at KNOW THE FLOWERS — a L ohes9o0 TOEO OU WW IOHM/18W HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS a i Aes ae hip, PLATE XC Cypripedium acanle, PINK LADY'S SLIPPER HOW TO KNOW THE. >-, qK. Pn ~, Wane ir LOW RRS A Guide TO THE NAMES, HAUNTS, AND HA COMMON WILD FLOWER MARINE LABORATORY ee Sears fig Re A FR ¥ 100 earn: ao eae, re Ae meer E MRS. WILLIAM STARR DANW>s bere geanc z Jha, TES IED, BY emer © £ ~ > ee eT ° ie a! ILLUSTRATED BY MARION SATTERLEE ann ELSIE LOUISE SHAW “‘ 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, I down to the little white chickweed of the path and the moss of the wall.’ —RICHARD JEFFERIES NEW EDITION, WITH COLORED PLATES Seventy-one Thousand NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 1904. COPYRIGHT, 1893, 1895, 1900, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS TROW DIRECTORY PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY NEW YORK CONTENTS PAGE TREC EEG VISCO ROM AUER NH OMTLUHTU IN ip OM Gr Be VO 52 ENE ERODE 2 ON eg ee IES ONO i) NUS) a ee BREE CIORY CPR DIOR 6 a MO Gane Vac ty ata ee Oe Ee aNALION GLE CTINS 4. ok St Rae lanl. FGRies vi vey eee Flower Descriptions : I, White . : ; : ; : : I fENGreer \ : : Boas : BSNS af Oe Ill, Yellow . : : : 4 : Say Ot ct) ai : ; : : Me go: V. Red : ; : : ‘ nea VI. Blue and Purple . . ‘ me 9. Vil. Miscellaneous ; : A , Be ee EOE NGI ES re eka’ aa ce RR TEISR IRAMIES | ek? ee ee cé Oe CONICAL PATHS. 6 G8 oe UE, Moone ‘*One of these days some one will give us a hand-book of our wild flow- ers, by the aid of which we shall all be able to name those we gather in our walks without the trouble of analyzing them. In this book we shall have a list of all our flowers arranged according to color, as white flowers, blue flowers, yellow flowers, pink flowers, etc., with place of growth and time of blooming.” JOHN BuRROUGHS PREFACE, TO} THE NEW EDIFION In offering the public an edition of ‘‘ How to Know the Wild Flowers,’’ containing colored reproductions from the charming and faithful sketches in water color of Miss Elsie Louise Shaw, we feel sure that we are adding materially to the book’s actual value as well as to its attractiveness. As color plates replace, in this edition, certain of the black and white illustrations, these, with a few others have been omitted and Miss Satterlee has added a number of new draw- ings. Some of these black and white plates are of flowers not before figured in the book, while others present in fresh forms subjects already illustrated in it. Quite a large number of flowers not found in previous edi- tions are now described, and advantage has been taken of the opportunity which the entire resetting of the book afforded for a careful revision of the text. This amplification has seemed ad- visable in view of the fact that, during the five years which have elapsed since the publication of a thoroughly revised edition, the peculiar charm or importance of certain plants has so forced itself upon the author’s consciousness, or else been brought to her notice so emphatically by others, as to persuade her that their inclusion would not transgress the restrictions originally laid down in the chapter ‘‘ How to Use the Book,’’ restrictions which still seem indispensable if the volume is to be kept small enough to be a convenient companion in the woods and fields, and simple enough to appeal to the unbotanical flower lover. It is hoped that these additions will meet with the approval of the public, which has already attested so generously its eager- ness to know the wild flowers. ALBANY April 25, 1900. vii PREFACE “YO THE FIRST EDITHas THE pleasure of a walk in the woods and fields is enhanced hundredfold by some little knowledge of the flowers which we meet at every turn. ‘Their names alone serve as a clew to their entire histories, giving us that sense of companionship with our surroundings which is so necessary to the full enjoyment of out- door life. But if we have never studied botany it has been no easy matter to learn these names, for we find that the very people who have always lived among the flowers are often ignorant of even their common titles, and frequently increase our eventual confusion by naming them incorrectly. While it is more than probable that any attempt to attain our end by means of some «¢ Key,’’ which positively bristles with technical terms and out- landish titles, has only led us to replace the volume in despair, sighing, with Emerson, that these scholars ‘« Love not the flower they pluck, and know it not, And all their botany is Latin names!” So we have ventured to hope that such a book as this will not be altogether unwelcome, and that our readers will find that even a bowing acquaintance with the flowers repays one gen- erously for the effort expended in its achievement. Such an acquaintance serves to transmute the tedium of a railway jour- ney into the excitement of a tour of discovery. It causes the monotony of a drive through an ordinarily uninteresting country to be forgotten in the diversion of noting the wayside flowers, and counting a hundred different species where formerly less than a dozen would have been detected. It invests each boggy meadow and bit of rocky woodland with almost irresistible charm. Viii TREPACE 1O THE FIRST EDITION Surely Sir John Lubbock is right in maintaining that ‘‘ those who love nature can never be dull,’’ provided that love be ex- pressed by an intelligent interest rather than by a purely senti- mental rapture. The ‘‘ Flower Descriptions’’ should be consulted 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 illustra- tions. The aim in the drawings has been to help the reader to identify the flowers described in the text, and to this end they are presented as simply as possible, with no attempt at artistic arrangement or grouping. We desire to express our thanks to Miss Harriet Procter, of Cincinnati, for her assistance and encouragement. Acknowledg- ment of their kind help is also due to Mrs. Seth Doane, of Orleans, Mass., and to Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riverdale, N. Y. To Dr. N. L. Britton, of Columbia College, we are in- debted for permission to work in the College Herbarium. NEw YORK, March 15, 1893. ix Berea hah m 1 ea fiey a oi iy Ne ire es ERR aed arr eee ga slbaeas te a Vee OLR cee ae ayy, we Yin pagel ne A Re ie Baws ‘id Hit itv A JENS 77 Yooh lids Bor fangs uy Ls i A ee o a4) Eh! | Pokey URATRPEL TE ts = Nes i= ny § | R . . 1 alt : : 4 AL - P Css ee ee - Ao 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. 2. Flowers so inconspicuous as generally to escape notice are usually omitted. 3. Rare flowers and escapes from gardens are usually omitted. 4. Those flowers are chosen for illustration which seem en- titled to prominence on account of their beauty, interest, or fre- quent occurrence. 5. Flowers which have less claim upon the general public than those chosen for illustration and full description, yet which are sufficiently common or conspicuous to arouse occasional curi- osity, are necessarily dismissed with as brief a description as seems compatible with their identification. In parts of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania and im 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 x HOW TO USE THE BOOK 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 posi- tion of a flower—blues, purples, and pinks shading so gradually one into another as to cause difference of opinion as to the color of a blossom among the most accurate. So if the object of our search is not found in the first section consulted, we must turn to that other one which seems most likely to include it. It has seemed best to place in the White section those flowers which are so faintly tinted with other colors as to give a white effect in the mass, or when seen at a distance. Some flowers are so green as to seem almost entitled to a section of their own, but if closely examined the green is found to be so diluted with white as to render them describable by the term greenish-white. A white flower veined with pink will also be described in the White section, unless its general effect should be so pink as to entitle it to a position in the pink section. Such a flower again as the Painted Cup is placed in the Red section because its floral leaves are so red that probably none but the botanist would appreciat xii HOW TO USE THE BOOK that the actual flowers were yellow. Flowers which fail to sug: gest any definite color are relegated to the Miscellaneous section. With the description of each flower is given— 1. Itscommon 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 botan- lit HOW TO USE THE BOOK ical 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 rec- ommended. ‘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, and it is interesting to note that these wayside plants may usually be classed among the foreign population. They have been brought to us from Europe in ballast and in loads of grain, and invariably follow in the wake of civilization. Many of our most beautiful native flowers have been crowded out of the hospitable roadside by these aggressive, irresistible, and mis- chievous invaders; for Mr. Burroughs points out that nearly all of our troublesome weeds are emigrants from Europe. We must go to the more remote woods and fields if we wish really to know our native plants. Swamps especially offer an eagerly sought asylum to our shy and lovely wild flowers. xiv XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. LIST OF PLATES Colored Plates are marked with *. . *BLoop-Roort, . RUE ANEMONE, Woop ANEMONE, STAR-FLOWER, . Sf ERTIES. « CRINKLE-ROOT, . MAY-APPLE, . EARLY SAXIFRAGE, . MITRE-WORT, . *LARGER WHITE eee UM, SPIKENARD, . FALSE SOLOMON’S Sea . MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM, . ARROW-WOOD, Sah oe . ROUND-LEAVED DOGWOOD, RED-OSIER DOGWOOD, . “HAWTHORN, . WHITE BANEBERRY, . BUNCH-BERRY, . *BUCKBEAN, . WATER ARUM, MOUNTAIN LAUREL, AMERICAN RHODODENDRON, WHITE SwaMP HONEY- SUCKLE, Ora tee eee, LABRADOR TEA, . SHIN-LEAF, . PIPSISSEWA, WINTERGREEN, NEW JERSEY TEA, THIMBLE-WEED, XV Sanguinaria Canadensis, . Anemonella thalictroides, . Anemone nemorosa, . Trientalis Americana, . Maianthemum Canadense, Pyxidanthera barbulatia, Dentaria diphylla, Podophylium peltatum, Saxifraga Virginiensis, Mitella diphylla, Trillium grandifiorum, Aralia racemosa, Smilacina racemosa, Viburnum acerifolium, Viburnum dentatum, Cornus circinata, Cornus stolonifera, Crategas coccinea, Actea alba, Cornus Canadensis, Menyanthes trifoliata, . Calla palustris, Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron Maximum, Rhododendron viscosum, Vaccinium stamineum, Ledum latifolium, Pyrola elliptica, ‘ Chimaphila umbellata, Gaultheria procumbens, Ceanothus Americanus, Anemone Virginiana, . PLATE XXXI. XXXII. XXXITI. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. RAXVI. XXXVIII. XXXIX. AL. XCEL SLA; AT. EY. EY. LVI. XLVIL: XLVIII. LEX. . RAGGED Bind Ox eu, . MARSH MARIGOLD, . SPICE Busu, i.e LLow ee S LXI. LXII. LXIII. LXIV. LXV. LXVI. LXVII. LXVIII. LIST OF PLATES BLACK COHOSH, *PARTRIDGE VINE, BuTTON BusH, POKEWEED, . MEADOW-SWEET, *THREE-TOOTHED Gives FOIL, RATTLESNAKE ae TAIN, SWEET PEPPERBUSH, . WILD BALSAM-APPLE, TRAVELLER’S JOY, . TURTLE-HEAD, *WHITE HEATH ASTER, . *POINTED-LEAVED ASTER, BONESET, . WHITE eco LADIES’ TRESSES, GRASS OF PARNASSUS, CARRION-FLOWER, Poison Ivy, TONGUE, . *Woop BETonY, . SOLOMON’S SEAL, . BELLWORT, . *CYNTHIA, . GOLDEN RAGWORT, ix, INDIAN CUCUMBER ROOT, *VELLOW LADY’s SLIPPER, RATTLESNAKE-WEED, . *ROUGH HAWKWEED, COMMON CINQUEFOIL, YELLOW AVENS, BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE, FOUR-LEAVED LOOSE- STRIFE, . YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE, XV1 Cimicifuga racemosa, Mitchella repens, Cephatlanthus occidentalis, Phytolacca decandra, Spirea salictfolia, Potentilla tridentata, Goodyera pubescens, Clethra alnifolia, Echinocystis lobata, Clematis Virginiana, Chelone glabra, Aster ericotdes, Aster acuminatus, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Eupatorium ageratoides, Spiranthes cernua, Parnassia Caroliniana, Smilax herbacea, Rhus Toxicodendron, Habenaria lacera, Caltha palustris, Lindera Benzoin, Erythronium Americanum, Pedicularis Canadensis, Polygonatum biflorum, Oakesia sessilifolia, . Uvularia perfoliata, Krigia Virginica, Clintonia borealis, Senecio aureus, Medeola Virginiana, Cypripedium pubescens, Hlieracium venosum, Hieractum scabrum, Potentilla Canadensis, . Geum strictum, Diervilla trifida, Lysimachia quadrifolia, Lysimachia stricta, . PLATE LXIX. LXX. LXXI. LXXII. LXXIII. LXXIV. LXXV. LX XVI. LXXVII. LXXVIII. LXXIX. LX XX. LXXXI. LXXXII. LXXXIII. LXXXIV. LXXXV. LXXXVI. LXXXVII. LXXXVIII. LXXXIX. mC; ml. CITI. XCIII. XCIV. XCV. XCVI. XCVII. XCVIII. XCIX. c iE Cir. LIST OF PLATES *MEADOW LILY, . *HORNED BLADDERWORT, COMMON ST. JOHN’Ss- WO Brg dre hie) > a COMMON MULLEIN, MoTH MULLEIN, AGRIMONY, , PALE JEWEL-WEED, EVENING PRIMROSE, ELECAMPANE, . *WILD SUNFLOWER, SURE TECH he Carney is LARGER BuR MARIGOLD, SILVER-ROD, SMOOTH FALSE GLOVE, *WITCH HAZEL, . TRAILING ARBUTUS, TWIN-FLOWER, *SPRING BEAUTY, *SHOWY ORCHIS, % WILD PINK, : PINK LADy’s SLIPPER, PALE CORYDALIS, PINK AZALEA, , *FRINGED POLYGALA, . FRINGED POLYGALA, MILKWORT, MILKWORT, SHEEP LAUREL, . *SHOwyY LADY’s SLIPPER, *ADDER’S MOUTH, . AMERICAN CRANBERRY, % Fox- SPREADING DOGBANE, . PURPLE-F LOWERING RASPBERRY, *PHILADELPHIA FLEA- BANE, HERB ROBERT, xvii PAGE Stetronema ciliatun, 157 Lilium Canadense, . 160 Utricularia cornuta, . . 162 Hypericum perforatum, 165 Verbascum Thapsus, 167 Verbascum Blattaria, 169 Agrimonia Eupatoria, . 173 Impatiens pallida, 175 (Enothera biennis, 179 Inula Helenium, 181 Helianthus giganteus, . 182 Bidens frondosa, 183 Bidens chrysanthemoides, . 185 Solidago bicolor, . 189 Gerardia querctfolia, . IgI Hamamelis Virginiana, -) 592 Epigea repens, » 107 Linnea borealts, “f TOF Claytonia Virginica, . 198 Orchis spectabilts, . 200 Rhododendron Rhodora, s 202 Silene Pennsylvanica, . $1203 Cypripedium acaule, Frontispiece Corydalis glauca, i 2207 Rhododendron nudifiorum, . 209 Polygatla paucifolia, 2EO Polygala pauctfolia, . 211 Polygala polygama, 7 rare Polygata sanguinea, ee Kalmia angustifolia, «(283 Cypripedium spectabile, ee Pogonia ophioglossoides, ate Vaccinium macrocarpon, « 217 Calopogon pulchellus, pete A pocynum androsemifolium, 219 Rubus odoratus, .« . ame Erigeron Philadelphicus, . . 222 Geranium Robertianum, » 225 PLATE CHI. CIV. CV. CVI. CVII. CVITT: CIX. CX. CXI. CXII. CXIII. CXIV. CXV. CXVI. CXVII. CXVIII. CXIX. CXX. CXXI. CXXII. CXXIII. CXXIV. CXXV. CXXVI. CXXVII. CXXVIII. CX XIX. CXXX. CXXXI. CXXXII. CXXXIII. CXXXIV. CXXXV. CXXXVI. CXXXVII. CXXXVIII. CXX XIX. CXL. CXLI. LIST OF PLATES MOUNTAIN FRINGE, FIREWEED, STEEPLE BusH, *PINK KNOTWEED, . PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE, . MEADOW-BEAUTY, *LARGE SEA PINK, . RosE MALLow, . *MuskK MALLow, MARSH St. JOHN’s- WORT, Tick TREFOIL, BOUNCING BET, . PURPLE GERARDIA, . JOE-PYE-WEED, *WILD COLUMBINE, WAKE ROBIN, *PAINTED Cup, . *PITCHER PLANT, Woop LILY, . TuRK’s Cap’ Lity,.. BUTTERFLY-WEED, TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE, *CARDINAL FLOWER, LIVERWORT, *BIRD-FOOT VIOLET, *Doc VIOLET, BEVETS yooh 2 WILD GERANIUM SEULE-CAP.) toot agave *COMMON SPEEDWELL, WILD LUPINE, *PURPLE FRINGED ORCHIS, . SELF-HEAL, *ARETHUSA, BLUE VETCH,. *PEPPERMINT, BLUEWEED, *PICKEREL-WEED, *HAREBELL, XViii Adlumia cirrhosa, : Epilobium angustifolium, . Spirea tomentosa, . Polygonum Pennsylvanicum, Lythrum Salicaria, Rhexia Virginica, Sabbatia chloroides, . Hibiscus Moscheutos, Malva moschata, Elodes campanulata, Desmodium Canadense, Saponaria officinalis, Gerardia purpurea, . Eupatorium purpureum, Aquilegia Canadensis, Trillium erectum, Castilleia coceinea, . Sarracenia purpurea, . Lilium Philadelphicum, Lilium superbum, Asclepias tuberosa, . Lonicera sempervirens, Lobelia cardinalis, . Flepatica triloba, Viola pedata, . Viola canina ; burgit, floustonia cerulea, . Geranium maculatum, Scutellaria galericulata, Veronica officinalis, Lupinus perennis, Habenaria fimbriata, Brunella vulgaris, . Arethusa bulbosa, Vicia Cracca, Mentha Piperita, Echium vulgare, Pontedaria cardata, ; Campanula rotundifolia, . PAGE 5 aay »/ Gar - eae 234 . a5 27 . 238 ! . 241 « 242 - 243 - 245 - 247 - 249 :255 - 254 - 257 . 258 . 260 ZOE . 263 - “205 - 267 . 268 . 278 gh ee eee var. Muhlen- - 274 - 275 - 299 .. 283 . 284 . 287 . 288 . 289 . 290 - 295 . 296 - 297 - 298 . 298 PLATE CXLII. CXLITI. CXLIV. CXLV. CXLVI. CXLVII. CXLVIII. CXLIX. CL; CLI. CLI. CLIII. ELLY. CLV. CLVI. CLVII. CLVIII. LEST..OF PLATES NIGHTSHADE, SEA LAVENDER, HoG PEANUT, CHIGORI 2.4) Ad. ce. NEW ENGLAND ASTER, *BLUE-woop ASTER, . *NeEw YorRK ASTER, . IRON-WEED, . *BLAZING STAR, *CLOSED GENTIAN, *FRINGED GENTIAN, SKUNK CABBAGE, WILD GINGER, . JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, . *LILY-LEAVED LIPaRIS, . BEECHDROPS, WiiEpY BEAN () iyo hs! us XIX Solanum Dulcamara, . Statice Caroliniana, Amphicarpea monoica, Cichorium Intybus, . Aster Nove Anglia, Aster cordifolius, Aster Novi Belgit, . Vernonia Noveboracensts, . Liatris scariosa, . Gentiana Andrewsit, Gentiana crinita, Symplocarpus fetidus, . Asarum Canadense, Arisema triphyllum, Liparis lilitfolia, Lpiphegus Virginiana, Apios tuberosa, . PAGE 1301 >| 306 ~ 307 . 309 eke . 314 ~ lek ge i BO . 318 . 320 32s 2°25 Ree . 328 “1329 ga8 ‘‘ MosT young people find botany a dull study. So it is, as taught from the text-books in the schools; but study it yourself in the fields and woods, and you will find it a source of perennial delight.” JOHN BURROUGHS. HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER UNTIL a comparatively recent period the interest in plants centred largely in the medicinal properties, and sometimes in the supernatural powers, which were attributed to them. ‘*—O who can tell The hidden power of herbes and might of magick spell ?—” sang Spenser in the ‘‘ Faerie Queene; ’’ and to this day the names of many of our wayside plants bear witness, not alone to the healing properties which their owners were supposed to possess, but also to the firm hold which the so-called ‘ doctrine of sig- natures ’’’ had upon the superstitious mind of the public. In an early work on ‘‘ The Art of Simpling,’’ by one William Coles, we read as follows: ‘‘ Yet the mercy of God which is over all his works, maketh-Grasse to grow upon the Mountains and Herbes for the use of men, and hath not only stamped upon them a dis- tinct forme, but also given them particular signatures, whereby a man may read, even in legible characters, the use of them.’’ Our hepatica or liver-leaf, owes both its generic and English titles to its leaves, which suggested the form of the organ after which the plant is named, and caused it to be considered ‘‘a sovereign remedy against the heat and inflammation of the pve. e Although his once-renowned system of classification has since been discarded on account of its artificial character, it is probably to Linnzeus that the honor is due of having raised the “Lyte. XXi1 HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS study of plants to a rank which had never before been accorded it. The Swedish naturalist contrived to inspire his disciples with an enthusiasm, and to invest the flowers with a charm and personality which awakened a wide-spread interest in the sub- ject. It is only since his day that the unscientific nature-lover, wandering through those woods and fields where ‘wide around, the marriage of the plants Is sweetly solemnized—” has marvelled to find the same laws in vogue in the floral as in the animal world. To Darwin we owe our knowledge of the significance of color, form, and fragrance in flowers. These subjects have been widely discussed during the last twenty-five years, because of their close connection with the theory of natural selection; they have also been more or less enlarged upon in modern text-books. Nevertheless, it seems wiser to repeat what is perhaps already known to the reader, and to allude to some of the interesting theories connected with these topics, rather than to incur the risk of obscurity by omitting all explanation of facts and deductions to which it is frequently necessary to refer. It is agreed that the object of a flower’s life is the making of seed, z.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. xxxi) are the fertilizing organs. These pro- duce the powdery, quickening material called pollen, in little sacs which are borne at the tips of their slender stalks. The pistil (p. xxxii) is the seed-bearing organ. ‘The pollen- grains which are deposited on its roughened summit throw out minute tubes which penetrate the style, reaching the little ovules in the ovary below, and quickening them into life. These two kinds of organs can easily be distinguished in any large, simple, complete flower (p. xxx). The pollen of the sta- mens, and the ovules which line the base of the pistil, can also be detected with the aid of an ordinary magnifying-glass. xxii INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER Now, we have been shown that nature apparently prefers that the pistil ofa 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—cata- pult fashion—several small invaders into the very heart of the little territory. A battalion of silky-tufted seeds from the cracked pods of the milkweed float downward and take lazy possession of the soil, while the heavy rains wash into their im- mediate vicinity those of the violet from the overhanging bank. The hooked fruit of the stick-tight is finally brushed from the hair of some exasperated animal by the jagged branches of the neighboring thicket and is deposited on the disputed ground, while a bird passing just overhead drops earthward the seed of the partridge berry. The ammunition of the witch-hazel, too, is shot into the midst of this growing colony ; to say nothing of a myriad more little squatters that are wafted or washed or dropped or flung upon this one bit of earth, which is thus trans- formed into a bloodless battle-ground, and which is incapable of yielding nourishment to one-half or one-tenth or even one hun- dredth of these tiny strugglers for life! So, to avoid diminishing the vigor of their progeny by se//- Jertilization (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 XXxiii HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS 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, occa- sionally by birds, and that sometimes it is blown to them by the winds. Ingenious devices are resorted to in order to secure these desirable results. Many flowers make themselves useful to the insect world by secreting somewhere within their dainty cups little glands of honey, or, more properly speaking, nectar, for honey is the result of the bees’ work. This nectar is highly prized by the insects, and is in many cases the only object which attracts them to the flowers, although sometimes the pollen, which Darwin believes to have been the only inducement offered formerly, is sought as well. But of course this nectar fails to induce visits unless the bee’s attention is first attracted to the blossom, and it is tempted to explore the premises ; and we now observe the interesting fact that those flowers which depend upon insect-agency for their pollen, usually advertise their whereabouts by wearing bright colors or by exhaling fragrance. It will also be noticed that a flower sufficiently conspicuous to arrest attention by its ap- pearance alone is rarely fragrant. When, attracted by either of these significant characteristics— color or fragrance—the bee alights upon the blossom, it is some- times guided to the very spot where the nectar lies hidden by markings of some vivid color. ‘Thrusting its head into the heart of the flower for the purpose of extracting the secret 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 Xxiv INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 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 in- sects for their pollen contrive to make themselves noticeable by wearing white or pale yellow—red, blue, and pink being with difficulty detected in the darkness. They, too, frequently in- dicate their presence by exhaling perfume, which in many cases increases in intensity as the night falls and a clew 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. Linnzus invented a famous ‘‘ flower-clock,’’ which indicated the hours of the day by the closing of different flowers. This habit of closing has been called the ‘‘ sleep of flowers.”’ There is one far from pleasing class of flowers which entices insect-visitors—not by attractive colors and alluring fragrance— but ‘* by deceiving flies through their resemblance to putrid meat —imitating the lurid appearance as well as the noisome smell of carrion.’’* Our common carrion-flower (Plate XLVIII), 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 * Grant Allen. XXV HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS 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 in- sects by their irregular forms. The fringed or otherwise con- spicuous lip and long nectar-bearing spur of many orchids point to their probable dependence upon insect agency for perpetua- tion ; while the papilionaceous blossoms of the Pulse family also betray interesting adaptations for cross-fertilization by the same means. Indeed it is believed that irregularity of form is rarely conspicuous in a blossom that is not visited by insects. The position of a nodding flower, like the harebell, protects its pollen and nectar from the rain and dew; while the hairs in the throat of many blossoms answer the same purpose and ex- clude useless insects as well. Another class of flowers which calls for special mention is that which is dependent upon the wind for its pollen. It is interest- ing to observe that this group expends little effort in useless adornment. ‘‘The wind bloweth where it listeth’’ and takes no note of form or color. So here we find those ‘«Wan flowers without a name,”’ which, unheeded, line the way-side. ‘The-common plantain of the country 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 co- rolla.’’ Fragrance and nectar as well are usually denied these sombre blossoms. Such is the occasional economy of that at times most reckless of all spendthrifts—nature ! Some plants—certain violets and the jewel-weeds among others—bear small inconspicuous blossoms which depend upon no outside agency for fertilization. ‘These never open, thus XXVi INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 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 cletstogamous 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 allow- ing the seeds to escape uninjured into the earth at some conven- iently remote spot. Then one would like to pause long enough to note the slow movements of the climbing plants and the uncanny ways of the insect-devourers. At our very feet lie wonders for whose eluci- dation a lifetime would be far too short. Yet if we study for ourselves the mysteries of the flowers, and, when daunted, seek their interpretation in those devoted students who have made this task part of their life-work, we may hope finally to attain at least a partial insight into those charmed lives which find ‘*__tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything.” XXVli EXPLANATION OF TERMS THE comprehension of the flower descriptions and of the opening chapters will be facilitated by the reading of the fol- lowing explanation of terms. For words or expressions other than those which are included in this section, the Index of Technical Terms at the end of the book should be consulted. The Root of a plant is the part which grows downward into the ground and absorbs nourishment from the soil. ‘True roots bear nothing besides root-branches or rootlets. ‘¢ The Stem is the axis of the plant, the part which bears all the other organs.’’ (Gray.) A Rootstock is a creeping stem which grows beneath the surface of the earth. (See Blood-root and Solomon’s Seal. Pls. I. and LV.) A Tuber is a thickened end of a rootstock, bearing buds, —‘‘ eyes,’’—on its sides. The common Potato is a familiar ex- ample of a tuber, being a portion of the stem of the potato plant. A Corm is a short, thick, fleshy underground stem which sends off roots from its lower face. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit, PAGE.) 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. CXXVI.). A Scape is the leafless flower-stalk of a stemless plant. (See Liver-leaf, Pl. CX XVI.) XXViii EXPLANATION OF TERMS An Entire Leaf is one the edge of which is not cut or lobed in any way. (See Rhododendron, Pl. XXII., and Closed Gen- tian, Pl. CLI.) A Simple Leaf is one which is not divided into leaflets ; its edges may be either lobed or entire. (See Rhododendron, PI. MXIT. ; also Fig. 1.) Fig. 1. Fig. 3. A Compound Leaf is one which is divided into leaflets, as in Wild Rose, Pink Clover, and Travellers’ Joy (Pl. XL. ; also Pigs 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. When leaves or flowers are arranged in a circle around the stem they are said to be Whorled, orto forma Whorl. (See Ind- ian Cucumber-root, Pl. LX; Four-leaved Loosestrife, Pl. LX VII.) 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. CXXV.; Shin-leaf, PI. XXVI.) A Corymb is the same as a raceme, except that it is flat and broad, a raceme becoming a Corymb if the stalks of its XXI1X HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS lower flowers are lengthened while those of the upper remain shorter. 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. CXXIII.). 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. A close, circular flower-cluster, like that of Pink Clover or Dandelion is called a Head. (Sunflower, Pl. LX XIX.) A flower-cluster along the lengthened axis of which the flowers are sessile or closely set is called a Spike. (Mullein, Pl. LXXIII.) A Spadix is a fleshy spike or head, with small and often im- perfect flowers, as in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Skunk Cabbage (Pls. CLV. and CLIII. ; also Fig. 4). Fig. 5. Fig. 6. A Spathe is the peculiar leaf-like bract which usually en- velops a spadix. (See Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Skunk Cabbage, Pls. CLV, and CLIII. ; also Fig. 5.) A Bract is a leaf belonging to or subtending a flower-cluster or a flower. It differs from the ordinary leaves usually in shape or size, sometimes in texture and color. ‘The flower of an orchid is always subtended by a bract. (See Adder’s Mouth, PI. XCVII.) Involucre is the name given to the circle or spiral collection of bracts around a flower-cluster. (See Wild Sunflower, Pl. XXX EXPLANATION OF TERMS LXXIX., where the involucre surrounds what is probably con- sidered a single flower, but what is actually a cluster of ray- and disk-flowers ; also bunch-berry, Pl. XVIII.; where the involucre consists of the four showy white leaves which are usually supposed to be petals, while the greenish centre is actually a cluster of in- conspicuous flowers. ) 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 aplant 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 CFis./6, C): When the corolla is divided into separate leaves, these leaves are called Petals. We can look upon calyx and corolla as the natural tapestry which protects the delicate organs of the flower, and serves as well, in many cases, to attract the attention of passing insects. In some flowers only one of these two parts is present ; in such a case the single cup or set of floral leaves is generally considered to be the calyx. The floral leaves may be spoken of collectively as the Peri- anth. This word is used especially in describing members of families where there might be difficulty in deciding as to whether the single set of floral leaves present should be considered calyx orcorolla (see Lilies, Pls. LXX. and CXXI.); or where the petals and sepals can only be distinguished with difficulty, as with the Orchids. The Stamens (Fig. 7) are the fertilizing organs of the flower. XXxi HOW TO KNOW THE Wie es 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 Fig 7. minute tubes which penetrate to the little ovules of the ovary and cause them to ripen into seeds. A flower which has neither stamens nor pistils is described as Neutral. A flower with only one kind of these organs is termed Uni- sexual. A Male or Staminate flower is one with stamens but without pistils. . A Female or Pistillate flower is one with pistils but without stamens. The Fruit of a plant is the ripened seed-vessel or seed-vessels, including the parts which are intimately connected with it or them. XXXii NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES ALTHOUGH the great majority of plant families can only be distinguished by a combination of characteristics which are too obscure to obtain any general recognition, there are some few instances where these family traits are sufficiently conspicuous to be of great assistance in the ready identification of flowers. If, for instance, we recognize at sight a papilionaceous blos- som and know that such an one only occurs in the Pulse family, we save the time and energy which might otherwise have been expended on the comparison of a newly found blossom of this character with the descriptions of flowers of a different lineage. Consequently it has seemed wise briefly to describe the marked features of such important families as generally admit of easy identification. Composite Family.—It is fortunate for the amateur botanist that the plant family which usually secures the quickest recog- nition should also be the largest in the world. The members of the Composite family attract attention in every quarter of the globe, and make themselves evident from early spring till late autumn, but more especially with us during the latter season. The most notable 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. XXXiii HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS These heads vary greatly in size and appearance. At times they are large and solitary, as in the dandelion. Again they are small and clustered, as in the yarrow. 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 tudular-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 vay-flowers are strap- shaped. The flower-heads of the well-known asters and golden rods are composed of both ray and disk-flowers also; but while the ray-flowers of the aster, like those of the daisy, wear a dif- ferent color from the yellow disk-flowers, both kinds are yellow in the golden rod. If the dandelion or the chicory (Pl. CXLV.) is studied as an example of a head which is composed entirely of strap-shaped blossoms ; the common thistle or the stick-tight (Pl. LXXX.) as an example of one which is made up of tubular-shaped blos- soms ; and the daisy or the sun-flower (Pl. LX XIX.) as an example of one which combines ray and disk-flowers—as the strap-shaped and tubular blossoms are called when both are present—there need be little difficulty in the after recognition of a member of this family. The identification of a particular species or even genus will be a less simple matter ; the former being a task which has been known to tax the patience of even advanced botanists. Mr. Grant Allen believes that the Composites largely owe their universal sway to their ‘‘ co-operative system.’’ He says: ‘If we look close into the Daisy we see that its centre com- prises.a whole mass of little yellow bells, each of which consists of corolla, stamens, and pistil. The insect which alights on the head can take his fill in a leisurely way, without moving from his standing-place ; and meanwhile he is proving a good ally of the plant by fertilizing one after another of its numerous ovaries. Each tiny bell by itself would prove too inconspicuous to attract much attention from the passing bee; but union is strength for XXXiV NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES 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 unsur- passed facilities for globe-trotting. Our roadsides every autumn are lined with tall golden-rods, whose brown velvety clusters are compossed of masses of tiny seeds whose downy sails are set for their aérial voyage; with asters, whose myriad flower-heads are transformed into little puff-balls which are awaiting disso- lution by the November winds, and with others of the tribe whose hooked seeds win a less ethereal but equally effective transportation. Parsley Family.—The most familiar representative of the Parsley family is the wild carrot (p.go), 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 (p. 133). This family can usually be recognized by the arrangement of its minute flowers in umbels, which umbels are again so clustered as to form a compound umbel whose radiating stalks suggest the ribs of an umbrella, and give this Order its Latin name of Umbeliifere. A close examination of the tiny flowers which compose these umbrella-like clusters discovers that each one has five white or yellow petals, five stamens, and a two-styled pistil. Some- times the calyx shows five minute teeth. The leaves are usually divided into leaflets or segments which are often much toothed or incised. The Parsleys are largely distinguished from one another by differences in their fruit, which can only be detected with the aid of a microscope. It is hoped, however, that the more com- XXXV HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS mon 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 com- mon wood and field flowers. ‘The majority of its members are easily distinguished by those irregular, butterfly-shaped blos- soms which are described as papzlionaceous. ‘The sweet pea is a familiar example of such a flower, and a study of its curious structure renders easy the after-identification of a papilionaceous blossom, even if it be as small as one of the many which make up the head of the common pink clover. The calyx of such a flower is of five more or less—and some- times unequally—united sepals. The corolla consists of five irregular petals, the upper one of which is generally wrapped about the others in bud, while it spreads or turns backward in flower. ‘This petal is called the standard. ‘The two side petals are called wigs. ‘The two lower ones are usually somewhat united and form a sort of pouch which encloses the stamens and style; this is called the see/, from a fancied likeness to the prow of an ancient vessel. ‘There are usually ten stamens and one pistil. These flowers are peculiarly adapted to cross-fertilization through insect agency, although one might imagine the con- trary to be the case from the relative positions of stamens and pistil. In the pea-blossom, for example, the hairy portion of the style receives the pollen from the early maturing stamens. The weight of a visiting bee projects the stigma and the polien- laden style against the insect’s body. But it must be observed that in this action the stigma first brushes against the bee, while the pollen-laden style touches him later, with the result that the bee soon flies to another flower on whose fresh stigma the de- tached pollen is left, while a new cargo of this valuable material is unconsciously secured, and the same process is indefinitely re- peated. Mint Family.—A member of the Mint family usually exhales an aromatic fragrance which aids us to place it correctly. If to XXXVi NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES 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 Oswego tea (p. 264). 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, and wild radish. (See Crinkle-root, Pl. V.) Its members may be recognized by their alternate leaves, their biting, harmless juice, and by their white, yellow, or pur- plish flowers, the structure of which at once betrays the family to which they belong. The calyx of these flowers is divided into four sepals. The four petals are placed opposite each other in pairs, their spread- ing blades forming a cross which gives the Order its Latin name Crucifere. There are usually six stamens, two of which are in- serted lower down than the others. The single pistil becomes in fruita pod. Many of the Mustards are difficult of identifica- tion without a careful examination of their pods and seeds. Orchis Family.—To the minds of many the term orchid only suggests a tropical air-plant, which is rendered conspicuous either by its beauty or by its unusual and noticeable structure. This impression is, perhaps, partly due to the rude print in some old text-book which endeared itself to our childish minds by those startling and extravagant illustrations which are re- XXXVii HOW TO KNOW THE WILD FLOWERS sponsible for so many shattered illusions in later life ; and partly to the various exhibitions of flowers in which only the exotic members of this family are displayed. Consequently, when the dull clusters of the ragged fringed orchids, 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 uninitated 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 ap- prehended ; for many seem to hold it a righteous principle to cherish even a delusion till it be replaced by a belief which af- fords an equal amount of satisfaction. It is simpler to describe an orchid as a tropical air-plant which apes the appearance of an insect and never roots in the ground than it is to master by patient study and observation the various characteristics which so combine in such a plant as to make it finally recognizable and describable. Unfortunately, too, the enumeration of these un- sensational details does not appeal to the popular mind, and so fails to win by its accuracy the place already occupied by the in- correct but pleasing conception of an orchid. For the benefit of those who wish to be able correctly to 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 XXXVIlil NOTABLE PLANT FAMILIES 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 4%, 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 modi- fication by means of insect-selection. In the heart of the flower is the co/umn ; this is usually com- posed of the stamen (of two in the Cyfripediums), which is con- fluent with the s¢y/e or thick, fleshy stigma. ‘The two cells of the anther are placed on either side of and somewhat above the stigma; these cells hold the two pollen masses. Darwin tells us that the flower of an orchid originally con- sisted of fifteen different parts, three petals, three sepals, six stamens, and three pistils. He shows traces of all these parts in the modern orchid. XXXixX & a é A 7 aa i re "4 eet 1{@ mad hope Bah ee i 7 He We bey 68% Payee (APY he) AE) Ge a an ae, ie TS ie ye Ark to. Pe ae Sy dalelynr eG 8: Ny) vii di a ne * Ft h 7 c : i wes ws: Hg . 44 (>, pe ‘, iA ip ar o, OR OUP See 8 RY MO VMN Poe Wa eae Ue via ‘a - peevER DESCRIPTIONS “A fresh footpath, a fresh flower, a fresh delight” RICHARD JEFFERIES I WHITE {White or occasionally White Flowers not described in White Section. ] Liverwort. efatica triloba. April and May. (Blue and Purple Section, p. 270.) Trailing Arbutus. Zfig@a repens. April and May. (Pink Section, p. 195.) White Adder’s Tongue. Lrythronium albidum. April and May. = (Yellow Section, p. 126.) Bluets. Houstonia cerulea. May and June. (Blue and Purple Section, p. 274.) Beard-Tongue. /entstemon pubescens and Pentstemon digitalis. June. (Blue and Purple Section, Pp. 290.) Wild Morning Glory. Convolvulus Americanus, Summer. (Pink Section, p. 223.) Moth Mullein. Verdascum Blattaria. Water Summer. (Yellow Section, p. 170.) Bouncing Bet. Safonaria officinalis. Later Summer. (Pink Section, p. 248.) NoTE.—Occasional white varieties of other flowers may be found. In this section also are placed flowers so pale as to give a white effect. I l WHITE BLOOD-ROOT. Sanguinaria Canadensis. Poppy Family. Rootstock.—Thick ; charged witha crimson juice. Scafe.—Naked ; one- flowered. Leaves.—Rounded; deeply lobed. //ower.—White ; terminal. Calyx.—Of two sepals falling early. Corvol/a.—Of eight to twelve snow- white petals. Stamens.—About twenty-four. /zstz/.—One; short. In early April the curled-up leaf of the blood-root, wrapped in its papery bracts, pushes its firm tip 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 the year can vie with this in spotless beauty. Its very transitoriness enhances its charm. The snowy petals fall from about their golden centre before one has had time to grow satiated with their perfection. Unless the rocky hillsides and wood-borders are jealously watched it may escape us altogether. One or two warm sunny days will hasten it to 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 as a decoration for their faces and toma- hawks. to PLATE | BLOOD-ROOT.—Sanguinaria Canadensis. WHITE ( 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. Ca/yx.—Five-cleft. Govo//a.—Of five rather long petals. Stamens.—Numerous; short. /zsti/s.—With five styles. Fruit.—Round; red; sweet and edible; ripening in June. Down in the boggy meadow, in early March, we can almost fancy that from beneath the solemn purple cowls of the skunk- cabbage brotherhood comes the joyful chorus— ‘*For lo, the winter is past!” but we chilly mortals still find the wind so frosty and the woods so unpromising that we return shivering to the fireside, and re- fuse 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, be- cause of the use made by the Indians of this fruit, which they gathered in great quantities, and, after much crushing and pounding, made into a sort of cake. WHITE WOOD ANEMONE. WIND-FLOWER. Anemone nemorosa. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Slender. Leaves.—Divided into delicate leaflets. Flower.— Solitary; white, pink, or purplish. Ca/yx.—Of from four to seven petal- like sepals. Covollas—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.” 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 be- cause of this superstition the flower was adopted as the emblem of illness by the Persians. Surely our delicate blossom is far re- moved from any suggestion of disease or unwholesomeness, seem- ing instead to hold the very essence of spring and purity in its quivering cup. PLATE Il WOOD ANEMONE.—A nemone nemorosa. RUE ANEMONE.—A nemonella thalictroides. WHITE RUE ANEMONE. Anemonella thalictroides. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Six to twelve inches high. Leaves.—Divided into rounded leaf- lets. owers.—White or pinkish; clustered. Ca/yx.—Of five to ten petal- like sepals. Covo//a.—None. Stamens.—Numerous. /2sti/s.—Four to fif- teen. The rue anemone seems to linger especially about the spread- ing roots of old trees. It blossoms with the wood anemone, from which it differs in bearing its flowers in clusters. STAR-FLOWER. Trientalis Americana. Primrose Family. Stem.—Smooth; erect. Leaves.—Thin; pointed ; whorled at the summit of the stem. /V/owervs.—White; delicate; star-shaped. Ca/yx.— Generally seven-parted. Covo//a.—Generally seven-parted ; flat; spreading. S/amens, —Four or five. /zsti/.—One. Finding this delicate flower in the May woods, one is at once reminded of the anemone. ‘The whole effect of plant, leaf, and snow-white blossom is starry and pointed. ‘The frosted tapering petals distinguish it from the rounded blossoms of the wild straw- berry, near which it often grows. Matanthemum Canadense. Lily Family. Stem.—Three to six inches high; with two or three leaves. Leaves.— Lance-shaped to oval; heart-shaped at base. /Vlowevs.—White or straw- color; growing in a raceme. /eritanth.—Four-parted. Stamens.—Four. Pistil,—One, with a two-lobed sugma. /7uit.—A red berry, It seems unfair that this familiar and pretty little plant should be without any homely English name.* Its botanical title signi- fies <‘.Canada Mayflower,’’ but while undoubtedly it grows in Canada and flowers in May, the name is not a happy one, for it abounds as far south as North Carolina, and is not the first blos- som to be entitled ‘* Mayflower.’’ In late summer the red berries are often found in close prox- imity to the fruit of the shin-leaf and pipsissewa. * In parts of the country it is called ** Wild Lily of the Valley.” 6 PLATE Ill STAR FLOWER. —Trientalis Americana Fruit. Flower. Matanthemum Canadense. 7 WHITE GOLD THREAD. Coptis trifolia. Crowfoot Family. Scape.—Slender ; three to five inches high. Leaves.—Evergreen ; shin- ing; divided into three leaflets. //owers.—White; solitary. Calyx—Of five to seven petal-like sepals which fall early. Covo//a.—Of five to seven club-shaped petals. Stamens.—Fifteen to twenty-five. /zsti/s.—Three to seven. oot,—Of long, bright yellow fibres. This decorative little plant abundantly carpets the northern bogs and extends southward over the mountains. Its delicate flowers appear in May, but its shining, evergreen leaves are noticeable throughout the year. ‘The bright yellow thread-like roots give it its common name. EARLY EVERLASTING. PLANTAIN-LEAVED EVER- LASTING. Antennaria plantaginifolia. Composite Family. 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. /Vower-heads.—Crowded; clus- tered; small; yellowish-white; composed entirely of tubular flowers. In early spring the hillsides are whitened with this, the earli- est of the everlastings. CHOKEBERRY. Pyrus arbutifolia. Rose Family. A shrub from one to three feet high. Zeaves.—Oblong or somewhat lance-shaped ; finely toothed; downy beneath. /7/owers.—White or pink- ish; rather small; clustered. Ca/yx.—Five-cleft. Covo//a.—Of five petals. Stamens——Numerous. Pistil.—One, with two to five styles. Fruit.— Small, pear-shaped or globular, dark red or blackish. Among the earliest shrubs of the year to flower is the choke- berry. Its white or pink blossoms, despite their smaller size, indicate a close kinship to those of the apple-tree. They are found during the spring months in swamps and thickets, and 8 PLATE IV PYXIE.—Pyxidanthera barbulata. ee ee ee ae | aol Ae ; : , J é - 4 4 4 | gp aes ‘ pas . » ei) ge wa 1 , . ; i] an e 4 2 ’ ¥ : An a] v . iy ~ ' 4 5 7 ] . ~ ; fi - . - - - ‘ WHITE also on the mountain sides all along the Atlantic coast, as well as farther inland. The red or blackish fruit suggests superficially a huckleperrv. PYXIE. FLOWERING-MOSS. [Pl. IV Pyxidanthera barbulata. Order Diapensiacee. Siems,—Prostrate and creeping ; branching. Leaves.—Narrowly lance- shaped ; awl-pointed. /Vowers.— White or pink; small; numerous. Cadyx. —Of five sepals. Corol/la.—Five-lobed. Stamens.—Five. Pistil.—One, with a three-lobed stigma. In early spring we may look for the dainty white flowers of this delicate 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. [Pt. V Dentaria diphylla. Mustard Family. Rootstock.— Five to ten inches long; wrinkled; crisp; of a pleasant, pun- gent taste. Stem.—Leafiess below: bearing two leaves above. Leaves.— Divided into three toothed leaflets. A/owers.—White; inaterminal cluster. Calyx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Coro//a.—Of four petals. Stamens.— Six; two shorter than the others. /7st//.—One. /od.—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. TOOTHWORT. Dentaria laciniata. Mustard Family. Rootstock.—Tuberous ; sometimes more or less bead-like. S¢em-leaves.— Deeply parted; the divisions gash-toothed. //owers.— White or pink; in a terminal cluster; otherwise as in above, but usuaily appearing somewhat earlier in the spring. 9 WHITE SPRING-CRESS. Cardamine rhomboidea. Mustard Family. Rootstock.—Slender ; bearing small tubers. Stem.—From a tuberous base; upright; slender. Root-/eaves.—Round and often heart-shaped. Stem-leaves.—The lower rounded, the upper almost lance-shaped. //owers. —White ; large ; clustered. Ca/yx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Corol/la.— Of four petals. Stamens.—Six; two shorter than the others. Pzsti/.— One. Pod.—Flat; lance-shaped ; pointed with aslender 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. Scapes.—One to three inches high. Zeaves.—All from the root; oblong or lance-shaped. /Vlowers.—White ; with two-cleft petals; clustered. Calyx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Coro/la.—Of four petals. Stamens. —Six; two shorter than the others. /%st/.—One. 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. WATER-CRESS. Nasturtium officinale. Mustard Family. Leaves. —Divided into roundish segments. /7/owers.—White, clustered. Calyx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Covo//a.—-Of four petals, twice the length of the sepals. .S¢amens.—Six; two shorter than the others. Pestzd. —One. /od.— Linear. Aithough the water-cress is not a native of North America it has made itself so entirely at home in many of our streams that we hardly look upon it as a stranger. Whoever, after a long ramble through the woods on a summer morning, has plucked its fresh, pungent leaves from some sparkling stream and added them to his frugal sandwich, looks upon the little plant with a sense of famil- iar gratitude, which we rarely feel toward an alien. 10 PLATE V CRINKLE-ROOT.—Dentaria diphylla. | ef WHITE The name zasturtium, signifying twisted nose, is said to be given to this genus on account of the effect supposedly produced on the nose by eating the acrid leaves. SHEPHERD’S PURSE. Capsella Bursa-pastoris. Mustard Family. Stem.—Low ; branching. oot-leaves.—Clustered ; incised or toothed Stem-leaves.—Arrow-shaped; set close to the stem. //owers.—White,; clustered. Ca/yx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Covo//a.—Of four petals. Stamens.—Six; two shorter than the others. /7s///.—One. /Pod.—Tri- angular, 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. ROCK CRESS. Arabis hirsuta. Mustard Family. Erect; one to two feet high. Stem-deaves.—Oblong or lance-shaped ; sometimes toothed; partly clasping by a somewhat heart-shaped base. Flowers. —Small; greenish white; clustered. Ca/yx.—Ot four early-falling sepals. Coro/la.—Of four petals. S¢amens.—Six; two shorter than the others. istil.—One. ruit.—A long, narrow, flattened pod. During May and June in rocky places, especially northward, we find this flower in abundance. SMALL BITTER CRESS. Cardamine hirsuta. Mustard Family. “Stem.—Three inches to two feet high; springing from a spreading clus- ter of root-leaves. Zeaves.—Pinnate. //owers.—Small; white ; clustered. Calyx.—Of four early-falling sepals. Coro//a.—Of four petals. Stamens. —Six, two shorter than the others. /sé//.—One. od.—Linear, Very narrow ; erect or ascending. The small bitter cress is a plant found in flower from May to July. Its spreading cluster of pinnately divided root-leaves is specially noticeable near the rocky banks of streams. I2 PLATE VI MAY-APPLE.—Podophyllum peltatum. 13 WHITE MAY APPLE. MANDRAKE. [Pl. VI Podophyllum peltatum. Barberry Family. Flowering-stem.—Two-leaved ; one-flowered. /lowerless-stems.—Ter- minated by one large, rounded, much-lobed leaf. Leaves (of flowering- stems).—One-sided ; five to nine-lobed, the lobes oblong; the leaf-stalks fastened to their lower side near the inner edge. //ower.—White; large; nodding from the fork made by the twoleaves. Ca/yx.—Of six early-falling sepals. Coro//a.—Of six to nine rounded petals. Stamens.—Twice as many as the petals. /#st//.—One, with a large, thick stigma set close to the ovary. Fyvuit.