into November.

Great Britain can claim but one native aster, _A. Trifolium_, or
sea-starwort as it is called. Many American species are cultivated in
English gardens under the general title of Michaelmas daisies. The
starwort of Italy is _A. amellus_. The Swiss species is _A. Alpinum_.

This beautiful genus, like that of the golden-rod, is one of the
peculiar glories of our country. Every autumn these two kinds of flowers
clothe our roadsides and meadows with so regal a mantle of purple and
gold that we cannot but wonder if the flowers of any other region
combine in such a radiant display.

IRON-WEED.
_Vernonia Noveboracensis._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Leafy, usually tall. _Leaves._—Alternate, somewhat
lance-oblong. _Flower-heads._—An intense red-purple, loosely
clustered, composed entirely of tubular flowers.

Along the roadsides and low meadows near the coast the iron-weed adds
its deep purple hues to the color-pageant of late August. By the
uninitiated the plant is often mistaken for an aster, but a moment’s
inspection will discover that the minute flowers which compose each
flower-head are all tubular in shape, and that the ray or strap-shaped
blossoms which an aster must have are wanting. These flower-heads are
surrounded by an involucre composed of small scales which are tipped
with a tiny point and are usually of a purplish color also.

BLUE CURLS. BASTARD PENNYROYAL.
_Trichostema dichotomum._ Mint Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Rather low, branching, clammy. _Leaves._—Opposite, narrowly
oblong or lance-shaped, glutinous, with a balsamic odor.
_Flowers._—Purple, occasionally pinkish, not usually clustered.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft, two-lipped. _Corolla._—Five-lobed, the three
lower lobes more or less united. _Stamens._—Four, very long and
curved, protruding. _Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed style.

In the sandy fields of late summer this little plant attracts notice by
its many purple flowers. Its corolla soon falls and exposes to view the
four little nutlets of the ovary lying within the enlarged calyx like
tiny eggs in their nest. Its aromatic odor is very perceptible, and the
little glands with which it is covered may be seen with the aid of a
magnifier. The generic name, _Trichostema_, signifies _hairy stamens_
and alludes to the curved hair-like filaments.

SEA LAVENDER. MARSH ROSEMARY.
_Statice Caroliniana._ Leadwort Family.

_Stems._—Leafless, branching. _Leaves._—From the root, somewhat
oblong, thick. _Flowers._—Lavender-color or pale purple, tiny,
scattered or loosely spiked along one side of the branches.
_Calyx._—Dry, funnel-form. _Corolla._—Small, with five petals.
_Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One, with five, rarely three, styles.

In August many of the salt marshes are blue with the tiny flowers of the
sea lavender. The spray-like appearance of the little plant would seem
to account for its name of rosemary, which is derived from the Latin for
_sea-spray_, but Dr. Prior states that this name was given it on account
of “its usually growing on the sea-coast, and its odor.”

Blossoming with the lavender we often find the great rose mallows and
the dainty sea pinks. The marsh St. John’s-wort as well is frequently a
neighbor, and, a little later in the season, the salt marsh fleabane.

BLAZING STAR.
_Liatris scariosa._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Simple, stout, hoary, two to five feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, narrowly lance-shaped. _Flower-heads._—Racemed
along the upper part of the stem, composed entirely of tubular flowers
of a beautiful shade of rose-purple.

These showy and beautiful flowers lend still another tint to the
many-hued salt marshes and glowing inland meadows of the falling year.
Gray assigns them to dry localities from New England to Minnesota and
southward, while my own experience of them is limited to the New England
coast, where their stout leafy stems and bright-hued blossoms are
noticeable among the golden-rods and asters of September. The hasty
observer sometimes confuses the plant with the iron-weed, but the two
flowers are very different in color and in their manner of growth.

COMMON DITTANY.
_Cunila Mariana._ Mint Family (p. 16).

About one foot high. _Stem._—Much branched, reddish.
_Leaves._—Opposite, aromatic, dotted, smooth, ovate, rounded or
heart-shaped at base, set close to the stem. _Flowers._—Small, purple,
lilac or white, clustered. _Calyx._—Five-toothed. _Corolla._—Small,
two-lipped, the upper lip erect, usually notched, the lower
three-cleft. _Stamens._—Two, erect, protruding. _Pistil._—One, with a
two-lobed style.

In late August or early September the delicate flowers of the dittany
brighten the dry, sterile banks which flank so many of our roadsides. At
a season when few plants are flowering save the omnipresent members of
the great Composite family these dainty though unpretentious blossoms
are especially attractive. The plant has a pleasant fragrance.

[Illustration:

PLATE XCIX

BLAZING STAR.—_L. scariosa._
]

CLOSED GENTIAN.
_Gentiana Andrewsii._ Gentian Family.

_Stem._—One to two feet high, upright, smooth. _Leaves._—Opposite,
narrowly oval or lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Blue to purple, clustered at
the summit of the stem and often in the axils of the leaves.
_Calyx._—Four or five-cleft. _Corolla._—Closed at the mouth, large,
oblong. _Stamens._—Four or five. _Pistil._—One, with two stigmas.

Few flowers adapt themselves better to the season than the closed
gentian. We look for it in September when the early waning days and
frost-suggestive nights prove so discouraging to the greater part of the
floral world. Then in somewhat moist, shaded places along the roadside
we find this vigorous, autumnal-looking plant, with stout stems, leaves
that bronze as the days advance, and deep-tinted flowers firmly closed
as though to protect the delicate reproductive organs within from the
sharp touches of the late year.

To me the closed gentian usually shows a deep blue or even purple
countenance, although like the fringed gentian and so many other flowers
its color is lighter in the shade than in the sunlight. But Thoreau
claims for it a “transcendent blue,” “a splendid blue, light in the
shade, turning to purple with age.” “Bluer than the bluest sky, they
lurk in the moist and shady recesses of the banks,” he writes. Mr.
Burroughs also finds it “intensely blue.”

FIVE-FLOWERED GENTIAN.
_Gentiana quinqueflora._ Gentian Family.

_Stem._—Slender, branching, one or two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite,
ovate, lance-shaped, partly clasping. _Flowers._—Pale blue, smaller
than those of the closed gentian, in clusters of about five at the
summit of stems and branches. _Calyx._—Four or five-cleft, small.
_Corolla._—Funnel-form, four or five-lobed, its lobes bristle-pointed.
_Stamens._—Four or five. _Pistil._—One, with two stigmas.

