OUR EARLY Wf 1 D FLOW E R S HARRIET L. KEELER ^ AJfOd^ /n/;r Sc WiHU/\ i-i./^'iT^i^ BOOKS BY HARRIET L. KEELER Published bt CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Our Early Wild Flowers. Small 12mo, Limp Leather, net, $1.25; Cloth, net, $1.00 Our Garden Flowers. Cr. 8vo, . . net, $2.00 Our Northern Shrubs. Cr. 8vo, . . net, $2.00 Our Native Trees. Cr. 8vo, . . . net, $2.00 Each volume profusely illustrated OUR EARLY WILD FLOWERS Skunk-Cabbage. Spathyema fcetida OUR EARLY WILD FLOWERS A STUDY OF THE HERBACEOUS PLANTS BLOOMING IN EARLY SPRING IN THE NORTHERN STATES By HARRIET L. KEELER ILLUSTRATED BY MARY KEFFER AND ELOISE P. LUQUER CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS NEW YORK :: :: :: :: :: 1916 Copyright, 1916, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Published February. 1916 TO THE MEMORY OF BERTHA KEFFER THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED CONTENTS PAGE Introdtidion ix Lists of Flowering Plants xv Genera and Species xix Illustrations xxv Descriptions of Early Wild Flowers ... i Glossary of Botanical Terms 233 Color Key for Identification of Plants . . . 239 Index of Latin Names 247 Index of English Names 250 INTRODUCTION In any study of a flora it is important that the limits of the floral region are clearly defined. By Early Wild Flowers is meant that group of herbaceous plants that finds its most congenial home in a region roughly defined as extending between parallels forty and fifty degrees of north latitude and westward from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi Valley at about meridian ninety-five degrees. West of this boundary, the mid-continental plants appear in numbers, and south of it the plants of Southern type are abundant. This floral region also extends southward along the Appalachian range as far as the Carolinas and Georgia; northern Ohio occupies a central position in this region and, as a consequence, possesses almost the entire flora. It is not meant that these plants are limited to this area, they frequently appear out of bounds, but this is their chosen habitat. The list includes those only that are habitually in bloom during the months of March, April, and May. Many of them, of course, are in bloom during June — nature indulges in no fast- and-hard lines — but none belong to the group of early bloomers; they are not the flowers of early spring unless blooming abundantly at some time during these three months. It is popularly supposed that the character of the ix INTRODUCTION spring greatly influences the opening of the flowers; but really this influence is much less than one might think it would be; the spring flowers are very much like the spring birds, they appear when they are due with very little regard to the immediate weather; they obey the summons of the sun. They may not come so abundantly, but they come on time. By April 20, in the Middle West, the earUest flowers are past and the full flora well under way. In New England the season is later. In round numbers, our early spring flowers number about one hundred and thirty plants. Most of them are native, not to exceed twenty have come to us from Europe. More than half are purely forest plants, nurslings of the woodlands and found nowhere else. They developed in the unbroken forests of this coun- try, and although a few can adapt themselves to the conditions of open, sunny fields, many cannot and when brought into contact with civilization they dis- appear. Because of their natural environment they possess certain marked characteristics. Most of them are either bulbous, tuberous, or possess fleshy root- stocks; that is, they have stored in their roots or un- derground stems sufficient food to enable the plant to bloom before the leaves are in working order; in short, the chief duty of the leaves is to prepare food for the next year. Moreover, they bloom in the forest before the trees are in full leaf; it is their only chance to get direct sunlight and they make the most of it. It is a case of then or never. As a matter of fact, they do not like, and few can endure, direct summer sunshine; they are plants of the shade. Lastly, they lie down to their winter sleep, wrapped in the blanket of leaves INTRODUCTION which the forest strews over them before the snow falls, thus giving them air and relieving them of the dense pressure of the snow. The few foreign plants which are found among our early bloomers are in the main perennials, or what may be called winter an- nuals— plants w^hose seedlings get such a start in the fall that they are able to respond to the first warmth of the sun and swing into the race at once. It is super- fluous to state that in the language of this world they are known as weeds. Examples are Chickweed, Dande- lion, Dead-Nettie, and Red Sorrel. The first flower of the Northern spring is curious and interesting, but Httle known and rarely seen, for its chosen home is the swamp and its time of bloom the sunny days of February and March. Its name, too, is against it. Skunk-Cabbage is neither euphonious nor pleasantly suggestive, and Spathyema foetidus is long and cumbersome. As all the odds are on the other side, it will doubtless remain as it now is, prac- tically unknown, nevertheless its pre-eminence in point of time cannot be disputed. The first spring flower that is generally known in New England and the Middle West, is the Hepatica, which in early April, carpets ravines and open sunny woods with a mass of color — pale blue, soft pink, white, and tinted lavender. This is one of our few spring flowers abundant enough to produce color effects. Closely following the Hepatica and so nearly together that no real precedence can be established among them are: Bloodroot, Spring- Beauty, Dwarf Ginseng, Adder's-Tongue, Dentaria, Meadow-Rue, Anemone, Saxifrage, and in northern Ohio, Harbinger-of-Spring. Trailing Arbutus is placed by New England writers in the earliest group, but it INTRODUCTION is not among the first in the Middle West nor in the Mountains of Virginia, where it is exceedingly abun- dant. One-third of the number are white or but slightly tinted; one-fourth yellow of various degrees of pale- ness; the others are divided mostly among the blues and pinks; a few greens, one red; a few red purples complete the list. The colors are as one would expect them to be — pale. As there are few brilliant colors, so is there very little fragrance; the characteristic of our early wild flowers is delicacy. They are as wild as the Indian and as shy as the deer. They must, of course, die with our forests; but there is no reason w^hy they might not be coaxed back into our parks. If a bit of woodland were left absolutely untouched, the leaves never raked from under the trees, since it is that more than anything else which kills the little beauties, there is no reason why they should not grow and flourish even within city precincts. Certainly every nature-lover would rejoice to know that our na- tive flowers were protected and preserved from de- struction. It is hoped this book will commend itself: To the many teachers w^ho are expected to name at sight every spring blossom brought to them by child- ish hands. To amateur botanists who wish to check their lists of the flora of their home region. To all lovers of the springtime who also love the native wild flowers of our woods and fields. The books of reference for the botanical descrip- tions are Gray's ''Manual of Bctany," 7th edition, and Britton's " Manual of the Flora of the Northern States xii INTRODUCTION and Canada." Thanks arc due to Miss Myrta L. Jones and to Mr. Carl T. Robertson for the Hsts of flowering plants recorded. -The photographs are mainly the work of Mr. Carl Krebs, of Cleveland. Xlll LISTS OF FLOWERING PLANTS The following lists of plants in bloom gathered in the immediate neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, give a fair accounting of the flowers ordinarily found the last of April in that region. The first is a list gathered on April 26, 1893, by a party of flower-lovers, and numbers thirty-five: Jack-in-the-Pulpit Perfoliate Bell wort Grape-Hyacinth , Great White TriUium Red Trillium . Wild Ginger . . Spring-Beauty . Chickweed . Wood-Anemone Rue-Anemone . Meadow-Rue . Blue Cohosh . Bloodroot . D utchman's-B reeches Squirrel-Corn . Spring-Cress Cut-Leaved Dentaria Two-Leaved Dentaria MiteUa .... Mitella .... Tiarella .... Wild Strawberry . Mountain-Strawberry Potentilla . Arisama triphyllum. Uvularia perfoliata. Muscari hotryoides. Trillium grandifiorum. Trillium eredum. Asarum Canadense. Claytonia Virginica. Stellaria media. Anemone nemorosa, var. quinquefolia. Syndesmon thalictroides. Thalidrum dioicum. Caulophyllum thalidroides. Sanguinaria Canadensis. Bicuculla cucularia. Bicuculla Canadensis. Cardamine rhomboidea, var. purpurea. Dentaria laciniata. Dentaria diphylla. Mitella diphylla. Mitella nuda. Tiarella cordifolia. Fragaria Virginica. Fragaria Americana. Potentilla Canadensis. XV LISTS OF FLOWERING PLANTS Wild Geranium Common Blue Violet Downy Yellow Violet Long- Spurred Violet Cream Violet . Trailing Arbutus . Wild Phlox . . Wood Betony . Dwarf Everlasting Dandelion . Field Horsetail Geranium maculatum. Viola palmata, var. cucidlata. Viola pubescens. Viola rostrata, Viola striata. EpigcBa repens. Phlox divaricata. Pedicularis Canadensis. Antennaria plantaginijolia. Taraxacutn taraxacum, Equisetum arvense. The flowers of the second list were gathered April 28, 191 5, by a gentleman who is a journalist and a flower-lover: Jack-in-the-Pulpit Perfoliate BeUwort Grape-Hyacinth . Great White Trillium Red TrilHum . Adder's-Tongue Wild Ginger Spring-Beauty . Chickweed . Hepatica Wood- Anemone Early Meadow-Rue Bulbous Buttercup S wamp-B ut tercu p . Early Buttercup . Blue Cohosh . Bloodroot . Dutchman's-Breeches Spring-Cress Purple Cress Cut-Leaved Dentaria Shepherd's-Purse . Mitella .... Wild Strawberry . Ariscema iriphyllum. Uvularia perfoliata. Muscari hotryoides. Trillium grandiflorum. Trillium erectum. Erythronium Americanum. Asarum Canadense. Claytonia Virginica. Stellaria media. Hepatica acutiloba. Anemone nemorosa, var. quittquefolia. TImlictrum dioicum. Ranunculus hulhosus. Ranunculus septentrionalls. Ranunculus fascicidaris. Caulophyllum thalictr aides. Sanguinaria Canadensis. Bicuculla Canadensis. Cardamine rhomboidea. Cardamine rhomboidea, var. purpurea. Dentaria laciniata. Capsella bursa-pastoris. Mitella diphylla. Fragaria Virgiiiica, xvi LISTS OF FLOWERING PLANTS Potentilla . Common Blue Violet Downy Yellow Violet Long-Spurred Violet Sweet White Violet Ground-Nut Periwinkle . Wild Phlox . . Greek Valerian Gill-over-the-Ground Bluets .... Dwarf Everlasting Dandelion . Field Horsetail Potentilla Canadensis. Viola palmata, var. cicciillata. Viola pubcscens. Viola rostrata. Viola blanda. Aralia trifolia. Vinca minor. Phlox divaricata. Polemonium reptans. Glecoma hederacea. Hoiistonia ccendea. A ntennaria plantaginijolia. Taraxacum. Equisctum arvense. On May 5, just a week later, eleven were added to the list, making a total of forty- nine: Flower-of-lVIay Solomon's-Seal Smilicina Disponim . Two-Leaved Dentaria Tiarella .... Bedstraw Yellow Rocket Canada Violet . W^ild Geranium Wild Sarsaparilla . Maianthemum Catiadense. Polygonatum bijlonim. Smilicina racemosa. Disporum laniiginosiim. Dentaria diphyllitm. Tiarella cordifolia. Galium aperine. Barbarea vulgaris. Viola Canadensis. Geranium maculatum. Aralia niidicaiilis. These Ksts, by no means, present all the plants in bloom at the time, but simply those within easy reach of Cleveland, certainly not more than ten miles away from the centre of the city, and gathered by ama- teurs. xvn GENERA AND SPECIES MONOCOTYLEDONS Arace^ Spathyema fcetida Orontium aqiiaticum Ariscsma triphyllum Melanthace.e . . Uvidaria grandlflora Uvtdaria perfoliata Uvidaria sessifolia . L1LIACE.E Erythronium Americanum Quamasia hyacinthina . Muscari hotryoides . Clintonia borealis Vagnera racemosa . Vagnera trijolia . MaiantJiemum Canadense Disporum lanuginosum Polygonatum hiflorum Medeola Virginiana Trillium grandiflorum Trillium erectum Trillium undulatum Smilace^ .... Smilax ecirrhata Orchidace^ Cypripedium acatde Cypripedium pubescens Galeorchis spectabilis PAGE Arum Family Skunk- Cabbage ... i Golden-Club .... 4 Jack-in-the-Pulpit . . $ Bunch- Flower Family Large- Flo we red Bellwort 10 Perfoliate Bellwort . . 12 Sessile-Leaved Bellwort . 14 Lily Family Yellow Adder's-Tongue . 17 Camass 20 Grape-Hyacinth ... 22 Yellow Clintonia ... 24 SmiKcina 26 Three-leaved Solomon's- Seal 27 Flower-of-May ... 27 Disporum 29 Solomon's-Seal ... 31 Indian Cucumber-Root . S3 Great White Trillium . 34 Ill-Scented Trillium . . 37 Painted Trillium ... 38 Smilax Family Upright Smilax ... 40 Orchid Family Moccasin-Flower ... 43 Yellow Lady's-Slipper . 45 Showy Orchis .... 47 six GENERA AND SPECIES DICOTYLEDONS Aristolochiace^ Asariim Canadense POLYGONACE^ Rumex acetosella PORTULACACE^ Claytonia Virginica Claytonia Caroliniana Caryophyllace^ Stellaria media . Ranunculace^ . Hydrastis Canadensis Caltha paliistris . Adcea alba . Aquilegia Canadensis Anemone quiiiquefolia Pidsatilla kirtissima Syndesmon thalictroides Isopyrum hiternatiim Hepatica iriloha . Thalictnim dioicum Ranuncidus fascicidaris Ranuncidus septentrionalis Ranuncidus abortivus . Ranunculus hulbosus Berberidace^ Podophyllum peltatum . Jejffersonia diphylla . Caidophyllum thalictroides Papaverace^ Sanguinaria Canadensis Chelidoniutn majus . BiRTHwoRT Family Wild Ginger . Buckwheat Family Red Sorrel . Purslane Family Spring-Beauty Carolina Spring-Beauty Pink Family Common Cliickweed . Crowfoot Family Golden-Seal Marsh-Marigold . . White Baneberry . Columbine .... Anemone .... American Pasque-Flower Rue-Anemone . Isopyrum .... Hepatica .... Early Meadow-Rue . Early Buttercup . Swamp-Buttercup Small-Flowered Buttercup Bulbous Buttercup PAGE SO 52 54 55 56 59 61 64 66 69 71 72 74 75 78 80 81 83 84 Barberry Family Mandrake 85 Twinleaf 88 Blue Cohosh .... 90 Poppy Family Bloodroot 92 Celandine 94 XX GENERA AND SPECIES FUMARIACEiE .... . Fumitory Family PAGE Dlccntra cucidlaria . Dutchman's-Breeches 96 Dicentra Canadensis Squirrel-Corn . 98 CorydaUs gtauca Pale Corydalis 99 Corydalis aurca . Golden Corydalis . lOI Cruciferje .... . IMustard Family Cardamine purpurea Purple Cress . 102 Cardamine pratensis Cuckoo-Flower 104 Dentaria laciniata . Cut-Leaved Dentaria 105 Dentaria diphyUa Two-Leaved Dentaria 106 Barharea vulgaris Yellow Rocket . . . 108 Arab is lyrata Lyre-Leaved Cress no Draba verna .... Whitlow- Grass no Capsella bursa-pastoris . Shepherd's-Purse . III Saxifragace^ . . . . Saxifrage Family Saxifraga Virginiensis . Early Saxifrage . 113 Chrysosplenium A mericar Mm Golden Saxifrage . . 114 Mitella diphylla . . MiteUa . IIS Tiarella cordifolia . . Tiarella .... . 117 R0SACE.E . Rose Family Fragaria Virginiana Wild Strawberry . . 119 Fragaria Americana Northern Wild Strawberry 121 Potentilla Canadensis . Five-Fingers . . . . 121 Papilionace.^ . . . . Pea Family Trifolium repens White Clover . . . . 124 Trifolium pratense . Red Clover . 127 Trifolium hybridum Alsike Clover . 130 Vicia CaroliJiiana . CaroUna Vetch 131 Gerajstiace^ .... . Geranium Fatvhly Gerayiium maculatum Wild Geranium 134 Oxalidace^ .... . Wood-Sorrel Family Oxalis stricta Yellow Wood- Sorrel . . 1.^7 XXI GENERA AND SPECIES POLYGALACE^ .... . Milkwort Family PAGE Poly gala paucifolia . . Fringed Polygala . 139 EUPHORBIACE^ . . . . Spurge Family Euphorbia cyparissias . Cypress-Spurge 142 VlOLACE^ . Violet Family Viola . Violet 144 Viola cucullata . Common Blue Violet . 146 Viola pedata .... Bird's-Foot Violet . . 148 Viola sagittata . Arrow-Leaved Violet . 149 Viola rotundifolia . Round-Leaved Violet . ISO Viola blanda Sweet White Violet . 151 Viola lanceolaia . Lance-Leaved Violet . 152 Viola primulcBfolia . Primrose-Leaved Violet 152 Viola hastata Halberd-Leaved Violet 153 Viola pubescens . Downy Yellow Violet 154 Viola scabruscula Smooth Yellow Violet 156 Viola Canadensis Canada Violet . . 156 Viola striata .... Cream White Violet . • 157 Viola Labradorica . American Dog- Violet . . 159 Viola rostrata . . . Long-Spurred Violet . 160 Araliace^ . Ginseng Family Panax trifolium . Dwarf Ginseng 161 Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla . . . 163 Umbellifee,^, .... . Carrot Family Osmorrhiza brevistylis . Downy Sweet Cicely . . 165 Erigenia bulbosa Harbinger-of-Spring . . 167 Sanicula Marylandica . Sanicle . 169 Zizia aurea .... Early Meadow-Parsnip . 171 CORNACE^ ..... . Dogwood Family Cornus Canadensis . Bunchberry . . . . 174 Ericaceae . Heath Family Epigcea repens . Trailing Arbutus . . 176 DiAPENSIACEiE . . . . Diapensia Family Pyxidanthera barbulata . Pyxie . 180 XXll GENERA AND SPECIES Primulace.e . Tricntalis A mericana Dodecatheon meadia Menyanthace^ . Menyanthes trifoliata APOCYNACEiE Vinca minor POLEMONIACEiE Phlox divaricata . Phlox suhulata . Polemonium reptans Hydrophyllace^e Hydrophyllum Virginicum BORAGINACEiE Mertensia Virginica Labiate .... Glecoma hederacca . Lamium amplexicaulc Lamium purpureum Lamium album . SCROPHXJLARIACE^ Collinsia verna . Veronica arvensis Veronica officinalis Castilleja coccinea Pedicularis Canadensis Plantaginace^ . . Plantago lanceolata . Rubiace^ . Houstonia coerulea Galium aperine . Primrose Family Star-Flower Shooting-Star . PAGE 182 183 BucKBEAN Family Buckbean 186 Dogbane Family Periwinkle 188 Phlox Family Phlox 190 Moss-Pink 191 Greek Valerian . . . 193 Water-Leaf Family Hydrophyllum Borage Family Bluebells Mint Family Gill-over-the-Ground Henbit .... Red Dead-Nettie . White Dead-Nettie Figwort Family Collinsia Com Speedwell Common Speedwell Scarlet Painted-Cup Wood Betony . Plantain Family Rib-Grass . Madder Family Bluets . Goose-Grass xxiii 19s 197 199 200 201 202 203 204 206 208 209 211 213 215 GENERA AND SPECIES Composite .... Taraxacum dens-leonis . Tussilago farfara Antennaria plantaginifolia Erigeron pidcJiellus . Erigeron Philadelphicus Setiecio aureus . Composite Family Dandelion . Coltsfoot . Dwarf Everlasting Robin's Plantain . Common Fleabane Golden Ragwort . PAGE 217 221 223 225 227 228 Spore-Bearing Plant Equisetum arvense . Field Horsetail 230 XXIV ILLUSTRATIONS COLOR PLATES FROM WATER-COLORS BY ELOISE P. LUQUER Skunk-Cabbage Frontispiece FACING PAGE Yellow Lady's-Slipper 46 Anemone, Potentilla 70 Bloodroot 92 Early Saxifrage 114 Wild Geranium, False Solomon's-Seal, Smooth Solomon's- Seal 136 Wild Sarsaparilla, Dwarf Ginseng 164 Golden Ragwort 228 HALF-TONE PLATES FACING PAGE Skunk-Cabbage at Home 2 Great White Trillium 34 Ill-scented Trillium 38 Moccasin-Flower 44 Meadow Rue Anemone 72 Squirrel-Corn at Home 98 Cut-Leaved Dentaria 106 Tiarella at Home 118 Long-Spurred Violet 160 Bunchberry at Home 174 Rib-Grass 212 Field Horsetail 230 XXV ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT PAGE Golden-Club, Flowers and Leaf of 4 Jack-in- the-Pulpit, Flower, Leaves, Fruit, Conn, and Spadix of 7 Large-Flowered Bell wort, Flower and Leaves of .... 11 Perfoliate Bellwort, Fruit of 13 Sessile Bellwort, Flowering Stem and Fruit of 14 Adder's-Tongue, Flower and Leaves of 18 Wild Hyacinth, Flowering Stem of 21 Grape-Hyacinth, Flowering Stem of 22 Yellow CUntonia, Flowers and Fruit of 25 Flower-of-May, Leaves and Flowers of 28 Downy Disporum, Leaves and Flowers of 30 Solomon's-Seal, Flowering Stem of 32 Indian Cucumber-Root, Flowering Stem of 33 Painted Trillium, Flower and Fruit of 38 Upright Smilax, Flowering Stem of 41 Showy Orchis, Flower and Leaves of 48 Wild Ginger, Leaves and Flower of 50 Field-Sorrel, Flowering Stem of 52 Spring-Beauty, Flowering Stem of 54 Common Chickweed, Flowering Stem of 57 Golden Seal, Flowering Stem of 60 Marsh-Marigold, Flowers of 62 White Baneberry, Flowers and Fruit of 65 Wild Columbine, Flowers of 67 English Columbine, from an Angle which Gives the Doves . 68 Pasque-Flower, Plant of 71 False Rue-Anemone, Flowering Stem of 74 Hepatica, Leaf, Flowers, and Buds of 76 Early Meadow-Rue, Fruit and Staminate Flowers of . . 79 Early Buttercup, Leaf of 80 Swamp-Buttercup, Leaf and Flowers of 82 xxvi ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Small-Flowered Buttercup, Flowers of 8^ Wild Mandrake, Flower and Leaf of 87 T\^^nleaf, Plant of 89 Blue Cohosh, Flowering Stem of 90 Celandine, Flowers and Fruit of 94 Dutchman's-Breeches, Flower of 97 Pale Corydalis, Flowering Stem of 99 Golden Corydalis, Flowers and Fruit 100 Purple Spring-Cress, Flowering Stem of 103 Two-Leaved Dentaria, Flowering Stem of 107 Yellow Rocket, Flowering Stem of 109 Whitlow-Grass, Plant of no Lyre-Leaved Rock-Cress, Flowering Stem of in Shepherd's-Purse, Fruit of 112 Mitella, Flowering Stem of 116 Wild Strawberry, Flower and Fruit of 120 Potentilla, Flowering Stem of 122 White Clover Leaves at Night 125 Red Clover, Leaf of 129 Alsike Clover, Flowering Stems of 131 Carohna Vetch, Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit of 132 Yellow Wood-Sorrel, Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit of . . . 138 Fringed Polygala, Plant of 140 Cypress-Spurge, Flowering Stem of 143 Blue Violet, Warrior Blossom of 147 Bird's-Foot Violet, Flower and Leaf of 149 Arrow-Leaved Violet, Flower and Leaf of 150 Sweet White Violet, Flowers of 152 Halberd-Leaved Violet, Flowering Stem of 153 Downy Yellow Violet, Flowering Stem of 154 Smooth Yellow Violet, Flowering Stem of 155 Canada Violet, Flowering Stem of 157 Cream Violet, Flowering Stem of 158 xxvii ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Dog- Violet, Flowering Stem of 159 Dwarf Ginseng, Flowering Plant of 162 Downy Sweet Cicely, Flowering Stem of 166 Harbinger-of-Spring, Flowering Stem of 168 Sanicle, Fruiting Stem of 170 Golden Meadow-Parsnip, Umbel of 172 Trailing Arbutus, Flowering Stems of 177 Pyxie, Flowering Stems of 181 Star-Flo wer. Flowering Stem of 182 Shooting-Star, Flowering Stem of 184 Buckbean, Leaves of 187 Perimnkle, Leaves and Flower of 189 Phlox, Flowering Stem of 190 Moss-Pink, Flowering Stems of 192 Greek Valerian, Flowers of 193 Hydrophyllum, Leaves and Flowers of 196 Bluebells, Flowers of 198 GiU-over-the-Ground, Running Stem of 200 Dead-Nettle, Flowering Stem of 201 CoUinsia, Flowers of 203 Com Speedwell, Flowering Branch of 205 Common Speedwell, Racemes of 207 Scarlet Painted-Cup, Flowering Stem of 208 Wood Betony, Flowering Head of 210 Bluets, Plant of 214 Goose-Grass, Stem of 216 Dandelion, Plant of 219 Coltsfoot, Leaves of 222 Dwarf Everlasting, Plant and Flower of 224 Common Fleabane, Flowering Stem of 226 xxvni OUR EARLY WILD FLOWERS When the hounds of spring are on winter's traces The mother of months in meadow and plain, Fills the hollows and windy places With laughter of leaves and ripple of rain. — "Atlanta's Chorus," Swinburne. ARACE^—ARUM FAMILY SKUNK-CABBAGE Symplocdrpiis /(Jclidus. Spathyema fcetida Symplocdrpiis, a coalescing fruit. Spathyema, Greek, referring to the spathe. Early perennial herb with strong, fetid odor; found in swamps, beside brooks, and on wet hillsides. Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Iowa. Common in northern Ohio. February- April. Rootstock. — Very thick, bearing many coarse, fibrous roots in whorls. Leaves. — All basal, cordate, veiny, often two feet long and a foot wide, clustered, entire at margin, and acute at apex; petioles with deep grooves. Preceded in earliest spring by a purple, mottled spathe and hidden flowers. Spathe from three to six inches high. Flowers. — Many, small, inconspicuous, greenish yellow to dull purple; packed closely on a fleshy spike called spadix which is hidden within a swollen, shell-shaped, mottled spathe close to the ground. Calyx. — Of four hooded sepals. Corolla. — Wanting. Sta^nens. — Four, opposite the sepals; anthers con- spicuous, extrorse. Pistil. — Ovary one-celled, with angled and awl-shaped style. Fruit. — An oval mass filled with berries, which become bright scarlet. Pollinated by small flics and honey-bees. I ARUM FAMILY Such buoyant faith has the Skunk-Cabbage, it never entirely loses sight of spring but exerts some spell over its muddy bed, whereby you may see that there at least it has already come in November. — Kirejeam. April 6, 1853. On the edge of the meadow the air resounds with the hum of the honey-bees, attracted by the flower of the Skunk-Cabbage. I heard the fine, sharp hum of the honey-bees before I thought of them. It was surprising to see them directed by their instincts to these locahties, while the earth has still but a wintry aspect, buzz around some obscure spathe close to the ground, and, well knowing what they are about, ahght and enter. ... I watched many when they entered and when they came out, and all had little yellow pellets of pollen at their thighs. — Thoreau. The first flower of our northern spring appears not infrequently in February, always in March; it has no great beauty that one should desire it, but is unusual in form and interesting in character. As soon as the surface of its boggy home is softened by the spring sunshine sufficiently to permit, a thick, fleshy, shell- shaped body, which the books call a spathe, pushes its pointed nose out of the ground, and soon rises to the height of three or four inches, spotted and striped with purple and yellow and green. This is not the flower, but the protector of the flowers. They are within, packed close upon a finger-like body called a spadix. Most flowers have characteristic plans for securing cross-fertilization by the visits of flies, bees, butter- flies, or moths, and Skunk-Cabbage is no exception. It is astonishing when snow is still on the ground here and there, that so much insect life can be abroad, yet certain smaU flies are really abundant; for ah nature sleeps with one eye open. These fly about in the 2 Skunk-Cabbage at Home. Spathyema fdtida SKUNK-CABBAGE sunshine and, led either by the odor of the flowers or seeking the shelter of the fleshy tent, they enter and, crawling up, are covered with the abundant pollen; then entering another spathe, they leave some of this pollen upon the receptive stigmas. Sometimes honey- bees visit the plant, but its chief reliance seems to be upon the small flies. Miiller in his studies of the Skunk-Cabbage states that as the flowers open the temperature rises and so these little tents are not only shelter houses but places of actual w^armth for the minute flies which frequent them. After the flowering time is over the compactly coiled, pointed spike of leaves unfolds. The plant is regarded by farmers as something of a menace, for cattle in early spring, longing for something green, wdll frequently eat these leaves, which are acrid and poisonous. A common country name for the plant is Bear Weed, so called because bears were supposed to eat it when just awakened from their winter sleep, but it must be a hot morsel even for a bear. The fruit ripens in September. By this time the thick spathe has decayed and fallen away, and the spadix has now become a large ball of bright-red berries, each about the size of a pea. This is found upon the ground close to the base of the leaves. Two facts explain the Skunk-Cabbage's ability to swing into the race so early in the spring. The first is its enormous root development; the second because the flower is so w^ell started in the fall; sometimes the thick, pointed spathes may be found pushing up into the light in November. ARUM FAMILY GOLDEN-CLUB Orontium aqudticiim Perennial, aquatic herb found in shallow ponds, stand- ing water, and swamps, preferably those accessible to tide- water. New England to the Gulf States, mostly near the coast. Not in Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Thick, fleshy. Leaves. — All from the root, long- petioled, oblong-elliptic, nerved with- out distinct midvein, dull green above, pale underneath, five to twelve inches long, narrowed or partly furled at the base, floating or erect. Scape. — Six to twenty inches tall, slender, terete, flattened just below the flowering club, closely covered by a short sheath at base. Flowers. — Minute, bright yellow, perfect, crowded on a spadix one to two inches long, which becomes greatly thickened in fruit; the lower flowers with six concave sepals and six sta- mens, the upper ones with four; odor unpleasant. Calyx. — Four to six scale-like, yel- low sepals. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Four to six, with Hnear filaments and small anthers. Pistil. — Ovary partly imbedded in the spadix, one- celled; stigma sessile. Fruit. — A single seed, surrounded by a loose, green cover; the whole called a utricle. Golden-Club. Ordnlium aqudlicutn JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT The Golden-Club, found in shallow water, is blood brother both to the Skunk-Cabbage and to Jack-in- the-Pulpit, but its habitat is not so extended as theirs. It dwells in New England and southward along the coast. So far as I know, it rarely crosses the Alle- ghanies and is not found in the Middle West. The enclosing and protecting spathe, which is a marked characteristic of the Arums, in the Golden- Club has virtually disappeared, becoming a mere leaflet on the flower-stem. The summit of the flower- stem becomes a golden-yellow spadix, crowded with tiny blossoms each with six sepals, six golden stamens, and a pistil. The long-petioled, oblong leaves mostly float, though sometimes they stand erect. y JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT. INDIAN-TURNIP ^ Arisdma triphyllum AriscEtna, from aris, a kind of arum and aima, blood; alluding to the spotted leaves of some species of the genus. Perennial herb with an acrid corm, sending up a simple scape sheathed with the petioles of the compound, veiny leaves. Rich woods. Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Min- nesota and Kansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Corm. — Violently acrid, fiery to the taste, turnip-shaped, bearing many fibrous roots. Scape. — Simple, twelve to eighteen inches high. Leaves. — Mostly two, divided into three elMptical-ovate, pointed, veiny leaflets. Flowers. — Monoecious or dioecious, small; both sterile and fertile borne on a spadix, with a hooded spathe, green, or green and purple, striped. 5 ARUM FAMILY Spadix. — Smooth, club-shaped, pale green, much shorter than the spathe and bearing the tiny flowers about its base. When a spadix bears both kinds of flowers at the same time the sterile flowers are above the fertile; each sterile flower of a cluster consists of four anthers, opening by chinks at the top. There is neither calyx nor corolla. The fertile flowers are at the base of the spadix, and consist each of a one-celled ovary, tipped with a depressed stigma. Fruit. — Ball-like cluster of bright scarlet berries. Pollinated by small flies, gnats, and beetles. Nectar- bearing. " Jack-in-the-Pulpit preaches to-day, Under the green trees, just over the way; Squirrel and Song-Sparrow high on their perch, Hear the sweet lUy-bells ringing to church. " Come, hear what his reverence rises to say, In his low-painted pulpit, this calm Sabbath day. Fair is the canopy over him seen Pencilled by nature's hand, black, brown, and green. Green is his surphce, green are his bands; In his queer little pulpit the Uttle priest stands. " So much for the preacher, the sermon comes next — Shall we tell how he preached it, and where was his text ? Alas ! like too many grown-up folks who play At worship in churches man-builded to-day. We heard not the preacher expound or discuss; But we looked at the people, and they looked at us. " We saw all their dresses, their colors, and shapes. The trim of their bonnets, the cut of their capes; We heard the wind-organ, the bee, and the bird. But of Jack-in-the-Pulpit we heard not a word." — Clara Smith. The fancy of calling this flower Jack-in-the-Pulpit seems to have arisen from a resemblance between the 6 JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT green canopy which waves over the club-hke spadix and the ancient souncHng-])oard formerly placed over pul- pits; for Jack is standing within a deep, leaf-like cornu- Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Arisama triphyllum copia whose broad, tapering tip is gracefully curved over his head. Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a near relation of the Calla-Lily, as a study of the two flowers will show. The club with- in the protecting and enfolding leaf bears all the flow- ers of the plant and there are very many. The sterile and the fertile blossoms are in two separate groups — 7 ARUM FAMILY sometimes on different plants, but when on the same plant the sterile, that is, the stamens which bear the pollen, are grouped toward the top of the club. They seem to be mere projections almost white in color, bear- ing four purplish, cup-like anthers filled with white pol- len. Below them are the pistillate blossoms gathered around the base of the club, and these are tiny, round, greenish bodies, packed close, and each with a purple stigma. As time passes, the pollen is scattered. The waving hood disappears, the round, green bodies enlarge, and finally in September one comes upon a ball of briUiant scarlet berries, borne at the summit of a stiff, drying stem, the contribution of Jack to the w^orld. However, at the base of this drying stem, whose work is done, Hes, deep in the soil, the corm, where the food is stored which shall send up another Jack in the coming spring. There is a tradition that this solid corm w^as used as food by the Indians, which gave the plant the name of Indian- Turnip. It must have been a hot morsel, if not a dan- gerous one, though it is said that the character of the turnip is softened somewhat by boiling, but it could never be very appetizing. This plant has two anchors to windward, a corm, and a ball of seeds, so that the race may continue in the land. The English Jack is called Cuckoo-Pint and is the flower Jean Ingelow means in her Songs of Seven: "O Cuckoo-Pint, toll me the purple clapper, That hangs in your clear green bell." The varying color of the spathes are by some authori- ties supposed to indicate differences in the flowers, the dark spathes indicating pistillate and the light ones 8 JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT slaminate flowers. This certainly does not hold true in all cases but it seems to be true in the majority. A second report is that the blossoms of the one-leaved stems are mainly staminate and those of the two- leaved mainly pistillate. All of this emphasizes the fact Ihat there is much undiscovered country very near us. ^ MELANTHACE^— BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY LARGE-FLOWERED BELLWORT. PERFOLIATE BELLWORT Uvtddria grandiflora Umildria, from uvula, a palate, in allusion to the hang- ing flowers. An erect, forked herb, perennial by rootstocks. Rich open woods. New England to Minnesota, south to Georgia and Tennessee. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Short, with fleshy roots. Stem. — Leafy, smooth, pale green, terete, one to two feet high, forked above the middle, bearing solitary ter- minal flowers, and usually a single leaf below the fork. Leaves. — Alternate, oblong or ovate-lanceolate, acute at the apex, smooth-margined, perfoliate, parallel-veined, two to four inches long, pubescent beneath. Flowers. — Yellow, lily-like, drooping, solitary, often hidden by the leaves, rarely two together, fragrant. Perianth. — Sepals and petals indistinguishable, six in number, an inch to an inch and a half long, lanceolate, pointed at apex, smooth within, nectar-bearing. Stamens. — Six, short, slightly adhering to the base of the perianth segments, longer than the styles; anthers linear, opening laterally. Pistil. — One; ovary three-lobed, three- celled; style three-cleft. lO LARGE-FLOWERED BELLWORT Fmit. — Capsule, thrcc-lobed and three-angled, cut off at the top. Seeds few in each cell. Pollinated by bees and flies. Nectar-bearing. Large-Flowered Bellwort. Uvuldria grandiflora There are in our northern woods and among the early flowers three slender, shining, leafy plants twelve to twenty-four inches high, very similar in general ap- pearance, yet with sufficient specific dift'erences to make their selection and grouping a pleasure to the amateur. These are the Bellworts, growing usually in companies, recognized by their forking stems, their II BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY pale green, shining leaves whose veins run parallel, and when in bloom marked by their straw-colored or pale yellow, somewhat hidden, lily flowers. These vary from an inch to an inch and a half in length, have six sepal-petals indistinguishable from one another, six stamens, and a pistil. The Large-Flowered Bell wort is the first to bloom in northern Ohio although it is not so abundant as either of the others. Its flower-bell is the largest of the three and the yellowest; it often measures an inch and a half in length; its ordinary rating of blossom is one to a stem. All the fertile stems fork above the middle and ordinarily bear one leaf below the fork, though sometimes this leaf is wanting. The leaves entirely surround the stem, giving the effect of being strung upon it. PERFOLIATE BELLWORT. STRAW BELL Uvuldria perfoUdta Erect, forked herb, perennial by rootstocks. Rich, moist woods and thickets. New England and Ontario to Minnesota and south to Florida and Mississippi. Fre- quent in northern Ohio. May, June. Rootstock. — Short, ^^ith fleshy roots. Ste^n. — Leafy, smooth, pale green, ten to twenty inches high, terete, forked above the middle, bearing solitary ter- minal flowers, and one to three leaves below the fork. Leaves. — Alternate, oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, acute at the apex, smooth-margined, perfoliate, parallel-veined, two to four inches long, with more or less of bloom. Flowers. — Pale yellow, Hly-like, drooping, solitary on terminal peduncles, often hidden by the leaves, rarely 12 PERFOLIATE BELLWORT two together, fragrant; an inch or an inch and a quarter long. Perianth. — Sepals and petals indistinguishable, pale yellow, six in number, three-fourths to an inch or more long, spatulate-lanceolate, pointed at apex, slightly swol- len at base with a deep honey-bearing groove within, bordered on each side by a ridge. Stamens. — Six, short, slightly adhering to the base of the perianth segments; anthers linear, opening laterally. Pistil. — On e ; ovary three-lobed, three-celled; style three-cleft. Fruit. — Capsule, three- lobed, and three-angled, cut off at the top; with concave sides and grooved angles. Seeds few in each cell. Pollinated by bees and flies. Nectar-bearing. The smaller form of the Perfoliate Bellwort is the more abundant one. Its stem is leafy and forks just above the middle" below the Fruit of Perfoliate Bellwort. Uvuldria ' perjolidla fork are usually three leaves, though sometimes fewer. The stem is round and smooth, the leaves are rather thin, oblong, pointed and entirely surround the stalk so that apparently the stem grows through them. The edges are entire. The solitary, pale-yellow lily hangs like a pendant from the end of the drooping branch, and is often hidden among the crowded overhanging leaves. Each pendant lily has six sepal-petals, all alike in form and 13 BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY color. They have nectaries at the base, are rough within, and the tips spread and curve outward more than do those of the Large-Flowered Bell wort. The two are frequently found together, but this is a trifle later in bloom and more abundant. SESSILE BELL WORT. ^ WILD OATS Uvuldria sessifolia. (Oakesia sessifdlia [s t ts i Vi f o ); a Oakesia, in honor of William Cakes, a New England botanist. Perennial by rootstocks. Rich open woods and thick- ets. New Brunswick and Ontario to Minnesota and southward to Florida and Arkansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. May, June. Rootsfock. — Slender, creep- ing. Stem. — Leafy, ten to Sessile Bell wort. Uvuldria sessifdlia twelve inches high, curving, angled, forking above the middle, bearing one or two almost terminal flowers. Leaves. — Alternate, lance-oblong, acute at each end, glaucous beneath, sessile or partly clasping, rough on the margin, parallel-veined, one or two below the fork. Flowers. — Pale yellow, lily-like, drooping, sohtary on terminal peduncles, often hidden by the growth of the 14 SESSILE BELLWORT leaves, and often appearing opposite to the leaves by the growth of the branches; three-fourths to an inch long. Perianth. — Sepals and petals indistinguishable, six in number, three-fourths to an inch long, gibbous without, with ridges within. Stamens. — Six, short, slightly adhering to the base of the perianth segments; anthers linear, opening later- ally. Pistil. — One; ovary three-celled, three-angled; style three-cleft. Fruit. — Capsule, elliptical, pointed at each end, winged, opening rather late. Seeds globose. Pollinated by flies and bees. Nectar-bearing. "O the lights of earth and heaven Gromng day by day; O the ^^^nds among the grasses, — Showers along the mountain passes; O the shy, straw-colored bell In the shadow of the dell; Heir to all the early freedom Of the May!" — Dora R. Good ale. A rather more common species than either of the Perfoliate Bellworts, flowering at the same time and having its stemless, pale-green, rough-edged, long- pointed, oval leaves set close upon the stalk and not pierced by it. This stalk rises about twelve inches and bears one or two leaves below the fork. The drooping flowers are three-fourths to an inch long, are cream-colored or greenish yellow, and followed by a shapely three-angled seed-pod somewhat resembling in shape a beechnut. 15 BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY One or two flowers hang at first from the ends of the branches, but as the branches lengthen they later seem to be opposite the leaves. The leaves at the top of the stem look crowded and dishevelled, and the charm of the plant lies largely in its graceful curves. i6 LILIACE^— LILY FAMILY FAUN LILY. DOG'S-TOOTH VIOLET. ADDER'S-TONGUE Erytkrdnium Americdnum Erythrdniiun, the Greek name for the purple-flowered European species. Perennial, growing in beds and patches in rich, moist open woods. New Brunswick to Florida, west to Minne- sota and Arkansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Root. — Fibrous, from a corm deep in the ground. Scape. — Six to nine inches high, one-flowered, sheathed by two flat shining leaves, tapering into petioles. Leaves. — Elliptical -lanceolate, smooth, shining, pale green, mottled with purplish, irregular patches. Flowers. — Lily-shaped, solitary, nodding, pale yellow; of three sepals that look like petals, and three petals — all very much alike, together called perianth. Stamens. — Six, filaments yellow, with broad bases and tapering to a point where the anthers join them; anthers yellow or red. Pistil. — Pale green, somewhat three-sided; style long. Fruit. — A plump, triangular capsule which splits into three sections when ripe; seeds many, crescent-shaped. Pollinated by small bees, butterflies, and flies; also capable of self-fertilization. Nectar-bearing. This little spring lily of the woodlands is a fasci- nating plant. Its leaves of pale, shining green, mottled 17 LILY FAMILY with brownish purple often closely cover large, ir- regular areas in the open woods. Each nodding lily stands up between a pair of erect and pointed leaves, and in a large bed only a few of the plants produce flowers. This lily is one of the earliest examples that April gives us of a flower in whose description we use the word perianth. Perianth means primarily the floral envelopes, whether calyx or corolla or both, but technically is applied to such flowers as the lily and the tulip, whose calyx and corolla are so similar in form and color that the early bot- anists were in doubt whether the floral envel- ope was all calyx or all corolla, and so compro- mised on the word per- ianth, which means both together. It is now clear that the outer three are calyx and the inner three corolla, but the old name is convenient and remains in use. Studying our lily closely, we see that the three sepals are a little thicker in texture and brownish yellow outside; inside they are a pure yellow with a darker line where they join the stem. The three petals i8 Adder's-Tongue. Erythrcnium Americanum FAUN LILY are pure yellow, paler outside than in, with dark spots near the heart of the flower where they join the stem; each has upon either side a tiny, ear-shaped lobe. The flower is extremely sensitive to the sunlight, expands in its warmth and nearly closes at night. The secret of these beds of Adder's-Tongues lies in the manner of the plant's reproduction. It has two ways of spreading: one by means of seeds, and the other through corms. Deep underground, at the base of the long, slender stem, lies the corm, about the size of a small hickory-nut or a large pea. A corm is the swollen base of a stem and is bulb-like in form but is solid, not made of layers like a bulb. It is a store- house for plant food and also a means of spreading the species, for from each corm there grow little corms called cormels and each one of these produces a sepa- rate plant, and as a result these are all crowded to- gether. John Burroughs, writing of the Adder 's-Tongue as he found it in grass-covered meadows, called attention to the brittle white threads which appear among the plants and sometimes above the ground. These he found were connected with the immature corms from which they penetrate the soil in various directions. A careful study has been made of the plant, and it is now known that these white threads are smooth, scaleless, subterranean runners, heavily charged with starch and that the tip encloses a bud which will in time become a corm. The corms formed at the end of the runner will send up a single leaf and will then send out more runners, and so the process is repeated until a very considerable bed is formed. It requires four years to develop a blooming corm, and the corm does 19 LILY FAMILY not always bloom even at the end of four years. This accounts for the many sterile, one-leaved plants compared to the few two-leaved, blooming plants that are to be found in every bed. The name Dog's-tooth Violet is foolish and inappro- priate. Adder's-Tongue is unpleasantly suggestive. John Burroughs's suggestion of Faun Lily is excellent ^ ^^j and should be adopted. The spotted leaves and the ^a^ , spotted faun both suggest the northern woods. '^'*'^ ' A plant similar in habit and aspect, Erythrdnium dlbidum, bearing pale lavender flowers, yellowish with- in at base, is rare in the Eastern States but frequent in northern Ohio and westward. Its specific name, albidum, so far as I know, is misapplied if it is under- stood as white. x£^>cX^ jis.\L^^(^ /^<^ix4A ^wa./< EASTERN CAMASS. WILD HYACINTH vCamdssia frdseri. Scilla frdseri. Qiiamdsia hyacinthina i^ much the same range as biflorum; grows in moist woods and along shaded streams. Normally, it is a much taller plant but very similar in general appearance. l^^ INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT Medeola Virginidna Medeola, from Medea, the name of a sorceress; because the plant was thought to possess great medicinal virtues. Perennial. Moist woods and shady places in rich soil. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Florida and Tennessee. Frequent in northern Ohio. June. May, Rootstock. — White, one to two inches long, fleshy. Stem. — Twelve to eigh- teen inches high, at first brownish with cottony wool. Leaves.— In two whorls, the lower above the mid- dle of the stem consisting of six to eight oblong, lanceolate, acuminate leaves, which are often stained with crimson when the plant is in fruit. Flowers. — Terminal, three to six on pedicels about half an inch long. Indian Cucumber-Root. Virginidna 35 Mediola LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY FAMILY arising from the centre of the upper whorl, and recurved between the leaves. Perianth. — Pale greenish yellow; six-parted; divisions oblong, obtuse, revolute. Stamens. — Six, inserted on the base of the perianth; filaments slender; anthers obtuse. Pistil. — Ovary three-celled; styles three, sometimes four, purple, longer than the stamens. Fruit. — Dark purple, globose berry. The appearance of this plant is sid generis; once seen it cannot be mistaken for any other. A simple, slender, erect stem, bearing two whorls of leaves and in the blooming season three or more greenish, starry flowers at its very tip, later a little group of dark purple berries, each on a slender stem. The horizontal, club- shaped rootstock is white, crisp, and juicy, and tastes not unlike cucumbers, w^hence its common name. Its medicinal properties w^ere greatly overrated, and the plant is now considered valueless in the ynateria medica. GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM Trillium grandifldrnm Trillium, from 'triplmn, triple, all the parts being in threes. Perennial. Moist, rich open woods. Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Missouri, southward to North Carolina. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Large, vertical, with a few coarse roots. Stem. — Stout and simple, bearing at its summit a whorl of three rather large leaves and a large terminal flower. Leaves. — ^Rhombic-ovate or rhombic-oval, acuminate, more or less ribbed, net-veined, one and a half to four 34 Great White Trillium. Trillium grayidijldriim GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM inches wide, sessile, in a whorl of three at the summit of the stem. Flower. — White, terminal on a pedicel erect or ascend- ing, two and a half to four inches across. Calyx. — Sepals three, lanceolate, spreading, persistent. Corolla. — Petals three, obovate or oblanccolatc, white, larger than the sepals, withering, often turning pink with age; margins slightly ruffled. Stamens. — Six, borne around the pistil; filaments short; anthers linear, yellow, the cells opening down the margins. Pistil. — One; ovary three-celled; with three slender styles, stigmatic down the inner side. Fruit. — Globose berry, black, six-angled, three-celled, many-seeded. Pollinated by flies, bees, and butterflies. The Great White Trillium may be considered the favorite wild flower of northern Ohio. For many persons no other wfld flower exists, and this appears so abundantly, grows so luxuriantly, lasts so long, and is so beautiful that it fully justifies the high esteem in which it is held. In open untouched woods its white lilies light up acre upon acre during the pleasant days of May. Looking straight into the flower one sees a sLx- pointed star, three pointed green sepals, and three pointed white petals with slightly ruffled edges. The flower-stem wishes to bend a little. Where the plant grows by the acre it matters little how many are picked, but every lover of Trflliums ought to know the conditions of Trillium Hfe. In the first place, each plant has one large, vertical, tuberous rootstock w^ith a few fibrous roots. In this rootstock is stored the food that will sustain the next 35 LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY FAMILY year's plant. This food is made by the leaves during their active life, which extends from early spring to midsummer. Now, the only connection that roots and rootstock possess with the working leaves is through the stem, which at the same time bears the flower. When the flower is picked the working leaves are also picked and all means of communication with the upper light and air are cut off. It is probable that a vigor- ous rootstock may send up another stem with working leaves, or the work halts imperfectly done. Every real lover of Trilliums picks sparingly. By midsummer the tops die and the plants are at rest for the year. The tri in the name Trillium means three, and in its structure the plant faithfully follows the rule of three throughout. Even the green leaves are in a cluster of three on the summit of the stalk, and in their midst is the one large flower, with three sepals, three petals, six stamens, and three pistils united to form one. The old English name of Trillium was Wake-Robin, because in England the flower and the bird appear at the same time, but here our robin comes long before the Trillium rises in the sunny woodlands. Abnormal forms of the flower are not rare, in which the calyx and sometimes the petals are changed to leaves, or the parts of the flower increased in number. Frequently the flower turns pink with age; rarely the flower comes pink from the bud. 36 ILL-SCENTED TRILLIUM ILL-SCENTED TRILLIUM. WAKE-ROBIN Trillium eredum Perennial. Moist open woods. Nova Scotia to Min- nesota and Manitoba, southward to North Carolina and Tennessee. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Roolstock. — Thick, fleshy, bearing coarse rootlets. Ste7fi. — Stout, twelve to eighteen inches high, green, often stained with reddish brown. Leaves. — Broadly rhombic, three to six inches long and often quite as broad, acuminate at apex and narrowed at the base, ribbed and netted-veined, sessile. Flowers. — Dull madder-red, rarely whitish or pinkish; on a pedicel one to three inches long, more or less declined; ill-scented. Calyx. — Sepals three, lanceolate, acuminate, spreading, persistent. Corolla. — Petals ovate to lanceolate, three-fourths to an inch and a half long, rich madder-red. Stamens. — Six; borne around the pistil, with short filaments and long brownish red anthers, which open down the margins. Pistil. — One, brownish red; ovary six-angled; stigmas three, sessile, recurved, stigmatic down the inner side. Fruit. — Ovate berry, one-half to an inch long. Pollinated by flies and beetles. The Ill-Scented Trillium evidently relies upon odor to attract its insect friends. Like all the Trilliums, it offers pollen in abundance but no nectar. The blos- som has the distinction of being one of the few early woodland flowers of deep, rich color, its dark red be- coming even darker by comparison with the paler 37 LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY FAMILY growth which surrounds it. The plant gives the im- pression of strength and vigor; its leaves are large and veiny, the stem strong, sometimes tinged with red; the flower-pedicel either erect or inclined. It is one Painted Trillium. Trillium unduldium of our wildlings that could easily be transferred to the garden. The Red Trillium is found frequently with the White, but is more abundant eastward than in the Ohio valley. The Painted Trillium, Trillium undulakim, is a very beautiful species found in cold, d?^n woods. Its long, white, wavy-edged petals are moi _ " is flushed or striped with red. The plant reaches the height of eighteen inches, and possesses all the family characters 38 Ill-Scented Trillium. Trillium eredum ILL-SCENTED TRILLIUM of the Trilliums; a tuberous rootstock, a single stem, three leaves, and a soUtary blossom. Fruit a red berry. There are other Trilliums which are in the main western and southwestern forms, found in Pennsyl- vania and Ohio and ranging to Minnesota, Kentucky, and Arkansas. One of the most interesting is the Dwarf White or Snow Trillium, Trillium nivdle, a tiny creature standing from two to five inches high. Its flowers are unmistakable White Trilliums, but they do not open very wide and are more protected by the leaves than is common. The bloom continues from March until May. The Sessile Trillium, Trillium sessile bears a flower very like that of the Ill-Scented, but diflers in that it sits directly among the leaves with little if any flower-stem. Trillium cernuum, the Nodding Trillium, bears a white-and-pink flower, wide open and nodding on its stem. It is found in rich woods throughout the range. 39 SMILACE.^— SMILAX FAMILY UPRIGHT SMILAX Smilax ecirrhdta An ancient Greek name. An herbaceous Smilax, in open woods and thickets; of western and southern range. Found in northern Ohio. May. Rootstock. — Large, tuberous. Stem. — Annual, smooth, simple, erect, one to two feet high, unarmed. Leaves. — Alternate, several-nerved, often grouped at the summit of a stem, ovate, rounded or cordate at base, more or less pubescent beneath; lower leaves reduced to scales; tendrils usually in the axils of the upper leaves. Flowers. — Dioecious, yellowish green; borne in many- flowered umbels in the axils of the leaves or scales. Stam- inate flowers without an ovary and with four to six stamens. Pistillate flowers often a httle smaller than the staminate with a few aborted stamens and a three-celled ovary. The perianth is six-cleft. Fruit. — A bluish black berry the size of a pea. The woods and thickets of the north are full of the vines of the Greenbriers, woody climbers, which make their way upward from the dense lower growth to the light and air of the lower tree tops by means of coiling tendrils, developed from the petioles which seize and hold, so enabling the plants to climb upward inch by 40 UPRIGHT SMILAX inch until the goal is reached. Most of them are covered more or less densely with prickles, whence comes their botanical name, Smilax, scraper. The Sarsaparilla of commerce is a Smilax, and the Smilaxes were formerly called Sarsaparillas. Upright Smilax. Smilax ecirrhdta The earliest bloomer of the genus here at the north was by the early botanists regarded simply as an un- stable variation of S?nilax herbdcea, the Carrion- Flower, which differs from its brothers in at least one important particular; it is an herb and not a woody vine. The fetid odor of the blossoms gives it its com- mon name. Later botanists have divided the species, and the Upright Smilax is the form that sends up in 41 SMILAX FAMILY early May an erect, smooth, unbranched stem, one to two feet high, mostly destitute of tendrils and what there are belonging to the upper leaves. In the axils of the leaves are umbels of yellowish green six-lobed florets, each umbel containing from twenty to thirty of these. The plant is dioecious, and these florets are either staminate without pistils or pistillate without stamens. In September the fertile stem is burdened with the weight of its bluish black berries in many- fruited umbels. 42 ORCHIDACE^— ORCHID FAMILY MOCCASIN-FLOWER. PINK LADY'S-SLIPPER Cypripcdium acaiile Cypripcdium, from Cypris, Venus, and pedion, sock or buskin, that is, Venus's slipper. Perennial. A remarkably beautiful flower blooming in sandy or rocky woods. Newfoundland to Manitoba, southward to Tennessee and North Carolina. The State flower of Minnesota. Rare in northern Ohio. May, June. Root. — Fleshy, in fibrous tufts. Scape. — Downy, two-leaved at base, eight to twelve inches high, one-liowered, with a green bract at the top. Leaves. — Two, basal, six to eight inches long, oval, slightly hairy, many-ribbed. Flowers. — Fragrant, pink, rarely white, large, showy, drooping from the summit of the scape. Sepals. — Three, lanceolate, elongated, pointed, spread- ing, greenish purple; two of these united into one under the lip. Petals. — Three; two of these narrower and longer than the sepals; the third, called the lip, is an inflated sac, often two inches long, slit down the middle and folded inwardly above, pink veined with darker pink; upper part of interior crested with long white hairs. Stamens. — United with the style into an unsymmet- rical declined column bearing an anther on either side and a dilated, triangular, petal-like, sterile stamen above, arching over the broad concave stigma. Pollinated by bees. Nectar-bearing. 43 ORCHID FAMILY The Orchids are a group of perennial herbs with corms or bulbs or tuberous rootstock, more or less sheathing leaves, and very irregular flowers. In fact, the Orchid family is the most peculiar in the vegetable world in the structure as well as the shape of its flowers. Of the six floral leaves that every Orchid flower pos- sesses the three outer may be considered sepals, the inner three petals, of which one is always peculiar in shape. This one is considered a petal, though it may be in the form of a pouch or a cornucopia or a fringed banner or a broad platform, but it is always unusual. Technically, it is called the lip of the flower, thus leav- ing but two ordinary petals in the usual descriptions. In the case of all the Lady's-Slippers this lip becomes a pouch. The arrangement of parts makes it virtually impos- sible for the flower to be fertilized by its own pollen. The stamens and petals are united into a single organ called the column, which projects forward from the stem into the open space at the top and within the lip. The stamens lie back of the stigma in such a position that the pollen could not, except by help of insects, be transferred from one to the other. The large lip is opened with a narrow slit down in front, and the edges of the opening are turned inward. This forms a veritable trap, easy to get into but quite difficult to get out of, at least by the same door. The bee easily enters this open door into the sac. Once in and satisfied with honey she looks for a way out. She finds a way finally, but not the way she came in. At the top of the flower, on either side of the column, she finds a passage into the open air just wide enough to push through. In doing this she brushes against 44 Moccasin-Flower. Cypripedium acaMe HAIRY LADY'S-SLIPPER the sticky pollen mass of the open anthers and carries away some of it upon her hairy sides. If she enters another flower and in due lime gets out as before, she will be very likely to leave some pollen on the stigmatic surface of that flower. This contrivance for cross-fertilization is so elaborate that observers tell us it often defeats its own ends and the plants are chiefly propagated by the root. The Moccasin-Flower or Pink Lady's-Slipper is one of the earliest and most beautiful of the genus. It is the State flower of Minnesota. In early May in rich woodlands the flowering stem may be found rising be- tween two large, thick, pointed leaves and bearing at its summit a great pink pouch curiously veined and crossed with darker lines; the one noticeable petal attended by variously pointed and twdsted sepals and petals, all disregarded for the magnificence of the one. In short, it is a most gorgeous flower and one wonders *' What potent blood hath modest May " to be able to produce such a one in our northern woods. HAIRY LADY'S-SLIPPER. YELLOV7 LADY'S- SLIPPER Cypripedmm pubescens Perennial. Bogs and moist, hifly woods and thickets. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Alabama and Nebraska. Frequent in northern Ohio. May-July. Roots. — Fleshy, fibrous. Scape. — Hairy, leafy, one to two feet high, one-flowered. Leaves. — Alternate, oval, pointed, three to five inches long, parallel-veined. 45 ORCHID FAMILY Flowers. — Solitary, pale yellow, large, showy, at the top of a leafy stem. Sepals. — Three, two united, greenish or yellowish, striped with purple or dull red, very long, narrow. Petals. — Two, brown, narrow, twisting; the third, the lip, an inflated sac, pale yellow streaked with purple lines, one to two inches long, white hairs within. Stamens. — United with the style into an unsymmet- rical declined column bearing an anther on either side, and a dilated, triangular, petal-like, sterile stamen above, arching over the broad concave stigma. Polhnated by bees. Nectar-bearing. "There's a belted bee in the orchid's cup, He's taking his tithes from his tenantry; And never a care in the world knows he, Wise bee ! "But the golden dust of the stamen's store Is left at each orchid's open door; A part of the flower's plan is he As he takes tithes of his tenantry." This is the earliest Lady's-Slipper where Cypri- pcdium acaiile does not grow. The beautiful yellow blossoms swing with an outward poise at the top of a leafy stem, solitary but sufficient. The interior of the pouch secretes nectar; the opening is to admit the bee, and the inflected edge forces it to '^^awl out near one of the anthers, where it meets the glutinous pollen. Entering another pouch, it leaves some of the pollen on the stigma as it escapes. The blossom is an enticing trap for bees small enough to enter and vigorous enough to escape. The lure and the trap and the w^ay of escape are all prearranged — and the result is cross- fertilization, the production of innumerable seeds, and 46 Yellow Lady's-Slipper. <^yyripcdium piibcscens SHOWY ORCHIS the certainty that more orchids will arise in the woods. But if the bee does not come, the lure and the trap and the way are all in vain. SHOWY ORCHIS Orchis spectdbiUs. Galcorchis spccldhilis Orchis is the ancient name, of unknown meaning. Perennial. One of the most charming of woodland flowers found in rich, moist woods. New Brunswick to Ontario, southward to Georgia, Kentucky, and Nebraska. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Roots. — Fleshy, fibrous. Scape. — Angled, few-flowered, four to eight inches high; bracts leaf-like, lanceolate. Leaves. — Two, rarely three, oblong-obovate, shining, three to six inches long, parallel-veined. Flowers. — Showy, pink and white, in a few-flowered spike; lip turned downward, coalescing with base of col- umn, spurred below; anther cells near together and paral- lel; sepals and petals all lightly unite to form the upper hood, pink-purple; the ovate, undivided lip is white. This is the first orchid of the year; very charming and very beautiful. It dwells of choice in rich, moist open woods, growing from four to twelve inches high. The single, thick, fleshy stem springs from between a pair of shining, broadly oval leaves narrowed into a groove at the base. From three to six fragrant, inch- long flowers are clustered on the stalk, each with a clasping bract, forming a short, loose terminal spike. The small sepals and petals look much alike and to- gether form a pink-tinted and white-pointed hood, 47 ORCHID FAMILY beneath which the spreading white lip is prolonged into a blunt spur. The flower-stem is noticeably twisted and the roots are fleshy-fibred. The domestic economy of the orchid differs so greatly from that of other flowers that with other flowers in Showy Orchis. Orchis specidbilis mind one is puzzled at first to understand what the orchid is doing. Ordinary flowers bear their pollen at the summit of their stamens with a view of powder- ing anything winged within reach. But the orchid hides its pollen in two long, deep pockets which bota- nists regard as one great double anther, and instead of being loose so as to scatter easily it is tied into lumps by elastic cords, so the messenger who carries must take all or none. Other flowers place their stigmas 48 SHOWY ORCHIS at the end of the style and hold this up so all can see; the stigma of the orchid is a glutinous patch on the blossom's face. The object of all this is cross-fertiliza- tion under highly specialized conditions. The orchid is incapable of self-fertilization and unless the wander- ing insect appears at the right time and place the ovules remain sterile and never develop into seeds. Moreover, the seeds germinate most deliberately and this also tends to limit the number of plants. 49 ARISTOLOCHIACEif:— BIRTHWORT FAMILY WILD GINGER Asarum Canadense A Asarum, an ancient name of obscure derivation. A stemless perennial, found in rich, moist woods, where often it forms large beds of bright-green, velvety leaves. New Brunswick to Manitoba, south to North Carolina and west to Missouri and Kansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. April-June. Rootstock. — Aromatic, creep- ing, bearing two or three scales, then one or two kidney-shaped leaves, then on with more scales and more leaves. Leaves. — Shining, covered with soft hairs, broad, kidney-shaped, on long, hairy petioles, usually in pairs with the flower between. Calyx. — Slightly angular, bell- shaped, hairy, thick, and fleshy, with three dark, reddish purple lobes, pointed and reflexed; the calyx tube grown fast to the ovary. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Twelve; filaments slender; anthers short. SO Wild Ginger. Asarum Canadense WILD GINGER Pistil. — With a six-ccllcd ovary, and surmounted with six thick, radiating stigmas. Fruit. — Fleshy, globular capsule; seeds large. Pollinated by small flies. Stigma matures before the anthers. In rich, moist woods one often comes upon beds of shining, velvety, kidney-shaped leaves that carpet the forest floor with a covering of rare and unusual beauty. If it is April an investigation will disclose that in the main these leaves are standing up in pairs and between them, close to the ground, so hidden under dry leaves that one must fairly dig it out, is a small, dark flower- bell on a short stem, its parts so grown together that the blossom seems almost solid. As a rule, the one thing a plant flaunts before all the world is a flower, but Wild Ginger reverses this, hides its blossom and instead of seeking sunlight puts it in the shade, almost in the dark. The probable explanation is that the flies that fertilize it live in semidarkness. All parts of the plant have a decided ginger taste. 51 POL YGONACE^— BUCKWHEAT FAMILY FIELD-SORREL. RED SORREL. SHEEP-SORREL «- Rumex acetosella Rumex, the ancient Latin name, of unknown etymology. Perennial by running root- stock. Naturalized from Europe. Easily recognized by its arrow-shaped leaves. Abundant everywhere. May, June. Stems.— 'Six to twelve inches high, slender and branched above, angular and furrowed, tufted. Leaves .—EdiSdX leaves lance- olate-hastate, one to two in- ches long, on long petioles, agreeably acid. Upper stem- leaves greatly reduced, nearly linear and without ears. Flowers. — Dioecious, that is, of two kinds, staminate and pistillate; small, crowded in paniculate racemes; yellowish red and reddish purple, borne in whorls along the flowering stems. Field-Sorrel. Rumex acetosella 52 FIELD-SORREL Calyx. — Of six sepals; three outer spreading, three inner hirger and continuing to grow after flowering and so pro- tecting the akene. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Six, borne at the base of the calyx, exserted. Pistil. — One, with three styles. Fruit. — Akene, granular, surrounded by the calyx. PolKnated by bumblebees, honey-bees, and small butter- flies. This weed can be found in fence corners or hugging close to the walls of a building and sometimes taking entire possession of a neglected field. Its basal, arrow- headed leaves, pleasantly acid to the taste, mark it unmistakably. This is the plant whose blossoms often cover large areas with a reddish yellow, misty cloud about the last of May, onl}^ to disappear after ripening thousands of seeds to come up the following spring. Each tiny spire is small and inconspicuous, but sorrel stands by sorrel until the total makes myriads and the field glows in red or reddish gold with almost a metallic re- flection. The plant is not long-lived, will easily die out, and cultivation drives it away. SZ PORTULACACE^— PURSLANE FAMILY SPRING-BEAUTY ^ Claytonia Virginka Claytdnia, in honor of Doctor John Clayton, a Vir- ginian botanist. Perennial. In thin moist woods. Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territory, southward to Georgia and Texas. Abundant in northern Ohio. March- May. Stem. — Simple, from a small, deep tuber, often reclining, frequently stained with red. Leaves. — Two, opposite, long and narrow. Flowers. — Pink with deeper pink veins, growing in a loose raceme, opening a few at a time, one-half to three-fourths of an inch across; pedicels slender, at length re- curved. Calyx. — Of two sepals, ovate, per- sistent. Corolla. — Of five petals, slightly united at the base, and notched at the apex. Stamens. — Five, attached at the base of the petals; filaments white. Pistil. — One, with style three-cleft at the apex. Pod. — One-celled, three-valved, three to six-seeded. 