—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, at times, 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-affects. 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. HARBINGER-OF-SPRING. PEPPER AND SALT Erigenia bulbosa. Stem.—Three to nine inches high; from a deep roundtuber. Leaves.— One or two; divided into linear-oblong leaf-segments. /Vowers.—White ; small; few; in a leafy-bracted compound umbel. 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 neighbor- hood of Washington, where its flowers appear as early as March, 14 -_— PLATE Vil - Y By v Yy 42 Y yy Mh 7 i is UY i rc, I, 7 ALY) Hy ones i | Me « Bow s ue = fe p J MN y] j I i My! Mf Nes y, Lp nd, EARLY SAXIFRAGE.—Saxifraga Virginiensis, 15 WHITE DUTCHMAN’S BREECHES. WHITE-HEARTS. Dicentra Cucullaria. Fumitory Family. Scape.—Slender. Leaves. —Thrice-compound. /owers.—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. S/amens.—Six, /zstil.—One. 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 con- tinuance of this species. ‘The generic name, Dcentra, is from the Greek and signifies ¢wo-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. EARLY SAXIFRAGE. . [Pl. VII Saxifraga Virginiensis. Saxifrage Family. Scape.—Four tonine inches high. Zeaves—Clustered at the root; some- what wedge-shaped; narrowed into a broad leaf-stalk. /Vowers.—White ; small; clustered. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Coro//a.—Of five petals. Stamens. —Ten. /%stil.—One, with two styles. In April we notice that the seams in the rocky cliffs and hill- sides begin to whiten with the blossoms of the early saxifrage. 16 PLATE Vill a, ; te Y ? \\ "> Fie BD) CEs €! > y <4 * % Fiower enlarged, MITRE-WORT.—Mitella diphylla. 17 WHITE Stetnbrech—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 disintegra- tion by its growth. ‘The generic and common names are from saxum—a rock, and frangere—to break. 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. /Vowers.—White; in a full raceme. Ca/yx.—Bell-shaped ; five- parted. Corvo//a.—Of five petals on claws. Stamens.—Ten ; long and slen- der. /isti/.—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 JZe/e//a or true mitre-wort. Its generic name is a diminutive from the Greek for ¢uréan, and is said to refer to the shape of the pistil. MITRE-WORT. BISHOP’S CAP. (Pl. VIII 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. /Vowers.— White; small; in a slender raceme. Calyx,— Short; five-cleft. Corvo//a.—Of five slender petals which are deeply incised. Stamens.—Ten; short. /2sti/,—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. LARGER WHITE TRILLIUM. Trillium grandifiorum, ily Family. Stem.—Stout ; from atuber-like root stock, Leaves. —Ovate ; three ina whorl, a short distance below the flower. /7ower.—Single ; terminal; large; white, turning pink or marked with green. Ca/yx.—Of three green, spread- ing sepals. Coro//a,—Of three long pointed petals. Stamens.—Six. P1s- 18 PLATE IX LARGER WHITE TRILLIUM.—77illium grandifiorum., a + i 1 7 ne r¢ “~ Pe 2,44 Po can J rT ed rye wa, omy Ws ie ; Ctra fo Paigls ; se. ae. ’ \ i’. q 7 i. Giie ; : il = "ee ae S-¢ ys ‘ * ‘ i - ' y Hw nar! : *) s ba ee E Bey) oS 7 ey ay) re S = | _ 7 @ | ANS) te ry L} * - “@ Nulf ’ 7 Jf a >. a * ‘ bal 7 7s ou se ‘Z — 7 aw . é 2 2 ee ‘ an tr oy Pe a Pe 7 ied | o- 7 a7 wage \ “sé é a 4 i : y Pai ' ; it a ’ 4 ~ ® 7 f > 4 a ve } : ® ; > : i : ? rie * 7 : * : id 7 - q iw ar a oan a Pose Ve 7 “ a. 2 -_- 4 -eh aS - Ve a = Ta a Fs ; eg) ‘ oat. . nt ie « * ‘ : . 5 ics = ¢ b ip h, ’ 4 y . * iy we pt 7 . , Pia eA i cn TA% * w, * - > A, J ; 4 , i 7, a = . ~ , . * oy x Cs r) x ¥ fi *, , me ; 7 7 nl ? he. ‘ 1 eo, : ie = tia oe ae é ‘ e sy ie > ie qi a ? , * - & é : i *y ry 7 : : ‘Aly MOP ITA CV WHITE tz/.—One, with three spreading stigmas. /vuzt.—A large ovate, somewhat angled, dark purple berry. This singularly beautiful flower is found during April and May. Its great white stars gleam from shaded wood borders or from the banks of swift-flowing streams. The nodding trillium, 7. cermuum, bears its smaller white or pinkish blossom in a manner which suggests the may apple, on a stalk so curved as sometimes quite to conceal the flower be- neath the leaves. This is a fragrant and attractive blossom, which may be found in the early year in moist shaded places. The painted trillium, 7. exythrocarpum, is also less large and showy than the great white trillium, but it is quite as pleasing. Its white petals are painted at their base with red stripes. This species is very plentiful in the Adirondack and Catskill Moun- tains. TWIN-LEAF. RHEUMATISM-ROOT. Jeffersonia diphylla. Barberry Family. A low plant. Zeaves.—From the root; long-stalked ; parted into two rounded leaflets. Scape.—One flowered. /lower.—White ; one inch broad, Sepals.—Four, falling early. Peta/s.—Eight ; flat, oblong. Stamens.— Eight. zstz/.—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. CHOKE-CHERRY. Prunus Virginiana. Rose Family. A shrub two to ten feet high. Zeaves.—Oval or oblong; abruptly pointed ; sharply toothed. //owers.—White, in erect or spreading racemes terminating leafy branches. Calyx.—Five cleft. Corol/a.—Of five spread- ing petals. Stamens.—Fifteen totwenty. /isti/—One. /ruit.—Round, red or almost black, in drooping clusters. In April or May, along the country lane where the oriole flashes in and out among the blossoms, and the blue-bird ‘‘ with the earth tinge on his breast and the sky tinge on his back,’’ 19 WHITE is resting on the fence rail, singing his simple song of joy in the perfect season, the long white flower-clusters of the choke- cherry arrest our attention. In August, or sometimes late in July, these same lanes are decorated by drooping clusters of the dark red acid fruit, well known to the country children, who perhaps gave the shrub its peculiar name. 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. /lowers.— Greenish-white ; in umbels. Ca/yx.—With short or obsolete teeth. Corolla. —Of five petals. Stamens.—Five. ruit.—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. 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. //owers.—White; in an umbel. Fruzt.— Yellowish; berry-like. oo¢.—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. 20 PLATE X A flower cluster. SPIKENARD.—A valia racemosa. 21 WHITE GINSENG. Aralia quinguefolia, Ginseng Family. Root.—Large and spindle-shaped; often forked. Stem.—About one foot high, Leaves.—Three in awhorl; divided into leaflets. //owers.—Green- ish-white; in a simple umbel, /7wz¢t,—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 /in-chen (from which ginseng is a corruption), and the Indian one of Garan-toguen, both which, strangely enough, are said to signify, “ke a man. ‘The Canadian Jesuits first began to ship the roots of the American species to China, where they sold at about five dollars a pound. At present they are said to com- mand about one-fifth of that price in the home market. SPIKENARD. [Pl. x Aralia racemosa. Ginseng Family. Root.—Large and aromatic. S¢em.—Often tall and widely branched, leafy. Leaves.—Large; divided into somewhat heart-shaped, toothed, and pointed leaflets. //owers.—Greenish-white; small; in clusters in early summer. /yvuit.—Dark purple, red, or black; berry-like. The spikenard is conspicuous chiefly in autumn, when its partially ripened clusters of glass-like fruit are sure to excite, by their rich beauty, the curiosity of the passer-by. BRISTLY SARSAPARILLA. Aralia hispida. Ginseng Family. Stem,.—One to two feet high; bristly, leafy, terminating in a stalk bear- ing several umbels of small white flowers. Leaves.—Divided into ovate or oval leaflets. //owers.—White, small, in roundish clusters. In June or July, in open, somewhat rocky or sandy places, the bristly sarsaparilla is conspicuous by reason of its pretty 22 WHITE rounded flower clusters. Later in the year its umbels of dark blue or purple fruit are even more noticeable than were the blossoms. CANADA VIOLET. Viola Canadensis, Violet Family. Stem.—Leafy; upright; one totwo feet high. Zeaves.—Heart-shaped ; pointed; toothed. /Yowers.—White, veined with purple, violet beneath, otherwise greatly resembling the common blue violet, We associate the violet with the early year, but I have found the delicate fragrant flowers of this species blossoming high up on the Catskill Mountains late into September ; and have known them to continue to appear in a New York city-garden into No- vember. ‘They are among the loveliest of the family, having a certain sprightly self-assertion which is peculiarly charming, per- haps because so unexpected. The tiny sweet white violet, V. d/andéa, with brown or pur- ple veins, which is found in nearly all low, wet, woody places in spring, is perhaps the only uniformly fragrant member of the family, and its scent, though sweet, is faint and elusive. The lance-leaved violet, V. lanceolata, is another white 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. CREEPING SNOWBERRY. Chiogenes serpyllifolia. Heath Family. Stem.—Slender; trailing and creeping. eaves.—Evergreen; small; ovate; pointed. /~owers.—Small; white; solitary from the axils of the leaves. Ca/yx.—Four-parted ; with four large bractlets beneath. Covodda. —Deeply four-parted. Stamens.—Eight. /Pisti/.—One. /yuit.—A pure white berry. One must look in May for the flower of this plant ; but it is late in the summer when the beautiful little creeper especially challenges our admiration. Studded with snow-white berries, it nearly covers some decaying log which has fallen into a lonely 27 WHITE Adirondack stream. Or else it thickly carpets the peat-bog where we are hunting cranberries, or brightens the moist mossy woods which earlier in the year were redolent with the breath of the twin-flower. Its aromatic flavor suggests the wintergreen and sweet irch. FALSE SOLOMON’S SEAL. Smilacina racemosa. Lily family. Stem —Usually curving; one to three feet long. Zeaves.—Oblong; veiny. /lowers.—Greenish-white; small; ina terminal raceme. Perianth. - -Six-parted. Stamens.—Six. Pistil—One. /ruit.—A pale red berry speckled with purple. A singular lack of imagination is betrayed in the common name of this plant. Despite a general resemblance to the true Solomon’s seal, and the close proximity in which the two are constantly found, S. racemosa has enough originality to deserve an individual title. The position of the much smaller flowers is markedly different. Instead of drooping beneath the stem they terminate it, having frequently a pleasant fragrance, while the berries of late summer are pale red, flecked with purple. It puz- zles one to understand why these two plants should so constantly be found growing side by side—so close at times that they al- most appear to spring from one point. ‘The generic name is from swz/ax, on account of a supposed resemblance between the leaves of this plant and those which belong to that genus. BLACK HAW. Viburnum prunifolium. Honeysuckle Family. A tall shrub or small tree. Zeaves.—Oval; finely and sharply toothed. Flowers.—White; small; in flat-topped clusters. Calyx —Five-toothed. Corolla, — Wheel-shaped; five-lobed. Stamens.—Five. /istil. — One. fruit.—Berry-like; oval; black, or with bluish bloom. In May one of the most beautiful and noticeable of our white-flowered shrubs or trees is the black haw. Its flat, circular flower-clusters are usually very perfect and spotless. They are massed abundantly along the country lanes. 24 PLATE X) Single flower. i\ \\\ it racemosa. tlacina FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL.— Sm 25 WHITE HOBBLE BUSH. AMERICAN WAYFARING-TREE. Viburnum lantanoides, Woneysuckle 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. //owers.— White; small; in flat-topped clusters; ap- pearing in April and May. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—As in above. Fruit.— Coral-red ;_ berry-like. The marginal flowers of the flat-topped clusters of the hob- ble-bush, like those of the hydrangea, are much larger than the inner ones, and usually are without either stamens or pistils ; their only part in the economy of the shrub being to form an attractive setting for the cluster, and thus to allure the insect visitors that are usually so necessary to the future well-being of the species. The shrub is a common one in our northern woods and moun- tains, its coral-red, berry-like fruit and brilliant leaves making it especially attractive in the later year. Its straggling growth, and the reclining branches which often take root in the ground, have suggested the popular names of hobble-bush and wayfaring- tree. MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM. DOCKMACKIE. Viburnum acerifolium. Honeysuckle Family. A shrub from three to six feet high. Leaves.—Somewhat three-lobed, resembling those of the maple; downy underneath. lowers. — White ; small; in flat-topped clusters. Ca/yx.—Five-toothed. Covol/la.—Spread- ing; five-lobed. Stamens.—Five. fistil.—One. Fruit.—Berry-like ; crimson turning purple. Our flowering shrubs contribute even more to the beauty of the June woods and fields than the smaller plants. The vibur- nums and dogwoods especially are conspicuous at this season, abundantly lining the roadsides with their snowy clusters. When the blossoms of the maple-leaved viburnum or dockmackie have passed away we need not be surprised if we are informed that this shrub is a young maple. ‘There is certainly a resem- blance between its leaves and those of the maple, as the specific 26 PLATE Xil re Ay oy alr oy mY (os -\Cp; J NY by is 6, y oh Were, Tt , Flower enlarged. MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM.—Vcburnum acerifolium. 27 WHITE 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 im- mediately christen the one in question with the same title— somewhat modified, perhaps—and in all probability his author- ity 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. WITHE-ROD. Viburnum cassinoides. Honeysuckle Family. A shrub five to twelve feet high. Leaves.—Ovate or oval, thick, smooth. Flowers. —White, muchas in above. /7w7z¢t.—First pink, then turning dark blue or blackish with a bloom. The withe-rod blossoms in early summer. ‘The first pink, then dark blue fruit, is noticeable and very decorative in August in wet or sandy places. ARROW-WOOD. Viburnum dentatum. Honeysuckle Family. A shrub from five to fifteen feet high. Zeaves.—Broadly egg-shaped ; sharply toothed; strongly veined. //owers.—White ; small; in flat-topped clusters. Calyx, etc.—As in above. /7uit.—Dark blue. This is a, not uncommon shrub in wet places. Its white flower-clusters are noticeable in June along the wooded roadsides. There are many other species of viburnums which are common in certain localities. Ifan analysis of the ower shows it to be- long to this genus, Gray’s ‘‘ Manual’’ should be consulted for further identification. 28 PLATE XIll Flower enlarged, ‘num dentatum, Vibur 2 ARROW-WOOD. 9g WHITE 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. Ca/yx.—Minutely four-toothed. Corol/a.—Ot four white, oblong, spreading petals. Stamens. —Four. fistil.—One. Fruzt.—Light blue; berry-like. The different members of the Dogwood family are important factors in the lovely pageant which delights our eyes along the country lanes every spring. Oddly enough, only the smallest and largest representative of the tribe (the little bunch-berry, and the flowering-dogwood, which is sometimes a tree of goodly dimensions), have in common the showy involucre which is usually taken for the blossom itself; but which instead only sur- rounds the close cluster of inconspicuous greenish flowers. The other members of the genus are all comprised in the shrubby dogwoods ; many of these are very similar in appear- ance, 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 bark of this genus has been considered a powerful tonic, and an extract entitled ‘‘ cornine,’’ is said to possess the proper- ties 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. ALTERNATE-LEAVED DOGWOOD. Cornus alternifolia. Dogwood Family. A shrub or tree eight to twenty-five feet high. Branches.—Greenish streaked with white. Zeaves.—Alternate; clustered at the ends of the branches; oval; long-pointed. lowers. —White; small; in broad, open clusters. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—As in above. /vruit.—Deep blue on red- dish stalks. In copses on the hillsides we find this shrub flowering in May or June. Its deep blue, red-stalked fruit is noticeable in late summer, 39 PLATE XIV Flower enlarged. ROUND-LEAVED DOGWOOD.—Cornus circinata, 31 WHITE PANICLED DOGWOOD. Cornus paniculata. Dogwood Family. A shrub four to eight feet high. ABrvanches.—Gray; smooth. Leaves.— Narrowly ovate; taper-pointed ; whitish but not downy beneath. Flowers. —White; small; in loose clusters. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—As in other dog- woods. /ruzt.— White. Along the banks of streams and in the thickets which mark the limits of the meadow we find this shrub in flower in June or early July. RED-OSIER DOGWOOD. Cornus stolonifera. Dogwood Family. A shrub from three to six feet high. ABranches (especially the young shoots).—Bright purplish-red. Leaves.—Ovate; rounded at base; short- pointed; roughish; whitish beneath. /Vowers.—White; small; in flat clusters. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—As in other dogwoods. /vruit.—White or lead-color. This is a common shrub in wet places, especially northward, flowering in June or early July; being easily identified through- out the year by its bright reddish branches, and after midsum- mer by its conspicuous lead-colored berries. BEARBERRY. Arctostaphylos Uva-urst. Heath Family. A trailing shrub. Leaves.—Thick and evergreen; smooth; somewhat wedge-shaped. //owers.—Whitish; clustered. Calyx.—Small. Corolla. —Urn-shaped; five-toothed. Stamens—Ten. fPistil.—One. Fruit.— Red; berry-like. This plant blossoms in May or June, and is found on rocky hillsides or in sandy soil. Its name refers to the relish with which bears-are supposed to devour its fruit. HAWTHORN. WHITE-THORN. Crategus coccinea. Rose Family. A shrub or small tree, with spreading branches, and stout thorns or spines. Zeaves.—On slender leaf-stalks; thin; rounded; toothed, some- times lobed. //owers.—White or sometimes reddish; rather large; clus- 32 PLATE XV pop, |nf! >! To! i= Prog his v6 ce = Ps " a s / AL eal 1} Flower enlarged, RED-OSIER DOGWOOD.—Cornus stolonifera. 33 WHITE tered; with a somewhat disagreeable odor. Ca/yx.—Urn-shaped;_five- cleft. Covo//a.—Of five, broad, rounded petals. Stamens.—Five to ten or many. /%sti/.—One with one to five styles. Avz¢.—Coral-red. The flowers of the white-thorn appear in spring, at the same time with those of many of the dogwoods. Its scarlet fruit gleams from the thicket in September. COCKSPUR THORN. Crategus Crus-galli. Rose Family. A shrub or low tree. Z7horns.—Smooth; slender; often four inches long. Leaves.—Thick; dark green; shining above; somewhat wedge- shaped; toothed above the middle; tapering into a very short leaf-stalk. Flowers.—White; fragrant; in clusters on short side branches. Cady, Corolla, etc.—As in above. Fyruit.—Globular; red, in late summer or autumn. The cockspur thorn flowers in June. Its red fruit, somewhat suggesting a crab-apple, is conspicuous throughout the autumn and winter. There are several other species of thorn, and if a flower be found which proves, on analysis, to belong to this genus, a reference to Gray’s ‘‘ Manual’’ will lead to its farther identifi- cation. BEACH PLUM. Prunus maritima. Rose Family. A low straggling shrub. JLeaves.—Ovate or oval, finely toothed. Flowers.—White , showy; clustered, appearing before the leaves. Calyx. —Five-lobed. Covolla.—Of five obovate petals. Stamens,—Numerous. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—Roundish, purple, with a bloom. During the months of April and May the flowers of the beach plum are conspicuous on the sand-hills of our coast. The fruit ripens in the fall. 34 PLATE XVI HAWTHORN.—Cvat@gus coccinea. nat cr er es ; Vil atl a ra ara pe he eee Ng aia Mi x LY : j en 4% ere Brit) Al Sea ooh ho ‘Ae gelalitaeiee a) ¥ it . 2 La | 5 a neve 7 . 119 \ : + Peat no) Nae i Se ul , Ry f t ‘ i* \ i ] ‘ ni F 4 7 ? ‘ n 4 f s ia , | = \ . + ‘ » 1 7 | 8 4 / ‘ K, Mt on 4 ait “ Py 7 [ ih aes : 2 She, iy | . ‘ j } ; i - E wi (7a t i i e d J . 1, . : é Me < i - J . - ‘ . , : ‘ ‘4 F, - ' > « AS - ' i . ¢ t7 \ a : * - - , 7S - i ‘as 5 ws A So Sees, ie » - , : 3 7 Abs on 4 i f - 7 ‘ - * ‘ F ; i \ ” r . Z — : = — . . ‘ ¥ “ \ Wiss A = wigs’ PLATE XVil WHITE BANEBERRY.—Acteza alba. és) WHITE MOUNTAIN HOLLY. Nemopanthes fascicularis. Holly Family. A much-branched shrub; with ash-gray bark. Zeaves.—Alternate; ob- long; smooth; on slender leaf-stalks. /Zlowers.—White; some perfect ; others unisexual ; solitary or clustered in the axils of the leaves on long, slender flower-stalks. Ca/yx.—Minute or obsolete. Covro//a.—Of four or five spreading petals. Stamens.—Four or five. /%sti/.—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. Wolly Family. A shrub, common in low grounds, Zeaves.—Oval or lance-shaped ; pointed at apex and base; toothed. Flowers.—White; some perfect, others unisexual; clustered on very short flower-stalks in the axil of the leaves; appearing in May or June. Calyx.—Minute. Corolla.—Of four to six petals. Stamzens.—Four to six. /rstil.—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, 7. ofaca, is closely re- lated to this shrub, whose generic name is the ancient Latin title for the holly-oak. WHITE BANEBERRY. [Pl. XVII Actea alba, Crowfoot Family. Stem.—About two feet high. Zeaves.—Twice or thrice-compound ; leaf- lets incised and sharply toothed. FZlowers.—Small; white; in a thick, ob- long, terminal raceme. Ca/yx.—Of four to five tiny sepals which fall as the flower expands. Corol/la.—Of four to ten small flat petals with slender claws. Stamens.—Numerous, with slender white filaments. zst//—One, 36 PLATE XViii os" Fruit. BUNCH-BERRY —Cornus Canadensis, a7 WHITE with a depressed, two-lobed stigma. /ruzt.—An oval white berry, with a dark spot, on a ¢hick red stalk, growing in a cluster, which is sometimes a very conspicuous feature of the woods of midsummer. 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 asomewhat more northern plant and usually blossoms a week or two earlier. Its cherry-red (occasionally white) berries on their s/ender stalks are easily dis- tinguished from the white ones of 4. a/éa,which look strikingly like the china eyes that small children occasionally manage to gouge from their dolls’ heads. RED-BERRIED ELDER. Sambucus racemosa. Honeysuckle Family. Stems.—W oody ; two to twelve feet high. Leaves.—Divided into leaflets. Flowers.—White ; resembling those of the common elder, but borne in py- ramidal instead of in flat-topped clusters. /ruit.—Bright red; berry-like. The white pyramids of this elder are found in the rocky woods of May. As early as June one is startled by the vivid clusters of brilliant fruit with which it gleams from its shadowy background. BUNCH-BERRY. DWARF CORNEL. (Pl. XVIII Cornus Canadensis. Dogwood Family. Stem.—Five to seven inches high. Leaves.—Ovate; pointed; the upper crowded into an apparent whorl of fourto six. /Vowers.—Greenish; small ; in acluster which is surrounded by a large and showy four-leaved, petal-like white or pinkish involucre. Ca/yx.—Minutely four-toothed. Corol/la.—Of four spreading petals. Stamens.—Four, /istil.—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 blos- 38 PLATE XIX BUCKBEAN .—Menyanthes trifoliata. WHITE som. 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. Occasionally the plant is found flowering also at this season, its white stars show- ing to peculiar advantage among the little clusters of coral-like fruit. 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. BUCKBEAN. (Plexi Menyanthes trifoliata. Gentian Family. Scape.—About one foot high. LZeaves.—Long stemmed; divided into three oblong leaflets. //owers.—White or reddish; clustered along the scape. Calyx.—Five-parted. Covolla.—Five-cleft; short funnel-form ; white; bearded on the upper surface. Stamens.—Five. /Pisti/.—One, with a two-lobed stigma. If luck favors us, in May or early June, we are tempted deep into the long grass of some treacherous swamp by the beautiful white flowers of the buckbean. ‘These grow about one foot above the ground, the white beards which fringe their upper sur- faces giving them a peculiarly delicate and feathery appearance. WILD CALLA. WATER ARUM. [Pl. XX Calla palustris, Arum Family. Leaves.—Long-stemmed; heart-shaped. Apparent Flower.—Large; white. Actual Flowers.—Small; greenish; packed about the oblong spadix. Although only eight or ten inches high, this plant is pecul- iarly striking as it rises from the rich soil of the swamp, or from the shallow borders of the stream. The broad smooth leaves at once remind one of its relationship to the so-called ‘‘ calla-lily ’’ 39 WHITE of the greenhouses, a native of the Cape of Good Hope; and the likeness is still more apparent in the white, petal-like (al- though flat and open) spathe which tops the scape; so that even one knowing nothing of botanical families would naturally chris- ten the plant ‘‘ wild calla.’’ The first sight of these white spathes gleaming across a wet meadow in June, and the closer inspection of the upright, vigorous little plants, make an event in the summer. None of our aquatics is more curious and inter- esting, more sturdy, yet dainty and pure, than the wild calla. LIZARD’S TAIL: Saururus cernuus. Pepper Family. Stem.—Jointed ; often tall. Leaves.—Alternate; heart-shaped. /Vowers. —White; without calyx or corolla; crowded into a slender, wand-like ter- minal spike which nods at the end. Stamens.—Usually six or seven. /2s- ti/s.—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 found occasionally 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. /AVowers.—White or yellowish ; in small loose clusters ; unisexual. Ca/yx.—Of four to eight sepals. Covolla.—Of six to eight short petals. Stamens and Pistils.—Oc- curring on different plants. /vuz¢t.—Berry-like; black, with a bloom. Clambering over the thickets which line the streams, we no- tice in September the lobed or angled leaves and black berries of the moonseed, the small white or yellowish flowers of which were, perhaps, overiooked in June. 40 PLATE Xx WZ WATER ARUM.—Calla palustris. 41 WHITE CLOUD-BERRY. BAKED APPLE BERRY. Rubus Chamemorus. Rose Family. Stem.—Low, simple. Leaves.—Two or three; roundish kidney-shaped ; usually somewhat five-lobed, finely toothed, wrinkled. /Vowerv.—Solitary ; white. Calyx. — Five-parted. Corolla.—Of five white obovate petals. Fruit.—A berry of a few reddish or amber-colored grains; edible. This quaint pretty little plant I have found springing from beds of golden brown sphagnum, on one of the Cranberry Isl- ands, off Mount Desert. Gray assigns it to the ‘‘ highest peaks of White Mountains, coast of eastern Maine, and north and west to the Arctic regions.’’ It is one of the plants which is found in Alaska, as well as along our own coast. COMMON BLACKBERRY. HIGH BLACKBERRY. Rubus villosus, Rose Family. A shrub one to six feet high, armed with stout prickles. Leaves, —Di- vided into three to five leaflets. //owe7vs.— With five-parted calyx; five petals; numerous stamens and pistils. 727¢.—Black. Though the common blackberry seems almost too well known to need description, yet occasionally its flowers arouse some doubt and curiosity in the mind of the wanderer along those country lanes, where its blossoming branches form so beautiful and luxuriant a border. RUNNING SWAMP BLACKBERRY. Rubus hispidus. Rose Family. Stems.