Although the five-flowered gentian is far less frequently encountered
than the closed gentian, it is very common in certain localities. Gray
assigns it to “moist hills” and “along the mountains to Florida.” I have
found it growing in great abundance on the Shawangunk Mountains in
Orange County, N. Y., where it flowers in September.

[Illustration:

PLATE C

CLOSED GENTIAN.—_G. Andrewsii._
]

FRINGED GENTIAN.
_Gentiana crinita._ Gentian Family.

_Stem._—One to two feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, lance-shaped or
narrowly oval. _Flowers._—Blue, large. _Calyx._—Four-cleft, the lobes
unequal. _Corolla._—Funnel-form, with four fringed, spreading lobes.
_Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One, with two stigmas.

In late September when we have almost ceased to hope for new flowers we
are in luck if we chance upon this

—blossom bright with autumn dew

whose

—sweet and quiet eye
Looks through its fringes to the sky,
Blue—blue—as if that sky let fall,
A flower from its cerulean wall;[13]

for the fringed gentian is fickle in its habits, and the fact that we
have located it one season does not mean that we will find it in the
same place the following year; being a biennial, with seeds that are
easily washed away, it is apt to change its haunts from time to time. So
our search for this plant is always attended with the charm of
uncertainty. Once having ferreted out its new abiding-place, however, we
can satiate ourselves with its loveliness, which it usually lavishes
unstintingly upon the moist meadows which it has elected to honor.

Thoreau describes its color as “such a dark blue! surpassing that of the
male bluebird’s back!” My experience has been that the flowers which
grow in the shade are of a clear pure azure, “Heaven’s own blue,” as
Bryant claims; while those which are found in open, sunny meadows may be
justly said to vie with the back of the male bluebird. If the season has
been a mild one we shall perhaps find a few blossoms lingering into
November, but the plant is probably blighted by a severe frost, although
Miss Emily Dickinson’s little poem voices another opinion:

· · · · ·

But just before the snows
There came a purple creature
That ravished all the hill:
And Summer hid her forehead,
And mockery was still.
The frosts were her condition:
The Tyrian would not come
Until the North evoked it,
“Creator! shall I bloom?”

[Illustration:

PLATE CI

FRINGED GENTIAN.—_G. crinita._
]

VI
MISCELLANEOUS

SKUNK CABBAGE. SWAMP CABBAGE.
_Symplocarpus fœtidus._ Arum Family.

_Leaves._—Large, becoming one or two feet long; heart-shaped,
appearing later than the purple-mottled spathe and hidden flowers.
_Flowers._—Small and inconspicuous; packed on the fleshy spike which
is hidden within the spathe.

If we are bold enough to venture into certain swampy places in the
leafless woods and brown cheerless meadows of March, we notice that the
sharply pointed spathes of the skunk cabbage have already pierced the
surface of the earth. Until I chanced upon a passage in Thoreau’s
Journal under date of October 31st, I had supposed that these “hermits
of the bog” were only encouraged to make their appearance by the advent
of those first balmy, spring-suggestive days which occasionally occur as
early as February. But it seems that many of these young buds had pushed
their way upward before the winter set in, for Thoreau counsels those
who are afflicted with the melancholy of autumn to go to the swamps,
“and see the brave spears of skunk-cabbage buds already advanced toward
a new year.” “Mortal and human creatures must take a little respite in
this fall of the year,” he writes. “Their spirits do flag a little.
There is a little questioning of destiny, and thinking to go like
cowards to where the weary shall be at rest. But not so with the
skunk-cabbage. Its withered leaves fall and are transfixed by a rising
bud. Winter and death are ignored. The circle of life is complete. Are
these false prophets? Is it a lie or a vain boast underneath the
skunk-cabbage bud pushing it upward and lifting the dead leaves with
it?”

[Illustration:

PLATE CII

SKUNK CABBAGE.—_S. fœtidus._
]

The purplish shell-like leaf, which curls about the tiny flowers which
are thus hidden from view, is a rather grewsome-looking object,
suggestive of a great snail when it lifts itself fairly above its muddy
bed. When one sees it grouped with brother-cabbages it is easy to
understand why a nearly allied species, which abounds along the Italian
Riviera, should be entitled “Cappucini” by the neighboring peasants, for
the bowed, hooded appearance of these plants might easily suggest the
cowled Capuchins.

It seems unfortunate that our earliest spring flower (for such it
undoubtedly is) should possess so unpleasant an odor as to win for
itself the unpoetic title of skunk cabbage. There is also some
incongruity in the heading of the great floral procession of the year by
the minute hidden blossoms of this plant. That they are enabled to
survive the raw March winds which are rampant when they first appear is
probably due to the protection afforded them by the leathery leaf or
spathe. When the true leaves unfold they mark the wet woods and meadows
with bright patches of rich foliage, which with that of the hellebore,
flash constantly into sight as we travel through the country in April.

It is interesting to remember that the skunk cabbage is nearly akin to
the spotless calla lily, the purple-mottled spathe of the one answering
to the snowy petal-like leaf of the other. Meehan tells us that the name
bear-weed was given to the plant by the early Swedish settlers in the
neighborhood of Philadelphia. It seems that the bears greatly relished
this early green, which Meehan remarks “must have been a hot morsel, as
the juice is acrid, and is said to possess some narcotic power, while
that of the root, when chewed, causes the eyesight to grow dim.”

WILD GINGER.
_Asarum Canadense._ Birthwort Family.

_Leaves._—One or two on each plant, kidney or heart-shaped, fuzzy,
long-stalked. _Flower._—Dull purplish-brown, solitary, close to the
ground on a short flower-stalk from the fork of the leaves.
_Calyx._—Three-cleft, bell-shaped. _Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Twelve.
_Pistil._—One, with a thick style and six thick, radiating stigmas.

[Illustration:

PLATE CIII

WILD GINGER.—_A. Canadense._
]

Certain flowers might be grouped under the head of “vegetable cranks.”
Here would be classed the evening primrose, which only opens at night,
the closed gentian, which never opens at all, and the wild ginger, whose
odd, unlovely flower seeks protection beneath its long-stemmed fuzzy
leaves, and hides its head upon the ground as if unwilling to challenge
comparison with its more brilliant brethren. Unless already familiar
with this plant there is nothing to tell one when it has reached its
flowering season; and many a wanderer through the rocky woods in early
May quite overlooks its shy, shamefaced blossom.