54 Spring-Beauty. Claytdnia Virginka SPRING-BEAUTY Pollinated by bees, flics, and butterflies. Anthers mature before the stigma. "Where the fire had smoked and smouldered, Saw the earliest flower of Spring-time, Saw the beauty of the Spring-time, Saw the Miskodeed in blossom." — "Hiawatha," Longfellow. The Spring-Beauty grows in moist and sunny places in the open wood, generally in colonies scat- tered over a considerable area. The single stalk springs from a small, deeply seated, tuberous root, is pale green, often stained with red. The leaves are two, long, narrow, fleshy, with a distinct midrib, entire margin, and pointed at base and apex. The blossoms are borne on the stem in a one-sided raceme, are white or pale pink with darker pink vein- ings and less than an inch across when fully expanded. They open fully only in the sunlight, and if the day is cloudy the corolla closes. Because the flowers appear in a raceme, the plant has a longer period of bloom than the Hepatica whose flowers are solitary; that is, a single plant of Spring- Beauty will produce perhaps ten or twelve blossoms during the season, but not more than three or four are perfect at any one time, and this greatly extends the flowering period. Carolina Spring-Beauty, Claytbnia Carolinidna, is found in damp woods, not abundantly throughout the range of Virginica. The chief specific difference lies in the broader leaves and fewer flowers. The period of bloom extends from March to May. Reported in northern Ohio. 55 CARYOPHYLLACEyE— PINK FAMILY COMMON CHICKWEED ''^ Stelldria media. Alsine media m Stelldria, from stella, a star, in allusion to the star-shaped flowers. Alsine, Greek for grove, the habitat of some species. Annual. Naturalized from Europe. Everywhere in damp ground. April-December. Stem. — Weak, branching, procumbent or ascending. Leaves. — Ovate or oval, small, opposite on the stem, sessile or petioled, acute, rarely obtuse. Flowers. — Small, white, solitary or slightly clustered. Calyx. — Sepals five, oblong, longer than the petals. Corolla. — Petals five, two-cleft, shorter than the sepals. Stamens. — Two to ten, inserted around the pistil. Pistil. — Ovary one-celled; styles three. Fruit. — Ovoid capsule, several-seeded. March 21, 1853. The Stellaria media is fairly in bloom in Mr. C.'s garden. This, then, is our earliest flower, though it has been introduced. It may blossom under favorable circumstances in warmer weather than usual any time in the winter. It has been so much opened that you could easily count its petals any month the past winter and plainly blossoms with the first pleasant weather that brings the robins. — Thoreau. The Chickweed is our one plant hardy enough to live and bloom throughout a northern winter. It 56 COMMON CHICKWEED probably could not do this in New England, possibly not in New York, but on the southern shore of Lake Erie during those winters that not infrequently occur, when no ice is gathered from the lake, it grows and blooms all winter long in protected places. Because of this hardiness its dis- tribution is world-wide. A very striking story to illustrate this is told by Sir Joseph Hooker, who says: "Upon one occasion, landing on a small uninhabited island, nearly at the antipodes, the first evidence I met wdth of its having been previously visited by man was the English Chickweed, and this I traced to a mound that marked the grave of a British sailor, w^hich was covered wdth the plant, doubt- less the offspring of seed that had adhered to the spade with which the grave had been dug." The blossom is very small and under a glass ex- tremely pretty. The five sepals form a very perfect star; the petals are curiously two-cleft, making five look like ten, these are rounded at the apex and shorter than the sepals. The stamens are a variable number; when things are going well with the plant there are sure to be five and maybe more, but in late autumn or early winter the pinched little blossom may afford only two. The Chickweed is an example of that meekness that inherits the earth. It does what it can, it lives where it must. A blossom usually terminates the stem and 57 Common Chickweed. Stelldria media PINK FAMILY from the axils of the newest leaves spring branches with a flower at the end of each branch. It produces abundant seed in winter and this proves it capable of self-fertilization. One of the best things about the plant is that canary-birds love it. When September comes the Chickweed often forms a soft green carpet that mitigates if it does not hide the desolation of the kitchen-garden, and transforms the unsightly home of the early potato and the sweet corn by a covering of tender green, which, upon ex- amination, is seen to be dotted with minute, starry white blossoms. S8 RANUNCULACEi^-CROWFOOT FAMILY HYDRASTIS. GOLDEN SEAL Hydrastis Canadensis Perennial. Rich woods. New York to Minnesota and southward. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Thick, knotted, yellow, about two inches long, with many long, fibrous roots; juices bitter. Flower-stem. — Simple, hairy, two-leaved, bearing a single greenish-white flower. Leaves. — Basal leaf long-petioled, rounded, heart- shaped at base, five to seven-lobed, doubly serrate, veiny; when full grown in summer, four to nine inches wide; stem-leaves two, borne at the summit of the stem. Flowers. — Greenish white, sepals dropping early so as to leave the flower chiefly a mass of stamens. Calyx. — Three sepals, petal-like, falling when the flower opens. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Many. Pistil. — Twelve or more carpels in a head. Fruit. — A head of small, crimson, fleshy carpels, look- ing Hke a red raspberry. This is a plant that ordinary observers would call rare, and, as a matter of fact, is not often seen, prin- cipally because there is so little to see. A low peren- nial herb with a stout, strongly rooted rootstock, golden yellow when broken, sends up in the spring a 59 CROWFOOT FAMILY slender stem about a foot high, which bears one or two alternate five to seven-lobed leaves and a large basal leaf of similar general outline. At the summit of this stem is a single greenish white flower, which is Golden Seal. Eydrdsiis Canadensis destitute of a corolla and can boast of only three whitish sepals that fall promptly as the flower opens. So all that one sees is a two-leaved stem surmounted by a cluster of stamens and pistils, and naturally it is neglected. The fruit is somewhat pulpy when ripe and in general appearance suggests a small red raspberry. The plant grows in shaded ravines and is native to the rich woods of the Appalachian region, the Ohio 60 COWSLIP valley, and northward to southern Wisconsin. It has long been used in medicine, and in recent years to an increasing degree, so that its cultivation is now widely practised in small gardens. It requires a loose, loamy, shaded soil, a moist and cool location. When dried for commercial use the rootlets should be very carefully handled, for apart from the rootstock they have not as great commercial value as when not separated. COWSLIP. MARSH-MARIGOLD Cdltha palustris Cdltha is the Latin name of the Marigold. A low, bunched, perennial plant, common in marshes and wet places, blooming in early spring and bearing clusters of brilliant yellow flowers of the buttercup type. Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains, south to Iowa and South Carolina. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Stems. — Stout, smooth, succulent, hollow, one to two feet high, branched at the top. Leaves. — Basal leaves on long, broad petioles, heart- shaped or kidney-shaped, entire or crenate, broader than long; stem-leaves short-petioled or sessile. Often used as a pot-herb. Flowers. — Of buttercup type, brilliant yellow, borne in few-flowered clusters, either terminal or axillary. Calyx. — Of five to nine, broad, oval sepals that look like petals, brilliant yellow, imbricated in bud. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Many; both filaments and anthers bright yellow. 6i CROWFOOT FAMILY Pistil. — Five to ten carpels, ripening into many-seeded follicles. Pollinated by flies and bees. Nectar-bearing. Anthers and stigmas mature at the same time. Cdltha palustris is not a Marigold, and still less is it a Cowslip, but both names designate it. The Indian name Onondaga, ' ' it blooms in the swamps," is best of all if wx could only make up our minds to use it. The English species has the pretty name King-Cup, but, though celebrated in English verse, it seems never to have come over- seas to us. This early plant, grow- ing along the wet borders of streams and marshes, is an example of vigorous, healthy growth; its stout, succulent stem, its large green leaves, and, above all, its golden flowers dis- tinguish it among all the surrounding vegetation. These vary from one and a half to two inches across and grow in loose few-flowered clusters. The blossoms are gloriously yellow, there are no dark lines guiding to nectar, sometimes a greenish cast overshadows the flower, but usually its yellow is undimmed. The nec- 62 Marsh-Marigold. Cdltha palHstris COWSLIP tar lies open so that the flies and bees find it without any especial directions. Although the anthers and stigmas mature at the same time, the anthers open outwardly and the outermost ones, farthest from the stigmas, open first, so that the insects seeking nectar scramble over the open ones and bear the pollen to the waiting stigmas. T. W. Higginson writes in Outdoor Studies : ''One afternoon last spring I had been walking through a copse of young white birches— their leaves scarce yet ap- parent— over a ground delicate with Wood-Anemones, moist and mottled with Dog's-Tooth Violet leaves and spangled with the clusters of Claytonia or Spring- Beauty. All this was floored with last year's faded foliage, giving a singular bareness and whiteness to the foreground. Suddenly, as if entering a cavern, I stepped through the edge of all this into a dark little amphitheatre beneath a hemlock grove, where the afternoon sunlight struck broadly through the trees upon a tiny stream and a miniature swamp — this last being intensely and luridly green, yet overlaid with the pale gray of last year's weeds, and absolutely flaming with the gayest yellow light from great clumps of Cowslips. The illumination seemed perfectly weird and dazzling; the spirit of the place appeared live, mild, fantastic, almost human. Now open your Tennyson and read: 'The wild Marsh-Marigold shines Hke fire in swamps and hollows gray.' J )) 63 CROWFOOT FAMILY ACT^A. WHITE BANEBERRY Act^a alba « Adaa, an ancient name of the Elder, transferred to this plant by Linnaeus. Perennial. Open woods. Nova Scotia, west to Min- nesota, south to Georgia and Louisiana. Common in northern Ohio. April- June. Stem. — Erect, one to two feet high. Leaves. — Petioled, large, ternately compound, leaflets ovate, deeply cut and sharply toothed, terminal one obovate. Flowers. — Small, white, in oblong terminal racemes. Calyx. — Sepals three to five, petaloid, falling when the flower expands. Corolla. — Petals four to ten, white, narrow, on slender claws. Stamens. — Many; filaments white; anthers yellow. Pistil. — One; stigma sessile, two-lobed. Fruit. — Many-seeded berry, globular, white with a black eye, borne on a thickened red pedicel. Pollinated by smafl bees. Not nectar-bearing. Stig- mas mature before the anthers. In a damp, shaded ravine or on a wooded hillside where the undergrowth is open one often finds in early- May the compound leaves and fluffy flower-cluster of the White Baneberry. Each tiny flower as it begins life has four to five petal-like sepals, but drops them as the flower opens, leaving as a residue from four to ten blunt, narrow, white petals, which soon take themselves away, so 64 ACT>EA that at the end many white, fine, yellow-tipped sta- mens and a single pistil do duty as the flower. In- evitably this confuses the amateur botanist who does White Baneberry. Actea alba not suspect that so much of the blossom has de- parted. The flowers are borne on short stems which grow out from the main stem at right angles, and open al- most together along the upper part of a pale-green stalk. The flower-cluster is not very showy, rather 65 CROWFOOT FAMILY delicate in fact, but very pretty and feathery. The flower-stem unites with the main stalk at the junction of the leaf-stems. In September the fruit is very noticeable in the form of a loose, stiff raceme of pure white berries, each with a little black eye and borne on thickened red pedicels. The effect is unusual and quite worthy the children's name — Dolls' Eyes. The Red Baneberry, Ad^a rubra, is a form very like White Baneberry but of more northern range. The general character of the two plants is very similar, but the fruit of the Red Baneberry is a thick cluster of red oval berries upon slender pedicels. The bloom- ing season is considerably later. WILD COLUMBINE. HONEYSUCKLE *^ AquiUgia Canadensis Perennial. Sunny, rocky slopes and ledges, sides of ravines, something of a cliff-dweller. Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territory, south to Florida and Texas. Fre- quent in northern Ohio. April-July. Stems. — Twelve to eighteen inches high, loosely branch- ing, more or less tinged with purple. Leaves. — Twice or thrice compound. The basal leaves are borne on long slender stems that arise directly from the root and in spring form thick, rounded tufts; each leaflet has three or more lobes with irregular, rounded notches; the upper leaflets are variously shaped, gener- ally rounded. Flowers. — Irregular, solitary, nodding, scarlet with yel- low linings, both terminal and axillary. Calyx. — Five ovate sepals, colored like the petals. 66 WILD COLUMBINE Corolla. — Of five petals, each a slender tube, tapering to a thickened rounded point, forming the upright and nearly straight spurs. Stamens. — Many,' yellow-tipped, projecting. Pistil. — Five carpels, slender, projecting; forming erect pods when mature; seeds black, smooth, shining. Pollinated by bumblebees and humming-birds. Nec- tar-bearing. Stamens mature before the stigmas. The Columbine dwells of choice on sunny, rocky slopes in open woods where the soil is sparse and well drained. It of- ten prospers with hardly sufficient earth to cover its roots. The form of the flower is unique and exquisitely beautiful. The petals are lengthened into hollow spurs in shape like trumpets with a drop of nectar in each of the closed ends. The sepals are the petal-like leaves between the trumpets and of the same color. The flowers nod and the stamens protrude like a golden tassel. The pollen of the outer row ripens while the inner row is still unde- veloped, and so these act as a sheath for the stigmas. After ah the stamens have discharged their pollen, the styles awaken from their sleep, lengthen, the feathery stigmas open and, curving, place themselves at the 67 Wild Columbine. Aquilegia Canadensis CROWFOOT FAMILY entrance of each cornucopia while the flower continues its honey call to the bee. After the stigmas are fer- tilized the blossom fades, the nodding stem becomes erect, and the group of seed-pods mature erect and rigid at the summit of a stiff and straightened stalk- Both the common and the botanical name of the Columbine are puzzles; they seem so entirely without rhyme or reason. Columbine is apparently derived from columba, a dove, and Aguilegia from aguila, an eagle; but it requires a great deal of imagination to see any appropriate- ness in either. If we take Aguilegia as Water- Bearer, the case is no easier. Resemblance of the petals when looked at from a certain angle to the heads of pigeons around a dish, which was a favorite device of ancient artists, may perhaps explain the columba. This likeness is more apparent in the case of the European species, Aguilegia vulgaris, than in our native forms. Whatever the name, the flower has long been a favorite. It is found as a border upon an illumi- nated manuscript of the fifteenth century, and was at one time combined with the red rose as a badge of the royal house of Lancaster. The Wild Columbine was sent to Hampton Court during the reign of Charles I. An old play of Chapman's (1600) shows the Col- umbine as an emblem of ingratitude: "What's that, a Columbine? No, that thankless flower grows not in my garden." 68 English Columbine from an Angle which Gives the Doves ANEMONE It is also one of Ophelia's flowers: "There's fennel for you and columbines." '^ ANEMONE. WINDFLOWER Ancrndnc quinqucfolia. Anemone nemorosa, var. quinqucfdlia Perennial. Margins of woods and thickets, in the sun and yet somewhat shaded. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Minnesota, west to the Rocky Mountains, south to Georgia. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Slender, horizontal. Floiver-stem. — Five to twelve inches high, bearing a whorl of three involucral leaves. Leaves. — Stem-leaves three-parted, the wedge-shaped divisions lobed and toothed, or the lateral ones deeply two-parted; basal leaves long-petioled, appearing later than the flowering stem, five-parted, the divisions oblong, wedge-shaped, toothed. Flowers. — White or slightly tinted at the edges, an inch across, solitary at the summit of the flowering stem. Calyx. — Five to nine petal-like sepals. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Many; anthers cream color. Pistil. — Fifteen to twenty carpels in a bunch, each oblong with a hooked beak. Pollinated by bees and flies. Capable of self-fertil- ization. "Within the woods Whose young and half-transparent leaves scarce cast a shade, Gay circles of Anemones dance on their stalks." — Bryant. 69 CROWFOOT FAMILY These Anemones are commonly found in colonies along the margins of open woods where the soil is light and partly shaded. They are often clustered about old stumps. The beautiful, delicate blossoms on slender, wiry stems bend and sway and yield and come to the passing breeze, so that they are not inappro- priately named. The flowers have no true petals. The flower-bud nods and its outer surface is flushed with pink, but when fully open a white star faces the sun. Many stamens with cream-colored anthers are clustered about the central group of small green pistils in the centre of the flower-cup. The effect of the plant as a whole is enchanting, and is only surpassed in delicacy and beauty by its blood-brother, the Rue- Anemone. The blossoms stand up well in the sunshine but droop in more or less discouraged fashion at night or during cloudy weather. For some reason not clear to us the Anemone appealed greatly to the ancients; it was sacred to Anemos, the wind-god of the Greeks, and they believed that without his especial favor it could not open. The Greek poets also tell us that Anemone originated from the tears dropped by Venus as she grieved in the forest over the death of Adonis. We are also told that the Romans beheved that Anem- one possessed a mystic charm to ward off fever, and in this faith they sought the flower and wore it much in the same spirit that we seek and wear the four-leaf clover. The Latin name is Anemone, but the English form is Anemone. 70 K Anemone. A nemone memordsa, var. quinquefolia Potentilla. Potentilla Canadensis AMERICAN PASQUE-FLOWER AMERICAN PASQUE-FLOWER VoJ f 6 n p I in Inii Ancindnc pdlcns, var, Niittallidna. Pulsalilla hirtissima Perennial. In dry soil, prairies. Illinois to the North- west Territory, Nebraska, and Texas. Absent from northern Ohio. March, April. Rootstock. — Thick. Scape. — Six to twelve inches high, with a three-leaved in- volucre and solitary terminal flower. Leaves. — Much divided into narrow, linear, acute lobes; the basal on slender petioles, those of the involucre sessile, and erect or ascending. Flowers. — Large, white or tinged with purple, two to three inches across. Calyx. — Five to ten petaloid sepals, white or pale bluish purple. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Many; inner sta- mens with anthers, outer sta- mens often sterile. Pistil. — Many carpels in a head, each with a long, hairy style. Fruit. — A head of akenes, each with a long, persistent, Pasque-Flower.' p«/5a«/;a A,V/(5«w feathery plume, made by the After Gray's "Genera Plantae growing style. Americae" A Western Anemone of exquisite beauty, opening its starry flowers very early in the spring, and later in 71 CROWFOOT FAMILY fruit showing heads of silky akenes resembling those of some species of Clematis. Pasque is a name for Easter, and Pasque-Flower means Easter-Flower. In Minnesota the Pasque-Flower is known to the children as the first flower to bloom in early spring. It is not really the first, several open earlier, but this is the one that attracts popular at- tention. MEADOW RUE ANEMONE Anemonella thalidroides. Syndesmon thalictroides Syndesmon, Greek, bound together, the plant uniting many of the characters of Anemone and Thalidrum. Perennial. In rich woods and borders of thickets. Maine to Minnesota and Kansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. March-June. Roots. — Fleshy, tuberous. Flowering stem. — Slender, smooth, six to twelve inches high. Leaves. — Basal leaves twice compounded in threes; stem-leaves three in a whorl, forming an involucre, two consisting of three rounded, scalloped, petioled leaflets; sometimes the third has but a single leaflet. Flowers. — Three to six, slender pedicelled, white flowers, one-half to three-fourths of an inch across, at the summit of the stem. Calyx. — Of six to ten sepals, white or sHghtly flushed with purple, resembling petals. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Many; filaments threadlike; anthers oblong. Pistil. — Compound; carpels six to ten; style none; stigma simple. Fruit. — Akenes, pointed, deeply grooved. 72 I Meadow Rue Anemone. Syndismon thalictroides FALSE RUE-ANEMONE The Rue-Anemone comes a little earlier than Ane- mbne qui nqiicf alia and bears a more delicate flower; perhaps the delicacy of its leaves adds to its charm. These resemble those of the Meadow-Rue and give the common name to the plant. It likes moist woods and flowers abundantly throughout May. The flowers appear in a little umbel of two or three blossoms, sur- rounded by an involucre of what is apparently a loose whorl of long-petioled, three-lobed leaflets. The centre flower opens first. This plant was formerly given in the botanies as Anemone thalictroides ; after- ward it appeared as Thalictrum anemonoldes; finally it got the name Anejnojiella thalictroides^ which, how- ever, it seems to have lost, and in the late botanies it stands as Syndesmon thalictroides. The explanation of all these changes lies in the fact that the plant so resembles both Anemdne and Thalictrum in its specific characters that botanists name it according to their personal views. FALSE RUE-ANEMONE. ISOPYRUM Isopyrum hiterndtiim Perennial. Moist woods and thickets. Ontario to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. Rare in northern Ohio. May. Root. — Fibrous and bearing small tubers. Stem. — Erect, slender, branching above. Leaves. — Basal leaves ternately compound, long-pet- ioled; the ultimate segments obovatc, obtuse, lobed, or divided; stem-leaves similar but sessile or short-petioled. Flowers. — Several, white, terminal and axillary, one-half to three-fourths of an inch across. 73 CROWFOOT FAMILY Corolla. — Wanting. Calyx. — Of five petaloid sepals, oblong, acute, or ob- tuse. Stamens. — Many. Pistil. — Of many carpels, forming a head of follicles in fruit; each follicle many-seeded and long-beaked. False Rue-Anemone. Isopyrum Mterndium After Gray's " Genera Plantse Americae" Isopyrum so greatly resembles Meadow Rue Anem- one that it is sometimes called False Rue-Anemone, but the little plant is quite worthy a name of its 74 HEPATICA own. Its botanic name is of Greek derivation, but without significance so far as we know. ^ HEPATICA. LIVERLEAF Hepdtica acutiloha. Hcpdtica triloba ('^^^ 5y>* / HepdlicGy liver, referring to the shape of the leaf. Low, stemless perennial. Native to the open woods of the northern parts of America, Europe, and Asia. Grows in tufts, with many fibrous roots. Abundant in northern Ohio. March, April. Scapes. — Four to six inches high, downy. Leaves. — Hairy at first, appearing after the flowers, all from the root, long-petioled, thick, evergreen, three- lobed, reniform. Flowers. — Blue, lavender, white, pale pink, borne singly on an erect scape; with three involucral leaves a quarter of an inch below the blossoms, looking like a calyx. Corolla. — Wanting. Calyx. — Sepals petal-like, five to eight, oblong, obtuse. Stamens. — Many, with greenish white anthers and abun- dant pollen. Pistil. — Many carpels varying in number from six to twenty-four, one-celled, one-ovuled. Fruit. — Akenes, short-beaked, hairy. Pollinated by bees and flies. "I, country bom and bred, know where to find. Some blooms that make the season suit the mind, An' seem to metch the doubtin' bluebird's notes, — Half vent'rin' liverworts in furry coats." — "The Biglow Papers," Lowell. 75 CROWFOOT FAMILY This is the first spring flower that people ordi- narily see. The Skunk-Cabbage is indeed earlier, but it is coarse, ill-smelling, and little known, while the Hepatica is delicate, beautiful, and everywhere rec- ognized. The blossoms appear in warm, sheltered places in March and are abundant in sunny ravines and hollows in early April. They precede the new leaves by some weeks, the rusty old ones being obliged to do duty as foliage while the plant is in bloom. The early bloom is due to the fact that the flower-buds are started in the fall and carefully pro- tected, wrapped away from harm at the very centre of the plant. In addi- tion, the dry leaves of autumn sift over and upon the plant and make so fitting a blanket that when the snows come the little creature is housed dry and warm for the winter, ready to answer the call of the sun as soon as the snows melt. The date of its bloom is the date of the melted snow and the first warm drying days and varies as these vary. Stems and bracts and flower-buds are covered with soft, white, silky hairs in order to protect the blossom from too rapid changes of temperature. 