—Slender ; creeping; beset with small, weak prickles. Leaves.— Divided into three, or rarely five, leaflets. /V/owers.—With five-parted calyx; five white petals; numerous stamens and pistils. /vui¢.—Nearly black when ripe, of few grains. Over the mosses in the swamp the running swamp blackberry trails its reddish stems with their thick, smooth, shining leaves, and in erly summer their white flowers. A few weeks later we 42 WHITE find the first, red, then blackish berries. It is a charming plant, and one is tempted to carry home, for decorative purposes, a few of its long lithe strands. LOW BLACKBERRY. DEWBERRY. Rubus Canadensis. Rose Family. A trailing shrub, armed with scattered prickles or nearly naked; branches erect or ascending. Zeaves.—Divided into three ovate or oval leaflets. Flowers.—With five-parted calyx ; five white petals ; numerous stamens and pistils. #7u7z¢.—Black, edible, delicious. The dewberry is found in dry ground, trailing along the roadside, or in dry, perhaps rocky fields. It ripens earlier than the common blackberry. MOUNTAIN LAUREL. SPOONWOOD. CALICO-BUSH. Kalmia latifolia. Heath Family. An evergreen shrub. Zeaves.—Oblong; pointed; shining; of a leath- ery texture. //owers.—White or pink; in terminal clusters. Calyx.— Five-parted. Covo//a.—Marked with red; wheel-shaped ; five-lobed ; with ten depressions. S¢amens.—Ten; each anther lodged in one of the depres- sions of the corolla, st//.—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 in- land, especially along the mountains, whose sides are often clothed with an apparent mantle of pink snow during the month of June, and whose waste places are, in very truth, made to blos- som like the rose at this season. The shrub is highly prized and carefully cultivated in Eng- land. Barewood Gardens, the beautiful home of the editor of 43 WHITE 4 the London Zimes, is celebrated for its fine specimens of moun- tain laurel and American rhododendron. ‘The English papers advertise the approach of the flowering season, the estate is thrown open to the public, and the people for miles around flock to see the radiant strangers from across the water. ‘The shrub is not known there as the laurel, but by its generic title, Ka/mza. The head gardener of the place received with some incredulity my statement that in parts of America the waste hill-sides were brilliant with its beauty every June. The ingenious contrivance of these flowers to secure cross- fertilization is most interesting. The long filaments of the sta- mens are arched by the fact that each anther is caught in a little pouch of the corolla ; the disturbance caused by the sudden alight- ing of an insect on the blossom, or the quick brush of a bee’s wing, dislodges the anthers from their niches, and the stamens spring upward with such violence that the pollen is jerked from its hid- ing-place in the pore of the anther-cell on to the body of the in- sect-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 nec- essary 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 sui- cidal purposes. There is also a popular belief that the flesh of a partridge which has fed upon its fruit becomes poisonous. ‘The clammy exudation about the flower-stalks and blossoms may serve the purpose of excluding from the flower such small insects as would otherwise crawl up to it, dislodge the stamens, scatter 44 PLATE XxX\ WOT OTA min i) 7 MOUNTAIN LAUREL.—Kalmia latifolia, 45 WHITE the pollen, and yet be unable to carry it to its proper destina- tion on the pistil of another flower. The Xa/mia was named by Linneeus 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 Ind- ians 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. AMERICAN RHODODENDRON. GREAT LAUREL. Rhododendron maximum. Ueath Family. A shrub from six to thirty-five feet high. Zeaves.—Thick and leathery ; oblong; entire. //owers.—White or pink; clustered. Calyx.—Minute ; five-toothed. Coro//a.—Somewhat bell-shaped; five-parted; greenish in the throat; with red, yellow, or green spots. Stamens.—Usually ten. Fistil.—One. This beautiful native shrub is one of the glories of our coun- try when in the perfection of its loveliness. The woods which nearly cover many of the mountains of our Eastern States hide from all but the bold explorer a radiant display during the early part of July. Then the lovely waxy flower-clusters of the Amer- ican rhododendron are in their fulness of beauty. As in the laurel, the clammy flower-stalks seem fitted to protect the blos- som from the depredations of small and useless insects, while the markings on the corolla attract the attention of the desirable bee. In those parts of the country where it flourishes most luxuri- antly, veritable rhododendron jungles, termed ‘‘ 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. 46 PLATE XxXii E — SS ee ‘ WN DAW NS ANS WN SSS f H i i} HHT WA ais EZ i RY) RY Nh Ni NN NAN Nw NINN NY i ‘ ANY XN SY TL Mh iv; fl aN AS 4 NN Mt his’ HE Q him Re lg y AMERICAN RHODODENDRON.—Rhododendron Maximum. 47 WHITE This honey is said to have been made from a rhododendron which is still common in Asia Minor, and which is believed to possess intoxicating and poisonous properties. Comparatively little attention had been paid to this superb flower until the Centennial Celebration at Philadelphia, when 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 vose-tree. WOOD SORREL. Oxalis Acetosella. Geranium Family. Scape.—One-flowered ; two to five inches high. Leaves.—Divided into three clover-like leaflets. Zower.—White, veined with red; solitary. Calyx. —Of five sepals. Covolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Ten. /istil.—One with five styles. Surely nowhere can be found a daintier carpeting than that made by the clover-like foliage of the wood sorrel, when studded with its rose-veined blossoms, in the northern woods of June. At the very name comes a vision of mossy nooks where the sun- light only comes on sufferance, piercing its difficult path through the tent-like foliage of the forest, resting only long enough to be- come a golden memory. The early Italian painters availed themselves of its chaste beauty. Mr. Ruskin says: ‘‘ Fra Angelico’s use of the Oxalis Acetosella is as faithful in representation as touching in feeling. The triple leaf of the plant and white flower stained purple prob- ably 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 48 PLATE XxXill Enon tie if! 2 2M fbr — —— Lop heey nya that cirty Fp ean bo pp | a PP) dy WHITE SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE.—Rhododendron viscosum. 49 WHITE 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 cfy of the cuckoo is first heard. 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. SWEET CICELY. Osmorrhiza longistylis, Parsley Family. One to three feet high. oot.—Thick ; aromatic; edible. Leaves.— Twice or thrice-compound. //owervs.—White; small; growing in a some- what flat-topped cluster. This is one of the earliest-flowering of the white Parsleys. Its roots 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 roof. WHITE SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE. CLAMMY AZALEA. Rhododendron viscosum. Heath Family. a as A shrub from three to ten feet high. Zeaves.—Oblong. /lowers.— White ; clustered; appearing after the leaves. Ca/yx-/obes.—Minute, Co- volla,—White; five-lobed; the clammy tube much longer than the lobes. Stamens.—Usually five; protruding. /s¢/,—One; protruding. The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful shrub appear in early summer along the swamps which skirt the coast, and occa- sionally farther inland. ‘The close family resemblance to the pink azalea (Pl. XCII.) 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,’’ hel @) he WHITE 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. 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. /Vowers.—White; two inches long ; growing singly at the ends of the branches. Ca/yx.—Of three sepals. Corolla. —Globular ; with from six to nine broad petals. Stamens.—Numer- ous; with short filaments andlong anthers. /%stz/s.— Many; packed so as to make a sort of cone in fruit. /vuzt.—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. This is one of the shrubs whose beauty bids fair to be its own undoing. The large flowers are sure to attract the attention of those ruthless destroyers who seem bent upon the final extermination of our most pleasing and character- istic plants. COMMON BLACK HUCKLEBERRY.* Gaylussacia resinosa. Heath Family. One to three feet high. Stems.—Shrubby; branching. Zeaves.—Oval or oblong; sprinkled more or less with waxy resinous atoms. //lowers.— White, reddish, or purplish; bell-shaped; growing in short, one-sided clus- ters. Calyx.—With five short teeth. Covo//a.—Bell-shaped, with a five- cleft border. Stamens.—Ten. /istil.—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. * There is a great similarity between many of the Heaths. For more accu- rate identification than can be here given, Gray’s Manual should be consulted, 51 WHITE DANGLEBERRY. Gaylussacia frondosa. Heath Family. A loosely branched shrub; from three to six feet high. Leaves.—Ob- long; blunt; pale beneath. //Zowers.—Much as in above, but borne in loose, slender clusters. /7wt.—A large blue berry with a whitish bloom ; sweet and edible. The dangleberry is found along the coast of New England and in the mountains farther south. It flowers in May or June. COMMON BLUEBERRY. Vaccinium corymbosum. Weath Family. A tall shrub (from five to ten feet high). /VZowers.—White or reddish ; very similar to those in above (Gay/zssacia), but borne in short clusters ; ap- pearing in spring or earlysummer. /77z¢.—A sweet edible berry; blue or black, with a bloom; in late summer. The common blueberry is found in swamps and low thickets. LOW BLUEBERRIES. Vaccinium. Ueath Family. Six inches to three feet high. //owervs.—White or reddish-white ; ap- pearing in spring or early summer. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—As in other mem- bers of this genus. /7zz¢.—A large blue berry ; sweet. The low blueberries usually ripen in July or August. They are found on dry hills from New Jersey northward, being espe- cially abundant in New England. SQUAW HUCKLEBERRY. Vaccinium stamineum.—Heath Family. Two or three feet high. Stems.—Diffusely branched. /lowers.— Greenish-white or purplish ; suggesting somewhat those of the blueberry and huckleberry, but noticeable especially for their protruding stamens. /7z7t. —A globular or pear-shaped, few-seeded berry. This large greenish or yellowish berry is hardly edible. The pretty, fragrant flowers appear in June, and are easily recognized by their protruding stamens. ‘The leaves are pale green above and whitish underneath. 52 PLATE XXIV Fruit. SQUAW HUCKLEBERRY .—Vaccinium stamineum. 53 WHITE BOG BILBERRY. Vaccinium uliginosum. Neath Family. Low; spreading; tufted; from four inches to two feet high. Leaves.— Oblong; pale; not toothed. //owers.—White or reddish; solitary, or two or three together, set close tothe stem. Coro//a.—Usually four-toothed ; short; urn-shaped. /7zt.—A sweet berry; black with a bloom. The bog bilberry is found blossoming in early summer on the high mountain-tops of New England and New York, also farther west and northward. MARSH ANDROMEDA. Andromeda polifolia. Ueath Family. An evergreen shrub from six to eighteen inches high. Leaves.—Thick ; long and narrow; smooth; with rolled edges; dark green above, white beneath. /lowers.—White or pinkish; crowded in drooping clusters at the ends of the branches. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Coro//a.—Five-toothed, urn-shaped. Stamens.—Ten. /2sti/.—one. This pretty evergreen is found in boggy places from Pennsy]- vania and New Jersey northward, flowering in June. It was named Andromeda by Linnzeus because he found it ‘‘ always fixed on some little turfy hillock in the midst of the swamps, as Andromeda herself was chained to a rock in the sea.’’ Before expansion the flowers are usually bright red. STAGGER-BUSH. | Andromeda Mariana. Heath Family. Two to four feet high. Zeaves.—Thin; oblong. //owers.—White or reddish. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—Much as in above. The nodding flowers of the stagger-bush appear in early sum- mer. They are clustered on leafless shoots or branches, and are usually in low, dry places, from Rhode Island southward. The English name refers to the supposition that the foliage is poison ous to sheep. 54 PLATE XXV LABRADOR TEA.—Ledmm latifolium. ’ WHITE Leucothoé racemosa. Heath Family. Four to ten feet high. Leaves.—Narrowly oblong; acute. Flowers.— White and fragrant. Calyx, Corolla, etc.—Much as in above. In moist thickets, usually near the coast, we find in May and June the long, dense, usually erect, one-sided flower-clusters of the Leucothoé. LEATHER-LEAF. Cassandra calyculata. Heath Family. A much-branched shrub from two to four feet high. Leaves.—Oblong ; nearly evergreen ; leathery and shining above; rusty beneath. //lowers.— White; in the axils of the small upper leaves, forming one-sided, leafy clus- ters which are less dense than those of the Leucothoé. In April or May the leather-leaf is found flowering in wet places. Cassiope hypnoides. Heath Family. One to four inches high. Stems.—Tufted; procumbent. eaves.— Needle-shaped ; evergreen. _/owers—White or rose-colored; solitary ; nodding from erect, slender stalks. Ca/yx.—Of four or five sepals. Co- volla.—Deeply four or five cleft. Stamens.—Eight or ten. /P%st//.—One. This pretty moss-like little plant is found on the mountain summits of New York and New England. Its delicate nodding flowers usually appear in June. LABRADOR TEA. (Pl. XXV Ledum latifolium. Weath Family. An erect shrub from one to three feet high. Zeaves.—Thickly clothed beneath with arusty wool ; edges rolled; narrowly oblong. /VZowers.—White, small ; in clusters at the ends of the branches. Calyx.—Very small ; five- toothed. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Five or ten. Pisti/.—One. The dense woolliness which clothes the lower side of the leaves of Labrador tea easily identifies it. It is found upon the mountains, and in boggy places, from Pennsylvania north and westward. 55 WHITE ONE-FLOWERED PYROLA. Moneses grandiflora. Weath Family. Scape.—Two to four inches high. Zeaves.—Rounded; thin; veiny; toothed ; from the roots. //owev.—White or rose-colored; solitary; half an inch broad. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla.—Of five rounded widely spreading petals. Stamens.—Ten. /isti/.—One ; protruding ; with a large five-rayed stigma. This lovely little plant is found in flower in the deep pine woods of June or July. It has all the grace and delicacy of its kinsman, the shin-leaf and pipsissewa, but, if possible, is even more daintily captivating. The generic name is from two Greek words signifying szzgle and delight, in reference to the ‘‘beauty which is a joy’’ of the solitary flower, and betraying the always pleasing fact that the scientist who christened it was fully alive to its peculiar charm. SHIN-LEAF. Pyrola elliptica. Heath Family. Scape.—Upright ; scaly ; terminating in a many-flowered raceme. Leaves. —From the root; thin and dull; somewhat oval. /Vowers.—White ; nod- ding. Calyx.—Five-parted. Covolla.—Of five rounded, concave petals. Stamens.—Ten. fistil.—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. It is the tallest of the genus, its scape standing, at times, one foot 56 PLATE XxXVI ‘ j U i i) SQ A aN } Se, i SESS SS x ' WSS Ss 88 A) ( SSS MA } Ny f RX Y \ Yi 4 SHIN-LEAF.—Pyvola elliptica. 57 WHITE above the ground. This species exhibits several varieties with rose-colored flowers. The smallest member of the group, P. secunda, is only from three to six inches high. Its numerous small, greenish flowers are turned to one side, and are scarcely nodding. ‘They are clustered in spike-like fashion along the scape. P. minor can be distinguished from all other Pyrolas by the short style which does not protrude from the globular blossom. This is a retiring little plant which is only found in our northern woods and mountains. Many of these flowers are fragrant. PIPSISSE WA: PRINCE'S PINE: Chimaphila umbellata. Weath Family. Stem.—Four to ten inches high; leafy. Leaves.—Somewhat whorled or scattered ; evergreen ; lance-shaped; with sharply toothed edges. Flowers. —White or pinkish : fragrant; in a loose terminal cluster. Calyx.—Five- lobed. Corol/la.—With five rounded, widely spreading petals. Stamens.— Ten, with violet anthers %sti/.—One ; with a short top-shaped style and disk-like stigma. When strolling through the woods in summer one is apt to chance upon great patches of these deliciously fragrant and pretty flowers. The little plant, with its shining evergreen foliage, flourishes abundantly among decaying leaves in sandy soil, and puts forth its dainty blossoms late in June. It is one of the lat- est of the fragile wood-flowers which are so charming in the ear- lier year, and which have already begun to surrender in favor of their hardier, more self-assertive brethren of the fields and road- sides. The common name, pipsissewa, is evidently of Indian origin, and perhaps refers to the strengthening properties which the red men ascribed to it. SPOTTED PIPSISSEWA. Chimaphila maculata. Heath Family. The spotted pipsissewa blossoms a little Jater than its twin. sister. Its slightly toothed leaves are conspicuously marked with white. 58 PLATE XXViII Ra \. 8 WGA SA S XG <4! WQY Wea, LYON We PIPSISSEWA.—Chimaphila umbellata. 59 WHITE WHITE DAISY. WHITE-WEED. OX-EYED DAISY. Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. Composite Family. 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 ‘* white-weed,’’ as he calls it, is hurtful to pasture land and dif- ficult 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 five 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. Stem.—Stout; from three to five feet high; branched; hairy. Zeaves.— Coarsely and sharply toothed; the lowest ovate, the upper narrower. Flow2r-heads.—Small; clustered; composed of both ray and disk-flowers, the former white, purplish, or pinkish, the latter yellow. During the summer months the fields and waysides are whi- tened with these very common flowers which look somewhat like small white daisies or asters. Another common species is &. 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 60 PLATE XXVIII Fruit. WINTERGREEN.—Gaultheria procumbens. 61 WHITE 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 in- sects. They were formerly hung in country cottages for the purpose of excluding such unpleasant intruders. WINTERGREEN. CHECKERBERRY. MOUNTAIN TEA. (Pl. XXVIII Gaultheria procumbens. Heath Family. Stem.—Three,to six inches high; slender; leafy atthe summit. Leaves. —Oval; shining; evergreen. /owers.—White, growing from the axils of the leaves. Ca/yx.—Five-lobed. Coro//a.—Urn-shaped; with five small teeth. Stamens.—Ten, /istil.—One. Fruit.—aA 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. INDIAN PIPE. CORPSE-PLANT. GHOST-FLOWER. Monotropa uniflora. Ueath Family. A low fieshy herb from three to eight inches high; without green foli age; of a wax-like appearance; with colorless bracts in the place of leaves Flower.—White or pinkish; single; terminal; nodding. Ca/yx.—Of two to four bract-like scales. Corv//a.—Of four or five wedge-shaped petals. Stamens.—Eight or ten; with yellow anthers. /ist/.—One, with a disk- like, four or five-rayed stigma. ‘**In shining groups, each stem a pearly ray, Weird flecks of light within the shadowed wood, They dwell aloof, a spotless sisterhood. No Angelus, except the wild bird’s lay, 62 WHITE Awakes these forest nuns; yet, night and day, Their heads are bent, as if in prayerful mood. A touch will mar their snow, and tempests rude Defile; but in the mist fresh blossoms stray From spirit-gardens, just beyond our ken. Each year we seek their virgin haunts, to look Upon new loveliness, and watch again Their shy devotions near the singing brook ; Then, mingling in the dizzy stir of men, Forget the vows made in that cloistered nook.” * 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. MAYWEED. CHAMOMILE. Anthemis Cotula. Composite Family. Stem.—PBranching. eaves.—Finely dissected. Flower-heads. —Com- posed of white ray and yellow disk-flowers, resembling the common white daisy. In midsummer the pretty daisy-like blossoms of this strong- scented plant are massed along the roadsides. So nearly a counterpart of the common daisy do they appear that they are constantly mistaken for that flower. The smaller heads, with the yellow disk-flowers crowded upon a receptable 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. * Mary Thacher Higginson. 63 WHITE NEW JERSEY TEA. RED-ROOT. Ceanothus Americanus. Buckthorn Family. Root.—Dark red. Stem.—Shrubby; oneto three feet high. lowers.— White; small; clustered. Calyx.—White; petal-like; five-lobed; in- curved. Corol/a.—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.—Alter- nate; oblong; pale. A/owers.—Greenish-white; small; clustered. Calyx. —Bell or urn-shaped; five-cleft. Covolla.—None. Stamens:—Five; in- serted on the edge of a disk which lines the calyx, to the middle of which the anthers are connected by a tuft of thread-like hairs. /zsti/.—One; slender. /vuz¢t.—Nut-like; crowned by the lobes of the calyx. In May or June we often find masses of these little flowers in the dry, open woods. ‘The root of the bastard toadflax forms parasitic attachments to the roots of trees. WHITE SWEET CLOVER. WHITE MELILOT. Melilotus alba. Pulse Family. Stem.—Two to four feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into three-toothed leaflets. /lowers.—Papilionaceous; white; growing in spike-like racemes. Like its yellow sister, JZ. officinalis, this plant is found blos- soming along the roadsides throughout thesummer. The flowers are said to serve as flavoring in Gruyeére cheese, snuff, and smok- ing-tobacco, and to act like camphor when packed with furs to preserve them from moths, besides imparting a pleasant fra- grance. 64 PLATE XXIxX NEW JERSEY TEA.—Ceanothus Americanus. 65 WHITE WATERLEAF. Hydrophyllum Virginicum. Waterleaf Family. One to two feet high. Leaves.—Divided into five to seven oblong, pointed, toothed divisions. //owers.—White or purplish; in one-sided ra- ceme-like clusters which are usually coiled from the apex when young. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla.—Five-cleft ; bell-shaped. Stamens.—Five ; protruding. /zs¢z/.—One. This plant is found flowering in summer in the rich woods. ENCHANTER’S NIGHTSHADE. Circea Lutetiana. Evening Primrose Family. Stem.—One or two feet high. Leaves.—Opposite; thin; ovate; slight- ly toothed. lowers.—Dull white ; small; growing ina raceme. Calyx.— Two-lobed. Corolla.—Of two petals. Stamens—Two. /istil.—One. Fruit.——Small; bur-like; bristly with hooked hairs. 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. Alfina is a smaller, less common species, which is found along the mountains and in deep woods. Both species are bur- dened with the singularly inappropriate name of enchanter’s nightshade. There is nothing in their appearance to suggest an enchanter or any of the nightshades. It seems, however, that the name of a plant called after the enchantress Circe, and de- scribed by Dioscorides nearly two thousand years ago, was acci- dentally transferred to this unpretentious genus. MOUNTAIN SANDWORT. MOUNTAIN STARWORT. Arenaria Groenlandica. Pink Family. Stems.—Densly tufted, two to four inches high. Zeaves.—Linear, scat- tered above, matted below. /Vowers.—White. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Corolla. —Of five entire or slightly notched petals. Stamens.—Ten. Pesti/ —One, with three styles. This little plant is usually associated with some rocky moun- tain summit from whose crevices the slender tufted stems and 66 WHITE pretty white flowers spring in dainty contrast to their rugged surroundings. But occasionally the mountain sandwort is found in the lowlands close to the river bank, or on the rocks that rise from the sea. BROAD-LEAVED SANDWORT. Arenaria laterifiora. Pink Family. Four to six inches high. Zeaves.—Thin; oval or oblong. Flowers.— White, their parts sometimes in fours. The broad-leaved sandwort abounds in moist places along the seashore in parts of the country. Its little white flowers gleam- ing through the grasses are almost too small to be noticed by the unobservant pedestrian. FIELD CHICKWEED. Cerastium arvense. Pink Family. Four to eight inches high. Sztems.—Slender. Zeaves.—Linear or nar rowly lance-shaped. /lowers.—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. /%st77.—One, with as many styles as there are sepals. This is one of the most noticeable of the chickweeds. Its starry flowers are found in dry or rocky places, blossoming from May till July. The common chickweed, which besets damp places every~ where, is Szel/arta media ; this is much used as food for song- birds. The long-leaved stitchwort, S. Zongtfolia, 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. 67 WHITE THIMBLE-WEED. Anemone Virginiana. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Two or three feet high. Zeaves.—Twice or thrice cleft, the divisions again toothed or cleft. /owers.—Greenish or sometimes white ; borne on long, upright flower-stalks. Ca/yx.—Of five sepals. Covrolla.— None. Stamens and Pistils.—Indefinite in number. These greenish flowers, which may be found in the woods and meadows throughout the summer, are chiefly striking by reason of their long, erect flower-stalks. The oblong, thimble-like fruit- head, which is very noticeable in the later year, gives to the plant its common name. LONG-FRUITED ANEMONE. Anemone cylindrica, Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Slender ; about two feet high; silky-haired. lowers.—Greenish white; much as in above. /7vwzt-head.—Cylindrical, about one inch long. The long-fruited anemone flowers in the dry woods of May. Anemone Pennsylvanica. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Hairy. Flowers.—White; rather large; otherwise much as in above. /vruzt-head.—Spherical. This plant really is another of the thimble-weeds, and when in flower it is by far the prettiest and most noticeable of the group. Its white blossoms mass themselves along the waysides in early summer. 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. Covol/a.—Usually four-parted; wheel- shaped. Stamens.—Usually four. Prsti/.—One withtwostyles. Fruit.— Globular; bristly, with hooked prickles ; separating when ripe into two parts. This plant may be found in wooded or shady places through- out the continent. Its flowers, which appear in summer, are 68 PLATE XXX THIMBLE-WEED,.—A nesmone Virginiana., 69 WHITE rather inconspicuous, one’s attention being chiefly attracted by its many whorls of slender leaves. SMALL BEDSTRAW. Galium trifidum. Madder Family. Stems. —Weak ; five to twenty inches high; rough. Zeaves.—In whorls of four tosix. /Vlowers.—White; small; one to seven in acluster. Calyx- teeth.—Obsolete. Covolla.—Three or four-parted. Stamens,—Three or four. /zstil.—One, with two styles. /7vuzt.—Globular; smooth; sepa- rating when ripe into two parts. Very common in wet places is the small bedstraw. From its relative, cleavers or goose-grass, it may be distinguished by its smooth fruit, and by the number of leaves in a whorl. ROUGH BEDSTRAW. Galium asprellum. Madder Family. Stem.—Much branched ; rough with crooked prickles ; leaning on bushes ; three to four feet high. Leaves.