The ginger-like flavor of the rootstock is responsible for its common
name. It grows wild in many parts of Europe and is cultivated in
England, where at one time it was considered a remedy for headache and
deafness.

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT. INDIAN TURNIP.
_Arisæma triphyllum._ Arum Family.

_Scape._—Terminated by a hood-like leaf or spathe. _Leaves._—Generally
two, each divided into three leaflets. _Flowers._—Small and
inconspicuous, packed about the lower part of the fleshy spike or
spadix which is shielded by the spathe. _Fruit._—A bright scarlet
berry which is packed upon the spadix with many others.

These quaint little preachers, ensconced in their delicate pulpits, are
well known to all who love the woods in early spring. Sometimes these
“pulpits” are of a light green veined with a deeper tint; again they are
stained with purple. This difference in color has been thought to
indicate the sex of the flowers within—the males are said to be shielded
by the green, the females by the purple, hoods. In the nearly allied
cuckoo-pints of England, matters appear to be reversed: these plants are
called “Lords and Ladies” by the children, the purple-tinged ones being
the “Lords,” the light green ones the “Ladies.” The generic name,
_Arisæma_, signifies _bloody arum_, and refers to the dark purple stains
of the spathe. An old legend claims that these were received at the
Crucifixion:

Beneath the cross it grew;
And in the vase-like hollow of the leaf,
Catching from that dread shower of agony
A few mysterious drops, transmitted thus
Unto the groves and hills their healing stains,
A heritage, for storm or vernal shower
Never to blow away.

[Illustration:

PLATE CIV

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.—_A. triphyllum._
]

The Indians were in the habit of boiling the bright scarlet berries
which are so conspicuous in our autumn woods and devouring them with
great relish; they also discovered that the bulb-like base or _corm_, as
it is called, lost its acridity on cooking, and made nutritious food,
winning for the plant its name of Indian turnip. One of its more local
titles is memory-root, which it owes to a favorite school-boy trick of
tempting others to bite into the blistering corm with results likely to
create a memorable impression.

The English cuckoo-pint yielded a starch which was greatly valued in the
time of Elizabethan ruffs, although it proved too blistering to the
hands of the washerwomen to remain long in use. Owing to the profusion
with which the plant grows in Ireland efforts have been made to utilize
it as food in periods of scarcity. By grating the corm into water, and
then pouring off the liquid and drying the sediment, it is said that a
tasteless, but nutritious, powder can be procured.

ALUM-ROOT.
_Heuchera Americana._ Saxifrage Family.

_Stems._—Two to three feet high, glandular, more or less hairy.
_Leaves._—Heart-shaped, with short, rounded lobes, wavy-toothed,
mostly from the root. _Flowers._—Greenish or purplish, in long narrow
clusters. _Calyx._—Bell-shaped, broad, five-cleft. _Corolla._—Of five
small petals. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One, with two slender styles.

In May the slender clusters of the alum-root are found in the rocky
woods.

BLUE COHOSH.
_Caulophyllum thalictroides._ Barberry Family.

_Stems._—One to two and a half feet high. _Leaf._—Large, divided into
many lobed leaflets; often a smaller one at the base of the
flower-cluster. _Flowers._—Yellowish-green, clustered at the summit of
the stem, appearing while the leaf is still small. _Calyx._—Of six
sepals, with three or four small bractlets at base. _Corolla._—Of six
thick, somewhat kidney-shaped or hooded petals, with short claws.
_Stamens._—Six. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—Bluish, berry-like.

In the deep rich woods of early spring, especially westward, may be
found the clustered flowers and divided leaf of the blue cohosh. The
generic name is from two Greek words signifying _stem_ and _leaf_, “the
stems seeming to form a stalk for the great leaf.” (Gray.)

EARLY MEADOW RUE.
_Thalictrum dioicum._ Crowfoot Family.

One to two feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into many smooth, lobed, pale,
drooping leaflets. _Flowers._—Purplish and greenish, unisexual.
_Calyx._—Of four or five petal-like sepals. _Corolla._—None.
_Stamens._—Indefinite in number, with linear yellowish anthers
drooping on hair-like filaments (stamens and pistils occurring on
different plants). _Pistils._—Four to fourteen.

The graceful drooping foliage of this plant is perhaps more noticeable
than the small flowers which appear in the rocky woods in April or May.

LILY-LEAVED LIPARIS.
_Liparis liliifolia._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Scape._—Low, from a solid bulb. _Leaves._—Two, ovate, smooth.
_Flowers._—Purplish or greenish, with thread-like reflexed petals and
a large brown-purplish lip an inch and a half long; growing in a
raceme.

In the moist, rich woods of June we may look for these flowers. The
generic name is derived from two Greek words which signify _fat_ or
_shining_, in reference to “the smooth or unctuous leaves.” (Gray.)

BEECHDROPS. CANCER-ROOT.
_Epiphegus Virginiana._ Broom-rape Family.

_Stems._—Slender, fleshy, branching, with small scales; purplish,
yellowish or brownish. _Leaves._—None. _Flowers._—Purplish, yellowish
or brownish, spiked or racemed, small, of two kinds, the upper
sterile, the lower fertile.

These curious-looking plants abound in the shade of beech-trees, drawing
nourishment from their roots. The upper open flowers are sterile; the
lower ones, which never expand, accomplish the continuance of their
kind.

PINE SAP. FALSE BEECHDROPS.
_Monotropa Hypopitys._ Heath Family.

A low fleshy herb without green foliage; tawny, reddish, or whitish.
_Flowers._—Resembling in structure those of the Indian pipe, but
clustered in a raceme.

The pine sap is a parasitic plant which is closely allied to the Indian
pipe (Pl. XXI.). Its clustered flowers are usually fragrant. The plant
is commonly of a somewhat tawny hue, but occasionally one finds a bright
red specimen. It flourishes in oak or pine-woods from June till August.

RATTLESNAKE-ROOT.
_Prenanthes alba._

_Height._—Two to four feet. _Leaves._—The lower cleft or toothed, the
uppermost oblong and undivided. _Flower-heads._—Nodding, composed of
white or greenish strap-shaped flowers surrounded by a purplish
involucre.