76 Hepatica. Hepatica acutiloba HEPATICA The flowers vary in color from pale blue to pure white, shading to lavender and soft pink, and the flower-stems come out of the ground in little tufts, one root frequently producing ten to thirty individual blossoms. This blossom is wonderfully sturdy. It opens at the regulation time, and though afterward the winds blow, the frost comes, or April snow falls thick and fast, it is all one to the little creature, for the tinted sepals then close about the stamens and pistils, the three-leaved involucre enfolds them all, each tiny blossom bows its head to the storm and waits till the clouds roll by. Cradled in the arms of arctic snows for innumerable ages, the plant has acquired a hardiness out of all proportion to its apparent delicacy. The centre of the flower is greenish white. The many stamens have greenish white anthers; they stand around the little green pistils at the centre of the flower. Each pistil holds up a tiny, curved, whitish stigma. The Hepatica is so adapted to the shade that it will not live in full sunlight. The leaves which have passed the winter under the snow are rich purple beneath and brown and mottled greenish above. The new leaves come forth in the spring before the leaves of the trees create too much shade. In the fall, after the trees are bare, the leaves again become active. Two species grow side by side in our Northern States, Hepatica trildba, sometimes called the Round- Leaved Hepatica because the leaf-lobes are rounded; and Hepatica acutiloba, because the leaf-lobes are pointed. The first is more abundant in the Eastern States, the second is the prevailing form in Ohio and westward; in other respects the two are one. 77 CROWFOOT FAMILY The names Hepatica and Liverwort hark back to the age of the simpler and echo the doctrine of signa- tures. In mediaeval medical practice it was believed that every disease could be cured by some plant; moreover, that this plant was indicated by a real or fancied resemblance between a given part and the organ diseased. As the leaf of the Hepatica is three- lobed it suggested the liver; thence the plant was considered a specific for diseases of that organ. ^ EARLY MEADOW-RUE Thalidrutn dioicum Thalidrum — derivation unknown. Perennial. Noticeable for its tufts of beautiful fern- like leaves. In rich, open woods. Labrador to Alabama, west to Minnesota and Missouri. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Stem. — Branching, one to two feet high. Stem-leaves. — Alternate, twice to thrice compound; the leaflets slightly drooping, rounded; margins somewhat scalloped; petioles dilated at base; basal leaves the same. Flowers. — Dioecious. Staminate flowers are clusters of drooping tassels of slender filaments, bearing anthers full of pollen; each flower has four or five greenish sepals, but no corolla and no pistil. Pistillate flowers are upon a different plant and these consist of clusters of pistils grouped four or more together; each flower has four or five greenish sepals, but no corolla and no stamens. Fruit. — Pistils ripen into ovoid, pointed akenes. Pollinated chiefly by the wind. The Early Meadow-Rue loves to place itself along a woodland path; possibly the bit of sunshine permitted 78 EARLY MEADOW-RUE by the path is the reason ; at any rate, the plant adorns the open way when permitted. Its graceful foliage is its greatest charm; the leaves are twice or thrice com- pound, suggesting the spray of the Maidenhair fern. The; stems stand in tufts or bunches, and after a rain the leaves, silvery with drops of water, pos- sess an exquisite beauty. The species is dioecious, that is, the stamens and pis- tils are borne on dif- ferent individuals; consequently there are two kinds of blos- soms. In early April the staminate plant sends up a stem that at the summit divides and subdivides, bearing numbers of tiny, nodding, greenish yellow tassels, shed- ding pollen in abundance. Each tassel consists of four green sepals, with many yellowish drooping anthers on hair-like filaments. The pistillate flowers are likewise clustered at the summit of a stem and each consists of four to fifteen carpels, but they are stiff and have not the careless grace of their brothers. Early Meadow-Rue. Thalictrum dioicum 79 CROWFOOT FAMILY ^ TUFTED BUTTERCUP. EARLY BUTTERCUP Rainlnculus fascicular is Raniinculus, a little frog, because some species live near water. Perennial. Open woods and rocky hillsides. New England, Ontario, Manitoba, south to North Carolina and Texas. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Roots. — Thickened, fleshy- fibred. Stems. — Downy, generally low, six to twelve inches high. Leaves. — Dark green, long- petioled, cleft into three to five divisions; divisions stalked (especially the ter- minal one), deeply lobed, and cleft; lobes oblong or linear. Flowers. — Deep yellow, about an inch across. Ca/jx.— Sepals five, spread- ing. Corolla . — Saucer-shaped, of five obovate petals much longer than the sepals; each petal with a nectar-bearing pit and a scale at the base. Stamens. — Many, yellow. Pistil. — Many carpels, scarcely margined, tipped with a slender beak. Fruit. — Globular head of akenes; akenes flat, slightly margined. Pollinated by flies. Nectar-bearing. Stamens mature before the stigmas. 80 Leaf of Early Buttercup. Ranunculus fascicularis SWAMP-BUTTERCUP This is our earliest Buttercup — a fine, silky-haired woodland species growing from six to twelve inches high and blooming in dry open woods among the early spring flowers. So early a Buttercup possesses a personal charm, as if in its own person it represented the coming sum- mer, as indeed it does. The leaves and stems rise from fleshy roots, which explains their ability to swing into the race so early. SWAMP-BUTTERCUP. MARSH-BUTTERCUP Ran iincidus septentrio7idlls Perennial. Low, swampy, moist, and shaded places. New Brunswick to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Ken- tucky. Frequent in northern Ohio. April-July. Roots. — Fibrous. Stems. — One to three feet high, thick, hollow, generally smooth, sometimes downy, usually tall and branching, the later branches sometimes procumbent and rooting at the nodes. Leaves. — Frequently mottled ; lower leaves raised well out of marsh or water on long petioles; mostly three- cleft, the divisions cut into broad, wedge-like lobes, variously toothed. Flowers. — Satin yellow, an inch across. Calyx. — Sepals five, spreading. Corolla. — Saucer-shaped, of five petals; each obovate twice the length of the sepals, with a nectar-bearing pit, and a scale at the base; the petals do not overlap one an- other. Stamens. — Many, yellow. Pistil. — ;Many carpels, strongly margined, tipped by a stout beak. 8i CROWFOOT FAMILY Fruit. — Globular head of akenes; akenes flat, strongly margined. Pollinated by flies and small bees. Nectar-bearing. Stamens mature before the stigmas. Swamp-Buttercup. Ranunculus septentriondlis This is one of the early Buttercups, to be looked for in wet and marshy places, where it frequently covers considerable areas. It blooms sparingly, which, with its surroundings, adds to its attractiveness; the yel- low of the blossom is brilliant but paler than most 82 KIDNEY-LEAVED CROWFOOT of the Buttercups. The stem may be found standing up or lying down; if erect, it rises two or three feet; if reclining, it hugs the earth and roots at the joints, in this way making beds; in any case, the leaves are lifted on long petioles out of the wet. KIDNEY-LEAVED CROWFOOT. SMALL-FLOWERED BUTTERCUP Ranunculus abortivus » Biennial. Shady hillsides, along brooks, in open woods. Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Florida, Ar- kansas, and Colorado. Common in northern Ohio. April-June. Roots . — Thick-tufted fibres. 6"/^^.— Smooth, branch- ing, about a foot high. Leaves. — First basal leaves one or two inches in diameter, long-peti- oled, bright green, kid- ney-shaped or round heart-shaped; the suc- ceeding ones often three- lobed or three-parted; stem-leaves three to five- parted, nearly sessile, di- visions oblong or wedge- form, mostly toothed. Flowers. — Small, yellow, with globular centres, more green than yellow. Calyx. — Sepals five, ovate, obtuse, somewhat yellowish, and reflexed. 83 Small-Flowered Buttercup. abortivus Ranunculus CROWFOOT FAMILY Corolla. — Petals five, small, pale yellow, with scale at base, shorter than the sepals. Stamens. — Many. Pistil. — Many carpels, each tipped with minute curved beak. Fruit. — Globular head of akenes. Pollinated by bees and flies. Nectar-bearing. The Small-Flowered Buttercup is abundant in northern Ohio. Its first primary leaves are round, heart-shaped, or kidney-shaped. Those that come later are often three-parted. The petals are small, so that the effect of the flower is very little yellow corolla and a great deal of green calyx and green centre. Indeed, the blossom does not look very much like a Buttercup, and, compared wdth the well-known Buttercups, bright and yellow, this little green ball with five yellow tips seems scarcely w^orthy of the name ; yet it is a true Ranunculus, and is underfoot every- w^here in moist open woods, making great root masses as well as tufts of stems. The Bulbous Buttercup, Ranilncidus hdbdsus, is also an April bloomer. It is a species whose stem is bulbous- thickened at base, which gives it its common name. The leaves are three-divided and the segments vari- ously cut and lobed. The flower is about three-fourths of an inch across and bright yellow. The plant is not native but came to us from Europe. 84 BERBERIDACE.^— BARBERRY FAMILY ' MAY-APPLE. WILD MANDRAKE PodophyUiun peltdtinn « PodopliyUiim, from pons, foot, and phyllon, leaf, prob- ably referring to the stout stems; duck-foot leaf is the probable meaning. Perennial. Growing in beds and patches in open woods and fields. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Minnesota, southward to Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Abundant in northern Ohio. May. Rootstock. — Thick, horizontal, poisonous. Stem. — Erect, twelve to eighteen inches high, bearing one or two leaves; one-leaved stems are barren; rising from the ground like a folded umbrella; two-leaved stems bear a single flower. Leaves. — Basal leaves centrally peltate, from four to ten inches across, long-petioled, five to seven-lobed; lobes oblong, rather wedge-shaped, two-cleft, and dentate at apex. Flowers. — Saucer-shaped, cream-white, nodding, borne in the fork between the two leaves, one and a half to two inches across. Calyx. — Sepals six, falling as the flower opens. Corolla. — Petals six to nine, cream-white, concave, obo- vate. Stamens. — Twelve to eighteen; anthers linear, opening lengthwise. Pistil. — One; ovary ovoid; stigma large, thick, sessile. 85 BARBERRY FAMILY Fruit. — Large, fleshy berry, one to two inches long, yel- lowish, egg-shaped, many-seeded. Fertilized by bumblebees. Our May-Apple is not the Mandrake of the ancient w^orld. It bears the same name, but it is not the same thing. The ancient Mandrake, if tradition and folk- lore be true, was a distinctly unpleasant plant, able to blast its disturber with madness. It belonged to the family of the Deadly Nightshade and is said to have been indigenous in Palestine, Syria, and Greece. Shakespeare thus refers to it: "Would curses kiU as doth the Mandrake's groan, I would invent as bitter-searching terms, As curst, as harsh, and horrible to hear." —"Second Henry VL" "And shrieks, hke Mandrakes torn out of the earth. That hving mortals, hearing them, run mad." — "Romeo and Juliet." Our Mandrake, however, is altogether quiet and harmless; it grows in open places where there is sun, yet not too much; prefers meadows and pastures bordering woodlands. The plants coming up in the spring suggest little umbrellas, each wrapped in an enfolding case. Later the case slips off and the leaves open and spread. In every colony are two kinds of plants — the single-leaved and the two-leaved. The single-leaved are sterile, the tw^o-leaved are the ones that bear the blossoms. The blossom appears at the fork of the stem, solitary, nodding, waxen, and is care- fully protected against direct sunlight by the two sheltering leaves; indeed, one must look for it to find 86 MAY-APPLE it. This blossom is often two inches across, though usually an inch and a half; the green sepals fall as the petals expand; the white rounded petals are usually six, three outside and three within. The stamens are Wild Mandrake. Podophyllum pelldtum yellow; there is an abundance of pollen but no nectar. The seed-vessel at the centre is large, crowned with a ruflfled stigma, and in time develops into the wild fruit known as the May-Apple eaten by children. Though the May-Apple is edible, the Mandrake root is poisonous, and from it is obtained the drug known in materia medica as podophyllum. 87 BARBERRY FAMILY When any plant occurs naturally in beds it is al- ways of interest to inquire why. The chances are that there is some agency at work more efficient than the ordinary individual possesses. In the Mandrake's case it comes out that each plant has a running under- ground stem, straight and brown, throwing out at intervals of a few inches rosettes of stout white roots from which spring the leaf -bearing stems. These beds in open fields are curiously circular and their limits strictly defined. This is so marked a character- istic that a mandrake-bed can be recognized almost as far as it can be seen. In the open woods this law seems not to hold, though everywhere the plant is gregarious. JEFFERSONIA. TWINLEAF Jefersdnia diphylla Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Perennial. In moist open woods. Western New York to Wisconsin, and south to Virginia and Tennessee. Found in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Thick, horizontal, fleshy, with many fibrous roots. Leaves. — All basal, forming a tuft, long-petioled, parted into two leaflets, which when fully grown are three to four inches long and two inches wide; ovate, entire, or obscurely toothed or sinuate. Flowers. — Solitary, white, with the general appearance of Bloodroot, borne on a scape six to eight inches high. Calyx. — Of four sepals, falling as the flower opens. Corolla. — Of eight oblong petals, white, longer than the sepals. 88 JEFFERSONIA Stamens. — Eight, shorter than the petals, opposite them; anthers cxtrorse. Pistil. — One; ovary one-celled; stigma peltate. Fruit. — Capsule obovoid, opening with a lid, called a pyxis; seeds many, crowded. Jeffersonia is a smooth, perennial herb with matted fibrous roots, long- pet io led root-leaves that are parted into two half-ovate leaflets, and bears in early April white flowers very similar to those of Bloodroot. It is a plant of the Middle West, is not reported east of the Hudson valley and is to be looked for on calcare- ous soil ; consequently it is not very well known, nor is it in its habitat very abun- dant, though it is not , rare. Its botanical name is in honor of Thomas Jeft'erson, but its common name, Twinleaf, is due to the fact that the leaf is parted into two similar leaflets. From its supposed medicinal qualities it is sometimes called Rheumatism-Root. The fruit of Jeffersonia is 89 XWII inleaf. Jeffersonia diphylla After Gray's "Genera Planta; Americae" BARBERRY FAMILY what the botanists call a pyxis, that is, a round box full of seeds, which when ripe has a lid which turns back and lets them out. BLUE COHOSH. PAPPOOSE-ROOT Caulophyllum thalictroides Caulophyllum, Greek, stem-leaf, the stem seeming to form a stalk for the great leaf. A smooth, perennial herb that comes up in early spring a dark purplish color, fading to green. Rich open woods. New Brunswick to Minnesota, south to the Carohnas and Missouri. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Thick- ened, matted. Stem— 'Ertci, smooth, at first purplish, cov- ered with a bloom, one to three feet high, \\\th. two or three sheathing scales at the base, a large, ternately com- pound leaf near the summit and generally a smaller similar one near the base of the inflorescence. Leaves. — Large, ter- nately compound, divi- sions long-petioled, the ultimate segments thin, oval, oblong or obovate, three to five-lobed near the apex. Flowers. — Borne in a Blue Cohosh. Caulophyllum thalidroides loOSe, open, terminal 90 BLUE COHOSH cluster of yellowish purple flowers, one-half to three-fourths of an inch across. Calyx. — Of six sepals, with three or four small bracts at the base. Corolla. — Of six small, thick, hooded petals. Stamens. — Six; anthers oblong. Pistil. — One; style short; stigma minute. Fruit. — Large, globose seeds resembling berries, blue with a bloom, borne on stout stalks a quarter of an inch long. The first appearance of the Blue Cohosh is some- what forbidding, for the whole plant comes up a dark purplish green covered with a whitish bloom and so unlike any of its neighbors that the first impression of it is that it must be poisonous. When it gets well above ground, however, it loses its unpleasant aspect and becomes a pretty plant. The color of the flower is dull, one may call it greenish yellow or yellowish purple, but the fruit is a bright-blue berry, on a short, thick fruit-stalk. The fruit resembles a drupe but really is a naked seed with the outer coat fleshy. Originally there are two seeds in the developing ovary. As these grow they burst their covering, which soon withers away, and they continue their growth as naked seeds. Usually one gets the better of his brother and finishes the race alone, plump, round, and blue. 91 PAPA VERAGE^— POPPY FAMILY SANGUINARIA. BLOODROOT "^ Sanguinaria Canadensis Sanguindria, from the red juice of the rootstock. Perennial. In rich open woodlands. One of the very earliest spring flowers, appearing long before the leaves of trees or shrubs. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Ne- braska, southward to Florida and Arkansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. March-May. Rootstock. — Thick, charged with orange-red juice, which is both acrid and astringent. Scape. — Smooth, naked, one-flowered. Leaves. — Radical, rounded, palmately lobed, heart- shaped at base, enfolding the flower-bud. Flowers. — White, solitary, an inch to an inch and a half across. Calyx. — Of two sepals, which fall when the flower ex- pands. Corolla. — Of eight to twelve, snowy white petals, long, narrow, and tapering at either end. Stamens. — Many, often twenty-four; anthers brilliant yellow, with whitish filaments. Pistil. — One; stigma large, yellow, set directly on the ovary. Fruit. — Oblong, pointed pod, with many yellowish or brown seeds. Pollinated by bees and flies. Stigma matures before the anthers. 92 Bloodroot. Sangiiindria Canadensis SANGUINARIA "Bloodroots whose roUcd-up leaves ef you oncurl, Each on em's cradle to a baby pearl." — Lowell. Hepatica and Bloodroot are like the dewdrops of early morn- ing which disappear before the sun. They can be found just once in the year; after that they appear no more. These are the dehcate children of April; May is their foster-mother. Contact with them is Hke the glimpse of a spiritucllc face. — Kirkham. The Bloodroot appears only a little later and often with the Hepatica in rich moist woods, borders of meadows, and fence corners. From the terminal buds of its thickened underground stem there arises in very- early spring a flower-stalk bearing, as a rule, a single blossom. The starry flower of snowy whiteness with a heart of gold emerges from the ground as a bud carefully wrapped in a protecting leaf. In full bloom it offers poUen to the hungry bees but no nectar. The two sepals which enclose the bud fall as the flower opens, thus showing its relationship to the poppy. The fragile blossoms are elusive; when in full bloom the petals fall so readily that with a touch the stem stands naked. The leaf is especially beautiful; at first pale green with a network of pinkish veins and lobed edges, late in the season it increases greatly in size, becoming one of the most beautiful leaves on the forest floor. The orange-red juice of the plant was one of the vegetable dyes much used by the Indians; the root was also one of their medicines used especially for coughs and colds. 93 POPPY FAMILY GREATER CELANDINE Chelidonium mdjiis From chelidon, a swallow, because it appeared at the time the swallows came. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe. Dry waste land, roadsides, near dwellings. Throughout New England andthe Middle West. Fre- quent in northern Ohio. April-September. Stem. — Weak, one to two feet high, branching, sHghtly hairy, containing bright-orange, acrid, juice. Leaves. — Thin, four to eight inches long, deeply cleft into five, irregular, oval lobes, the terminal one the largest. Flowers. — Lusterless yel- low, one-half an inch across, on slender pedicels, in a small, umbel-like cluster. Sepals. — Two, falling early. Petals. — Four, rounded. Stamens. — Many, yel- low. Pistil. — One, maturing into a long capsule tipped with style and stigma. The Celandine is a loose, branching herb sprawling along roadsides and waste places, and on the site of old buildings. The pale-green stalk has a whitish 94 Celandine. Chelidonium mdjus GREATER CELANDINE bloom and grows from one to two feet high. It is weak and brittle and filled with copious, orange- colored, acrid juice that stains everything it touches. The flowers are half an inch or more across, and are borne in small, loose clusters on slender stems. The four petals are pure yellow and without lustre. The buds nod, though the flower stands erect; two yellowish sepals fall as the flower opens. The leaf is compound, deeply cleft into five or more leaflets; the under-surface has a whitish bloom, is strongly ribbed and veined. The seed-pod is slender and often two inches long; it is two-parted and splits upward from the bottom when ripe. 95 ^y FUMARIACE^— FUMITORY FAMILY DICENTRA. DUTCHMAN'S-BREECHES. WHITE HEARTS Dicentra cuculldria. Bicuculla cuculldria Dicentra, double spur; from dis, twice, and kentron, a spur. Low, stemless perennial. In rich open woods, ravines, and on hillsides. Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Wash- ington, southward to North Carolina, Nebraska, and Missouri. Abundant in ravines of northern Ohio. April, May. Root. — Composed of a large number of small tubers closely clustered together and having the appearance of a scaly bulb. Scape. — Five to ten inches high, bearing a simple ra- ceme of flowers. Leaves. — Delicate, grayish green, thrice compound, finely cut, borne on long, slender stems which rise from the root. Flowers. — Borne in a nodding raceme on a scape, ir- regular, white, tipped with pale yellow. Calyx. — Of two small, scale-like sepals. Corolla. — Four petals in two pairs, somewhat cohering, forming a heart-shaped, flattened, irregular flower; the outer pair of petals extended into two divergent spurs; the small inner petals united above and protecting the slightly protruding stamens. Stamens. — Six, in two sets; filaments slightly united in each set. 96 DICENTRA Pistil. — One; style slender; stigma two-lobed. Fruit. — Long, slender pod; ten to twenty seeds. Pollinated by bumblebees and bee-like flies. Nectar- bearing. Anthers mature before the stigmas. The forest floor of spring possesses nothing more exquisite and delightful than the foliage of the two Dicentras, which are alike m leaf, though differing in root and blossom. The plants grow in tufts and bunches and so form beds often covering a consider- able area. All the leaves come directly from the root and not from stems. These are rather large, thrice com- pound, and so finely cut again and again that they present a spray-like, feathery appearance. These plants single Flower of love the woodlands, and by spreading Dutchman's- their green leaves before the trees are Diantra ciuuiidria in leaf they have the spring sunshine, so they can do their work early, mature their seeds, store food in their roots for the leaves and blossoms of next year, and by midsummer they have retired from the field. Dutchman's-Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria, is, if there is any difference at all, the prevailing western form. In northern Ohio both species occur, frequently to- gether, but in any colony one species is always the more common; they never seem to share the space equally. Cucullaria is the wide-legged type, white with yellow tips, not fragrant, and the little legs are nectar pockets formed by two petals. Opposite these two petals are two others more or less spoon-shaped, with the spoon bowls united to protect the anthers 97 FUMITORY FAMILY and stigmas. There are two tiny, scale-like sepals. The seed-capsule is a long pod with a slender, pointed end, and opens lengthwise. DICENTRA. SQUIRREL-CORN Dicentra Canadensis. BicucMla Canadensis Low, stemless perennial. Rich open woods, especially northward. Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Washington, southward to North Carolina. Abundant in the ravines of northern Ohio. April, May. Roots. — Subterranean shoots bear scattered grain-like tubers resembling yellow peas. Scape. — Five to ten inches high, bearing a simple ra- ceme of flowers. Leaves. — Delicate, grayish green, thrice compound, finely cut, borne on long, slender stems which rise from the root. Flowers. — Borne in a nodding raceme on a scape five to ten inches high, irregular, white, tipped with greenish rose color, and slightly fragrant. Calyx. — Of two small, scale-like sepals. Corolla. — Four petals in two pairs, somewhat cohering into a flattened, heart-shaped, irregular flower; the outer pair of petals extended into two short and rounded spurs; the crested inner petals project conspicuously and pro- tect the slightly protruding stamens. Stamens. — Six, in two sets; filaments of each set slightly united. Pistil. — One; style slender; stigma two-lobed. Fruit. — ^Long, slender pod; ten to twenty seeds. Pollinated by bumblebees and bee-hke flies. Nectar- bearing. Anthers mature before the stigmas. 98 Squirrel-Corn at Home. Dicentra Canadensis PALE OR PINK CORYDALIS Squirrel-Corn is very like its blood-brother Diccntra ciicullaria. The plants are similar in general habit and appearance; the flowers of Diccntra Canadensis have more rounded spurs and possess a faint fragrance. The common nanie empha- sizes the little round tubers found at the root. Both are plants of exquisite beauty, native to northern wood- lands, but the destruction of our forests seals their fate, for they are wildlings and disappear before the advance of civilization. PALE OR PINK CORYDALIS Corydalis senipervirens. Corydalis glauca. Capnoidcs senipervirens The ancient Greek name, from korydalos, the lark, because the spur is crested. Pale Corydalis. Corydalis sempervirens Perennial. Rocky cliffs in moist and open woods. Nova Scotia to Alaska, south to North Carolina, west to Min- nesota. Rare in northern Ohio. April-September. Stem.— One to two feet high, pale green with whitish bloom. Leaves. — Grayish green, delicate, compounded of three to five deeply cleft leaflets with their margins unevenly lobed and scalloped. Flowers. — Pale pink and white, tipped with yellow, one- half to three-fourths of an inch long, few in number, borne in loose terminal racemes. 99 FUMITORY FAMILY Calyx. — Two sepals, small and scale-like. Corolla. — Irregular, of two pairs of converging petals; one of the outer pair is formed into a short and rounded bag-like spur; the inner pair are very narrow and keeled at the back. Golden Corydalis. Corydalis aurea After Gray's " Genera Plantae Americje" Stamens. — Six, in two sets of three each, opposite the outer petals; the middle is two-celled; the lateral ones one-celled. Pistil. — One; style persistent. Fruit. — Very narrow straight pod, one to two inches long. Pollinated by bees. Nectar-bearing. Pale Corydalis loves a cool, moist home; it ranges across the continent within the Dominion of Canada, lOO PALE OR PINK CORYDALIS comes down into New England, and wanders along the mountain tops to North Carolina. The blossoms are odd, Httle, pink sacs with yellow mouths, hanging upside down along the tip of a slender stem. Their appearance makes clear their family relation- ship; they are cousins of the Dicentras but seem to possess only part of the family equipment; in fact each looks like a flower cut in half. The general effect of the plant is extreme delicacy. The Golden Corydalis, Corydalis aurea, blooms ear- lier than the pink species and is a denizen of rocky woodland banks, and ranges from Quebec to the Mackenzie River and as far south as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It is reported from northern Ohio, but is rare. The flowers are golden yellow and the outer petals ridged on the back. The seed-pods look beaded, not erect and straight like those of its pink sister. The blooming period extends from March to May. lOI CRUClFER.^— MUSTARD FAMILY PURPLE SPRING-CRESS jCarddmine purpilrea. Carddmine rhomhoidea. var. purpurea Perennial. Rich soil in open woods and along streams in ravines. Quebec to the Canadian Rockies, New Eng- land, south to Maryland and west to Wisconsin. Abun- dant in northern Ohio. JNIarch, April. Rootstock. — Bearing small tubers. Stems. — Erect, four to six inches high, smooth, slightly hairy, bearing a terminal raceme of rose-purple flowers. Stem-leaves. — Ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate, toothed or entire; root-leaves rounded, on long petioles, often heart- shaped, sparingly toothed. Flowers. — Purplish pink, of the type called crucifer, borne in a loose terminal raceme. Calyx. — Four sepals. Corolla. — Four purplish pink petals, opposite each other in pairs forming a cross, with short claws. Stamens. — Six, two shorter than the other four. Pistil. — One; ovary two-celled, with a two-lobed style. Fruit. — Very slender pods, tipped with style. Pollinated by small bees. Nectar-bearing. All the Cresses belong to the Mustard family, whose Latin name, CriicifercE, means cross-bearers. This by no means implies martyrdom — far from it ; the crucif ers are an exceedingly prosperous folk, surpassed by few I02 PURPLE SPRING-CRESS in their ability to possess the earth, for the family has learned to do team-work, to produce many pods on a stem and many seeds in a pod. It has also developed a pungent and biting juice to warn off the premises marauding worms and cat- erpillars. The flowers of the family, big or little, are practically alike. The petals are ar- ranged in the form of a Greek cross, that is, all the arms are of equal length. The six stamens are in two sets, four long and two short. The fruit is a pod, not like the pod of a pea or bean, but a pod with a thin m^em- brane running lengthwise, dividing it into two divi- sions, each having a row of seeds. The Purple Cress was long considered a variety of the White Cress, Carddmine rhomboldea. The specific differences between them are not many. The Purple Cress is a smaller plant, blooms earlier, and has a more northw^ard range. Its blossoms are pale purple-pink, those of Carddmine rhomboldea are white and often a little larger; otherwise the plants are alike. It is abundant in northern Ohio and appears shortly after and often with the Hepatica. Our native Carddmine 103 Purple Spring Cress. Carddmine purpurea MUSTARD FAMILY may be distinguished from the Dentarias, with which it is usually found, chiefly by its leafy stem and the varying forms of its leaves, which may be lanceolate, rhomboid, or ovate, but simple, not compound. The leaves of the Dentarias as well as the introduced Car- ddmine pratensis are compound. CUCKOO-FLOWER. MEADOW BITTER CRESS Carddmine pratensis Perennial. In low rich land. Naturalized from Eu- rope. Labrador to New Jersey, west to British Columbia and Minnesota. Probably not in northern Ohio. April, May. Roots. — Fibrous. Stems. — Slender and smooth, eight to twenty inches high. Leaves. — Pinnately divided; divisions three to seven pairs and an odd one. Flowers. — White or rose-color, crucifers, half an inch long, in a loose raceme. Pods. Linear, straight. Pollinated by bees, flies, butterflies. Nectar-bearing. "When daisies pied and violets blue And Lady-Smocks all silver white, And Cuckoo buds of yellow hue Do paint the meadows with dehght." — "Love's Labor's Lost," Shakespeare. Carddmine pratensis is our naturalized Bitter Cress, the Lady-Smock of Shakespeare. It came by way of the Atlantic seaports, in ballast or seed-grain, and seems 104 CUT-LEAVED DENTARIA to have made its way westward to the Pacific coast. In general appearance it is the same as our native Cresses but has perhaps a larger and more showy flower. The light, graceful growth and the pinnately divided foliage give the plant a distinct charm. In ancient times it was considered a valuable remedy in heart-disease, so Linnaeus gave it the name Carddmine, signifying heart-strengthening. Its showy flower and abundant nectar invite many insect visitors. •^ CUT-LEAVED DENTARIA. PEPPER-ROOT Dentdria laciniata Perennial. Moist ground in open woods. Nova Scotia, Ontario, Minnesota, southward to the Carolinas, Louisi- ana, and Kansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Edible, not toothed, rather constricted in places, suggesting a string of beads, deeper seated than that of the Crinkle-Root. Stem-leaves. — Borne on the stem in a whorl of three, compounded of three leaflets; leaflets cut and toothed, the side ones deeply cut, so that apparently there are five leaflets; root-leaves late in appearing, similar to the stem- leaves. Flowers. — White or pale rose-pink, of the type called crucifer, half an inch across, borne in a loose terminal cluster. Calyx. — Sepals four, the two outer narrow. Corolla. — Petals four, white or pink, arranged in the form of a cross, with short claws. Stamens. — Six, two shorter than the others, which are of the same height. Pistil. — One; ovary two-celled; style slender. 105 MUSTARD FAMILY Fruit. — Pod, linear, two-celled, about an inch long, tipped with the slender style. Pollinated by bees and flies. Nectar-bearing. The roots tock of the Pepper-Root is just as edible as that of the Crinkle-Root, but it lies deeper in the ground, and as the root-leaves follow the flowering stems rather than precede them, they do not appear early enough to locate the plant. The crucifer flowers are white or pale rose-pink; borne in a loose raceme at the summit of an unbranched stem. The plant dwells by preference in moist open places and begins its blooming season in April. It bears its stem-leaves in whorls of threes, and these are so cut and slashed and cut again that sometimes the entire leaf is simply a matter of lines and gashes. The tw^o Dentarias are very much alike, have about the same range, are early bloomers, forest-born, do their work early in the season, either passing away or overwhelmed by later growth. The rootstocks are of the same general nature; the flowers are the same. One species bears its stem-leaves in twos, the other in threes. They are lovely and united in life, and disap- pear to be welcomed again the succeeding spring. CRINKLE-ROOT. TWO-LEAVED DENTARIA Dentdria diphylla Name from dens, tooth, referring to the root. Perennial. Rich leaf-mould in open woods, sometimes in thickets and meadows. Nova Scotia, Ontario, Min- nesota, southward to the Carolinas and Kentucky. Fre- quent in northern Ohio. April, May. io6 Cut-Leaved Dentaria. Dentaria lacinidta CRINKLE-ROOT Rootstock. — Long, horizontal, fleshy, crinkled, branched and toothed, five to ten inches long, crisp, edible. Stem. — Stout, smooth, ten to twelve inches high. Stem-leaves. — Two, opposite or nearly so, compounded of three ovate, toothed leaflets; leaflets coarsely toothed; leaves from the rootstock broader, on long petioles. Two-Leaved Dentaria. Dentdria diphylla Flowers. — White, of the type cafled crucifer, about half an inch across, in a loose, terminal cluster. Calyx. — Sepals, four, the two outer narrow. Corolla. — Petals, four, much longer than the sepals, w^hite, in opposite pairs forming a cross; each petal with a short claw. Stamens. — Six, two shorter than the others, which are of the same height. Pistil. — One; ovary two-celled; style slender. 107 MUSTARD FAMILY Fruit. — Pod, linear, two-celled, about an inch long, tipped with the slender style. Pollinated by small bees. Nectar-bearing. Crinkle-Root, as this plant is known to country children, possesses a long, edible rootstock, crisp and peppery and well worth the trouble of digging it up. The leaves rising from the rootstock stand up on long petioles, and are compotmded of three broad, ovate, toothed leaflets. There are two similar leaves on the flowering stem nearly opposite one another. This is one of our early bloomers, found in company with the Anemones and Bloodroots, and following the Hepatica. The flower is a white cross, the inflores- cence a terminal raceme, the fruit a flat pod. While the plants do not exactly grow in beds, there are many together, so that one might say they grow in commu- nities. YELLOW ROCKET. WINTER-CRESS Barbarea mdgdris Barbarea, because anciently caUed the Herb of St. Barbara. An early blooming biennial. Naturalized from Europe. Sunny places in low grounds and margins of runlets. Labrador to New York, south to Virginia and westward. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Stems. — About two feet high, growing in tufts, branched, leafy, bearing many racemes of yellow flowers. Leaves. — Lower leaves lyrate; the terminal division round and usually large; the lateral divisions in pairs varying from one to four, or rarely wanting; upper leaves obovate, cut, toothed, or pinnatified at the base. io8 YELLOW ROCKET Flowers. — Yellow criicifcrs, in showy paniclcd racemes. Pods erect or slightly spreading, oblusely four-angled. This is the first of our yellow Mustards. It is found in the fields, where it marks the course of a tiny runlet or gathers round a bit of low- land in pasture or meadow; its presence is sunshine. Each plant consists of a bunch of erect, leafy stems a foot high or more, branching into flower- stems, each crowned with a loose spike of little yellow flowers, looking not unlike yellow Sweet Alyssum. The bloom is profuse, and the blooming season lasts well through May. A trail of seed- pods is left in the wake of the little crucifers as they con- tinue to bloom along the lengthening stem. The lower flowers open while the top of the cluster is closely packed with short, narrow buds. By June the yellow is past, the brownish green has come, and the plant is swallowed up by the surrounding foliage and summer growth. Gray reports it as apparently introduced, but indigenous from Lake Superior northward and westward. It is one of our most attractive early flowers and is known as Yellow Rocket, Winter-Cress, Wild Mustard, and Herb of St. Barbara. 109 Yellow Rocket. Barbarea vulgaris MUSTARD FAMILY VERNAL WHITLOW-GRASS Drdba verna Whitlow-Grass. Drdba verna Annual or biennial. Natu- ralized from Europe. Waste- lands, sandy fields, and road- sides, from Atlantic coast to the Mississippi. February- May. Stem. — One to five inches high. Leaves. — About an inch long, in a tuft or rosette on the ground, oblong or spatulate, covered with stiff hairs. Flowers. — Small white cruci- fers at the summit of the flowering stem; petals are two- cleft and so destroy the cross- like effect; pods vary from round-oval to oblong-lance- olate. Pollinated by bees; also practises self-pollination. Nectar-bearing. A small, insignificant plant, its rosettes of small leaves trodden upon and unnoticed. LYRE-LEAVED ROCK-CRESS Arabis lyrdta Perennial or biennial. Sandy or rocky places. Ontario to Manitoba, south to Virginia, Tennessee, and Mis- souri. Found in northern Ohio. April, May. no SHEPHERD'S -PURSE Sfcm. — Erect, slender, smooth, or pubescent, one or several rising from a rosette of spreading leaves. Leaves. — Basal leaves lyrate, spatu- late, or oblanceolate, more or less toothed, three-fourths to two inches long; stem-leaves spatulate or linear, one-half to one inch long. Flowers. — White crucifers, rather large; petals much longer than the calyx; pods one-half to an inch long, linear, nerved. The Lyre-Leaved Rock-Cress ap- pears on sandy hillsides in sunny places. The little rosette from which the stems arise is about from three to four inches across and made of many small, deeply cut, obovate leaves. The stems vary in number from one to four and bear at their summit a cluster of white flowers rather large for the type. The raceme lengthens as the flowers ap- pear, after the fashion of Cruci- fercB, and a trail of slender pods soon follows. Lyre-Leaved Rock-Cress. Arabis lyrata SHEPHERD'S-PURSE Capsella bursa-pastoris. Bilrsa hursa-pastdris Capsella, a diminutive of capsa, a box. Winter annual. Naturalized from Europe. Waste places, roadsides. World-wide. April-November. Root. — Strikes deep into the ground. Stem. — Six to eighteen inches high. Ill MUSTARD FAMILY Root-leaves. — Clustered in a rosette, incised or toothed. Stem-leaves. — Arrow-shaped, sessile, partly clasping. Flowers. — Small white crucifers in a long, loose raceme at the summit of the flower- stem; stem lengthens as flowers bloom. Fruit. — Triangular pod, somewhat heart- shaped. Pollinated by flies; also capable of self- fertilization. Shepherd's-Purse is a winter annual; that is, the seedlings come up in the au- tumn, brave the winter, and so are able to bloom in early spring. The plant shares with the Chickw^ed and the Dandelion the distinction of blooming late into the year. The Shepherd's-Purse blooms in April, and may often be foimd in fair condition in mild Decembers. The reason that a single stalk can thus grow and bloom for months together is due to the fact that all the blossoms are borne from the side of the stem and that the growing point at the summit never bears a blos- som and can thus grow^ on indefinitely. Its tiny flowers have all the characteristics of the Mustard family and its stem and leaves the pungent mustard taste. The common name is suggested by the little flat, triangular seed-pods. The plant is know^n among the English peasantry as Pickpocket and Pickpurse, because it sows itself and as a weed robs the farmer. Shepherd's-Purse Capsella bursa- pastdris 112 SAXIFRAGACE^— SAXIFRAGE FAMILY EARLY SAXIFRAGE Saxifraga Virginiensis Name from saxum, a rock, and frango, to break, referring to the habit of several species of growing upon rocks. Perennial. Exposed rocks and dry hillsides. New Brunswick, Ontario, and Minnesota, south to Georgia and Tennessee. Common in northern Ohio. March-May. Stem. — Four to twelve inches high, naked, with sticky hairs. Leaves. — Rather thick, obovate, or spatulate, dentate or crenate, with margined petioles; basal leaves clustered. Flowers. — White, small, clustered, spreading into a loose panicle. Calyx. — Five-cleft; tube free from the ovary. Corolla. — Of five petals. Stamens. — Ten, inserted with the petals. Pistil. — One, with two styles. Fruit. — Purphsh-brown pods, many-seeded; seeds small. Pollinated by flies and bees. Nectar-bearing. Anthers mature before the stigma. In the chosen haunts of the Early Saxifrage, by the middle of April, the ground is literally covered with little green rosettes of thick, obovate leaves, and right in the centre are the clustered buds of the coming flowers. As soon as the w-hite petals show themselves 113 SAXIFRAGE FAMILY the stems begin to lengthen, and by the time these are fully open they stand six to ten inches high. When developed the flowers are in a flattish cluster, each having a five-cleft calyx, five petals, ten stamens, and two styles. The plant has a threatening name for so harmless an individual, as Saxifrage is literally rock-breaker, a name referring to the habit of many of the species of rooting in the clefts of rocks. GOLDEN SAXIFRAGE Chrysosplenium Americdnum Name compounded of chrysos, golden, and splen, the spleen; probably from some reputed medicinal qualities. Perennial. Native. An inconspicuous, early blooming plant, growing in cold, wet places. Nova Scotia to Georgia and west to Minnesota. Found in northern Ohio. March- May. Stems. — Slender, decumbent, and forking. Leaves. — Principally opposite, roundish or heart-shaped, obscurely crenate. Flowers. — Inconspicuous, greenish, tinged with yellow or purple. Calyx. — Tube coherent with the ovary; lobes four to five, yellow within. Corolla. — Wanting. Stamens. — Eight to ten, very short, inserted on a con- spicuous disk. Pistil. — One; styles two. Fruit. — Many-seeded capsule. 114 JCarly Saxifrage. Saxifraga Virginiensis MITELLA March 30, 1856. Waldcn Pond. In this warm recess at the head of a meadow, though the rest is covered with snow a foot or more in depth, I was surprised to see the Skunk-Cabbage, with its great spear-heads, open and ready to blossom, and the Caltha pahisiris bud, which shows yellowish, and the Golden Saxifrage green and abundant, all surrounded and hemmed in by snow, which has covered the ground since Christmas. — Tiioreau. A low, insignificant plant with a forking stem, round- ish, fine-scalloped leaves, and small yellowish or purplish green flowers with orange anthers. ^ MITELLA. BISHOP'S-CAP Mitella diph^lla » Mitella, diminutive of mitra, a cap, alluding to the form of the young pod. Perennial. A low, slender plant, with round, heart- shaped leaves, found in rich woods. New England to North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Missouri. Abun- dant in Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Horizontal, with runners. Stem. — Six to twelve inches high, bearing two opposite leaves. Leaves. — Basal leaves heart-shaped, acute or acuminate, three to five-lobed, dentate, rough, usually with scattered hairs on both sides; stem-leaves very similar but smaller. Flowers. — Small, white, in a slender raceme four to eight inches long. Calyx. — Bell-Iike, growing to the base of ovary, five- lobed. "5 SAXIFRAGE FAMILY Corolla. — Of five delicate white petals, deeply cut. Stamens. — Ten; filaments short. Pistil. — One; ovary one-celled; styles two. Fruit.— Capsule flattish, one-celled, two-valved at the apex, many-seeded. Pollinated by bees. "At Pentecost which brings The Spring, clothed like a bride, When nestling buds unfold their wings, And Bishop's Caps have golden rings,— Musing upon many things, I sought the woodlands wide." — Longfellow. Under a glass the starry blossoms of the Mitella become objects of wonderful beauty; in fact they suggest the delicate crystals of snow. They appear early, but as the flowers are borne in a long raceme the period of bloom extends over nearly a month. Gray gives the Mitella to May, but in north- ern Ohio it is very sure to appear in April. The name Bishop's-Cap refers to the shape of the pods and is simply a translation of the Latin name. Mitella nuda is rare in northern Ohio; its flowers are greenish and the stem leafless; the basal leaves heart-shaped with margins crenate rather than serrate. ii6 Mitella. Mitella diphylla TIARELLA TIARELLA. FALSE MITREWORT. FOAM-FLOWER Tiarella cordifdlia Tiarella, diminutive from tiara, a turban, from the form of the pistil, which is similar to that of Mitella, to which the name Mitrewort, properly belongs. Perennial. Found in colonies on wooded hillsides, bearing in early May dense masses of feathery white flowers. Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Minnesota, south to Georgia. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Horizontal, running. Stem. — Six to twelve inches high, usually leafless, hairy, sometimes bearing two leaves. Leaves. — Heart-shaped, sharply lobed and toothed, sparsely hairy above, downy beneath, long-petioled from the rootstock. Flowers. — Small, white, loosely clustered in terminal, feathery spikes. Calyx. — Bell-shaped, white, five-parted. Corolla. — Petals five, white, clawed, pointed-oblong. Stamens. — Ten, long, slender, orange-tipped. Pistil. — One; ovary one-celled; styles two. Fruit. — Capsule, one-celled, two-valved; seeds few, smooth. Pollinated by bees. A single Tiarella by itself is an exceedingly beauti- ful plant but it also grows in mass stifficiently to make an impression by niunbers. The many long-petioled, heart-shaped leaves spring from the horizontal root- stock or from the runners that the plant sends out. Any plant that develops runners forms beds. By 117 SAXIFRAGE FAMILY middle April or early May this lush, green border of the woodlands becomes a mass of stems six to twelve inches high, each bearing at its summit a crowded raceme of white, five-pointed, starry flowers. Both Mitella and Tiarella are named from the pe- culiar shape of the pod or pistil, which in each resembles a mitre, or bishop's cap. The two plants are usually found together, but the Tiarella blooms a little later than the other and is the more conspicuous of the two. ii8 Tiarclla at Home. Tiarella cordifolia ROSACEA— ROSE FAMILY ^ WILD STRAWBERRY Fragdria Virginidna Name from the fragrance of the fruit. Stemless perennial. Forming little dark green tufts in scattered patches in fields, pastures, and along road- sides. Nova Scotia to the Dakotas, and south to Florida and Louisiana. April-June, often in October. Roots. — Fibrous, sending out many runners, which root at their tips or nodes. Scapes. — Hairy, two to four inches high, bearing sev- eral flowers at the summit on short pedicels. Leaves. — Basal, compound; leaflets three, obovate, wedge-shaped, coarsely serrate. Flowers. — White, rose-shaped, three-fourths of an inch across. Calyx. — Five sepals, alternate with five bracts, which show between the petals. Corolla. — Petals five, rounded, short-clawed. Stamens. — Many, orange-yellow. Pistils. — Many, forming a green, cone-shaped centre. Fruit. — Composed of an enlarged receptacle, or top of the flower-stem, which becomes pulpy and scarlet, bear- ing the minute dry akenes scattered over its surface. " Doubtless God could have made a better berry than the straw- berry, but doubtless God never did." — Izaak Walton. "My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn I saw good straw- berries in your garden there." — "Henry V," Shakespeare. iig ROSE FAMILY In earliest Anglo-Saxon this plant was called streow- berie, and later straberry from the peculiarity of its straying runners, lying as if strewn on the ground; possibly that is the origin of the English name. Wild Strawberry. Fragdria Virginidna Among the blossoms of our open fields one of the prettiest is that of the Wild Strawberry; Httle white roses set among shining green leaves close to the ground. Each little blossom has five rounded white petals, many orange-yellow stamens, and a green heart. The Wild Strawberry blossoms are usually perfect, that is, 1 20 POTENTILLA have both stamens and pistils, but the blossoms of the cultivated Strawberry frequently have pistils and stamens in different flowers. To a botanist the fruit of the Strawberry is not a berry, that definition being limited to fruits having a juicy pulp and containing many seeds, like the currant or the grape. The body of the Strawberry is the en- larged top of the flower-stem, and this bears the seeds of the plant in shallow pits on its surface. These seeds are so small that we do not notice them when eating the fruit, but each one is a tiny nut, almond-shaped and containing within its shell the seed which will produce future plants. r. *«kt«k «•<• k»^tr«ctt»%> The northern Wild Strawberry, Fragdria AmeHeanay frequently appears at the edge of woods and in rocky places. This is the more delicate species, the leaves thinner and lighter, and the cluster of flowers rises above the leaves. The fruit is slender and pointed, often wdth a neck, and of most delicious flavor; the seed-like akenes apparently stick to the surface of the the berry, and are not sunk in the pits. Frequent in northern Ohio, but not abundant. ^^ POTENTILLA. FIVE-FINGERS Potentilla Canadensis Potentilla, from potens, powerful, because some mem- bers of the species have medicinal value. Perennial. Roadsides and fields, growing in mats and patches; common and variable; produces summer runners. Nova Scotia, New England, south to Georgia, west to Minnesota and Indian Territory. Abundant in northern Ohio. April-September. 121 ROSE FAMILY Roots. — Fibrous, sending out summer runners that root at the tip. Stem. — Slender, with silky hairs, at first decumbent or prostrate, afterward frequently erect. Leaves. — Petioled, compound, really three-parted, but apparently five-parted because the lateral leaflets are cleft; leaflets serrate, pointed. Flowers. — Yellow, solitary, on slender stems, borne in the axils of the leaves. Calyx. — Deeply five-cleft with bracts between the teeth, thus ap- pearing ten-cleft. Corolla. — Of five broad, rounded petals, notched at the apex and showing the hairy green calyx. Stamens. — Many; filaments slender; anthers small. Pistils. — Many, forming a dense little bunch of green in the centre of the flower. Fruit. — A head of akenes. Potentilla. Potentilla Canadensis In fields and on roadsides in April and May one finds beds of Potentilla which are dotted over with bright, uplooking yellow flowers — "luikin oot o' their leaves like wee sons of the sun." The flo\vers suggest yellow Wild Strawberry blossoms; the two ap- pear about the same time, and frequently the beds are side by side, sometimes intermixed. Structurally, there is not much difference between a Potentilla and a Strawberry blossom, but practically there is a great 122 POTENTILLA deal, for one produces a strawberry and the other does not. Later in the summer there are fewer blossoms, but the inquiring tips of the little runners are very much in evidence. The name Five-Fingers was suggested by the shape of the leaf, which has five leaflets standing out like the fingers of a hand. These leaves are among the last to disappear in the woodlands under the blan- kets of November. 123 PAPILIONACEi^— PEA FAMILY WHITE CLOVER Trifolium ripens Trijolium, three-leaved. Low, creeping perennial. Fields, roadsides, lawns, everywhere. America, Europe, Asia. April-November. Stem. — Creeping and spreading by runners, rooting at the nodes or joints. Leaves. — On long petioles, compound, of three leaflets; occasionally a leaf is found bearing four or more. A four- leaf clover is always accepted as a token of good luck. Leaflets rounded oval, obovate or obcordate; margins obscurely toothed, and surfaces usually marked with a grayish green triangular band, the angle of which points to the apex. Flowers. — In heads, cream-white, frequently pinkish. Calyx. — Small, five-parted, pale green. Corolla. — Five papilionaceous petals united into a tube; as they fade they become brown, turn downward, sepa- rating the head into two parts, the active and the faded, until finally all are reflexed and the seeds ripen. Stamens. — Ten, diadelphous, that is, in two brother- hoods; one with nine filaments united, one with filament separate from the others. Pistil. — One. Fruit. — A four-seeded pod. PolHnated by honey-bees. Nectar-bearing. 124 WHITE CLOVER The White Clover is the low Clover that creeps over the lawns, that comes up in the flower-beds, that makes close, thick patches by the roadsides, and in climates too warm for grass is often used as a dooryard cover. It was long believed to be an immigrant from Europe but is now considered one of the few species whose habitat is world- wide, a native of Europe, Asia, and America. The plant is a low, creeping perennial that makes its way by runners that root along the sur- face of the ground. This root- ing stem sends up leaves upon long petioles, and also slender flower-stems, each of which bears one flower-head of white florets. These florets are fragrant, full of nectar which can be reached by the honey-bee, and White Clover honey is one of the choic- est brands in the market. The heads are never pretty because the lower florets open first and are successively reflexed, so that during the flowering period the heads appear horizontally divided between the withering and the opening florets. The leaf of the White Clover may well challenge attention because of the interesting and independent way that the leaflets behave when night comes on. To observe this sleep movement select any White Clover leaf having an upright petiole and with the three leaflets expanded horizontally. As the evening comes 125 White Clover Leaves at Night. Trifdlium ripens PEA FAMILY on the two side leaflets will be seen to twist and ap- proach each other until their upper surfaces come into contact. At the same time they bend downward. The terminal leaflet merely rises up without any twist- ing and bends over until it rests on and forms a roof over the edges of the two united lateral leaflets. When this movement is complete the terminal leaflet stands at night horizontally with its lower surface fully ex- posed. Leaves vary somewhat, but this is the typical arrangement. Charles Darwin, writing upon this subject, says: ''The fact that the leaves of many plants place them- selves at night in widely different positions from what they hold during the day, but with the one point in common that their upper surfaces avoid facing the zenith, often with the additional fact that they come into close contact with opposite leaves or leaflets, clearly indicates, as it seems to me, that the object gained is the protection of the upper surfaces from being chilled at night by radiation. There is nothing improbable in the upper surface needing protection more than the lower, as they differ in structure." The flowers of all the Clovers are papilionaceous, but, crowded as they are in heads, the petals have grown together and become tubular. The generic name Trifolium alludes to the three- parted compound leaf which is characteristic of the genus. The name Clover is thought to have been de- rived from the Latin clava, meaning club in connec- tion with the mythical three-headed club of Hercules which the Clover leaf is supposed to resemble. The clubs on playing-cards are believed to have originated from the Clover leaf. Among the common names of 126 RED CLOVER this plant in England are Sheep's Gowan, Honey- stalks, and Shamrock. Belief in the magical and mystical power of certain leaves and plants is very wide-spread and appears in proverbs and jingles, of which the following is an ex- ample: " Find even Ash or four-leaved Clover You will see your true love Before the day is over." Trljdlium pretense Short-lived perennial. Introduced from Europe. Ev- erywhere. The State flower of Vermont. April-November. Stem. — Coarse, leafy, branching, more or less hairy, six inches to two feet high, growing in tufts. Leaves. — Compound, of three leaflets; leaflets oval or obovate, often notched at the apex and narrowed at the base, where they unite at the same point ; margins en- tire, and surface marked with whitish triangular spots; the joints are sheathed with a pair of bristly, pointed stipules. Flowers. — In heads, rose-purple, fading with age. Calyx. — Persistent, five-cleft, the teeth like bristles. Corolla. — Papilionaceous, elongated, tubular, the petals having grown together. Stamens. — Ten; nine with filaments united, one more or or less separate. Pistil. — One, producing a small pod. Pollinated by bumblebees. Nectar-bearing. "I wonder what the Clover thinks? Intimate friend of Bobolinks, Lover of Daisies slim and white, Waltzer with Buttercups at night; 127 PEA FAMILY "Comrade of winds, beloved of sun, Kissed by the dewdrops one by one; Prophet of Good-luck mystery By sign of four which few may see; Symbol of nature's magic zone, One out of three and three in one. "Sweet by the roadsides, sweet by rills, Sweet in the meadows, sweet on hills, Sweet in its white, sweet in its red — Oh, half its sweet cannot be said; Sweet in its every living breath, Sweetest, perhaps, at last in death. "Oh, who knows what the Clover thinks? No one ! Unless the BoboUnks !" — Helen Hunt. The Red Clover is the common Clover that every one knows, grown everywhere throughout the north for hay and pasturage. It is so common that we are hkely to disregard its beauty, but a bouquet of Clover blossoms is one of the most beautiful of the wild. The plant was long believed to be a biennial, but is now known to be a short-lived perennial. At what time it came into general cultivation in this country is not definitely known, but records show that there were fields of it prior to the American Revolution. The blossom is fragrant and the corolla tubes full of nectar, but only the bumblebee has a proboscis long enough to reach this. The honey-bees have grown wise enough to bite through the corolla to reach the nectar, but they do not in this way pollinate the flower. The bumblebee, going from Clover head to Clover head, gets her velvety body sprinkled thickly 128 RED CLOVER with golden dust. In reaching the nectar, which Hes down deep in the long purple tubes, she crawls all over the blossom head and some of the pollen which has clung to her breast and legs is sure to be left upon the stigmas. She has also brushed against the anthers and taken a fresh supply of pollen with which she may- fly to another Clover head. Deprived of her visits, the Red Clover would not set a single seed, for the blossom tubes are too deep for the little honey-bee. The history of Australia's experience with Red Clover is both interesting and illu- minating: Clover seed was sent to Australia; it did well there but failed absolutely to produce seed. This con- tinued until some one sug- gested it might be well to import a number of bumble- bees, which was done, and the blossoms, then being fertilized, produced seed. This is one of the most direct proofs of the depen- dence of plants upon insects and the interrelations of the two. Our cultivated fields give no more beautiful sight than the Red Clover in bloom, and those who as chil- dren sucked the nectar stored in the slender, tubular florets can sympathize with James Whitcomb Riley when he asks: Leaf of Red Clover. pratense TrifoUum 129 PEA FAMILY "What is the lily, and all of the rest Of the flowers to a man with a heart in his breast, That was dipped brimmin' full of the honey and dew, Of the sweet clover blossoms his babyhood knew?" As a crop to plough under Red Clover is valuable at the north because of its deep root system and its power of fixing the nitrogen of the air through the bacteria in the nodules borne by the roots. ALSIKE CLOVER Trifolium hybridum Perennial. Becoming common. Fields and roadsides. Stems. — Erect or ascending, not rooting at the nodes. Leaves. — Long-petioled, compound, of three leaflets; leaflets short-stalked, obovate, narrowed at the base, slightly serrate. Flowers. — In heads, pink and white, reflexed with age. Calyx. — Persistent, five-cleft. Corolla. — Papilionaceous, tubular, the petals having grown together. Stamens. — Ten; nine with filaments united, one more or less separate. Pistil. — One, producing a two to four-seeded pod. Pollinated by bees. Nectar-bearing. The Alsike Clover is comparatively a recent arrival; its origin is shown by its name; it is a hybrid; Alsike is the name of a parish in Sweden, and the clover is often called Swedish Clover. Its stem system is a delicate form of that of the Red Clover; its flower- heads resemble those of the White Clover. The plant was introduced as a field crop and in moist, cool soils is 130 CAROLINA VETCH valuable as such, but evidently the newcomer has found America congenial and it has moved to the by-ways and the highways, adorns the curb in our northern cities, clings to the borders of fields, and is altogether lovely and delightful. The leaves are the typi- cal Clover leaf with long stalks, and the leaflets are obovate and unmarked. The heads are loose little balls, the florets rose-colored or rose and white, sweet- scented and rich in honey. The florets wither, become brown, and turn downward after fertilization in the same way as those of the White Clover. A little later come the Hop-Clovers — low, s t r a g - gling creatures with small heads of yellow florets; also the Rabbit's-Foot with soft and silky grayish heads, and the Buffalo Clover, red and white. Alsike Clover. Trifolium hyhridum CAROLINA VETCH Vicia Carolinidna A climbing perennial. River banks and cliffs. Ontario and New York, west to Minnesota and Kansas, south to Georgia. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. 131 PEA FAMILY Stem. — Two to three feet long, smooth, four-square. Leaves. — Alternate, short-petioled, three to four inches long, pinnately compound, terminating in a long undivided tendril; leaflets ten to twenty, alternate, linear, oval, Carolina Vetch. Vicia Carolinidna oblong and elliptical, obtuse or emarginate, sometimes acute and mucronate, five-eighths to three-fourths of an inch long. Stipules. — Linear or oblong, entire, a fourth of an inch in length. Floivers. — Papilionaceous, white, keel tipped with blue, half an inch long, borne in eight to twenty-flowered ra- cemes, which appear in the axils of the leaves. 132 CAROLINA VETCH Calyx. — Five-toothed; teeth very short. Corolla. — Irregular whitish wings adhering to the mid- dle of the keel; keel tipped with blue. Stamens. — Diadelphous, nine and one. Pistil. — Ovary long, slender; style threadlike. Fruit. — A many-seeded pod. Carolina Vetch is a plant that climbs up the river banks and upon the sides of cliffs by means of a long tendril with which every leaf is supplied. This tendril is from two to four inches long, so flexible that a breath of wind will sway it about, with a tip armed with a tiny hook, so that it can lay hold of any irregularity and afterward curl around and make the attachment permanent. 133 GERANIACEi^— GERANIUM FAMILY / ^ WILD GERANIUM. SPOTTED CRANE'S-BILL. ALUM-ROOT Geranium maculdtum Gerdninm, a crane, from the long beak of the fruiting capsule. Perennial. Open woods and fields. Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Georgia, Alabama, and Kansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. April- July. Root. — Somewhat woody, with astringent juices, used medicinally. Stem. — Erect, hairy, usually forking above, one to two feet high. Leaves. — Basal leaves with long petioles, about five- parted, the wedge-shaped divisions lobed and variously toothed and cleft; stem-leaves two, similar to the basal ones, both hairy, and more or less mottled with paler green. Flowers. — Pale rose-purple, rather large, an inch or more across. Calyx. — Sepals five, ovate-lanceolate, somewhat hairy. Corolla. — Petals five, rose-purple, distinctly veined, obovate, with a small dense tuft of hairs on the inside of the claw. Stamens. — Ten stamens in two sets, which mature at different times, all inserted with the petals. Pistil. — Ovary five-lobed, five-celled, placed around the base of an elongated axis; five styles cohering with the axis, free at the summit. 134 WILD GERANIUM Fruit. — Five carpels, dry, slender, long-tailed by the persistent style divisions and separating from the axis by the curling back of the style from the base, which ejects the seeds some distance from the plant. Pollinated by bees and butterflies. Nectar-bearing. Stamens mature before the stigmas. "Wildwood Geraniums ; All in their best, * Languidly leaning In purple gauze dressed." — Clara Smith. The Wild Geranium is really a sturdy plant, but the wide-spread, five-petalled blossom is delicate both in texture and appearance. The petals open an exquisite rose-purple; the ten stamens reclining upon their breast await the summons of life; in the centre the style stands as a thick column. As soon as the corolla is fully opened five stamens raise themselves around the style, and one after another the anthers open and pour out their pollen. After these the other five arise, pour out their pollen, and then, the anthers' service being ended, they wither and pass away. The insect visitors of this period eat nectar and carry away pollen. In the meantime the petals continue their honey call to the bees and the pistil awakens. The central column opens its five arms and the stigmas stand out like rays, ready to brush off and retain upon their sticky surface any pollen a nectar-seeking bee may have gathered upon her hairy coat. The life of the flower is usually two or three days; the first day the insects get pollen, which they carry to older blossoms; 135 GERANIUM FAMILY the second day, seeking nectar, they bring to the re- ceptive stigmas the pollen they have brushed from a younger flower. If the weather is warm and sunny this process may be accomplished in less than two days; if the weather is cold and the day gloomy the life of the blossom is prolonged. It is clear that the blossom has passed beyond the power of self-fertilization and awaits the insect guests as long as it can. The mechanism by which the slender capsule dis- tributes its seeds is most interesting. It is this cap- sule that gives the common name to the plant, since it bears a superficial resemblance to a crane's head with its long bill. This resemblance w^as seen by Dioscorides nearly two thousand years ago, and it is to him we are indebted for the suggestion. This capsule belongs to the class we call explosive fruits, those that throw their seeds some distance from the parent plant. It is worth while to notice how this is done by our wild- wood Geranium. A central axis growls up from the stalk through the styles, the capsule made up of five parts grows out with it. When the seeds are ripe and all is ready, suddenly the parts of the capsule give way at the base and coil outward with force, ejecting their seeds. All Wild Geraniums scatter their seeds in this way. If one wishes to see this process go on at leisure, gather a stem with ripe fruit early in the morning, place it in a vase in the sun. It will soon become dry, and eventually the fruit will snap and crack, and as the carpels curl up the seeds will fly out. Wild Geranium. Germiium maculdtmn False Solomon's-Seal. Vdgnera racemdsa Smooth Solomon's-Seal, Polygondtum commutdtum, very similar to Polygondtum bijlonnn but bloomin<2; later OXALIDACEi^—WOOD-SORREL FAMILY YELLOW WOOD-SORREL Oxalis stricta. ■ Oxalis cornicnldta, n>ar. slvicta- b^j ditc, ^^\iictr Cofnif. , but corr»^c_ rnorc eopr^mptx Name from oxus, sour, in allusion to the taste of the foliage. Annual or perennial by subterranean shoots. Natu- ralized from Europe. Roadsides, fence corners, and waste places. Everywhere. May-October. Root. — Fibrous, sending out underground stolons which run to a considerable distance and throw up new plants. Stem. — Pale green, at first erect, leafy, branching, finally spreading or prostrate, six to twelve inches high. Leaves. — Compound, of three heart-shaped leaflets meet- ing at the point. Flowers. — Bright yellow, in a three to five-flowered, loose cluster at the head of the stalk, open only in sun- light, pif-r yt)lcw »h 0- ttf/cti Calyx. — Sepals five, lanceolate, persistent. Corolla. — Petals five, bright yellow, commonly reddish at the base, spreading, longer than the sepals. Stamens. — Ten; filaments broad, somewhat united at the base. Pistil. — Ovary five-celled; styles five. Fruit. — Capsule, five-celled, slender; seeds many. This is one of our most persistent bloomers. It begins in May and never stops until late September; 137 WOOD-SORREL FAMILY often continues well into October. The plant is every- where, always coming up in flower-beds. The branch- ing stem frequently gets more than a foot high, is leafy, and the foliage a pleasant acid to the taste. Yellow Wood-Sorrel. Oxalis strlda The leaf is compounded of three broad, heart-shaped leaflets with their points united at the tip of the slender leaf-stem. These droop and fold together at night or when it rains. The bright golden flowers rise with the sun and set with it. They are happy only in sun- shine. The plant is variable. 