—In whorls of four to six; with almost prickly margins; sharply-pointed at tip; oval. /~/owervs.—As in small bed- straw. This larger bedstraw is common and noticeable in New Eng- land, as well as farther south and west. All three species of Ga- Zium are conspicuous chiefly on account of their pretty foliage. BLACK COHOSH. BUGBANE. BLACK SNAKEROOT. Cimicifuga racemosa. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Three to eight feet high. Zeaves.—Divided, the leaflets toothed or incised. lowers.—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. /2s¢//s.—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 7O PLATE XXX! BLACK COHOSH.—Cimicifuga racemosa. ry WHITE 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 czmex—a bug, and fugare —to drive away. CULVER’S ROOT. Veronica Virginica. Figwort Family. Stem.—Straight and tall; from two to six feet high. Zeaves.—Whorled; lance-shaped ; finely toothed. /Vowers.—White; small; growing in slender clustered spikes. Ca/yx.—Irregularly four or five-toothed. Covo//a.—Four or five-lobed. Stamens.—Two; protruding. /7sti/.—One. The tall straight stems of the culver’s root lift their slender spikes in midsummer to a height that seems strangely at variance with the habit of this genus. The small flowers, however, at once betray their kinship with the speedwells. Although it is, perhaps, a little late to look for the white wands of the black cohosh, the two plants might easily be confused in the distance, as they have much the same aspect and seek alike the cool re- cesses of the woods. ‘This same species grows in Japan and was introduced into English gardens nearly two hundred years ago. It is one of the many Indian remedies which were adopted by our forefathers. PARTRIDGE VINE. Mitchella repens. Madder Family. Stems.—Smooth and trailing. Zeaves.—Rounded; evergreen; veined with white. //owers.—White or pinkish; fragrant; in pairs. Calyx.— Four-toothed. Corol/a.—Funnel-form, with four spreading lobes ; bearded within. Stamens.—Four. /istil,—One, its ovary united with that of its sister flower; its four stigmas linear. At all times of the year this little evergreen plant fulfils its mission of adorning that small portion of the earth to which it 72 PLATE XXxIl WHITE 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 isanear relative of the dainty bluets or Quaker ladies, and has the same pecul- larity of dimorphous flowers (p. 274). COMMON ELDER. Sambucus Canadensis. Honeysuckle Family. Stems.—Scarcely woody; five to ten feet high. Leaves.—Divided into toothed leaflets. /owers.—White; small; in flat-topped clusters. Calyx. —Lobes minuteornone. Covol/a.—With five spreading lobes. Stamens.— Five. isti/.—One, with three stigmas. /ruzt.—Dark-purple. The common elder borders the lanes and streams with its spreading flower-clusters in early summer, and in the later year is noticeable for the dark berries from which ‘‘ elderberry wine ’”’ is brewed by the country people. The fine white wood is easily cut and is used for skewers and pegs. A decoction of the leaves serves the gardener a good purpose in protecting delicate plants from caterpillars. Evelyn wrote of it: ‘‘ If the medicinal prop- erties of the leaves, berries, bark, etc., were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our countrymen could ail for which he might not fetch from every hedge, whether from sickness or wound.”’ The white pith can easily be removed from the stems, hence the old English name of bore-wood. 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. 73 WHITE 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 clustered cup-shaped involucres are usually taken for the petals of the flower ; only the botanist suspecting that the minute organs with- in 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, we are told that it has been recently naturalized in Massachusetts, It blossoms from July till October. GREAT BURNET Poterium Canadense. Rose Family. One to six feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into numerous ovate or oblong leaflets. Flowers. —White; small. Calyx.—White; corolla-like, four- lobed. Corolla.—None. Stamens.—Four, long-exserted, club-shaped, white. Pistil.—One. A conspicuous midsummer arrival in many of our wet mead- ows, more especially perhaps in those near the sea, is the great burnet. This is a tall showy plant, with foliage suggestive of the Rose family to which it belongs, and long-stalked spikes of feathery white flowers, the lower ones opening first, leaving the upper part of the spike in bud. These flowers owe their feath- ery appearance to the long white stamens, of which each blossom seems chiefly to consist, the four petal-like lobes of the calyx fall- ing early, and the pistil being inconspicuous. 74 PLATE XXxXiii Flower. BUTTON-BUSH —Cephalanthus occidentalis, 75 WHITE BUTTON-BUSH. [Pl. XXXIII Cephalanthus occidentalis. Madder Family. A shrub three to eight feet high. Zeaves.—Opposite or whorled in threes; somewhat oblong and pointed. //owers.—Small; white; closely crowded in round button-like heads. Ca/yx.—Four-toothed. Coro/la.— Four-toothed. Stamens.—Four. /isti/.—One, with a thread-like protrud- ing style and blunt stigma. This pretty shrub borders the streams and swamps throughout the country. Its button-like flower-clusters appear in midsum- mer. It belongs to the family of which the delicate bluet and fragrant partridge vine are also members. Its flowers have a jas. mine-like fragrance. BROOK-WEED. WATER PIMPERNEL. Samolus Valerandi. Primrose Family. Stem.—Six to twelve inches high; leafy. Zeaves.—Somewhat oval o1 wedge-shaped. /lowers.—White; small; growing in clusters. Calyx. Five-cleft. Corolla.—Somewhat bell-shaped ; five-cleft. 7Z7we Stamens. Five. False Stamens.—Five. Pistid.—One; globe-shaped. This plant is found throughout the country, in wet places, flowering at any time from June till September. 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. Corol/a.—Of five petals. Sza- mens.—Many. /zstils.—Five to ten. The foliage of this pretty little plant suggests the violet ; while its white blossom betrays its kinship with the wild straw- berry. It may be found from June till September in woody places, being one of those flowers which we seek deliberately, whose charm is never decreased by its being thrust upon us in. 76 WHITE opportunely. Who can tell how much the attractiveness of the wild carrot, the dandelion, or butter-and-eggs would be en- hanced 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 ? 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. Ca/y.x.—Of five sepals. Corolla.—Of five petals. Pzs¢z/.—One, with three or five styles, which are sometimes so deeply two-parted as to be taken for twice as many. ‘* What’s this I hear About the new carnivora? Can little plants Eat bugs and ants And gnats and flies ? A sort of retrograding : Surely the fare Of flowers is air, Or sunshine sweet ; They shouldn’t eat, Or do aught so degrading! ” But by degrees we are learning to reconcile ourselves to the fact that the more we study the plants the less we are able to at- tribute to them altogether unfamiliar and ethereal habits. We find that the laws which control their being are strangely sug- gestive of those which regulate ours, and after the disappearance of the shock which attends the shattered illusion, their charm is only increased by the new sense of kinship. The round-leaved sundew is found blossoming in many of our marshes in midsummer. When the sun shines upon its leaves they look as though covered with sparkling dewdrops, hence its common name. ‘These drops are a glutinous exuda- 77 WHITE tion, by means of which insects visiting the plant are first capt- ured ; the reddish bristles then close tightly about them, and it is supposed that their juices are absorbed by the plant. At all events the rash visitor rarely escapes. In many localities it is easy to secure any number of these little plants and to try for one’s self the rather grewsome experiment of feeding them with small insects. Should the tender-hearted recoil from such reck- less slaughter, they might confine their offerings on the altar of science to mosquitoes, small spiders, and other deservedly un- popular creatures. D. Americana isa very similar species, with longer, narrower leaves. The thread-leaved sundew, D. f/formis, has fine, thread-like leaves and pink flowers, and is found in wet sand along the coast. «« A little marsh-plant, yellow green, And pricked at lip with tender red. Tread close, and either way you tread Some faint black water jets between Lest you should bruise the curious head. You call it sundew: how it grows, If with its color it have breath, If life taste sweet to it, if death Pain its soft petal, no man knows: Man has no sight or sense that saith.” —SWINBURNE. POKEWEED. GARGET. PIGEON-BERRY. Phytolacca decandra. Pokeweed Family. Stems.—At length from six to ten feet high; purple-pink or bright red ; stout. LZeaves.—Large; alternate; veiny. /lowers.—White or pinkish; the green ovaries conspicuous; growing in racemes. Calyx. — Of five rounded or petal-like sepals, pinkish without. Corvolla.—None. Stamens.— Ten. /isti/.—One, with ten styles. Avuzt.—A dark purplish berry. There is a vigor about this native plant which is very pleas- ing. In July it is possible that we barely notice the white flow- 78 PLATE XXXIV POKEWEED.—Phytolacca decandra. 79 WHITE ers and large leaves; but when in September the tall purple stems rear themselves above their neighbors in the roadside thicket, the leaves look as though stained with wine, and the long clusters of rich dark berries hang heavily from the branches, we cannot but admire itsindependent beauty. The berries serve as food for the birds. A tincture of them at one time acquired some reputation as a remedy for rheumatism. In Pennsylvania they have been used with whiskey to make a so-called ‘* port- wine.’’ From their dark juice arose the name of ‘‘ red-ink plant,’’ which is common in some places. ‘The large roots are poisonous, but the acrid young shoots are rendered harmless by boiling, and are eaten like asparagus, being quite as good, I have been told by country people. Despite the difference in the spelling of the names, it has been suggested that the plant was called after President Polk. This is most improbable, as it was common throughout the country long before his birth, and its twigs are said to have been plucked and worn by his followers during his campaign for the presidency. BUNCH FLOWER. Melanthium Virginicum. Lily Family. Stem.—Three to five feet high; rather slender; leafy. Leaves.—Linear. Flowers.—Greenish yellow turning brown; inarather dense panicle. er- tanth.—Of six somewhat heart-shaped, petal-like sepals raised on slender claws, each one bearing two dark glands at base. Stamens.—Six. Pistil. —One, with three styles. This plant derives its name from the way in which the small flowers are bunched or crowded together on top of the tall stems. Usually the lower flowers are staminate ; the upper pistillate. It grows in wet meadows from Rhode Island to Florida, and blossoms from June to August. 80 PLATE XXXV Se YY a Yy h, Vy Vig MEADOW-SWEET.—Sfirea salicifolia. 81 WHITE Zygadenus elegans. Lily Family. Stem.—Smooth ; slender; one tothree feet high, from bulb. Leaves.— Linear, flat, keeled. /Vowevs.—Greenish-white, panicled. Perianth.—Of six, thin, petal-like sepals, each one marked with a large obcordate gland at base. Stamens.—Six. /istil..—One, with three styles or stigmas. Throughout midsummer, in New York and parts of New Eng- land, in wet and, in my experience, rocky places, these pretty lily-like flowers are in their prime. ‘They rejoice especially in the neighborhood of mountain streams. I have found their tufted clusters, wet with the spray of falling water, springing from such moist precipitous rocks as harbor the harebell and the bulbous bladder fern. Indeed, in my mind, they are associated altogether with such remote enchanted spots, where the swift rush of the stream and the notes of the shy wood birds alone break the stillness. MEADOW-SWEET. [PI]. XXXV Spirea salicifolia. Rose Family. Stem.—Nearly smooth; two or three feet high. Zeaves.—Alternate; very broadly lance-shaped; toothed. //owers.—Small; white or flesh-col- or; in pyramidal clusters. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five rounded petals. Stamens.—Numerous. /2sti/s.—Five to eight. The feathery spires of the meadow-sweet soar upward from the river banks and low meadows from July onward. 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. 82 PLATE XXXVI THREE-TOOTHED CINQUEFOIL—Potentilla tridentata, WHITE WHITE AVENS. Geum album. Rose Family. Stem.—Slender ; about two feet high. oot-/eaves.— Divided into from three to five leaflets, or entire. Stem-leaves.—Three-lobed or divided, or only toothed. /lowers.—White. Calyx.—Deeply five-cleft, usually with five small bractlets alternating with its lobes. Coro//a.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Numerous. /2sti/s.—Numerous, with hooked styles which be- come 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 bur-like heads secure wide dispersion by attaching themselves to animals or clothing. Other species of avens have more conspicuous golden- yellow flowers. THREE-TOOTHED CINQUEFOIL. Potentilla tridentata. Rose Family. Stems.—Low; one to ten inches high; rather woody at base; tufted. Leaves.—Divided into three oblong leaflets, which are thick, and coarsely three-toothed at their apex. //owers.—White; clustered. Calyx.—Five- cleft. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Many. /istils.—Many in a head. The strawberry-like blossoms of this pretty little plant ap- pear in summer. ‘They are found on the mountain-tops of the Alleghanies, and also along the New England coast, and the shores of the Great Lakes. RATTLESNAKE-PLANTAIN. [Pl. XXXVII Goodyera pubescens. Orchis Family. Scape.—Six to twelve inches high. Zeaves.—From the root in a sort of flat rosette ; conspicuously veined with white; thickish; evergreen. /Vow- ers.—Small; greenish-white ; crowded in a close spike. The flowers of the rattlesnake-plantain appear in late sum- mer and are less conspicuous than the prettily tufted, white- veined leaves which may be found in the rich woods throughout 83 WHITE 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. WHITE FRINGED ORCHIS. Habenaria blephariglottis. Orchis Family. About one foot high. JZeaves.—Oblong or lance-shaped; the upper passing into pointed bracts. /7/owers.—Pure white; with a slender spur and fringed lip; growing in an oblong spike. This seems to me the most exquisite of our native orchids. The fringed lips give the snowy, delicate flowers a feathery ap- pearance as they gleam from the shadowy woods of midsummer, 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, which they greatly resemble in general structure, they may be sought for in vain many seasons and then will be discov- ered, one midsummer day, lavishing their spotless loveliness upon some unsuspected marsh which has chanced to escape our vigilance. NORTHERN WHITE ORCHIS. Habenaria dilatata. Orchis Family. Stem.—Slender ; leafy. Zeaves.—Long and narrow. Flowers.—Small: white ; with an incurved spur; growing in a slender spike. The mention of the northern white orchis recalls to my mind one midsummer morning in a New England swamp, where tangles of sheep laurel barred the way, branches of dogwood and azalea snapped into my eyes, while patches of fragrant ad- ders’ mouths and fragile Ca/opogons just escaped being trodden underfoot, and exacted, by way of compensation, a breathless but delighted homage at their lovely shrines. Among tall- 84 PLATE XXXVI) ERM ES ANG sca Oo f linn J Ns \ We if pi. <4 ” ay @, { WILE i 4, f A { oe yr — ‘i «i bah =——== LLL - ——S+ RATTLESNAKE PLANTAIN.—Goodyera pubescens. 85 WHITE growing ferns, springing from elastic beds of moss, here I first found the slender, fragrant wands of this pretty orchid. LARGE ROUND-LEAVED ORCHIS. Habenaria orbiculata. Orchis Family. Scape.—Stout, bracted, one to two feet high. Aasa/ leaves.—Two, very large, orbicular, spreading flat on the ground, shining above, silvery be- neath. /Vowers.—Greenish-white, spreading in a loose raceme, with linear and slightly wedge-shaped lips and curved, slender spurs about an inch and a half long. The peculiar charm of this orchid lies in its great flat rounded shining leaves, which spread themselves over the ground in an opulent fashion that seems to accord with the spirit of the deep pine woods where they are most at home. The tall scape with its many greenish-white flowers reaches maturity in July or August. SWEET PEPPERBUSH. WHITE ALDER. Clethra alnifolia. Heath Family. A shrub from three to ten feet high. Zeaves.—Alternate ; ovate; sharply toothed. /lowevs.—White; growing in clustered finger-like racemes. Calyx.—Of five sepals, Corol/a.—Of five oblong petals. Stamens.—Ten; protruding. /%st//.—One; three-cleft at apex. Nearly all our flowering shrubs are past their glory by mid- summer, when the fragrant blossoms of the sweet pepperbush be- gin to exhale their perfume from the cool thickets which line the lanes along the New England coast. ‘There is a certain luxu- riance in the vegetation of this part of the country in August which is generally lacking farther inland, where the fairer flow- ers have passed away, and the country begins to show the effects of the long days of heat and drought. The moisture of the air, and the peculiar character of the soil near the sea, are responsi- ble 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. 86 PLATE XXXVI! Wy hi Y Aa a Mit, LMM A Hh SWEET PEPPERBUSH,—Ciethra alnifolia. 87 WHITE ae WILD BALSAM APPLE. Echinocystis lobata, Gourd Family. Stem.—Climbing ; nearly smooth; with three-forked tendrils. Leaves. —Deeply and sharply five-lobed. //owers.—Numerous; small; greenish- white ; unisexual ; the staminate ones growing in long racemes, the pistillate ones in small clusters or solitary. /vuit.—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 sig- nify hedgehog and bladder, in reference to the prickly fruit. 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, grow- ing in a wand-like, spiked raceme. Perianth.—Six-cleft at the summit ; oblong-tubular. Stamens.—Six, orange-colored. /zsti/.—One, with style three-cleft at apex. In low wet meadows and in grassy woods the tall white wands of the colic root shoot above its companion plants. At the first glance one might confuse its long clusters with the twisted spikes of ladies’ tresses, but a closer examination reveals no real likeness between the blossoms of the two plants. Then, too, the flat rosette of lance-shaped leaves from which springs the white wand of flowers is a distinguishing feature of the colic root. Its blossoms are wrinkled and rough outside, with a look of being dusted with white meal, whence springs its generic title, the Greek word for ‘‘a female slave who grinds corn.’’ They have a faint raspberry-like fragrance. ‘This is really a striking and interesting plant. 88 WILD BALSAM-APPLE.—Zchinocystis lobata. 89 PLATE XXXIX Single flower. »D) ACSIEUCARARANA ( Q WHITE COMMON YARROW. MILFOIL. Achillea Millefolium. Composite Family. Stem.—Simple at first, often branching near the summit. Leaves.— Divided into finely toothed segments. //ower-heads.—White, occasionally pink ; clustered; small; made up of both ray and disk-flowers. This is one of our most frequent roadside weeds, blossoming throughout the summer and late into the autumn. ‘Tradition claims that it was used by Achilles to cure the wounds of his soldiers, and the genus is named after that mighty hero. It still forms one of the ingredients of an ointment valued by the Scotch Highlanders. The early English botanists called the plant ‘‘ nose-bleed,’’ ‘‘ because the leaves being put into the nose caused it to bleed ;.’’ and Gerarde writes that ‘‘ Most men say that the leaves chewed, and especially greene, are a remedie for the toothache.’’ ‘These same pungent leaves also won it the name of ‘‘ old man’s pepper,’’ while in Sweden its title signi- fies field hop, and refers to its employment in the manufacture of beer. Linnzeus 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 re- pute, believing it to be gifted with the power of dispelling mel- ancholy. 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, flow- ers grow in wild profusion. WILD CARROT. BIRD’S NEST. QUEEN ANNE'S LACE. Daucus Carota, Parsley Family. Stems.—Tall and slender. Zeaves.—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 go WHITE to strike despair into the heart of the farmer, for this is, per- haps, the ‘‘ peskiest ’’ of all the weeds with which he has to con- tend. As time goes on the blossoms begin to have a careworn look and lose something of the cobwebby aspect which won them the title of Queen Anne’s lace. In late summer the flower-stalks erect themselves, forming a concave cluster which has the appearance of a bird’s nest. I have read that a species of bee makes use of this ready-made home, but have never seen any indications of such an occupancy. This is believed to be the stock from which the garden car- rot 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 enter- tainment. WATER HEMLOCK. SPOTTED COWBANE. Cicuta maculata, Parsley Family. 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 usually it can 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. gI WHITE COW PARSNIP. Fleracleum lanatum. Parsley Family. Stem.—Stout, often two inches thick at base, four to eight feet high, ridged, hollow, green. Leaves.—The lower large, compound in three di- visions, leaflets lobed and sharply notched; on short leaf-stems which are much inflated and clasp the stalk; rank-smelling. //owers.—In spreading, flat-topped clusters, white, with heart-shaped, notched petals; outer flow- ers larger than inner ones, and with irregular petals. In swampy places this great vigorous looking plant, which blossoms in early summer, is often a conspicuous, and despite its coarseness, not altogether an unpleasing feature. PURPLE-STEMMED ANGELICA. Angelica atropurpirea. Parsley Family. Stem.—Stout, four to six feet high, smooth, dark purple. Leaves.— The lower very large, with inflated leaf-stems; compound in two or three divisions, these divided into lance-shaped or ovate sharply-toothed leaflets. Flowers.—White or greenish, in large spreading more or less flat-topped clusters. In early summer, especially along the banks of streams and rivers, the great purple-stemmed angelica may be found spreading its flat-topped clusters of small greenish flowers. This plant may be distinguished from the cow parsnip by its purple stem, and by its numerous pinnately-arranged leaflets. SANICLE. BLACK SNAKE-ROOT. Sanicula Marylandica. Parsley Family. Stem.—One to four feet high. Zeaves.—Three to seven-parted; the divisions sharply cut. /lowers.— Greenish-white or yellowish, small; borne in small button-like heads in a two to four-rayed umbel which tops the stem; some perfect, others staminate only. /ruit,— Round and prickly. This plant, which is uninteresting in appearance and hardly suggestive of the Parsley family, blossoms in our wet woods dur- ing the summer. 92 WHITE WATER PARSNIP. Stum cicutefolium, Parsley Family. Two to six feet high. Stemz.—Stout. Zeaves.—Divided into from three to eight pairs of sharply toothed leaflets. /Zowers.— White, in compound umbels. This plant grows in water or wet places throughout North America. I have found it in great abundance both in swamps along the coast, and bordering mountain streams far inland. Its Parsley-like flower-clusters at once indicate the family of which it is a member. MOCK BISHOP-WEED. Discopleura capillacea. Parsley Family. One or two feet high, occasionally much taller. Stems.—Branching. Leaves.—Dissected into fine, thread-like divisions. //owers.— 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. WATER HOREHOUND. Lycopus sinuatus. Mint Family. Stem.—Erect ; one to three feet high; acutely four-angled Leaves.— Opposite ; oblong or lance-shaped; pointed; irregularly toothed or deeply parted, or some of the upper merely wavy-margined. /V/owers.—Small ; mostly white; in close whorls in the axils of the leaves. Calyx-teeth.— Usually five; with short, sharp points. Covol//a.—Bell-shaped; nearly equally four-lobed. Stamens.—Four (the upper pair slender and conspicu- ous but sterile). Pzst#/,—One, with a two-lobed style. Ovary.—Deeply four-lobed; splitting when ripe into four little nutlets. This plant abounds in wet places, flowering throughout the summer. 95 WHITE BUGLE-WEED. Lycopus Virginicus. Mint Family. Stem.—Six inches to two feet high; obtusely four-angled. Flowers.— Much as in above. Calyx-teeth.—Usually only four; barely pointed. The bugle-weed is found in wet places across the continent. WHITE VERVAIN. Verbena urticefolia. Verbena Family. Three to five feet high. eaves.—Oval; coarsely toothed. /lowers.— Small; white; in slender spikes. It almost excites one’s incredulity to be told that this unin- teresting-looking plant, which grows rankly along the highways, is an importation from the tropics, yet for this statement the botany is responsible. TRAVELLER’S JOY. VIRGIN’S BOWER. Clematis Virginiana. Crowfoot Family. Stem.—Climbing ; somewhat woody. Leaves.—Opposite ; three-divided. Flowers.—Whitish ; in clusters; unisexual. Ca/yx.—Of four petal-like se- pals. Corolla.—None. Stamens and Pistils.—Indefinite in number ; oc- curring on different plants. In July and August this beautiful plant, covered with its white blossoms and clambering over the shrubs which border the 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. This graceful climber works its way by means of its bending or clasping leaf-stalks. Darwin has made interesting experi- ments 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.”’ 94 | PLATE XL 4, t i Vs 4 ‘ Wh Zp Bp) Us LAG? ; ill ae WN wo oni Fruit-cluster. TRAVELLER'S JOY.—Clematis Virginiana. 95 WHITE GROUND CHERRY. Physalis Virginiana. Nightshade Family. A strong-scented, low, much-branched and spreading herb. Leaves,— Somewhat oblong or heart-shaped; wavy-toothed. //owers.—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. /zst2/.—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 feethigh. Stem.—Smooth; upright; branching. Leaves. —Opposite ; lance-shaped; toothed. //owers.—White or pinkish; grow- ing ina spike or close cluster. Cal/yx.—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 per- fect ones, with woolly filaments and very woolly, heart-shaped anthers, and one small sterile one. /7s¢7/,—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 right belong to ** wet woods’’ flaunting themselves in sunny meadows. ‘This cannot be attributed to the natural depravity of inanimate ob- jects, for what is more full of life than the flowers ?—and no one would believe in their depravity except perhaps the amateur- botanist who is endeavoring to master the different species of golden-rods and asters. ‘Therefore it is pleasant to record that I do not remember ever having met a turtle-head, which is 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 96 ? PLATE XLI —_—_— TURTLE-HEAD.—Chelone glabra, 97 WHITE that their common name seems fairly appropriate. I have heard unbotanical people call them ‘‘ white closed gentians.’’ 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. Pisti/.