LION’S FOOT. GALL-OF-THE-EARTH.
_Prenanthes serpentaria._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Height._—About two feet. _Leaves._—Roughish, the lower lobed, the
upper oblong lance-shaped. _Flower-heads._—Nodding, composed of
greenish or cream-colored strap-shaped flowers surrounded by a
greenish or purple involucre.

These plants are peculiarly decorative in late summer on account of
their graceful, drooping, bell-shaped flower-heads. The flowers
themselves almost escape notice, and their color is rather difficult to
determine, the purplish or greenish involucre being the plants’
conspicuous feature.

The generic name is from the Greek, and signifies _drooping blossom_.

WILD BEAN. GROUND-NUT.
_Apios tuberosa._ Pulse Family (p. 16).

_Stem._—Twining and climbing over bushes. _Leaves._—Divided into three
to seven narrowly oval leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, purplish
or chocolate-color, somewhat violet-scented, closely clustered in
racemes.

In late summer the dark, rich flowers of the wild bean are found in
short, thick clusters among the luxuriant undergrowth and thickets of
low ground. The plant is a climber, bearing edible pear-shaped tubers on
underground shoots, which give it its generic name signifying _a pear_.

CORAL-ROOT.
_Corallorhiza multiflora._ Orchis Family (p. 17).

_Rootstock._—Much branched, coral-like, toothed. _Stem._—Nine to
eighteen inches high, without green foliage. _Flowers._—Rather small,
dull brownish-purple or yellowish, sometimes mottled with red; growing
in a raceme.

In the dry summer woods one frequently encounters the dull racemes of
this rather inconspicuous little plant. It is often found in the
immediate neighborhood of the Indian pipe and pine sap. Being, like
them, without green foliage, it might be taken for an allied species by
the casual observer. This is one of those orchids which are popularly
considered unworthy to bear the name, giving rise to so much incredulity
or disappointment in the unbotanical.