—One, with two styles. Late in the summer perhaps we are tempted deep into some thicket by the jasmine-scented heads of the button-bush or the fragrant spikes of the C/e‘hra, and note for the first time the tan- gled golden threads and close white flower-clusters of the dodder. If we try to trace to their source these twisted stems, which the Creoles know as ‘‘angels’ hair,’’ we discover that they are fastened to the bark of the shrub or plant about which they are twining by means of small suckers ; but nowhere can we find any connection with the earth, all their nourishment being ex- tracted from the plant to which they are adhering. Originally this curious herb sprang from the ground which succored it un- til it succeeded in attaching itself to some plant ; having accom- plished this it severed all connection with mother-earth by the withering away or snapping off of the stem below. The flax-dodder, C. Epciinum, is a very injurious plant in European flax-fields. It has been sparingly introduced into this country with flax-seed. 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. Ca/yx.—Five-toothed. Coro//a.—Fun- nel-form; the border five-toothed. Stamens.—Five. Pistils—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 98 PLATE XLIt WHITE HEATH ASTER—AsSter evicoides., ® q whet = ‘ ne) bd 4 : ae aay ep a : ie it » a pe ao ¢ ° & ; we 4 bi ere bo A “i =a i ° ’ eral s’ : . ( ae ae ie : ¢ rai a » aoe > @ : ‘ . rf ite La 3 - 2 . \ PLATE XLIII POINTED LEAVED ASTER—A sfexy acaminatus 3 iy WHITE 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. Zatu/a, is an emigrant from the tropics. This genus possesses narcotic-poisonous properties. WHITE ASTERS. [Pl. XLII.-XLIII Aster. Composite Family. Flower-heads.—Composed of white or sometimes purplish ray-flowers with a centre ot 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 smooth, slender, somewhat zigzag stem of the white wood aster, A. corymbosus, 1s green or purple, with reddish streaks. Its leaves are thin, the lower ones large, heart-shaped, and somewhat coarsely toothed, the uppermost small, ovai, and tapering. The white flower-heads are borne in loose leafy clus- ters. The plant is found blossoming during the month of August in open woods and along the shaded roadsides. Bordering the dry fields at this same season and later, we notice the spreading wand-like branches, thickly covered on their upper sides with tiny flower-heads, as with snow-flakes, of the white heath aster, 4. ervtcotdes. This plant is easily distinguished _ by its small rigid linear leaves. The lower leaves, however, are much larger and somewhat wedge-shaped. The pointed-leaved aster, 4. acuminatus, is easily identified by means of the oblong-pointed leaves, which are crowded so close to the top of the stem as to give often the effect of being whorled just below the white, or sometime purplish, flower-clus- ters. This is peculiarly a wood-loving plant. As umbellatus is the tall white aster of the swamps and moist thickets. | It sometimes reaches a height of seven feet, and can 99 WHITE be identified by its long tapering leaves and large, flat flower- clusters. A beautiful and abundant seaside species is A. mudtiflorus. 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. MILD WATER-PEPPER. Polygonum hydropiperoides. Buckwheat Family. Stem.—One to three feet high; smooth; branching. Zeaves.—Alter- nate; narrowly lance-shaped or oblong. /V/owers.—White or flesh-color ; small; growing in erect, slender spikes. Ca/yx.—Five-parted. Corolla.— None. Stamens.—Eight. Pistz/.—One, usually with three styles. These rather inconspicuous but very common flowers are found in moist places and shallow water. The common knotweed, P aviculare, which grows in such abundance in country door-yards and waste places, has slender, often prostrate, stems, and small greenish flowers, which are clus- tered in the axils of the leaves or spiked at the termination of the stems. This is perhaps the ‘‘ hindering knotgrass’’ to which Shakespeare refers in the ‘‘ Midsummer Night’s Dream,’’ so terming it, not on account of its knotted trailing stems, but be- cause of the belief that it would hinder the growth of a child. In Beaumont and Fletcher’s ‘‘ Coxcomb’’ the same superstition is indicated : ‘* We want a boy Kept under for a year with milk and knotgrass.” It is said that many birds are nourished by the seeds of this plant. 100 AKT pity fam’. We SE se ne teomey w i 4 N // an . aS sa = oPa4' \ Ze : Fe: aZ4G = i= ee Za Z : ray er Yt Win z Qo ge et yn "Vy, ze ~ “a? 4 “es ten ty Lo ps allt } 4 ae wy : tiny oe ZZ ; a3 ae ual A MG : G te Me UM ylzny, om Ue aE a MBS GE ZG Uy h G BONESET.—L£upatorium perfoliatum. IOI yy % woh a a ev i Zi; s We ».: + PLATE XLIV WHITE CLIMBING FALSE BUCKWHEAT. Polygonum scandens. Buckwheat Family. Stem.—Smooth ; twining, and climbing over bushes; eight to twelve feet high. JZeaves.—Heart or arrow shaped; pointed; alternate. /lowers.— Greenish or pinkish ; in racemes. Ca/yx.—Five-parted ; with colored mar- gins. Corolla.—None. Stamens.—Usually eight. /isti/.—One, with three styles. Seed-vesse/.—Green; three-angled; winged; conspicuous in autumn. In early summer this plant, which clambers so perseveringly over the moist thickets which line our country lanes, is compara- tively inconspicuous. The racemes of small greenish flowers are not likely 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. BONESET. THOROUGHWORT. [Pl. XLIV Eupatorium perfolratum. Composite Family. Stem.—Stout and hairy; two to four feet high. Zeaves.—Opposite ; widely spreading; lance-shaped; united at the base around the stem. Flower-heads. —Dull white; small; composed entirely of tubular blossoms borne in large clusters. To one whose childhood was passed in the country some fifty years ago the name or sight of this plant is fraught with unpleasant memories. The attic or wood-shed was hung with bunches of the dried herb, which served as so many grewsome warnings against wet feet, or any over-exposure which might result in cold or malaria. A certain Nemesis, in the shape of a nauseous draught which was poured down the throat under the name of ‘* boneset tea,’’ attended such a catastrophe. The Ind- ians first discovered its virtues, and named the plant ague-weed. Possibly this is one of the few herbs whose efficacy has not been overrated. Dr. Millspaugh says: ‘‘It is prominently adapted 102 PLATE XLV aN is \ = Ae A Py un y tae x wine GZ \\ ‘ EN i) 1A — “ SS LEE ADF 2 hy Wy YZ : PAL WHITE SNAKEROOT.—L£upatorium ageratoides. 103 WHITE 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.”’ ARROW-LEAVED TEAR-THUMB. Polygonum sagittatum. Buckwheat Family. Stem.-—Four-angled; erect, or somewhat climbing by its prickles. Leaves.—Arrow-shaped; short-stemmed. //owers.—White or pale pink; small; clustered. Ca/yx.—Usually five-parted; white or pale pink. Co- yolla.—None. Stamens.—Usually eight. /s¢z/.—One, with three styles. Fruit.—Sharply three-angled. This rather noticeable plant is common in low grounds, bearing the name of ‘‘scratch-grass ’’ in some places. HALBERD-LEAVED TEAR-THUMB. Polygonum arifolium. Buckwheat Family. This plant is distinguished from P. sagéttatum by its taper- pointed, dong-stemmed leaves. WHITE SNAKEROOT. |Pl. XLV Eupatorium ageratoides. Composite Family. About three feet high. S¢em.—Smooth and branching. Leaves.—Op- posite ; long-stalked; broadly ovate; coarsely and sharply toothed. /ower- heads. —White ; clustered; composed of tubular blossoms. This species is less common but more beautiful and effective than the boneset. It is found blossoming in the rich northern woods of late summer. 104 WHITE STARRY CAMPION. Silene stellata. Pink Family. Stem.—Swollen at the joints; about three feet high. Zeaves.—Whorled in fours; oval; taper-pointed. /lowers.—White; in a large pyramidal cluster. Ca/yx.—Inflated; five-toothed. Corol//a.—Of five deeply fringed petals. Stamens.—Ten. /isti/.—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. BLADDER CAMPION. Silene Cucubalus. Pink Family. About one foot high. Zeaves.—Opposite; narrowly oval. Flowers.— White; clustered. Calyx.—Giobular; much inflated; conspicuously veined. Corolla.—Of five two-cleft petals. Stamens.—Ten. /Pistil.—One, with three styles. This is an emigrant from Europe, which was first natu- ralized near Boston, and has now become wild in different parts of the country, quite overrunning some of the farm-lands which border the Hudson River, and whitening the roadsides of Berk- shire. TALL MEADOW RUE. Thalictrum polygamum. Crowfoot Family. Four toeight feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into many firm, rounded leaf- lets. /lowers.—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. /%stz/s.—Four to fifteen. When 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 105 WHITE with the cool chaste beauty of the meadow rue. The staminate flowers of this plant are especially delicate and feathery. LADIES’ TRESSES. Spiranthes cernua. Orchis Family. Stem.—Leafy below, leafy-bracted above; six to twenty inches high. Leaves.—Linear-lance-shaped ; the lowest elongated. Flowers.—White; fragrant; the lips wavy or crisped; growing in slender spikes. This pretty little orchid is found in great abundance in Sep- tember and October. The botany relegates it to ‘‘ wet places,’’ but I have seen dry upland pastures as well as low-lying swamps profusely flecked with its slender, fragrant spikes. The braided appearance of these spikes would easily account for the popular name of ladies’ tresses; but we learn that the plant’s English name was formerly ‘‘ ladies’ ¢vaces,’’ from a fancied resemblance between its twisted clusters and the lacings which played so im- portant a part in the feminine toilet. I am told that in parts of New England the country people have christened the plant ‘¢ wild hyacinth.’’ The flowers of S. gracilis are very small, and grow in a much more slender, one-sided spike than those of S. cernua. They are found in the dry woods and along the sandy hill-sides from July onward. DEVIL’S BIT. BLAZING STAR. Chamelirium Carolinianum. Lily Family. One to four feet high, the staminate plant taller. Zeaves.—The lower wedge-shaped, obtuse, tapering into a petiole; the upper, linear, pointed. Flowers.—White. The pistillate and staminate growing on different plants, in a long wand-like, spiked raceme. Perianth.—Of six white segments; staminate flowers with six stamens, pistillate flowers with one pistil having three short styles. From May to July the oft-times nodding staminate clusters, and the stiff erect pistillate spikes of the devil’s bit may be found in many of our wet meadows, from Massachusetts to Florida. 106 PLATE XLVI LADIES' TRESSES.—Sfiranthes cernua. 107 WHITE WHITE WATER-LILY. Nymphea odorata. Water-lily Family. Leaves.—Rounded ; somewhat heart-shaped ; floating on the surface of the water. /lowers.—Large; white or sometimes pink ; fragrant. Calyx.— Of four sepals which are green without. Coro//a.—Of many petals. Sta- mens.—Indefinite in number. /7s¢z7/.—With a many-celled ovary whose summit is tipped with a globular projection around which are the radiating stigmas. This exquisite flower calls for little description. Many of us are so fortunate as to hold in our memories golden mornings de- voted to its quest. We 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 cit- ies, where dark-eyed little Italians peddle clusters of the long- stemmed fragrant flowers about the streets. In the water-lily may be seen an example of so-called A/ant- metamorphosis. The petals appear to pass gradually into sta- mens, it being difficult to decide where the petals end and the stamens begin. But whether stamens are transformed petals, or petals transformed stamens, seems to be a mooted question. In Gray we read, ‘‘ Petals numerous, in many rows, the innermost gradually passing into stamens; ’’ while Mr. Grant Allen writes: ‘¢ Petals are in all probability enlarged and flattened stamens, which have been set apart for the work of attracting insects,’’ and goes on to say, ‘‘ Flowers can and do exist without petals, but no flower can possibly exist without stamens, which are one of the two essential reproductive organs in the plant.’’ From this he argues that it is more rational to consider a petal a transformed stamen than vice versa. To go further into the sub- ject here would be impossible, but a careful study of the water- lily is likely to excite one’s curiosity in the matter. 108 WHITE ARROW-HEAD. Sagittaria variabilis, Water-plantain Family. Scape.—A few inches to several feet high. Zeaves.—Arrow-shaped. Flowers.—White ; unisexual ; in whorls of three on the leaflessscape. Calyx. —Of three sepals. Corol/a.—-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 inconspic- uous female flowers grow on the lower whorls, while the male ones, with their snowy petals and golden centres, are arranged about the upper part of the scape, where the eye first falls. It is a pleasure to chance upon a slow stream whose margins are bor- dered with these fragile blossoms and bright, arrow-shaped leaves. WATER-PLANTAIN. Alisma Plantago. Water-plantain Family. Scape.—One to three feet high; bearing the flowers in whorled, panicled branches. ZLeaves.—From the root; oblong, lance-shaped or linear, mostly rounded or heart-shaped at base. /Vowers.—White or pale pink; small; in large, loose clusters which branch from the scape. Cal/yx.—Of three se- pals. Corol/a.—Of three petals. Stamens.—Usually six. Pistz/s.—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. GROUNDSEL TREE. Baccharis halimtfolia. Composite Family. A shrub from six to twelve feet high. Zeaves.—Somewhat ovate and wedge-shaped ; coarsely toothed, or the upper entire. /lower-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 109 WHITE a thicket which looks as though composed of such white-flowered shrubs as belong to June. Hastening to the spot we discover that the silky-tufted seeds of the female groundsel-tree are re- sponsible for our surprise. The shrub is much more noticeable and effective at this season than when—a few weeks previous— it was covered with its small white or yellowish flower-heads. GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Parnassia Caroliniana. Saxifrage Family. Stem.—Scape-like ; nine inches to two feet high; with usually one small rounded leaf clasping it below; bearing at its summit a single flower. Leaves. —Thickish; rounded; often heart-shaped; fromthe root. lower. -White or cream-color; veiny. Ca/yx.—Of five slightly united sepals. Corolla.—Of five veiny petals. Zrue Stamens.—Five; alternate with the petals, and with clusters of sterile gland-tipped filaments. /zs¢z/.—One, with four stigmas. Gerarde indignantly declares that this plant has been de- scribed by blind men, not ‘‘ such as are blinde in their eyes, but in their understandings, for if this plant be a kind of grasse then may the Butter-burre or Colte’s-foote be reckoned for grasses—as also all other plants whatsoever.’’ But if it covered Parnassus with its delicate veiny blossoms as abundantly as it does some moist New England meadows each autumn, the ancients may have reasoned that a plant almost as common as grass must some- how partake of its nature. The slender-stemmed creamy 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. Stem.—¥Erect ; one or two feet high. Zeaves.—Broadly linear to lance- shaped. Flower-heads.—Composed entirely of tubular flowers with very numerous white involucral scales. This species is common throughout our northern woods and apastures, blossoming in August. Thoreau writes of it in Sep- I10 PLATE XLVI GRASS OF PARNASSUS.—Parnassia Caroliniana. Liat WHITE tember: ‘‘ The pearly everlasting is an interesting white at pres- ent. 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. Stem.—Erect; one to three feet high; woolly. Zeaves.—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. 112 II GREEN INDIAN POKE. FALSE HELLEBORE. Veratrum viride, Lily Family. Root.—Poisonous; coarse and fibrous. Svze7z.—Stout ; two to seven feet high; very leafy to the top. Zeaves.—Broadly oval; pointed; clasping. Flowers.—Dull greenish; clustered. Perdanth.—Of six spreading sepals. Stamens.—Six. Pisttd,—One, with three styles. When we go to the swampy woods in March or April we notice an array of green, solid-looking spears which have just ap- peared above the ground. If we handle one of these we are im- pressed with its firmness and rigidity. When the increasing warmth and sunshine have tempted the veiny, many-plaited leaves of the false hellebore to unfold themselves it is difficult to realize that they composed that sturdy tool which so effectively tunnelled its way upward to the earth’s surface. The tall stems and large bright leaves of this plant are very noticeable in the early year, forming conspicuous masses of foliage while the trees and shrubs are still almost leafless. The dingy flowers which appear in June rarely attract attention, unless by their lack o: beauty. CARRION-FLOWER. CAT-BRIER. Smilax herbacea. Lily Family. Stem.—Climbing, three to fifteen feet high. Zeaves.—-Ovate, or rounded heart-shaped, or abruptly cut off at base. //owers.—-Greenish or yellowish ; small; clustered; unisexual. Perianth.—Six-parted. Stamens,—Six. Pistil.—One, with three spreading stigmas. (Stamens and pistils occurring on different plants.) /razt.—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 113 GREEN rat in the wall.’’ It seems unfortunate that this strikingly hand- some plant, which clambers so ornamentally over the luxuriant thickets which border our lanes and streams, should be so handi- capped each June. Happily with the disappearance of the blos- soms, 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. POISON SUMACH. Rhus venenata. Cashew Family. A shrub from six to eighteen feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into seven to thirteen oblong leaflets. /V/owers.—Greenish or yellowish-white ; in loose axillary clusters ; some perfect, others unisexual. 7a2¢.—Whitish or dun- colored; small, globular. The poison sumach infests swampy places and flowers in June. In early summer it can be distinguished from the harm- less members of the family by the slender flower-clusters which grow trom she axils of the leaves, those of the zanocent 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. ZLeaves.—Divided into eleven to thirty-one somewhat lance-shaped, toothed leaflets. //owers.— Greenish or yellowish-white; in upright terminal clusters; some perfect, others unisexual; appearing in June. /rauit.--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 114 PLATE XLVIII Fruit, IWS Sf aleng Single staminate flower. CARRION-FLOWER.—Switlax herbacea. T15 GREEN like to decorate our homes with its brilliant sprays, but are de- terred from handling them by the fear of being poisoned, not knowing that one glance at the crimson fruit-plumes should re- assure us, as the poisonous sumachs are white-fruited. ‘These tossing pyramidal fruit-clusters at first appear to explain the common title of staghorn sumach. It is not till the foliage has disappeared, and the forked branches are displayed in all their nakedness, that we feel that these must be the feature in which the common name originated. 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. //owers.—Greenish or yellowish-white ; small ; some perfect, others unisexual; in loose clusters in the axils of the leaves in June. /vuit.—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 quinguefolia. Wine Family. A woody vine, climbing by means of disk-bearing tendrils, and also by rootlets. Zeaves.—Usually divided into five leaflets. //owers.—Greenish ; small; clustered; appearing in July. /vzzt.—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 out- 116 PLATE XLIX Ni} E ) +S pam —~ UN Se WING POISON IVY.—Rhus Toxicodendron. 117 GREEN lined against the dark evergreens about which they delight to twine, showing that marvellous discrimination in background which so constantly excites our admiration in nature. The Vir- ginia creeper is extensively cultivated in Europe. Even in Venice, that sea-city where one so little anticipates any re- minders of home woods and meadows, many a dim canal mir- rors in October some crumbling wall or graceful trellis aglow with its vivid beauty. GREEN ORCHIS. Habenaria virescens. RAGGED FRINGED ORCHIS. Flabenaria lacera, Orchis Family. Leaves.—Oblong or lance-shaped. //owers.—Greenish or yellowish- white; growing in a spike. These two orchids are found in wet, boggy places during the earlier summer, the green antedating the ragged fringed orchis by a week or more. ‘The lip of the ragged fringed is three- parted, the divisions being deeply fringed, giving what is called in Sweet’s ‘‘ British Flower-Garden’”’ an ‘‘ elegantly jagged ap- pearance.’’ ‘The lip of the green orchis is furnished with a tooth on each side and a strong protuberance in the middle. So far as superficial beauty and conspicuousness are concerned these flowers do scant justice to the brilliant family to which they be- long, and equally excite the scornful exclamation, ‘‘ You call that an orchid !’’ when brought home for analysis or preserva- tion. 118 PEATEs Ie Flower, side view. Flower, front view. RAGGED FRINGED ORCHIS.—Haéenaria lacera. 11g GREEN GREEN-FLOWERED MILKWEED. Asclepias verticillata. Milkweed Family. Stem.——Slender; very leafy to the summit. Zeaves.—Very narrow; from three to six in awhorl. /Vowesvs.—-Greenish-white ; in small clusters at the summit and along the sides of the stem. /ruit.—Two erect pods, one often stunted. This species is one commonly found on dry uplands, espe- cially southward, with flowers resembling in structure those of the other milkweeds. BLUE COHOSH. Caulophyllum thalictroides. Barberry Family. Stems.—One to two and a halt feet high. Zeaf.—Large; divided into many-lobed leaflets; often a smaller one at the base of the flower-cluster. Flowers.—Yellowish-green or purplish ; clustered at the summit of the stem; appearing while the leaf is still small. Ca/yx.—Of six sepals; with three or four small bractlets at base. Coro/la.—Of six thick, somewhat kidney-shaped or hooded petals, with short claws. Stamens.—Six. Pistil. —One. /yruit.—Bluish; berry-like. In the deep rich woods of early spring, especially somewhat westward, may be found the smooth, purplish stem, divided leaves, and clustered green or purplish flowers 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. Zeaves.—Divided into many smooth, lobed, pale drooping leaflets. F/owers.—Purplish and greenish; unisexual. Calyx.— Of four or five petal-like sepals. Corol/a.—None. Stamens.—Indefinite in number; with linear yellowish anthers drooping on hair-like filaments (stamens and pistils occurring on different plants). Pzsti/s.—Four to four- teen. 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. 120 GREEN SWAMP SAXIFRAGE. . Saxifraga Pennsylvanica. Saxifrage Family. One to two feet high. Zeaves.—Four to eight inches long; obscurely toothed; narrowed at base into a broad short stem. Flowers.—Small; greenish or reddish; in a large cluster. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla.— Of five petals. Stamens.—Ten. /Pisti/.—One, with two styles. In boggy meadows and along water-courses this plant is con- spicuous in spring. Oftentimes its leaf-stalks as well as its flowers are noticeably tinged with red. BITTER-SWEET. WAX-WORK. Celastrus scandens. Staff-tree Family. Stem.—Woody ; twining. Leaves.—Alternate ; oblong; finely toothed ; pointed. /Vowers.—Small; greenish or cream-color ; in raceme-like clusters ; appearing in June. /od.—Orange-colored ; globular and berry-like; curl- ing 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 ina small way for our quiet landscapes what vine-covered ruins accomplish for the scenery of the Old World. 12! Ill YELLOW [Yellow or occasionally Yellow Flowers not described in Yellow Section. | Fragrant Woodbine. onicera grata. May. (Red Section, p. 269.) 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. isti/s.—Five to ten ; almost without styles. ‘¢ Hark, hark ! the lark at heaven’s gate sings, And Pheebus ’gins arise, His steeds to water at those springs On chalic’d flowers that lies; And winking Mary-buds begin To ope their golden eyes ; With everything that pretty is— My lady sweet, arise ! Arise, arise.””—Cymebeline. 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— Calendu/a—but surely no cultivated flower could har- monize with the spirit of the song as do these gleaming swamp blossoms. We will yield to the garden if necessary— ‘¢ The marigold that goes to bed with the sun And with him rises weeping—’”’ 122 WN ae Za ae NIN \ fie NN AA AW \ ae » : Nay BY i C TAB SHG MARSH MARIGOLD.—Caltha palustris. 123 PLATE L) AY SQ SSS” YELLOW of the ‘‘ Winter’s Tale,’’ but insist on retaining for that larger, lovelier garden in which we all feel a certain sense of possession —even if we are not taxed on real estate in any part of the coun- try—the ‘‘ golden eyes’’ of the Mary-bud ; and we feel strength- ened in our position by the statement in Mr. Robinson’s ‘* Wild Garden’’ that the marsh marigold is so abundant along certain English rivers as to cause the ground to look as though paved with gold at those seasons when they overflow their banks. 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 christen- ing unrecognized flowers which is so prevalent, and which is re- sponsible for so much confusion about their English names. The plant is a favorite ‘‘ pot-herb’’ with country people, far superior, I am told, tospinach; the young flower-buds also are considered palatable. 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 go/d sim- ply. As the first part of the word might be derived from the Anglo-Saxon mere—a marsh, it seems possible that the entire name may signify marsh-gold, which would be an appropriate and poetic title for this shining flower of the marshes. SPICE-BUSH. BENJAMIN-BUSH. FEVER-BUSH. Lindera Benzoin. Laurel Family. An aromatic shrub from six to fifteen feet high. Zeaves.—Oblong; pale underneath. /Vowers.—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. /rut/.—Red; berry-like ; somewhat pear-shaped. These are among the very earliest blossoms to be found in the moist woods of spring. During the Revolution the pow- dered berries were used as a substitute for allspice; while at the time of the Rebellion the leaves served as a substitute for tea. 124 PLATE Lil ay rs. Sk by Cae ys té SPICE-BUSH.—ZLindera Benzoin. 125 YELLOW YELLOW ADDER’S TONGUE. DOG’S TOOTH VIOLET. Erythronium Americanum. Lily Family. Scape.—Six to nine inches high; one-flowered. Zeavesx—Two; ob- long-lance-shaped; pale green mottled with purple and white. F/owers.— 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, senti- nel-like leaves. The two English names of this plant are unsatisfactory and inappropriate. If the marking of its leaves resembles the skin of an adder why name it after its tongue? And there is equal- ly 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, /. a/bidum, is a species which is usually found somewhat westward. 126 PLATE LIlIl YELLOW ADDER'S TONGUE.—Frythronium Americanum. . ee! yee oe Pe eee ae ee ae ee ; NS J r ie - A eo , i ‘ : ‘ »* ) ~ . u i aly way z hea . : aS me . a = b ms ;, 0 ver ; cig : q bye ; ae ; z) 4 a y j ) va . 7 x = 4 “ss a f 4} en ; : ane ive Ly at de ated ies ue cbonte. Se ee aft ay “ets te x ] - ; 1 r ol - 7 : a e Fs . y et { ae + Py > * ra. 7 ig he } y 4 7 : vx 4% i] + : a3 Wi 3 f4 ’ ‘ Sar 4 . te ‘ 2 ; | | ve ‘ J d , Jj Nis, Pie) _ } ee a] Pd my 4 +4 u a” a _ > 4 : ei . - 4 « \ 41> i reer . . oes. 7 , Rats! 5 ’ ny 2 e E i I 7 , ] p | ‘ } ‘ a . . ¥ . =, ‘ . . YELLOW COLTSFOOT. Tusstlago Farfara. Composite Family. Scape.—Slender, scaly, three to eighteen inches high, bearing a solitary large flower-head. Zeaves.