INDEX TO LATIN NAMES

Achillea Millefolium, 94

Actæa alba, 50

Actæa rubra, 52

Agrimonia Eupatoria, 156

Aletris farinosa, 86

Alisma Plantago, 98

Althæa officinalis, 206

Amelanchier oblongifolia, 22

Ampelopsis quinquefolia, 65

Amphicarpæa monoica, 262

Anagallis arvensis, 226

Anaphilis margaritacea, 112

Anemone nemorosa, 24

Anemone Virginiana, 76

Anemonella thalictroides, 26

Antennaria plantaginifolia, 32

Anthemis Cotula, 71

Aphyllon uniflorum, 236

Apios tuberosa, 284

Apocynum androsæmifolium, 188

Aquilegia Canadensis, 214

Aralia nudicaulis, 42

Aralia quinquefolia, 40

Aralia racemosa, 42

Aralia trifolia, 40

Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi, 46

Arethusa bulbosa, 248

Arisæma triphyllum, 280

Asarum Canadense, 278

Asclepias Cornuti, 192

Asclepias incarnata, 193

Asclepias purpurascens, 193

Asclepias quadrifolia, 193

Asclepias tuberosa, 222

Asclepias verticillata, 110

Ascyrum Crux-Andreæ, 150

Aster cordifolius, 268

Aster corymbosus, 105

Aster ericoides, 105

Aster multiflorus, 106

Aster Novæ Angliæ, 268

Aster patens, 268

Aster puniceus, 268

Aster spectabilis, 268

Aster umbellatus, 105

Baccharis halimifolia, 110

Baptisia tinctoria, 144

Barbarea vulgaris, 130

Berberis vulgaris, 142

Bidens chrysanthemoides, 168

Bidens frondosa, 166

Brassica nigra, 130

Brunella vulgaris, 254

Calopogon pulchellus, 182

Caltha palustris, 113

Campanula rotundifolia, 241

Capsella Bursa-pastoris, 29

Cardamine rhomboidea, 29

Cassia Chamæcrista, 148

Cassia Marilandica, 146

Castilleia coccinea, 219

Caulophyllum thalictroides, 282

Ceanothus Americanus, 71

Celastrus scandens, 77

Cephalanthus occidentalis, 82

Cerastium arvense, 74

Chelidonium majus, 116

Chelone glabra, 100

Chimaphila maculata, 68

Chimaphila umbellata, 68

Chiogenes serpyllifolia, 46

Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum, 68

Chrysopsis falcata, 160

Chrysopsis Mariana, 160

Cichorium Intybus, 266

Cicuta maculata, 97

Cimicifuga racemosa, 78

Circæa Alpina, 76

Circæa Lutetiana, 76

Claytonia Virginica, 32

Clematis Virginiana, 102

Clethra alnifolia, 104

Clintonia borealis, 122

Clintonia umbellata, 124

Collinsia verna, 234

Collinsonia Canadensis, 158

Comandra umbellata, 71

Commelina Virginica, 256

Convolvulus Americanus, 190

Convolvulus arvensis, 190

Coptis trifolia, 28

Corallorhiza multiflora, 284

Cornus Canadensis, 54

Cornus circinata, 49

Cornus paniculata, 49

Cornus stolonifera, 49

Corydalis aurea, 192

Corydalis glauca, 192

Cratægus coccinea, 50

Crotalaria sagittalis, 145

Cunila Mariana, 270

Cuphea viscosissima, 202

Cuscuta Epilinum, 102

Cuscuta Gronovii, 102

Cynoglossum officinale, 222

Cypripedium acaule, 180

Cypripedium parviflorum, 124

Cypripedium pubescens, 124

Dalibarda repens, 84

Datura Stramonium, 104

Datura Tatula, 105

Daucus Carota, 96

Delphinium exaltatum, 240

Delphinium tricorne, 240

Dentaria diphylla, 29

Desmodium acuminatum, 196

Desmodium Canadense, 194

Desmodium Dillenii, 196

Desmodium nudiflorum, 196

Dianthus Armeria, 198

Dicentra Canadensis, 36

Dicentra Cucullaria, 34

Diervilla trifida, 134

Discopleura capillacea, 97

Draba verna, 29

Drosera Americana, 91

Drosera filiformis, 91

Drosera rotundifolia, 91

Echinocystis lobata, 105

Echium vulgare, 257

Elodes campanulata, 204

Epigæa repens, 173

Epilobium angustifolium, 208

Epilobium coloratum, 210

Epilobium hirsutum, 208

Epiphegus Virginiana, 283

Erigenia bulbosa, 30

Erigeron annuus, 70

Erigeron bellidifolius, 235

Erigeron Philadelphicus, 236

Erigeron strigosus, 70

Erythronium albidum, 116

Erythronium Americanum, 114

Eupatorium ageratoides, 106

Eupatorium perfoliatum, 106

Eupatorium purpureum, 210

Euphorbia corollata, 80

Galium Aparine, 76

Gaultheria procumbens, 72

Gaylussacia resinosa, 66

Genista tinctoria, 145

Gentiana Andrewsii, 272

Gentiana crinita, 274

Gentiana quinqueflora, 272

Geranium maculatum, 238

Geranium Robertianum, 193

Gerardia flava, 168

Gerardia maritima, 210

Gerardia purpurea, 210

Gerardia quercifolia, 168

Gerardia tenuifolia, 210

Geum album, 86

Gnaphalium polycephalum, 112

Goodyera pubescens, 94

Habenaria blephariglottis, 92

Habenaria ciliaris, 152

Habenaria fimbriata, 249

Habenaria lacera, 82

Habenaria psycodes, 249

Habenaria virescens, 82

Hamamelis Virginiana, 170

Hedeoma pulegioides, 249

Helenium autumnale, 166

Helianthemum Canadense, 140

Helianthus annuus, 166

Helianthus divaricatus, 164

Helianthus giganteus, 164

Hepatica triloba, 229

Heuchera Americana, 282

Hibiscus Moscheutos, 206

Hieracium aurantiacum, 224

Hieracium scabrum, 132

Hieracium venosum, 132

Houstonia cærulea, 232

Hudsonia tomentosa, 134

Hydrophyllum Virginicum, 72

Hypericum perforatum, 148

Hypoxis erecta, 142

Ilex verticillata, 52

Impatiens fulva, 154

Impatiens pallida, 154

Inula Helenium, 162

Iris versicolor, 244

Jeffersonia diphylla, 30

Kalmia angustifolia, 185

Kalmia latifolia, 57

Krigia amplexicaulis, 132

Krigia Virginica, 132

Lathyrus maritimus, 264

Leontodon autumnalis, 164

Leonurus cardiaca, 250

Lespedeza capitata, 194

Lespedeza polystachya, 194

Lespedeza procumbens, 194

Lespedeza reticulata, 194

Liatris scariosa, 270

Lilium Canadense, 136

Lilium Philadelphicum, 219

Lilium superbum, 220

Linaria Canadensis, 257

Linaria vulgaris, 146

Lindera Benzoin, 114

Linnæa borealis, 176

Liparis liliifolia, 283

Lobelia cardinalis, 226

Lobelia inflata, 262

Lobelia syphilitica, 260

Lonicera ciliata, 228

Lonicera grata, 228

Lonicera sempervirens, 228

Lupinus perennis, 240

Lychnis Githago, 252

Lysimachia quadrifolia, 138

Lysimachia stricta, 140

Lythrum Salicaria, 198

Magnolia glauca, 56

Maianthemum Canadense, 28

Malva rotundifolia, 206

Medeola Virginica, 127

Medicago lupulina, 144

Melampyrum Americanum, 136

Melilotus alba, 72

Melilotus officinalis, 145

Menispermum Canadense, 56

Mertensia Virginica, 234

Mikania scandens, 108

Mimulus ringens, 250

Mitchella repens, 80

Mitella diphylla, 38

Monarda didyma, 224

Monarda fistulosa, 256

Monotropa Hypopitys, 283

Monotropa uniflora, 74

Myosotis laxa, 235

Nemopanthes fascicularis, 52

Nepeta Glechoma, 238

Nuphar advena, 128

Nymphæa odorata, 88

Oakesia sessilifolia, 50

Œnothera biennis, 157

Œnothera fruticosa, 157

Œnothera pumila, 157

Opuntia Rafinesquii, 138

Opuntia vulgaris, 138

Orchis spectabilis, 176

Orontium aquaticum, 126

Osmorrhiza longistylis, 97

Oxalis Acetosella, 62

Oxalis stricta, 156

Oxalis violacea, 236

Parnassia Caroliniana, 110

Pastinaca sativa, 126

Pedicularis Canadensis, 218

Penstemon digitalis, 254

Penstemon pubescens, 254

Phlox divaricata, 235

Phlox glaberrima, 235

Phlox maculata, 235

Phlox subulata, 235

Physalis Virginiana, 101

Phytolacca decandra, 92

Pluchea camphorata, 208

Podophyllum peltatum, 30

Pogonia ophioglossoides, 185

Polygala cruciata, 188

Polygala paucifolia, 186

Polygala polygama, 186

Polygala sanguinea, 186

Polygonatum biflorum, 44

Polygonatum giganteum, 44

Polygonella articulata, 212

Polygonum aviculare, 212

Polygonum hydropiperoides, 83

Polygonum Pennsylvanicum, 212

Polygonum scandens, 83

Pontedaria cordata, 257

Potentilla argentea, 122

Potentilla Canadense, 126

Potentilla fruticosa, 126

Prenanthes alba, 284

Prenanthes serpentaria, 284

Pyrola elliptica, 66

Pyrola rotundifolia, 66

Pyrus arbutifolia, 44

Pyxidanthera barbulata, 28

Ranunculus ambigens, 127

Raphanus Raphanistrum, 130

Rhexia Virginica, 200

Rhododendron maximum, 60

Rhododendron nudiflorum, 182

Rhododendron Rhodora, 184

Rhododendron viscosum, 58

Rhus Toxicodendron, 65

Rhus typhina, 64

Rhus venenata, 64

Rubus odoratus, 190

Rudbeckia hirta, 158

Rudbeckia laciniata, 160

Sabbatia angularis, 204

Sabbatia chloroides, 204

Sabbatia stellaris, 202

Sagittaria variabilis, 98

Sambucus Canadensis, 78

Sambucus racemosa, 54

Sanguinaria Canadensis, 78

Saponaria officinalis, 196

Sarracenia purpurea, 236

Saururus cernuus, 56

Saxifraga Virginiensis, 36

Scutellaria galericulata, 244

Scutellaria integrifolia, 242

Scutellaria lateriflora, 244

Senecio aureus, 122

Senecio vulgaris, 122

Silene antirrhina, 180

Silene Cucubalus, 84

Silene Pennsylvanica, 178

Silene stellata, 84

Sisyrinchium angustifolium, 241

Sium cicutæfolium, 98

Smilacina racemosa, 46

Smilax herbacea, 39

Smilax rotundifolia, 39

Solanum Dulcamara, 258

Solidago bicolor, 162

Solidago cæsia, 162

Solidago lanceolata, 162

Solidago nemoralis, 162

Solidago odorata, 162

Solidago rugosa, 162

Specularia perfoliata, 242

Spiræa salicifolia, 88

Spiræa tomentosa, 198

Spiranthes cernua, 108

Spiranthes gracilis, 108

Statice Caroliniana, 269

Steironema ciliatum, 142

Stellaria longifolia, 74

Stellaria media, 74

Streptopus roseus, 178

Strophostyles angulosa, 264

Stylophorum diphyllum, 118

Symplocarpus fœtidus, 276

Tanacetum vulgare, 170

Taraxacum officinale, 132

Thalictrum dioicum, 283

Thalictrum polygamum, 86

Thaspium aureum, 126

Tiarella cordifolia, 36

Tradescantia Virginica, 257

Trichostema dichotomum, 269

Trientalis Americana, 26

Trifolium agrarium, 144

Trillium cernuum, 39

Trillium erectum, 216

Trillium erythrocarpum, 40

Trillium grandiflorum, 39

Trillium sessile, 218

Utricularia cornuta, 128

Utricularia vulgaris, 128

Uvularia perfoliata, 50

Vaccinium corymbosun, 66

Vaccinium macrocarpon, 185

Vaccinium stamineum, 68

Veratrum viride, 38

Verbascum Blattaria, 152

Verbascum Thapsus, 150

Verbena hastata, 252

Verbena urticæfolia, 90

Vernonia Noveboracensis, 269

Veronica Americana, 246

Veronica officinalis, 248

Veronica Virginica, 77

Viburnum acerifolium, 48

Viburnum lantanoides, 48

Vicia Cracca, 264

Vicia sativa, 264

Viola blanda, 42

Viola Canadensis, 42

Viola canina, var. Muhlenbergii, 232

Viola lanceolata, 42

Viola pedata, 230

Viola pedata, var. bicolor, 230

Viola pubescens, 118

Viola rotundifolia, 126

Zizia aurea, 126

INDEX TO ENGLISH NAMES

Adder’s Mouth, 185

Adder’s Tongue, White, 116

Adder’s Tongue, Yellow, 114

Agrimony, 156

Ague-weed, 106

Alder, Black, 52

Alder, White, 104

Alum-root, 281

Anemone, Rue, 26

Anemone, Wood, 24

Arbutus, Trailing, 173

Arethusa, 248

Arrow-head, 98

Arrow-wood, 48

Aster, Blue, 266

Aster, Golden, 160

Aster, Purple, 266

Aster, White, 105

Avens, White, 86

Azalea, Clammy, 58

Azalea, Pink, 182

Balsam-apple, Wild, 105

Baneberry, Red, 52

Baneberry, White, 50

Barberry, 142

Bay, Sweet, 56

Beach Pea, 264

Bean, Wild, 284

Bearberry, 46

Beard-tongue, 254

Bedstraw, 76

Bee Balm, 224

Beechdrops, 283

Beechdrops, False, 283

Beggar-ticks, 166

Bellwort, 50

Benjamin-bush, 114

Bergamot, Wild, 256

Betony, Wood, 218

Bindweed, Hedge, 190

Bird’s Nest, 96

Birthroot, 216

Bishop’s Cap, 38

Bishop-weed, Mock, 97

Bitter-sweet, 77

Black-eyed Susan, 158