—Appearing later than the flowers, heart- shaped below, ‘‘ angulately-lobed,”’ woolly beneath. /lower-head.—Bright yellow, composed of both ray and disk-flowers, appearing in early spring before the leaves. The coltsfoot is an immigrant from Europe which is now thoroughly wild in this country. For some years before I had succeeded in seeing the plant in flower I had noticed colonies of its lobed, heart-shaped leaves growing in moist ditches and along the banks or in the beds of streams. But my efforts to discover the name or blossom of the plant which sent up these conspicuous leaves were unsuccessful till one early May when, on the banks of a stream in Berkshire, I chanced upon a bright yellow flower-head, looking something like a dandelion with its heart plucked out, topping a leafless, scaly-bracted scape. I iden- tified this as the coltsfoot, connecting it with the puzzling leaves only by means of the botanical descriptions. This is a common plant in England, yielding what is sup- posed to be a remedy for coughs. 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. /isti/.—One; with a two or four- lobed stigma, In April or May, somewhat south and westward, the woods are brightened, and occasionally the hill-sides are painted yel- low, by this handsome flower. In both flower and foliage the plant suggests the celandine. 127 YELLOW WOOD BETONY. LOUSEWORT. Pedicularis Canadensis. Figwort Family. Stems.—Clustered ; five to twelve inches high. Leaves.—The lower ones deeply incised; the upper less so. /V/owers.—Yellow and red; grow- ing in a short dense spike. Calyx.—Of one piece splitin front. Corolla.— Two-lipped; the narrow upper lip arched, the lower three-lobed. Stamens. —Four. /2sti/,—One. The bright flowers of the wood betony are found in our May woods, often in the company of the columbine and _ yellow vio- let. Near Philadelphia they are said to be among the very ear- liest 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 origi- nal betony or Betonica. SOLOMON’S SEAL. Polygonatum biflorum. Lily Family. Stem.—Slender ; curving; one to three feet long. Zeaves.—Alternate ; oval; set close to the stem. /7lowers.—Yellowish; bell-shaped; nodding from the axils of the leaves. Pertanth.—Six-lobed at the summit. Stamens. —Six. Pisti/l.—One. Fruit.—A dark blue berry. The graceful leafy stems of the Solomon’s seal are among the most decorative features of our spring woods. ‘The small blos- soms which appear in May grow either singly or in clusters on a flower-stalk which is so fastened into the axil of each leaf that 128 PLATE LIV WOOD BETONY.—FPedicularis Canadensis, PLATE LV Rootstock. SOLOMON'S SEAL.—Polygonatum biflorum. 129 YELLOW 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 separa- tion of the base of the stout stalks of the previous years. These scars somewhat resemble the impression of a seal upon wax. The generic name is from two Greek words signifying many and &uee, alluding to the numerous joints of the rootstock. GOLDEN CORYDALIS. Corydalis aurea. Fumitory Family. Smooth, six to fourteen inches high, branching. Leaves.—Finely dis- sected. lowers.—Bright yellow, about one-half inch long. Calyx.—Of two small sepals. Covo//a.—F¥F lattened, closed, with spur one-half or more as long as body of corolla, outer petals keeled. /ruzt.—A many-seeded pod. The golden corydalis is found flowering in the rocky woods from March till May. EARLY CROWFOOT. Ranunculus septentrionalis. Crowfoot Family. Stems.—Sometimes upright ; again trailing along the ground and form- ing runners. Leaves.—-Three-divided ; the divisions often unequally cleft. Flowers.—Bright yellow; somewhat resembling buttercups. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Indefinite in number. Pistils.--Numerous, in a head. Although it may be found in blossom until August, it is es- pecially in spring that the wet woods and meadows are bright with the flowers of the early crowfoot. Until we look closely at the plant we are apt to confound it with its kinsmen the butter- cups, but a look at its longish petals alone will show us our error. 130 PLATE LVI ee = LSS SSS Fruit. ; Fruit. Oakesia sessilifolia, Uvularia perfoliata, BELLWORT. 131 YELLOW Another and even earlier species of the crowfoot is 2. fascicu- laris. This is especially plentiful along the hillsides. Its roots are a cluster of thick fleshy fibres. BELLWORT. [Pl. LVI Oakesia sessilifolia. Lily Family. Stem.—Acutely angled; rather low. Leaves.—Set close to or clasping the stem; pale; lance-oblong. //lower.—Yellowish or straw-color. Pert- anth.—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 modest- ly 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. LEATHER-WOOD. MOOSE-WOOD. Dirca palustris, Mezereum Family. A shrub two to six feet high. Zeaves.—Oval or obovate. Flowers.— Light yellow, appearing before the leaves, small. Ca/yx.—Corolla-like, yellow, funnel-shaped, with wavy or obscurely four-toothed border. Corolla. —None. Stamens.—Eight, long and slender, protruding. Pzs¢i/.—One, with a long, thread-like style. Avait.—Oval, reddish, about one-half inch long. In April, while making our careful way through some wet thicket, we notice a leafless shrub with bunches of insignificant yellow blossoms and a bark so tough that we find it almost impossible to break off a branch. ‘This is the ‘‘ leather-wood ”’ used for thongs by the Indians. It is known also as ‘‘ moose- wood.’’ The leaves appear later and finally the reddish oval fruit. 132 YELLOW EARLY MEADOW PARSNIP. Zizia aurea. Parsley Family. One to three feet high. Zeaves.—Twice or thrice-compound ; leaflets oblong to lance-shaped; toothed. /Vowers.—Yellow; small; in com- pound umbels. This is one of the earliest members of the Parsley family to appear. Its golden flower-clusters brighten the damp mead- ows and the borders of streams in May or June, and closely resemble the meadow parsnip, Zhaspium aureum, of which this species was formerly considered a variety, of the later year. The tall, stout, common wild parsnip, Fastinaca 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. 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 ‘‘ blue-bird’s warble’’ has been heard 133 YELLOW for some time when these pretty flowers begin to dot the woods. The lines which run: ‘« Vet 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. rvo- tundifolia,* than to the downy violet, for although its large, flat shining leaves are somewhat conspicuous, its flowers are borne singly on a low scape, which would be less apt to attract notice than the tall, leafy flowering stems of the other. 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 Zaw-Xee, and used its dried seeds as food.’’ *T find the round-leaved violet blossoming so early in the year as to make it seem probable that this species is the subject of Bryant’s poem. 134 PLATE LVII -Krigia Virginica. CYNTHIA. - 7 DATA aah — ha! ran Oe dr ae al f YELLOW FLY HONEYSUCKLE. Lonicera ciliata. Honeysuckle Family. A bushy shrub three to five feet high, with straggling branches. Leaves. —Opposite, entire, oblong-ovate, often heart-shaped, thin, with thread-like leaf stems. Flowers.—Yellow, growing in pairs from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.—Slightly five-toothed, the teeth not persistent. Corolla.— Funnel-formed, almost spurred at base, with five lobes. Sztamens.—Five. Pistil.—One. Fruzt.—A red berry, growing close to, but distinct from the berry of sister flower. In the moist, rocky woods of early May we find the yellow twin blossoms of the fly honeysuckle. CYNTHIA. DWARF DANDELION. ph hE . j [Pl. LVII Krigia Virginica. Composite Family. Stems.— Usually becoming branched and leafy. (In A. amplexicaulis, a very similar species, there are from one to three stem-leaves only.) oot- leaves. —Usually somewhat lyre-shaped, or toothed. Stem-/eaves.— Earlier ones roundish, not toothed ; later ones narrower, and often deeply toothed or cleft. Flower-heads.—Deep orange-yellow; dandelion-like ; composed entirely of strap-shaped flowers. In some parts of the country the blossoms of the cynthia are among the earliest to appear, while in other localities they are especially abundant and conspicuous in June. The smooth, pale-green stems of KX. amplexicaults bear but few leaves. The cynthias are often confused with the hawkweeds. 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. Pzsti/.—One, with atwo-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 ; 135 YELLOW Long as there’s a sun that sets, Primroses will have their glory; Long as there are violets, They will have a place in story ; There’s a flower that shall be mine, Tis the little celandine.”’ And when certain yellow flowers which frequent the village road- side are pointed out to us as those of the celandine, we feel a sense of disappointment that the favorite theme of Wordsworth should arouse within us so little enthusiasm. So perhaps we are rather relieved than otherwise to realize that the botanical name of this plant signifies greater celandine ; for we remember that the poet never failed to specify the ssa// celandine as the object of his praise. The small celandine is Ranunculus ficaria, one of the Crowfoot family, and is only found in this country as an escape from gardens. Gray tells us that the generic name, Che/tdonitum, from the ancient Greek for swallow, was given ‘‘ because its flowers ap- pear with the swallows;’’ but if we turn to Gerarde we read that the title was not bestowed ‘‘ because it first springeth at the coming in of the swallows, 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.’’ 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. //owers.—Greenish-yellow ; rarely solitary. Pevianth.—Of six sepals. Stamens.—Six; protruding. Pistil.—One; protruding. /7wit.—A blue berry. 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 136 PLATE LVIII ——— — xa A» tek VA oe “fA =, LL SS>_= > — os SSS S SN SA SS WS IS Clintonia borealis. 137 YELLOW that a slender scape rises from its midst bearing at its summit several yellowish, bell-shaped flowers. C. umbellata is a more southern species, with smaller white flowers, which are speckled with green or purplish dots. GOLDEN RAGWORT. SQUAW-WEED. Senecio aureus. Composite Family. Stem.—One to three feet high. oot-/eaves.—Rounded; the larger ones mostly heart-shaped ; toothed, and long-stalked. Stem-leaves.—The lower lyre-shaped ; the upper lance-shaped; incised; set close to the stem Flower-heads.—Yellow; clustered; composed of both ray and disk-flowers. A child would perhaps liken the flower of the golden ragwort to a yellow daisy. Stain yellow the white rays of the daisy, di- minish the size of the whole head somewhat, and you have a pretty good likeness of the ragwort. There need be little diffi- culty in the identification of this plant—although there are sev- eral 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 sezex—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 ground- sel, S. vulgaris, which is given as food to caged birds. The flower-heads of this species are without rays. YELLOW LADY’S SLIPPER. WHIP -POOR-WILL’S SHOE. (Ply Cypripedium pubescens. Orchis Family. Stem.—About two feet high; downy ; leafy to the top; one to three- flowered. Leaves.—Alternate; broadly oval; many-nerved and plaited. Flower.—Large; the pale yellow lip an inflated pouch; the two lateral petals long and narrow ; wavy-twisted; brownish. The yellow lady’s slipper usually blossoms in May or June, a few days later than its pink sister, C. acawle. Regarding its 138 PLATE Lix iss GOLDEN RAGWORT.—Sexecio aureus. 139 YELLOW favorite haunts, Mr. Baldwin* says: ‘‘Its preference is for maples, beeches, and particularly butternuts, and for sloping or hilly ground, and I always look with glad suspicion at a knoll covered with ferns, cohoshes, and trilliums, expecting to see a clump of this plant among them. Its sentinel-like habit of choosing ‘sightly places’ leads it to venture well up on moun- tain sides.’’ The long, wavy, brownish petals give the flower an alert, startled look when surprised in its lonely hiding-places. C. parvifiorum, the small yellow lady’s slipper, differs from C. pubescens in the superior richness of its color as well as in its size. It has also the charm of fragrance. YELLOW SWEET CLOVER. YELLOW MELILOT. Melilotus officinalis, Pulse Family. Two to four feet high. Stem.—Upright. Leaves.—Divided into three toothed leaflets. //owers.—Papilionaceous; yellow; growing in spike-like racemes, This plant is found blossoming along the roadsides in sum- mer. It was formerly called in England ‘‘ king’s-clover,’’ be- cause as Parkinson writes, ‘‘ the yellowe flowers doe crown the top of the stalks.’’ The leaves become fragrant in drying. INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT. Medeola Virginiana. 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. “eaves.—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. /V/owers.—Greenish-yellow ; small ; clustered; recurved; set close to the upper leaves. Perianth.—Of three sepals and three petals, oblong and alike. Szamens.—Six ; reddish-brown. Pistil.—With three stigmas; long; recurved, and reddish-brown. Fra¢tz. —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 * Orchids of New England. 140 PLATE LX SS SS RS SST SS) Rootstock Yginianda. 2 INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT.—Medeola Vi I4I YELLOW drooping inconspicuous blossoms for his bunch of wood-flowers in June. The generic name is after the sorceress Medea, on ac- count of its supposed medicinal virtues, of which, however, there seems to be no record. The tuberous rootstock has the flavor, and something the shape, of the cucumber, and was probably used as food by the Indians. It would not be an uninteresting study to discover which of our common wild plants are able to afford pleasant and nutritious food; in such a pursuit many of the otherwise unat- tractive popular names would prove suggestive. WINTER CRESS. YELLOW ROCKET. HERB OF ST. BARBARA. Barbarea vulgaris. Mustard Family. Stem.—Smooth. Leaves.—The lower lyre-shaped; the upper ovate, toothed or deeply incised at their base. Flowers.—Yellow; growing in racemes, /od.—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 yel- low mustards to appear. BLACK MUSTARD. Brassica nigra. Mustard Family. Often several feet high. Stem.—Branching. Leaves. —The lower with a large terminal lobe and a few small lateral ones. /lowers.—Yellow ; rather small; growing in a raceme. /Pods.—Smooth; erect; appressed ; about half an inch long. Many are familiar with the appearance of this plant who are ignorant of its name. ‘The pale yellow flowers spring from the waste places along the roadside and border the dry fields through- out the summer. ‘The tall spreading branches recall the Biblical description: ‘‘It groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches ; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.’’ 142 PLATE LXi YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER.—Cyfripedium pubescens PATE alex “actum venosum. RATTLESNAKE-WEED.—//ve> 143 YELLOW 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. One to three feet high. Zeaves.—Rough; lyre-shaped. /V/owers.— Yel- low ; veiny; turning white or purplish; larger than those of the black mus- tard, otherwise resembling them. Pod.—Often necklace-form by constric- tion between the seeds. This plant is a troublesome weed in many of our fields. It is the stock from which the garden radish has been raised. YELLOW WATER-CRESS. Nasturtium palustre, Mustard Family. Erect, branching, one to three feet high. Zeaves.—Pinnately parted into oblong, toothed lobes. /lowers.—Yellow, small, growing in racemes. Pod.—Linear or oblong, spreading or curved. The yellow water-cress is common in wet places or in shallow water almost throughout North America. Its insignificant yellow flowers are found from May till September. RATTLESNAKE-WEED. HAWKWEED. (Pl. Lei FHieracium venosum, Composite Family. Stem or Scape.—One to two feet high; naked or with a single leaf; slender ; forking above. JLeaves.—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 earlysummer. ‘The purple- veined leaves, whose curious markings give to the plant its com- mon name, grow close to the ground and are supposed to be 144 YELLOW 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 re- semblance between its leaves and the markings of the rattle- snake. Another yellow species which is found in the dry open woods is the rough hawkweed, H. scabrum. ‘This plant may be distin- guished from the rattlesnake-weed not only by its unveined leaves, but by its /eafy, rough, rather stout stem. Its thick flower-stalks, and the involucre which surrounds each flower- head, are densely clothed with dark hairs (Pl. LXIII). The panicled hawkweed, A. paniculatum, found also in dry woods, is usually smooth throughout. Its leafy stem is branched above, with slender, often drooping flower-stalks DANDELION. Taraxacum officinale. Composite Family. 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 pro- cure enough to appease their appetites, and that the quantity consumed by one individual exceeds belief. The feathery- tufted seeds which form the downy balls beloved as ‘‘ clocks ”’ by 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 dion. ‘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, 145 YELLOW which they liken to the golden teeth of the heraldic lion. In nearly every European country the plant bears a name of similar significance. ROUGH CINQUEFOIL. Potentilla Norvegica. Rose Family. Stout, rough, six inches to two and one-half feet high, with many leafy bracts. Leaves.—Divided into three obovate leaflets. F/owers.—Yellow, in rather close, leafy clusters. Calyx.—Deeply five-cleft, with bracts between each tooth, thus appearing ten-cleft.—Lobes larger than the petals of corolla. Coro//a.—Small, of five petals. Stamens and pistils.— Numerous. This rather weedy-looking plant is often common in dry soil, flowering throughout the summer. COMMON CINQUEFOIL. FIVE FINGER. Potentilla Canadensis. Rose Family. Stem.—Slender ; prostrate, or sometimeserect. Leaves.—Divided really into three leaflets, but apparently into five by the parting of the lateral leaf- lets. Flowers.—Yellow; growing singly from the axils of the leaves, Calyx.—Deeply five-cleft, with bracts between each tooth, thus appearing ten-cleft. Coro//a.—Of five rounded petals. Stamens.—Many. /istzls. —-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 cingue feuzlles. The generic name, Pofenti/la, has reference to the powerful medicinal prop- erties formerly attributed to the genus. 146 PLATE LXIill ROUGH HAWKWEED.—Aizeracium scabrum., ieee PQ eee ee ee ee Das Gee eS ns se ad lk | ie , _ § \ "a Y *. br, 7 eat + . 2 ae oes, a Ai v ? = 5 Tee a nh tau a, ® ; Fs te ow ae ; a > ar 4 aA "4 oy ar 7 nit i: 7 ee ae ee ae ci! yee oe oe =. Ge 4 7 el) = vt - ao a ‘s a é - - i = FF, A L hae Cry a aoe ‘ Aw + - \ ’ ae is 4. on 7 ; sali ie a > Oa ui ® an . ; qe J . as) ra. ; : a or 7 - wa ; . ’ Vv "os m4 ‘ AY the ye Fe ‘ Rane). on avs Seon bit a $ . ‘ aie 6 7 ? ° 7 : yy ¢ ° i ¢ a a g = J - : 7, i y an - a + icity : _ ‘ 7 ; Sis 7 Z * ° iy a - es . ¢ 4 \ A, ; \ 5 , + } ah ROLY AL LOUOIE PLATE LXIV COMMON CINQUEFOIL.—Potentitla Canadensis. 147 YELLOW SILVER-WEED. Potentilla anserina. Rose Family. ‘* Herbaceous, tufted, spreading by slender runners one to three feet long.” Leaves.—Pinnately divided into seven to twenty-five oblong, sharply toothed leaflets which are silvery and silky below. //owers.—Bright yel- low, on slender, erect, solitary flower-stalks. Calyx.—Five-cleft, with bracts between each tooth, thus appearing ten-cleft. Covolla,—Of five broadly oval or obovate petals. Stamens and pistils.—Numerous. These bright, pretty flowers, occasionally mistaken for butter- cups by the unobservant passer-by, are found throughout the summer in wet marshes and along river banks from New Jersey northward. For these golden-flowered plants the name ‘‘ golden- weed ’’ would seem more appropriate than ‘‘ silver-weed.’’ Itis only when we turn over the leaves and note the downy under- sides of the leafiets that we can reconcile ourselves to the estab- lished title SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL. FIVE FINGER. Potentilla fruticosa. Rose Family. Stem.—Erect ; shrubby; one to four feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into five to seven narrow leaflets. F/owervs.—Yellow; resembling those of the common cinquefoil, but larger. 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, where it takes entire possession of otherwise barren fields and roadsides; its peculiarly bluish-green foliage and bright yellow flowers (looking like buttercups growing o7 a shrub) arresting one’s attention throughout the entire summer and occasionally late into the autumn. 148 PLAIE LXV YELLOW AVENS—Geum strictum. 149 YELLOW 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. /Zowers.—Much as in above. The silvery cinquefoil has rather large yellow flowers, which are found in dry fields throughout the summer as far south as New Jersey. YELLOW AVENS. [Pl. LXV. Geum strictum. Rose Family. Somewhat hairy; three to five feet high. Stem-leaves.—Divided into from three to five leaflets. //Zowers.— Golden yellow. Calyx,—Five-clett ; usually with a small bract between the divisions. Coro//a.—Of five broad petals. Stamens and Pistils.—Numerous; the latter enlarging finally into a round, burr-like head. The bright flowers of the yellow avens are found in the moist meadows during the summer, finally giving way to the troublesome burrs which so often thrust upon us their unwelcome companionship. BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE. Diervilla trifida, Honeysuckle Family. An upright shrub from one to four feet high. Leaves.—Opposite ; ob- long; taper-pointed. lowers. —Yellow, sometimes much tinged with red ; clustered usually in threes in the axils of the upper leaves and at the sum- mit of the stem. Calyx.—With slender awl-shaped lobes. Coro//a.—Fun- nel-form ; five-lobed; the lower lobe larger than the others and of a deeper yellow, with a small nectar-bearing gland at its base. Stamens.—Five. Pistil.—One. 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 150 t Wi, PLATE LXV\ WOLD, Lye Se EG Wtf Cit Lolita, 11. f GQ YU ig tty t Cg rp, fj illto Pex Y byte os 5 oii id abba aad LD) JNA vivian wr rkdnAD io na m w ih ie wy yi BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE.—Dvervilla trifida. 151 YELLOW 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. 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. lowers. — Bright yellow; small; numerous; crowded along the upper part of the branches. Ca/yx.—Of five sepals, the two outer much smaller. Coro/la.— Of five petals. Stamens.—Nine to thirty. Pisti/.—One, with a long and slender style. In early summer many of the sand-hills along the New Eng- land coast are bright with the yellow flowers of this hoary little shrub. It is also found as far south as Maryland and near the Great Lakes. Each blossom endures for a single day only. ‘The plant’s popular name is due to its economical habit of utilizing sandy unproductive soil where little else will flourish. ROCK-ROSE. FROST-WEED. Helianthemum Canadense. Rock-rose Family. About one foot high. Zeaves.—Set close to the stem; simple; lance- oblong. FV/owers.—Of two kinds: the earlier, more noticeable ones, yellow, solitary, about one inch across; the latter ones smali and clustered, usually without petals. Ca/yx.—(Of the petal-bearing flowers) of five sepals, Co- volla.—Of five early falling petals which arecrumpled inthe bud, Stamens. —Numerous. /istil.—One, with a three-lobed stigma. These fragile, bright-yellow flowers are found in gravelly places in earlysummer. 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 152 PLATE LXVIi sf eee s Mis (WHY (MMU : ka CEE: FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE —Lysimachia guadrifolia. YELLOW finds this ‘‘ broad, cup-like flower, one of the most delicate yel- low 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. FOUR-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE. [Pl. LXVII Lysimachia quadrifolia. Primrose Family. Stem.—Slender; one to two feet high. Leaves.—Narrowly oblong; whorled in fours, fives, or sixes. /lowers.—Yellow, spotted or streaked with red; on slender, hair-like flower-stalks from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.— Five or six-parted. Coro//a.—Very deeply five or six-parted. Séa- mens.—Four or five, /2sti/.—One. This slender pretty plant grows along the roadsides and at- tracts one’s notice in June by its regular whorls of leaves and flowers. Linnzeus says that this genus is named after Lysim- achus, King of Sicily. lLoosestrife is the English for Lysim- achus; but whether the ancient superstition that the placing of these flowers upon the yokes of oxen rendered the beasts gentle and submissive arose from the peace-suggestive title or from other causes, I cannot discover. YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE. Lysimachia stricta. Primrose Family. Stem.—One to two feet high; leafy. Zeaves.—Opposite ; lance-shaped. Flowers.—Small; yellow; growing in long clusters. Calyx, Corolla, etc., very much asin LZ. guadrifolia. The bright clusters of the yellow loosestrife shoot upward from the marshes, and gild the brook’s border from June till August. 154 PLATE LXVii Air n eis Vv , i LOY 4 % oy YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE.—Lysimachia stricta. 155 YELLOW 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. Covol/a.—Two-lipped ; upper lip arched ; lower three-lobed and spreading at the apex. Stamens.—Four. istil.— 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, Z77go de Vaca, would seem to indi- cate a similar custom inSpain. The generic name, JZe/ampyrum, is from the Greek, and signifies Jack 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. SPEARWORT. Ranunculus ambigens, Crowfoot Family. Stems.—One to two feet high. Zeaves.—Oblong or lance-shaped; mostly toothed ; contracted into a half-clasping leaf-stalk. //ower.—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 spear- wort, 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. 156 PLATE LXIx a Sitetronema ciliatum. 157 YELLOW i, ; [Pl. LXIX Steironema ciliatum. Primrose Family. Stem.—Erect ; two to four feet high. Leaves.—Opposite ; narrowly oval; on fringed leaf-stalks. //owers.—Yellow ; on slender stalks from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.—Deeply five-parted. Corolla.—Deeply five- lobed; wheel-shaped ; yellow, with a reddish centre. Stamens.—Five. Pistil,—One. This plant is nearly akin to the yellow loosestrifes, but un- fortunately it hasno English name. It abounds in low grounds and thickets, putting forth its bright wheel-shaped blossoms early in July. 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. /2stz/,—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. 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. Covo//a.—Of ten or twelve petals. Stamens.—Numerous. /%isti/.—One, with numerous stigmas. /7ruit.— Shaped liked a small pear; often with prickles over its surface. This curious looking plant is one of the only two representa- tives of the Cactus family in the Northeastern States. It has 158 YELLOW 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. Rafinesguit as to make it difficult to distinguish be- tween the two. COMMON BARBERRY. Berberis vulgaris. Barberry Family. A shrub. Zeaves.—Oblong; toothed; in clusters from the axil of a thorn. /V/ower.—Yellow; in drooping racemes. Calyx.—Of six sepals, with from two to six bractlets without. Coro//a.