Bladder Campion, 84

Bladderwort, 128

Blazing Star, 270

Blood-root, 22

Bluebells, 234

Blueberry, 66

Blue Curls, 269

Blue-eyed Grass, 241

Blue-eyed Mary, 234

Bluets, 232

Blueweed, 258

Boneset, 106

Bouncing Bet, 196

Brooklime, American, 246

Buckwheat, Climbing False, 83

Bugbane, 78

Bugloss, Viper’s, 258

Bunch-berry, 54

Bur Marigold, 166

Bush-honeysuckle, 134

Butter-and-eggs, 146

Butterfly-weed, 222

Button-bush, 82

Calico-bush, 57

Campion, Bladder, 84

Campion, Starry, 84

Cancer-root, 283

Cancer-root, One-flowered, 236

Cardinal-flower, 226

Carrion-flower, 39

Carrot, Wild, 96

Cat-brier, 39

Catchfly, Sleepy, 180

Celandine, 116

Celandine Poppy, 118

Chamomile, 71

Checkerberry, 72

Chickweed, 74

Chicory, 266

Choke-berry, 44

Cicely, Sweet, 97

Cinquefoil, Common, 120

Cinquefoil, Shrubby, 120

Cinquefoil, Silvery, 122

Cleavers, 76

Clover, Bush, 194

Clover, Hop, 144

Clover, White Sweet, 72

Clover, Yellow, 144

Clover, Yellow Sweet, 145

Cohosh, Black, 78

Cohosh, Blue, 282

Colic-root, 86

Columbine, Wild, 214

Cone-flower, 158

Coral-root, 284

Corn Cockle, 252

Cornel, Dwarf, 54

Corpse-plant, 74

Corydalis, Golden, 192

Corydalis, Pale, 192

Cowbane, Spotted, 97

Cowslip, 114

Cowslip, Virginian, 234

Cow Wheat, 136

Cranberry, 185

Cranesbill, Wild, 238

Cress, Spring, 29

Cress, Winter, 130

Crinkle-root, 29

Culver’s Root, 77

Cuphea, Clammy, 202

Cynthia, 132

Daisy, Blue Spring, 235

Daisy, Ox-eyed, 68

Daisy, White, 68

Daisy Fleabane, 70

Dandelion, 132

Dandelion, Dwarf, 132

Dandelion, Fall, 164

Day-flower, 256

Deer-grass, 200

Devil’s Paintbrush, 224

Dittany, 270

Dockmackie, 48

Dodder, 102

Dogbane, Spreading, 188

Dogwood, Panicled, 49

Dogwood, Red-osier, 49

Dogwood, Round-leaved, 49

Dutchman’s Breeches, 34

Dyer’s Green-weed, 145

Elder, Common, 78

Elder, Red-berried, 54

Elecampane, 162

Enchanter’s Nightshade, 76

Evening Primrose, 157

Everlasting, Early, 32

Everlasting, Fragrant Life, 112

Everlasting, Pearly, 112

Everlasting, Plantain-leaved, 32

Fever-bush, 114

Fireweed, 208

Five Finger, 120

Flag, Larger Blue, 244

Fleabane, Daisy, 70

Fleabane, Salt Marsh, 200

Fleur-de-lis, 244

Flowering-moss, 28

Foam-flower, 36

Forget-me-not, 235

Foxglove, Downy, 168

Foxglove, Smooth False, 168

Frost-weed, 140

Gall-of-the-earth, 284

Garget, 92

Gentian, Closed, 272

Gentian, Five-flowered, 272

Gentian, Fringed, 274

Geranium, Wild, 238

Gerardia, Purple, 210

Gerardia, Seaside, 210

Gerardia, Slender, 210

Gill-over-the ground, 238

Ginger, Wild, 278

Ginseng, 40

Ginseng, Dwarf, 40

Golden Club, 126

Golden-rod, 160

Gold Thread, 28

Goose-grass, 76

Grass of Parnassus, 110

Green-brier, 39

Ground Cherry, 100

Ground Ivy, 238

Ground Laurel, 173

Ground-Nut, 40

Ground-Nut, 284

Groundsel, Common, 122

Groundsel Tree, 110

Harbinger-of-Spring, 30

Hardhack, 198

Harebell, 241

Hawkweed, European, 224

Hawthorn, 50

Heal-all, 254

Hedge Bindweed, 190

Hellebore, False, 38

Hemlock, Water, 97

Hemp-weed, Climbing, 108

Herb of St Barbara, 130

Herb Robert, 193

Hobble-bush, 48

Hog Pea-nut, 262

Holly, Mountain, 52

Honeysuckle, Bush, 133

Honeysuckle, Fly, 28

Honeysuckle, Trumpet, 228

Honeysuckle, White Swamp, 58

Honeysuckle, Wild, 182

Hop Clover, 144

Horse Balm, 158

Hound’s Tongue, 222

Huckleberry, Common Black, 66

Huckleberry, Squaw, 68

Huntsman’s Cup, 236

Hyacinth, Wild, 108

Indian Cucumber-root, 127

Indian Fig, 138

Indian Hemp, 188

Indian Pipe, 21

Indian Poke, 38

Indian Tobacco, 262

Indian Turnip, 280

Indigo, Wild, 144

Innocence, 234

Iron-weed, 269

Ivy, American, 65

Ivy, Ground, 238

Ivy, Poison, 65

Jack-in-the-pulpit, 280

Jamestown Weed, 104

Jewel-weed, 154

Joe-pye-weed, 210

June-berry, 22

Knotweed, Common, 83

Knotweed, Pink, 212

Knotweed, Sand, 212

Ladies’ Tresses, 108

Lady’s Slipper, Pink, 180

Lady’s Slipper, Yellow, 124

Lambkill, 185

Larkspur, 240

Laurel, Great, 60

Laurel, Ground, 173

Laurel, Mountain, 57

Laurel, Sheep, 185

Laurel Magnolia, 56

Lily, Meadow, 136

Lily, Turk’s Cap, 220

Lily, White Water, 88

Lily, Wild Red, 219

Lily, Wild Yellow, 136

Lily, Wood, 219

Lily, Yellow Pond, 128

Linaria, Blue, 257

Lion’s Foot, 284

Liparis, Lily-leaved, 283

Liver-leaf, 229

Liverwort, 229

Lizard’s Tail, 56

Lobelia, Great, 260

Loosestrife, Four-leaved, 138

Loosestrife, Purple, 198

Loosestrife, Yellow, 140

Lousewort, 218

Love Vine, 102

Lungwort, 234

Lupine, Wild, 240

Mallow, Common, 206

Mallow, Marsh, 206

Mallow, Rose, 206

Mallow, Swamp, 206

Mandrake, 30

Marsh Marigold, 113

May-apple, 30

Mayflower, 173

Mayweed, 71

Meadow-beauty, 200

Meadow Lily, 136

Meadow Rue, Early, 283

Meadow Rue, Tall, 86

Meadow-sweet, 88

Melilot, White, 72

Melilot, Yellow, 145

Milfoil, 94

Milkweed, Common, 192

Milkweed, Four-leaved, 193

Milkweed, Green-flowered, 110

Milkweed, Orange-red, 222

Milkweed, Purple, 193

Milkweed, Swamp, 193

Milkwort, 186

Mitre-wort, 38

Mitre-wort, False, 136

Moccason-flower, 180

Monkey-flower, 250

Moonseed, 56

Motherwort, 250

Mountain Holly, 52

Mountain Laurel, 57

Mountain Tea, 72

Mullein, Common, 150

Mullein, Moth, 152

Mustard, Black, 130

New Jersey Tea, 71

Nightshade, 258

Nonesuch, 144

Orchis, Green, 82

Orchis, Orange, 152

Orchis, Purple Fringed, 249

Orchis, Ragged Fringed, 82

Orchis, Showy, 176

Orchis, White Fringed, 92

Orchis, Yellow Fringed, 152

Oswego Tea, 224

Painted Cup, 219

Parsnip, Common Wild, 126

Parsnip, Early Meadow, 126

Parsnip, Meadow, 126

Parsnip, Water, 98

Partridge-pea, 148

Partridge Vine, 80

Pennyroyal, American, 249

Pennyroyal, Bastard, 269

Pepperbush, Sweet, 104

Pepper-root, 29

Phlox, Wild, 235

Pickerel-weed, 257

Pigeon-berry, 92

Pimpernel, 226

Pine Sap, 283

Pink, Deptford, 198

Pink, Moss, 235

Pink, Sea, 202

Pink, Swamp, 182

Pink, Wild, 178

Pinxter flower, 182

Pipsissewa, 68

Pipsissewa, Spotted, 68

Pitcher-Plant, 236

Plantain, Rattlesnake, 94

Plantain, Robin’s, 235

Plantain, Water, 98

Pleurisy-root, 222

Poison Ivy, 65

Poison Sumach, 64

Pokeweed, 92

Polygala, Fringed, 186

Polygala, Moss, 188

Pond-lily, Yellow, 126

Poor-man’s-weather-glass, 226

Poverty-grass, 134

Prickly Pear, 138

Prince’s Pine, 68

Pyxie, 28

Quaker Ladies, 232

Queen Anne’s Lace, 96

Radish, Wild, 130

Ragwort, Golden, 122

Raspberry, Purple-flowering, 190

Rattlebox, 145

Rattlesnake-plantain, 94

Rattlesnake-root, 284

Rattlesnake-weed, 132

Red-root, 71

Rheumatism-root, 30

Rhododendron, American, 60

Rhodora, 184

Rich-weed, 158

Robin’s Plantain, 235

Rocket, Yellow, 130

Rock-rose, 140

Rosemary, Marsh, 269

Rue Anemone, 26

Rue, Early Meadow, 283

Rue, Tall Meadow, 86

St. Andrew’s Cross, 150

St. John’s-wort, Common, 148

St. John’s-wort, Marsh, 204

Sarsaparilla, Wild, 42

Saxifrage, Early, 36

Scabious, Sweet, 70

Sea Lavender, 269

Self-heal, 254

Senna, Wild, 146

Service-berry, 22

Shad-bush, 22

Sheep Laurel, 185

Shepherd’s Purse, 29

Shin-leaf, 66

Side-saddle Flower, 236

Silver rod, 162

Simpler’s Joy, 252

Skull-cap, Larger, 242

Skull-cap, Mad-dog, 244

Skunk Cabbage, 276

Snakeroot, Black, 78

Snakeroot, White, 106

Sneezeweed, 166

Snowberry, Creeping, 46

Soapwort, 196

Solomon’s Seal, 44

Solomon’s Seal, False, 46

Sorrel, Violet Wood, 236

Sorrel, Wood, 62

Sorrel, Yellow Wood, 156

Spatter Dock, 128

Spearwort, 127

Speedwell, 248

Spice-bush, 114

Spiderwort, 257

Spikenard, 42

Spoonwood, 57

Spring Beauty, 32

Spurge, 80

Squaw-weed, 122

Squirrel Corn, 36

Staghorn Sumach, 64

Star-flower, 26

Star-grass, 86

Star-grass, Yellow, 142

Steeple-bush, 198

Stick-tight, 166

Stitchwort, 74

Stone-root, 158

Succory, 266

Sumach, Poison, 64

Sumach, Staghorn, 64

Sundew, 96

Sundrops, 157

Sunflower, Swamp, 166

Sunflower, Wild, 166

Swamp Cabbage, 276

Sweet Cicely, 97

Sweet William, Wild, 235

Tansy, 170

Thimble-weed, 76

Thorn-apple, 104

Thoroughwort, 106

Tick-trefoil, 194

Toadflax, Bastard, 71

Toadflax, Blue, 257

Toadflax, Yellow, 146

Toothwort, 29

Touch-me-not, 154

Trailing Arbutus, 173

Traveller’s Joy, 102

Trillium, Painted, 46

Trillium, White, 39

Trumpet-weed, 216

Turtle-head, 100

Twin-flower, 176

Twin-leaf, 30

Twisted Stalk, 178

Venus’s Looking-glass, 242

Vervain, Blue, 252

Vervain, White, 90

Vetch, Blue, 264

Vetch, Common, 264

Viburnum, Maple-leaved, 48

Violet, Bird-foot, 230

Violet, Canada, 42

Violet, Common Blue, 230

Violet, Dog, 232

Violet, Dog’s Tooth, 114

Violet, Downy Yellow, 118

Violet, Lance-leaved, 42

Violet, Round-leaved, 120

Violet, Sweet White, 42

Viper’s Bugloss, 258

Virginia Creeper, 65

Virgin’s Bower, 102

Wake Robin, 216

Water-Hemlock, 97

Waterleaf, 72

Water-lily, White, 88

Water-parsnip, 98

Water-pepper, Mild, 83

Water-plantain, 98

Wax-weed, 202

Wax-work, 77

Wayfaring-tree, American, 48

Whin, New England, 145

Whip-poor-will’s shoe, 124

White-hearts, 34

White-thorn, 50

White-weed, 68

Whitlow-grass, 29

Willow-herb, Great, 208

Willow-herb, Hairy, 208

Wind-flower, 24

Winterberry, 52

Wintergreen, 72

Witch-hazel, 170

Woad-waxen, 145

Woodbine, 228

Wood Sorrel, 62

Wood Sorrel, Violet, 236

Wood Sorrel, Yellow, 156

Yarrow, 94

INDEX OF TECHNICAL TERMS

Anther, 11

Axil, 9

Axillary, 9

Bulb, 8

Calyx, 10

Cleistogamous, 6

Complete flower, 10

Compound leaf, 9

Corm, 8

Corolla, 9

Cross-fertilization, 3

Dimorphous, 232

Disk-flowers, 14

Doctrine of signatures, 1

Entire leaf, 8

Female flower, 12

Filament, 11

Fruit, 12

Head, 10

Male flower, 12

Much-divided leaf, 9

Neutral flower, 12

Ovary, 11

Papilionaceous, 16

Perianth, 11

Petal, 11

Pistil, 11

Pistillate flower, 12

Pollen, 11

Raceme, 9

Ray-flowers, 14

Root, 8

Rootstock, 8

Scape, 8

Self-fertilization, 3

Sepal, 10

Sessile, 10

Simple leaf, 9

Simple stem, 8

Spadix, 10

Spathe, 10

Spike, 10

Stamen, 11

Staminate flower, 12

Stem, 8

Stemless, 8

Stigma, 11

Strap-shaped, 14

Style, 11

Trimorphism, 200

Tuber, 8

Tubular-shaped, 14

Unisexual, 12

-----

Footnote 1:

Lyte.

Footnote 2:

Grant Allen.

Footnote 3:

Orchids of New England.

Footnote 4:

Hazlitt’s Early Popular Poetry.

Footnote 5:

Emerson.

Footnote 6:

Emerson.

Footnote 7:

Job xxx. 4.

Footnote 8:

Emerson.

Footnote 9:

Bryant.

Footnote 10:

Holmes.

Footnote 11:

Longfellow.

Footnote 12:

Margaret Deland.

Footnote 13:

Bryant.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in
spelling.
2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.
3. Re-indexed footnotes using numbers and collected together at the end
of the last chapter.
4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
5. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "How to know the wild flowers : a guide to the names, haunts, and habits of our common wild flowers" ***

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