—Of six petals. Stamens. —Six. /rstil.—One. Fruit.—An oblong scarlet berry. This European shrub has now become thoroughly wild and very plentiful in parts of New England. The drooping yellow flowers of May and June are less noticeable than the oblong clustered berries of September, which light up so many over- grown lanes, and often decorate our lawns and gardens as well. The ancients extracted a yellow hair-dye from the barberry ; and to-day it is used to impart a yellow color to wool. Both its common and botanical names are of Arabic origin. YELLOW STAR-GRASS. Hypoxis erecta. Amaryllis Family. Scapes.—Slender; few-flowered. Zeaves.—Linear; grass-like; hairy. Flowers.—Yellow. /Perianth.—Six-parted; spreading ; the divisions hairy and greenish outside, yellow within. Stamens.—Six. /istil.—One. When our eyes fall upon what looks like a bit of evening sky set with golden stars, but which proves to be only a piece of shaded turf gleaming with these pretty flowers, we recall Long- fellow’s musical lines : ‘¢ Spake full well in language quaint and olden, One who dwelleth on the castled Rhine, When he called the flowers so blue and golden, Stars, which in earth’s firmament do shine.”’ 159 YELLOW The plant grows abundantly in open woods and meadows flowering in early summer. WILD INDIGO. Baptisia tinctoria. Pulse Family. Two or three feet high. Stems.—Smooth and slender. Leaves.—Di- vided into three rounded leaflets; somewhat pale with a whitish bloom; turning black in drying. //owers.—Papilionaceous ; yellow; clustered in many short, loose racemes, This rather bushy-looking, bright-flowered plant is constant- ly encountered in midsummer in our rambles throughout the somewhat dry and sandy parts of the country. It is said that it is found in nearly every State in the Union, and that it has been used as a homceopathic remedy for typhoid fever. Its young shoots are eaten at times in place of asparagus. Both the botan- ical and common names refer to its having yielded an economi- cal but unsuccessful substitute for indigo. YELLOW CLOVER. HOP CLOVER. Trifolium agrarium. Pulse Family. Six to twelve inches high. Zeaves.—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 ¢véfle (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 160 PLATE LXX MEADOW LILY.—Lilinum Canadense. YELLOW 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 sham- rock, SUNDROPS. CGnothera fruticosa, Evening Primrose Family. Stem.—Erect; one to three feet high. Zeaves.—Alternate; oblong to narrowly lance-shaped. //owers.—Bright yellow; rather large; usually somewhat loosely clustered. Ca/yx.—With a long tube and four reflexed lobes. Corvol/la.—With four petals. Stamens.—Eight. Pzsti/.—One with a four-lobed stigma. This is a day-blooming species of the evening primrose. Its pretty delicate flowers abound along the roadsides and in the meadows of early summer, C. pumila is another day-bloomer belonging to this same genus. Its flowers are much smaller than the sundrops. MEADOW LILY. WILD YELLOW LILY. (Pl. LXX Lilium Canadense. Lily Family. Stem.—Two to five feet high. Zeaves.—Whorled ; lance-shaped. Flow- ers.—Yellow, spotted with reddish-brown ; bell-shaped ; two to three inches long. Perianth.—Of six recurved sepals, with a nectar-bearing furrow at their base. Stamens.—Six, with anthers loaded with brown pollen. Piés¢zd. —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 alarm among the flowers ? These too are true ‘‘ lilies of the field,’’ less gorgeous, less imposing than the Turks’ caps, but with an unsurpassed grace and charm of theirown. ‘‘ Fairy-caps’’ these pointed blossoms are sometimes called; ‘‘ witch-caps’’ would be more appro- priate still. Indeed they would make dainty headgear for any of the dim inhabitants of Wonder-land. 161 YELLOW 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 church candelabra. COMMON BLADDERWORT. Utricularia vulgaris. Bladderwort Family. Stems.—Immersed; one to three feet long. Leaves.—Many-parted : hair-like ; bearing numerous bladders. Scafe.—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 found commonly in ponds and slow streams, flowering throughout the summer. Thoreau calls it ‘*a dirty conditioned flower, like asluttish 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. There are a number of other species of yellow bladderwort, with smaller flowers, which are recognized easily as belonging to this group. YELLOW-EYED GRASS. Xyris flexuosa. Mayaca Family. Scape. —Slender, ten to sixteen inches high, often from a bulbous base. Leaves. —Narrowly linear, sheathing the base of scape, commonly twisted with age, asis the scape. /lowers.—Yellow, small, growing in a head, usually about two opening at the same time. Ca/yx.—Of three sepals, one of which soon withers. Covol/a.—Of three clawed petals. Stamens.—Three fertile, with anthers, and three sterile, without anthers. P7st//.—One, with three cleft style. In wet, boggy places, growing often in close companionship with the sundew and bladderwort, we notice during the summer the round heads of the yellow-eyed grass. 162 PEATE: EXx| HORNED BLADDERWORT.—U/¢ricularia cornuta. a. a non 7) ¢ at i] a aves ca Pyae la Oc ba: 'z . i P= ee Gens ry | and al wa > _ YELLOW BUTTER-AND-EGGS. TOADFLAX. Linaria vulgaris. Figwort Family. Stem.—Smooth; erect; one to three feet high. Leaves.—Alternate; linear or nearly so. /owers.—Of two shades of yellow ; growing in termi- nal racemes. Ca/yx.—Five-parted. Coro//a.—Pale yellow tipped with orange; long-spurred; two-lipped; closed inthe 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, generally 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 con- sidered at one time a valuable skin lotion, while its juice mingled with milk constitutes a fly-poison. Its generic name, Zznavria, and its English title, toadflax, arose from a fancied resemblance between its leaves and those of the flax. DYER’S GREEN-WEED. WOAD-WAXEN NEW ENG- LAND WHIN. Genista tinctoria. Pulse Family. A shrubby plant from one to two feet high. Zeaves.—Lance-shaped. Flowers.—Papilionaceous; yellow; growing in spiked racemes. This is another foreigner which has established itself in East- ern New York and Massachusetts, where it covers the barren hill-sides with its yellow flowers in early summer. It is a com- mon 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. 163 YELLOW RATTLEBOX. Crotalaria sagittalis. Pulse Family. Stem.—Hairy; three to six inches high. Leaves.—Undivided; oval or lance-shaped. //owers.—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. YELLOW RATTLE. Rhinanthus Crista-galli. Figwort Family. Stem.—Slender, upright, usually branching, six to eighteen inches high. Leaves. — Opposite, lanceolate, set close to the stem, coarsely toothed. Floral-leaves, — Broader, with bristle-tipped teeth. lowers. — Yellow, ‘* crowded in a one-sided, leafy-bracted spike.”” Ca/yx.—Four-toothed, flat- tened, much inflated in fruit. Covo/la.—Two-lipped, usually with a purple spot on one or both lips, upper lip arched, lower lip three-lobed. Stamens. —Four, under the upper lip. zst/7.—One. This plant is found along the New England coast and in the mountains of New Hampshire. COMMON ST. JOHN’S-WORT. Hypericum perforatum. St. John’s-wort Family. Stem.—Much branched. Leaves.—Small; opposite ; somewhat oblong ; with pellucid dots. Vlowers.—Yellow ; numerous; in leafy clusters. Calyx. —Of five sepals. Covolla.—Of five bright yellow petals, somewhat spotted with black. Stamens.—Indefinite in number. /%s¢//.—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 164 PLATE LXxXil \ ¥ Ne WE * 4 E vy Ni \ D\ COMMON ST. JOHN'S-WORT.—Hyfericum perforatum. 165 YELLOW farmer wishes it had remained where it rightfully belongs—on the other side of the water. 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 win- dows 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 finally be 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 proper- ‘ties. 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 dzmonum.’’ Very possibly this name gave rise to the general idea that it was powerful in dispelling evil spirits. The pale St. John’s-wort, HY. e/ipticum, has thin, spreading, oval leaves which are set close to the stem, and pale yellow flowers, about half an inch broad. The spotted St. John’s-wort, H. maculatum, may be identi- fied by its slender blossoms and copiously black-dotted, oblong leaves. The Canadian St. John’s-wort, HW. Canadense, has linear, three-nerved leaves and small flowers with from five to twelve stamens only. It grows abundantly in wet, sandy places. The dwarf St. John’s-wort, 7. mutilum, has even smaller blossoms, with from five to twelve stamens also, and narrowly oblong or ovate leaves, which are five-nerved and partly clasping. This is abundant in low grounds everywhere. 166 PLATE LXxXiN COMMON MULLEIN.—Verbascum Thapsus. 107 YELLOW ORANGE GRASS. PINE-WEED. Hypericum nudicaule. St. John’s-wort Family. Erect; bushy; four to twenty inches high, with wiry, thread-like branches. Leaves.—Opposite; minute ; awl-shaped, pressed toward the stem. Flowers. —Yellow, very small, open in sunlight. Cadyx.—Of five sepals. Corolla. —Of five petals. Stamens.—Five to twelve. /zsti/.—One, with three sepa- rate styles. #vuzt.—A red or purplish pod. This little plant is common in sandy soil from Maine to Florida, and westward as well. Often it grows abundantly along the roadside. ST. ANDREW’S CROSS. Ascyrum Crux-Andre@. St. John’s-wort Family. Stems.—Low ; branched. Leaves.—Opposite ; narrowly oblong; black- dotted. Flowers.—Light yellow. Calyx.—Of four sepals; the two outer broad and leaflike; the inner much smaller. Covo//a.—Of four narrowly oblong petals. Stamens.— Numerous. /2sti/.— 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. (Pl. LXXIII Verbascum Thapsus. Figwort Family. Stems.—Tall and stout; from three to five feet high. Zeaves.—Oblong ; woolly. F/lowers.—In along dense spike. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla. —Yellow ; with five slightly unequal rounded lobes. Stamens.—Ten, the three upper with white wool on their filaments. /zs¢z/.—One. 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, notwithstand- ing 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 168 PLATE LXxXIv Dy in Ves , 7. MOTH MULLEIN.—Veréascusn Blattarta, 169 YELLOW 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. [Pl. LXXIV Verbascum Blattaria. Figwort Family. Stem.—Tall and slender. Zeaves.—Oblong; toothed; the lower some- times lyre-shaped, the upper partly clasping. /V/owers.—Yellow or white ; tinged with red or purple; in a terminal raceme. Ca/yx.—Deeply five- parted. Corol/a.—Butterfly shape; of five rounded, somewhat unequal lobes. Stamens.—Five, with filaments bearded with violet wool and anthers loaded with orange-colored pollen. /zstz/.—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 leads one to ask the wherefore of every new feature. 170 YELLOW PARTRIDGE-PEA. Cassia Chamecrista. Pulse Family. Stems.—Spreading ; eight inches to afootlong. Leaves.— Divided into from ten to fifteen pairs of narrow delicate leaflets, which close at night and are somewhat sensitive to the touch. /Vowers.—Yellow; rather large and showy; on slender stalks beneath the spreading leaves; not papiliona- ceous. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Coro/la.—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. P¢stz/.— One, with a slender style. Pod.—F lat. 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 sen- sitive to the touch, yet when a branch is snapped from the par- ent stem, or is much handled, the delicate leaflets will droop and fold, displaying their curious mechanism. WILD SENNA. Cassia Marilandica, Pulse Family. Stem.—Three or four feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into from six to nine pairs of narrowly oblong leaflets. /owers.—Yellow ; in short clusters from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Coro/la.—Of five slightly unequal, spreading petals ; usually somewhat spotted with reddish brown. Stamens.—Five to ten; unequal; some of them often imperfect. Pzstz/.— One. /od.—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. 171 YELLOW BLACK-EYED SUSAN. CONE-FLOWER. Rudbeckia hirta. Composite Family. 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. /V/ower-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 yel- low lilies and brilliant milk-weeds. 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. Rudbeckia laciniata. Composite Family. Two to seven feet high. Stem.—Smooth; branching. JZeaves.—The lower divided into lobed leaflets; the upper irregularly three to five-parted. Flower-heads.—Y ellow ; rather large; composed of both ray and disk-flow- ers; the former drooping and yellow; the latter 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. AGRIMONY. Agrimonia Eupatoria. Rose Family. One to two feet high. Zeaves.—Divided into several coarsely toothed leaflets. /Vowers.—Small; yellow; in slender spiked racemes. Calyx.— Five-cleft; beset with hooked teeth. Covol/a.—Of five petals. Stamens,— Five to fifteen. /zsti/s.—One to four. The slender yellow racemes of the agrimony skirt the woods throughout the later summer. In former times the plant was 172 PLATE LXXV AGRIMONY.—A grimonia Eupatoria, 173 YELLOW 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 de- rived 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. The small-flowered agrimony, 4. parviflora, is found in the woods of New York and New Jersey, also west and southward. Its leaves are divided into from eleven to nineteen deeply cut leaflets, with smaller lance-shaped ones intermixed. Its petals are smaller than in the common agrimony, which otherwise it resembles. YELLOW WOOD SORREL. Oxalis stricta. Geranium Family. Stem.—Erect. Zeaves.—Divided into three delicate clover-like leaflets. Flowers. —Golden-yellow. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Covol/a.—Of five pet- als. Stamens.—Ten. /istil.—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. 174 PLATE LXxXVI Ws., UUM 1, PALE JEWEL-WEED.—/mfatiens pallida. 175 YELLOW JEWEL-WEED. TOUCH-ME-NOT. (Pl. LXXVI Geranium Family. Impatiens pallida. Pale Jewel-weed. Flowers.—Pale yellow, somewhat spotted with reddish brown; common northward. Impatiens fulva. Spotted Jewel-weed. Flowers. — Orange-yellow, spotted with reddish brown; common south- ward. Two to six feet high. Zeaves.—Alternate; coarsely toothed; oval. Flowers.—Nodding; loosely clustered, or growing from the axils of the leaves. Calyx and Corol/la.—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. zstz/.—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 ap- pear along the English rivers, and it is said that the ordinary showy blossoms are comparatively rare, while the cleistogs mous ones abound. Does not this look almost like a determination on the part of the plant to secure a firm foothold in its new envi- ronment before expending its energy on flowers which, though radiant and attractive, are quite dependent on insect visitors for fertilization and perpetuation? 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. 176 YELLOW HORSE BALM. RICH-WEED. STONE-ROOT. Collinsonia Canadensis. Mint Family. One to three feet high. Zeaves.—Opposite; large; ovate; toothed ; pointed. /lowers.—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. /%sti/.—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 em- ployed it as an application to wounds. YELLOW FRINGED ORCHIS. ORANGE ORCHIS. Flabenaria ciliaris. Orchis Family. Stem,.—Leafy; one to two feet high. Zeaves.—The lower oblong to lance-shaped; the upper passing into pointed bracts. /lowers.— Deep orange -olor, with a slender spur and deeply fringed lip; growing in an ob- long spike. Years may pass without our meeting this the most brilliant of our orchids. Suddenly one August day we chance upon just such a boggy meadow as we have searched in vain a hundred times, and 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 what- ever 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. 177 YELLOW 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.’’ EVENING PRIMROSE. Gnothera biennis. Evening Primrose Family. Stout; erect; one to five feet high. Leaves.—Alternate; lance-shaped to oblong. /lowers.—Pale yellow; in a leafy spike; opening at night. Calyx.—With a long tube; four-lobed. Covol/a.—Of four somewhat heart- shaped petals. Stamens.—Eight, with long anthers. /7stz/.—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 blos- soms. 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 frag- ile yellow flowers, which are exhaling their faint delicious fra- grance 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. That they change their habits in the late year and remain open during the day is due perhaps to the diminished power of the sun. 178 PLATE LXxXvit EVENING PRIMROSE.—Qinothera biennis. 179 YELLOW ELECAMPANE. Inula Helenium. Composite Family. Stem.—Stout; three to five feet high. Leaves.—Alternate; large; woolly beneath; the upper partly clasping. lower-heads.—Yellow ; large; composed of both ray and disk-flowers. 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 pro- tecting mantle over their first efforts? And these new-comers— whose gross, rotund countenances so clearly betray the results of high living—do not they pay their respects to their great bene- factor 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 farm- ers 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 men- tioned as such over two thousand Bea, ago in the writes of Hippocrates, the ‘‘ Father of Medicine.’ The common name is supposed to be a corruption of a/a Campania, and refers to the frequent occurrence of the plant in that ancient province of Southern Italy. GOLDEN ASTER. Chrysotsis Mariana. Composite Family. 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. 180 PLATE LXXVIII SSS ee | iW ih iy ) |! | | q hg I AVA Ay} AGE § gy, il, M,. Y hil‘ Of 4M, y) We Wiis rf MW 4 . , Muli) Ay BA. BY ELECAMPANE.—I/nula Helenium. 182 YELLOW 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. WILD SUNFLOWER. Flelianthus giganteus. Composite Family. 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. In late summer many of our lanes are hedged by this beauti- ful plant, which, like other members of its family, lifts its yellow flowers sunward in pale imitation of the great lifegiver 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. HT. annuus is the garden species familiar to all; this is said to be a native of Peru. Mr. Ellwanger writes regarding it: «Tn the mythology of the ancient Peruvians it occupied an im- portant place, and was employed as a mystic decoration in an- cient 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 aspir- ing stalk in the fields, and serving in the temple 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 over- thwart the floure by measure sixteen inches broad.’’ The generic name is from /e/zos—the sun, and anthos—a flower. 182 PLATE LXXIX WILD SUNFLOWER.—/felianthus giganteus. PLATE LXXX aly,” iy’, LOM yf STICK-TIGHT .—Bidens fSrondosa. Barbed fruit. 183 YELLOW SNEEZEWEED. SWAMP SUNFLOWER. Helenium autumnale. Composite Family. One to six feet high. Stem.—Angled; erect; branching. Leaves.— Alternate; lance-shaped. /lower-heads.—Yellow; composed of both ray and disk-flowers, the rays three to five-cleft. The general effect of this plant is similar to that of the wild sunflowers, but one is able to identify it easily on a close exam- ination, by means of the stem, which is angled, and by the ray- flowers, which are pistillate and from three to five cleft. During September it is abundant in Connecticut, and farther south and westward, its bright flower-heads bordering the rivers, gilding the meadows, and illuminating many of those dim wood- land pools which flash upon us so constantly and enticingly as we travel through the country by rail. FALL DANDELION. Leontodon autumnalis. Composite Family. Scape.—Five to fifteen inches high; branching. Leaves.—From the root; toothed or deeply incised. /lower-heads.—Yellow; composed en- tirely 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 gen- eral habit of the plant recalls some of the hawkweeds. STICK-TIGHT. BUR-MARIGOLD. BEGGAR-TICKS. Bidens frondosa. Composite Family. [Pl. LXXX Two to six feet high. Stem.—Branching. LZeaves.—Opposite; three to five-divided. /Vlower-heads.—Consisting of brownish-yellow tubular flowers ; with a leaf-like involucre beneath. If one were only describing the attractive wild flowers, the’ stick-tight would certainly be omitted, as its appearance is not 184 PLATE LXXxi Flower LARGER BUR MARIGOLD.—Sidens chrysanthemoides. 185 YELLOW 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 hearti- ly 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 con- stantly encountered in late summer, and yet so generally un- known, that it can hardly be overlooked. The larger bur-marigold, 2. chrysanthemotdes (Plate LXXXI.), 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. B. cernua, the small bur-marigold, is found often without ray-flowers; when these are present they are shorter than the leaflike involucre which surrounds the flower-head. Its leaves are zrregularly toothed, and lance-shaped. Its height varies, being anywhere from five inches to three feet. WILD LETTUCE. Lactuca Canadensis. Composite Family. Stems.—Noticeably tall, from four to nine feet high; leafy; smooth or nearly so. Zeaves.—Usually six inches to a foot long; pale beneath; the upper lance-shaped and not toothed ; the others usually wavy, lobed, or cut. Flower-heads.—Pale yellow ; small; composed of strap-shaped flowers; nu- merous in usually long and narrow clusters. The wild lettuce is common in the wet and somewhat open thickets of latesummer. It is perhaps rendered more conspicu- ous by its unusual height and lobed leaves than by its insignifi- 186 YELLOW cant flowers. For my own part I rarely notice this plant during its period of blossoming, although my eye is constantly arrested by its feathery seed-clusters during the fruiting season. YELLOW THISTLE. Cnicus horridulus. Composite Family. Stem.—Stout; one tothree feet high. Zeaves.—Partly clasping; deeply cut; the toothed and cut lobes spiny with yellowish prickles. /lower- heads.—Pale yellow or purple; composed entirely of tubular flowers; sur- rounded by leaf-like, prickly bracts. In sandy fields near the coast the yellow thistle blossoms dur- ing the later summer. GOLDEN-ROD. Solidago, Composite Family. 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 North- eastern States. Many of them are difficult of identification, and it would be useless to describe any but a few of the more conspicuous forms. A common and noticeable species which flowers early in August is S. Canadensis, with a tall, stout, rough 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. zemoradis, which has a hoary aspect and very bright yellow flowers which are com- mon in dry fields. S. juncea is also an early bloomer. Its lower leaves are lanceo- late or oval, with sharp, spreading teeth and long, winged leaf- 187 YELLOW stems. The upper ones are narrow and set close to thestem. Its flower-heads grow on the upper side of recurved branches, form- ing usually a full, spreading cluster. SS. danceolata has \ance-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 recognized by its nar- row, shining, dotted leaves, which when crushed yield a pleas- ant, permeating fragrance. The seaside golden-rod, S. sempervirens, is a showy, beautiful plant of vigorous habit. Its large, orange-yellow flower-heads, and thick, bright green leaves make brilliant the salt-marshes, sand-hills, and rocky shores of the Atlantic coast every August. S. c@sia, 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. S. latifolia, usually has a simple, zigzag stem from one to three feet high, close to which, in the axils of the leaves, the flower heads are bunched in short clusters. Toward the top of the stem these clusters may be prolonged into a narrow wand. Its leaves are thin, broadly ovate, sharply toothed and pointed at both ends. This plant loves somewhat moist, shaded localities. Theslender, wand-like silver-rod, S. d¢color (Plate LXXXII.), whose partly whitish flower-heads 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 Zo make whole, and refer to the healing properties which have been attributed to the genus. 188 PLATE LXXXii Disk and ray-flowers, SILVER-ROD.—Solidago bicolor. 189 YELLOW 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. Stamezzs. —Four; in pairs; woolly. /zst2/.—One. These large, pale yellow flowers are very beautiful and strik- ing 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. For me the plant is associated especially with two localities. One is a mountain-road whose borders, from early June, are brilliant with a show of lovely blossoms, but which, just before the appearance of the false foxglove, is threatened with a dismal break in the floral procession. Only the sharpest eyes are solaced by multitudes of round yellow buds, that burst suddenly into peculiarly fresh and pleasing flowers. The other favored spot is a wooded island on the coast, sur- rounded by a salt marsh. In August, when the marsh itself is still brilliant with sea-pinks and milkwort, and beginning to wear its glowing mantle of asters and golden-rods, this island can scarcely boast a blossom save that of the false foxglove. But the plant succeeds in redeeming the lonely spot from any suspicion of dreariness by its lavish display of cheery flowers. The downy false foxglove, G. flava, is usually a somewhat lower plant, with a close down, a less-branched stem, more en- tire leaves, and smaller, similar flowers. 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. 190 PLATE LXXxXill SMOOTH FALSE FOXGLOVE.—Gerardia quercifolia, 1g! YELLOW TANSY. Tanacetum vulgare. Composite Family. 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 ‘‘ tan- sies,’’? 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 zmortality. WITCH-HAZEL. Hamamelis Virginiana. Witch-hazel Family. Atall shrub. Zeaves.—Oval; wavy-toothed; mostly falling before the flowers appear. //owers.—Honey-yellow; clustered; autumnal, Calyx.— Four-parted. Corolla. —Of four long, narrow petals. Stamens,— Eight. Pistil.—Two. Fruit.—A capsule which bursts elastically, discharging its large seeds with vigor. 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 clus- ters before the summer was fairly over ; while the elusively fra- grant, pale yellow blossoms of the witch-hazel need hardly be ex- 192 PLATE LXXXIV WITCH HAZEL,—FHfamamelis Virginiana, @ —_ — = it} iv YELLOW pected 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 de- praved taste which is gratified by strawberries at Christmas, I wonder? Or is it that in the midst of death we have a fore- taste of life; a prophecy of the great yearly resurrection which even now we may anticipate P Thoreau’s tastes in such directions were certainly not de- praved, 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 the bark of the witch-hazel 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 sug- gestive 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.” * * Hazlitt’s Early Popular Poetry. 193 IV PINK [Pink or occasionally Pink Flowers not described in Pink Section. ] Wood Anemone. Axemone nemorosa, April and May. (White Section, p. 4.) Rue Anemone. Axemonella thalictroides. April and May. (White Section, p. 6.) Pyxie. Pyxidanthera barbulata, March and April. (White Section, p. 9.) Squirrel Corn, Dicentra Canadensis. April and May. (White Section, p. 16.) Trillium. April and May. (White Section, p. 18.) Mountain Laurel.