138 POL YGALACE^— MILKWORT FAMILY FRINGED POLYGALA. FLOWERING WINTERGREEN Pol^gala paucifdlia An old name composed of polus, much, and gala, milk, from a fancied property of its increasing this secretion. Perennial. A delicate plant with very handsome rose- colored flowers, found in open woods, fields, and meadows of light sandy soils. Maine to Minnesota and south along the AUeghanies. Appears in northern Ohio. May- September. Rootstock. — Slender, tortuous. Stems. — Three to six inches high; upper part leafy, lower part bearing small ovate, leafy scales; these stems rise from prostrate or subterranean shoots which bear concealed fertile flowers. Leaves. — Four to five upon a stem, petioled, alternate, ovate, entire, about an inch long and half an inch wide. Flowers. — Showy, rose-purple, irregular, one to three upon each stem. The plant also produces cleistogamous flowers. Calyx. — Of five irregular sepals, three exterior and smaller, the two inner ones larger, colored like petals and called wings. Corolla. — Of three petals, the middle one keel-shaped and fringe-crested, the two side ones oblong, concave, and united to the keel the greater part of their length. Stamens. — Six; filaments more or less united into a tube; anthers two-lipped, opening by a terminal pore. 139 MILKWORT FAMILY Pistil. — Ovary two-celled; style long and somewhat curved. Fruit. — A small, flat, two-seeded pod; the seeds are ap- pendaged with two or three awl-shaped lobes. Pollinated by bees and bee-like flies. Nectar-bearing. The Polygala blos- som is beautiful in form and color, but very puzzling in struc- ture. This is due to the fact that the five sepals are neither sym- metrical in shape nor alike in color. Three are greenish and of sepal-like character, two drop their sepal look, become larger than the others and rose-colored — in short, group themselves with the petals and appar- ently become corolla. The three petals also are unsymmetrical — more or less grown together, and the middle one develops a keel and a crest %vhich is beautifully fringed. In color the flower is rose or rarely pure white. Probably there is no flow^ering plant, ^Yhatever color its corolla may normally be, that does not at some time develop an albino. Professor William W. Bailey reports this as one of the abundant May blossoms of New England, found in 140 Fringed Polygala. Polygala paucifdlia FRINGED POLYGALA low thickets and borders of woods, John Burroughs also writes: "I must not forget to mention that deli- cate and lovely flower of May, the Fringed Polygala. It is rather a shy flower, and is not found in every wood. One day we went up and down through the woods looking for it — woods of mingled oak, chest- nut, pine, and hemlock — and were about giving it up w^hen suddenly we came upon a gay company of them beside an old wood road. It was as if a flock of small rose-purple butterflies had ahghted there on the ground before us. The whole plant has a singularly fresh and tender aspect. Its foliage is of a slightly purple tinge and of very delicate texture. Not the least interesting feature about the plant is the concealed fertile flower which it bears on a subterranean stem." Frances M. Abbott, writing of Concord, Massa- chusetts, says: "The flower of this month that seems particularly characteristic is the Fringed Polygala, that glows among the Star-Flowers, Bunchberries, and Claytonias, which carpet nearly all our woods." The common names given to the plant, Gay-Wings, May- Wings, Bird-on-the-Wing, are each and every one a caress as well as recognition of the airy-winged sug- gestion of the blossom. The size, form, and purplish tinge of the leaves resemble young Wintergreen leaves, and for this reason the plant is called Flowering Winter- green. 141 EUPHORBIACE^— SPURGE FAMILY CYPRESS-SPURGE Euphorbia cyparissias Euphorbia, an ancient name, in honor of Euphorbus, King Juba's physician. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe and escaped from gardens and old graveyards; grows in patches. Throughout northeastern United States and west to Kansas. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Horizontal, creeping. Stems. — Clustered in large patches, five to twelve inches high, somewhat branching, topped by many-rayed umbels of greenish-yellow flowers, very leafy, milky. Leaves. — Many and crowded, pale green, linear; margins strengthened; half to three-fourths of an inch long, ir- regularly alternate upon the stem. Flower cluster. — Umbel, greenish yellow, flat-dome- shaped. Flowers. — Insignificant; the involucre of two bracts more conspicuous than the group of pistillate and stam- inate florets within. Fruit. — Capsule, globose; seeds oblong. Pollinated by bees and butterflies. The Cypress- Spurge usually marks the site of an old garden or has crossed the enclosure of a country churchyard. It is easily recognized as a patch of yel- 142 CYPRESS- SPURGE lowish green, consisting of many upright stems, very leafy, with short narrow leaves, and in May topped by small, roundish clusters of greenish-yellow blossoms. Cypress-Spurge. Euphorbia cyparissias The structure of these blossoms, like all the Euphorbias, is difficult to explain and quite as difficult to under- stand, but the cluster itself is ornamental, and that is not difficult to understand. The plant is equipped to be a weed, but does not seem to have gone very far in that direction. 143 VIOLACE^— VIOLET FAMILY VIOLET Viola "Violets dim, But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes Or Cytherea's breath." — "The Winter's Tale," Shakespeare. The Violets compose a floral family whose members vary but slightly from the type. The stems may be long or short, the colors may vary along the chord of violet-blue or orange-yellow, or the flowers may be white. The spurs may be long or short, but, after all, a Violet is a Violet and everybody knows the flower. The Violet family of plants includes many species; the finding lists of our northern range record no less than forty-three. Of our native species, some live in woods, others in meadows, still others in moist, marshy ground. They divide naturally into two clearly de- fined groups: those having stems and those without stems. In the stemless group the flowers are borne on a peduncle that apparently comes directly from the root as the leaves do. In the others the flower-stalk or peduncle is borne on the plant-stem. The corolla is irregular. There are five petals: one pair above, another pair are side petals; the lower petal is broad and gives the visiting bees and butter- flies a place to rest when they are seeking nectar. 144 VIOLET This lower petal is prolonged backward into a spur, which holds the nectar. All the Violets are nectar- bearers; all have lines more or less distinct that point to the hidden treasure. Most of them protect this nectar against crawling insects, especially ants, by tufts of hairs at the throat of the flower directly on the road to the honey. The Violet has a calyx of five sepals, whose shape and length are one means of determining species. There are five stamens closely surrounding the ovary in the centre of the flower, often slightly grown to- gether, the two lower bearing spurs which project into the spur of the corolla and act as honey-glands. The pistil is a one-celled ovary with a club-shaped style and the simple stigma turned to one side. The seed-pod divides lengthwise into three parts wdth a double row of seeds in each. As the pod walls dry they contract and the seeds are pinched out one by one, sometimes sent some feet away. The Violet does what it can to give its young ones a chance. Species of Violets are distinguished first as stemmed or stemless, bearded or beardless; then by the char- acter of the spur, and finally by color of flower and shape of leaf. Besides the normal blossoms which call the bee and depend upon cross-fertilization, most of the Violets have the ability to help themselves in a very unusual way, quite independent of the visits of insects. They are able to produce and do produce small hidden blossoms capable of self-fertilization, which technically are known as cleistogamous, that is, fertiUzed in the bud. These blossoms appear very near the ground, look like blasted buds, and are without a corolla. They 145 VIOLET FAMILY consist of a calyx, very active and vital stamens, and a pistil. They are exceedingly fertile and produce seeds during the stunmer, long after the normal flowers have passed. The Violet is a classical plant and is mentioned by Homer and Virgil. It was dear to the Athenians, who deemed themselves most complimented when called violet-crowned. Ion was its Greek name, and Shake- speare, referring to Ophelia, alludes to the old tradition which said that this flower was raised from the body of lo by the agency of Diana: "Lay her i' the earth — And from her fair and unpolluted flesh May violets spring." Homer writes of Violets upon the rushy banks of Medes: "Everywhere appeared meadows of softest verdure, purpled o'er with Violets. It was a scene to fill a god from heaven with wonder and delight." Professor Meehan assures us that there is some ground for supposing that the old Latin name for this flower, Viola, which Linnaeus adopted, is from the same root as via, a path or road, and refers to the fact that this flower was so often the traveller's companion be- side the path as he made his way through field or forest. / ^ COMMON BLUE VIOLET "Viola cucuUdta. Viola palmdta, var. cuculldta Perennial, stemless flowers, violet-blue. Low grounds. Common throughout the north. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. 146 COMMON BLUE VIOLET Rootstock. — Short and thick. Leaves. — Smooth, deep green, roundish, heart-shaped, crcnate; the sides rolled inward when young. When full grown the petioles are three to seven inches high. Flowers. — Deep or pale violet-blue, sometimes striped blue and white; besides the conspicuous flowers produced in the spring are others, produced later, which never open and are without petals. Calyx. — Five sepals, extending into ears at the base. Corolla. — Five unequal petals, the lower one spurred at the base, the lateral ones bearded. Stamens. — Five, the two lower bearing spurs which project into the spur of the corolla; filaments short and broad, often grown together. Pistil. — One; style club-shaped; stigma bent. Pollinated by bumblebees or self-ferti- lized. This is the commonest Violet of all, best known and best loved, which some- times covers hollows and hillocks in such clouds that: A Warrior Blossom of Blue Violet. Viola cuculldta "One might guess A storm of blossoms had fallen there And covered the ground with a sweet excess." Whoever, when a child, tumbled about in Violet fields, has fought many a battle royal with blue Violets. The blossoms having sturdy stems, with a curve just sufficient to grapple each other, make valiant warriors, and sometimes a hero would arise who could over- throw an entire phalanx of lesser blossoms. 147 VIOLET FAMILY The leaves are not yet mature and are more or less rolled inward at each side when the first blossoms appear. These are usually a deep violet-blue marked with hair-Hnes, but sometimes are pale blue, sometimes blue and white striped. The arrangement of stamens and pistil implies the coming of the bee, and when she does not come the flowers mature no seeds. Possibly more than one observer has noted that no matter how abundant may be the blue blossom.s — they m.ay fairly carpet the earth — there is no corresponding production of seed. There usually is some, but not at all what one would expect. However, though neglected by its friend, the Blue Violet is not without resources. Many species are able to do the same thing, but the Blue Violet does it more abundantly. It produces close to the ground on short stems, often hidden under the leaves, the merest apologies for flowers — no petals, no nectar, half closed. They look like flowers that have aborted or like blasted buds, but within each are stam.ens and ovules. The home pollen fertilizes the pistil and soon the wretched little flower is changed into a plump, healthy capsule full of seeds. These curious blossoms are produced throughout the entire summer. BIRD'S-FOOT VIOLET Viola pcddta Perennial, stemless, flowers lilac and blue. Sandy or gravelly soil, dry fields and hillsides. Maine to Min- nesota, south to Florida and Missouri. Rare in northern Ohio. April, May. 148 ARROW-LEAVED VIOLET Rootstock. — Short, vertical. Leaves. — Numerous, nearly orbicular in outline but separated into three or live divisions, and the side divi- sions often two to three-parted; divisions linear or narrowly spatulate, sometimes toothed or cut at the apex. Flowers. — Large, an inch wide, pale or deep lilac, purple, or blue, rarely white. Var. bi- color, the two upper petals deep violet, the others paler. Occurs sparingly at the north, most common southward. An exceedingly beautiful Violet, occurring sparingly throughout our northern range but common south- ward; in early spring it ap- pears abundantly in the markets of Washington and Baltimore. The variety hl- color is strikingly handsome with the two upper petals deep violet and velvety in texture, the other petals paler blue. This is the southern form. Bird's-Foot Violet. Vidla pedata ARROW-LEAVED VIOLET Vidla sagittdta Perennial, stemless, flowers dark violet-blue, rarely white. Wet meadows and marshes. Maine to Michigan, south to Georgia and Texas. Found in northern Ohio, but not frequent. April, May. 149 VIOLET FAMILY Rootstock. — Stout and fleshy. Leaves. — Varying from oblong heart-shaped to halberd-shaped, arrow-shaped, oblong, lanceolate or ovate, toothed more or less; petioles varying from short and margined to long and naked. Flowers. — Deep violet-blue with darker lines, rather large; lateral petals bearded; spur short and thick. The Arrow-Leaved Violet may be recognized by its leaves, of which it has a variable collec- tion, but they are so alike in their unlikeness that this is a personal characteristic ; they are rarely like arrow-heads, oftener like the bowd of a teaspoon with the handle broadened at the bowd. In addition to the deep violet-blue blossoms the plant also produces cleis- togamous flowers. Arrow-Leaved Violet sagittata Vidla ROUND-LEAVED VIOLET Vidla rotundifdlia Perennial, stemless, flowers yellow. Deep, cold woods. Labrador, Ontario, and Minnesota, south to North Caro- lina. Rare in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Long and slender. Leaves. — Round, ovate heart-shaped, slightly crenate, small at flowering time, afterward becoming four or five inches wide. ISO SWEET WHITE VIOLET Flowers. — Yellow; lateral petals bearded and marked with dark lines; sepals linear-oblong, obtuse; spur very short; summer stolons bear cleistogamous flowers. The Round-Leaved Violet is something of a recluse, dwelling in the heart of cold, deep woods, not abundant an}rvvhere, yet not infrequent. When in bloom the heart-shaped leaves, about an inch broad, are not es- pecially in evidence, but later in the summer the leaf becomes three or four inches wide and, lying flat on the ground, presents a shining surface that is very noticeable. The plant sends out many stolons in late summer which bear cleistogamous flowers. / ^'' SWEET WHITE VIOLET Vidlahldnda V V. l^dDens')^ Perennial, stemless, flowers white. Swamps and moist lands. Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to North Carolina. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Rootstock. — Very slender, sending out stolons somewhat sparingly. Leaves. — Small, light green, orbicular to kidney-shaped, heart-shaped with shallow sinus, obtuse apex, crenate. Flowers. — White, small, slightly fragrant; sepals lan- ceolate, acute; cleistogamous flowers few. This is the smallest of the Violets and also one of the earhest to bloom, a tiny creature of the spring nestling in a mossy or grassy bank. In the type the small white petals are broad and rounded, but VIOLET FAMILY the type varies into varieties; one with upper petals long, narrow, and somewhat recurved, often bearded and less distinctly veined; another with broader leaves, loving woods and thickets, the white blossoms beard- less and veined. All are white, all stemless, and all most attractive and beautiful. The Primrose-Leaved Violet, Viola primulcE- folia, also a stemless species with the same range as Viola lance- oldta, bears similar white flowers w4th veined petals from April to June. The leaves are oval or ovate, oblong, and at base somewhat decurrent upon the petiole. Sweet White Violet in Variety. bldnda Vidla LANCE-LEAVED VIOLET Vidla lanceoldta Perennial, stemless, flowers white. Damp soil along streams. Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. Rare in northern Ohio. April- June. Rootstock. — Long and slender, sending out stolons which root freely at the nodes. Leaves. — Lanceolate or linear-lanceolate; the leaf- blade two to six inches long, running down upon the petiole, erect, blunt at apex, almost entire at margin. 152 HALBERD-LEAVED VIOLET Flowers. — White, beardless; the lower petals marked with purple lines; spur short. This Violet is readily recognized by means of its long, narrow leaves, which gradually taper into a long, slender petiole. The white-petaled flowers are beardless, have a short spur, and the lower petals are marked with purple lines. In summer the plant sends out many stolons that take root at short intervals and bear cleistogamous flowers. It is an eastern rather than a western form. HALBERD-LEAVED VIOLET Viola hastdta Perennial, having stems, flowers yellow. Open woods. Penn- sylvania and Ohio to Georgia and Alabama. Frequent in northern Ohio. Aprfl, May. Stem . — Rather smooth, slender, four Halberd-Leaved Violet. Viola hastita to ten mcnes high. Leaves. — Halberd-shaped or oblong, heart-shaped, slightly serrate, acute, often mottled. Flowers. — Yellow, marked with dark lines; lateral petals bearded; sepals linear, lanceolate, acute; spur short; stipules ovate, small. 153 VIOLET FAMILY The woods of northern Ohio are given in the books as the first recorded habitat of this Violet. It is a true woodland species and is often found crowded in be- tween the anchoring divisions of tree trunks or the exposed roots of forest trees. Its leaves are especially- beautiful, a deep rich green, of thicker texture than those of other Violets, and often mottled. The flower is deep yellow with dark lines. DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET Viola pubescens Perennial, having stems, and yellow flowers. In open woods. Maine to Minnesota and Ne- braska, south to Georgia and Texas. Frequent in northern Ohio. March, April. Stem. — Simple, erect, downy. Leaves. — Basal leaves ovate- Vidia reniform, long-petioled, early withering; stem-leaves borne near the summit, short-petioled, ovate or reniform, crenate-dentate, and softly hairy to the touch. Flowers. —Bright yellow, veined with dull purple; the lower petal conspicuously veined; the lateral petals bearded; spur short; capsule oblong. Pollinated by bees, flies, and butterflies. Nectar- bearing. 154 Downy Yellow Violet. pubescens DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET "When beechen buds begin to swell And woods the bluebirds' warble know, The yellow violet's modest bell Peeps from the last year's leaves below." — Bryant. In northern Ohio the chances are that the Downy Yellow is the first of the Violet family to make an ap- pearance. A few stray Blue ones are likely to come about the same time, but usually a few days later. The ex- act order of precedence among wild flowers can never be definitely set- tled, as they vary in time of flowering some- times a week or more, weather that hastens one seeming to retard another; but ordinarily the Downy Yellow is our first Violet and appears abundantly by the middle of April; also blooms in May. In size and shape the blossom is not unlike the Common Blue. It appears solitary on a stalk spring- ing from the fork of two leaf-stalks. The anthers and style fairly fill the throat of the flower, and the side petals, heavily bearded, compel the visiting insect to brush against both stigma and anthers when seeking the nectar stored in the spur. At first the plant is about four inches high; later in the season it becomes considerably taller. 155 Smooth Yellow Violet. Vidla scahrHscula VIOLET FAMILY The Smooth Yellow Violet, yiola scabruscula, with smooth, clustered stems and leaves varying from cordate-ovate to reniform, has yellow flowers about the same size as those of Vidla pubescens. In some localities it blooms a httle earlier. The petals are veined with purple. The spur is short and the sepals linear-lanceo- late. It prefers moist woods to dry, and its range extends from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Texas. Common in northern Ohio. CANADA VIOLET Viola Canadensis Perennial, having stems, flowers white tinged with purple. Rich woods. Newfoundland to Saskatchewan, south to North CaroHna. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Steins. — Tufted, leafy, six to eighteen inches high. Leaves. — Heart-shaped, pointed, serrate, short-petioled. Flowers. — White with purplish tinge and purple veins; the lateral petals bearded; the long sepals tapering to sharp points; spur short; slightly fragrant. "A violet in her greenwood bower WTiere birchen boughs with hazel mingle, May boast itseK the fairest flower In glen or copse or forest dingle." — Sir Walter Scott. The Canada Violet is in truth a nursling of the forest and loves the woods. Latest of Violets to bloom, at first the blooming stem is from six to tvrelve 156 CREAM VIOLET inches high, but in midsummer indivickials may be found in deep recesses of northern woods which have shouldered their way upward among the bushes of a thicket, resting here and cHng- ing there until they are more than three feet high and still in bloom. The stem is slender, strong, and rather leafy; the flowers have a delicate beauty all their own, pure white, yellow- centred, marked with purple lines above, and violet-washed beneath. Canada Violet. Viola Canadensis CREAM VIOLET. PALE VIOLET. STRIPED VIOLET Viola striata Perennial, having stems, flowers cream-white. Moist woods and fields. New England west to Minnesota, and south to Georgia. Abundant in northern Ohio. April- October. Stem. — Erect or spreading, tufted, smooth, six to ten inches long in late summer. Leaves. — Numerous, heart-shaped or ovate, crenately serrate, acute or acuminate, often sHghtly downy above and on the veins underneath; when young, the sides curled in at the base; stipules large, oblong-lanceolate, fringe-toothed. 157 VIOLET FAMILY Flowers. — Large, cream-colored, rarely white; the lateral petals conspicuously bearded; the lowest one broad and striped with purple; spur thickish, short. Pollinated by bees and butterflies. Nectar-bearing. Cream Violet is not as common as the Blue Violet, but where it grows it blooms almost as profusely. Cream Violet. Viola striata When the flowers first appear, the plant seems stem- less, because the flower-pedicel is so long; but after the stems are apparent and the plant becomes tufted and makes beds, it will, if undisturbed, cover large areas. It also thrives in gardens and makes a beautiful border plant. The bloom begins in April, reaches per- fection in May, and occurs sparingly in October. is8 DOG-VIOLET DOG-VIOLET Viola canina, var. Miihlenhcrgii. Viola canina, var. Labraddrica. Viola Labraddrica ' An early, stemmed species of Blue Violet, growing in moist soil from Labrador to Minnesota, and south to the Carolinas and Ken- tucky. Frequent in north ern Ohio. March-May. Stems. — Tufted, \%jt, smooth, leafy. Leaves . — Slender- petioled, reniform or orbicular, cordate, rounded or acute at apex, hooded at first. Flowers. — Vary in color from violet-blue to light blue and white; petals sHghtly bearded; spur short; stipules ovate-lance- olate, ciliate, entire or serrate. Dog- violet. Vidla Labraddrica This is the commonest Blue Violet of the stemmed species, found in the grass and open woods. The blossom varies; normally it is violet-blue of varying degrees of depth and more or less dark- veined; some- times it fades to white without veins. The lateral petals are bearded and the spur slender on the type, but short and blunt in Vidla canina, var. arendria, a variety which prefers sandy soil. The leaves are 159 VIOLET FAMILY kidney-shaped or broad heart-shaped, crenate at mar- gin, and edged with hairs. The books differ widely in regard to the Dog- Violet; some consider its varied forms as species, others regard them merely as varieties. At any rate, this is one of our early Violets and most welcome. It is often confused with the Common Blue, but may be distinguished by the fact that the flowers grow from short, leafy stems, while the Common Blue flowers are stemless, the peduncles apparently spring- ing from the ground, just as the leaves. The blossom comes a little earlier and is a little smaller. The white form is often abundant locally but cannot be considered common. "^ LONG-SPURRED VIOLET Yiola rostrdta Perennial, having stems, flowers pale violet. Shaded hillsides and rocky woods. Quebec to Michigan, south in the mountains to Georgia. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Stems. — Numerous, erect, three to six inches high. Leaves. — Smooth, cordate-ovate or reniform, acuminate, serrate; petioles slender. Flowers. — Pale violet, darker veined, beardless; sepals linear-lanceolate. Spur long, slender. The Long-Spurred Violet may be easily distinguished by its pale violet color, its striped petals, and its long, slender spur. Although the books give it a rather limited habitat, it may be considered fairly abundant in northern Ohio, although rarely found in beds. i6o Long-Spurred Violet. Viola rostrdta ARALIACE^— GINSENG FAMILY DWARF GINSENG. GROUNDNUT Aralia trifdlia. Panax trifolium Perennial. Rich woods. Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Georgia. Common in northern Ohio. April, May. Root. — Tuberous, deep in the ground, pungent to the taste and not aromatic. Ste7n. — Four to eight inches high, bearing the flower- cluster at the summit. Leaves. — Three, in a whorl upon the flower-stem, com- pound; leaflets three to five. Flowers. — White, in a simple umbel, staminate, pistil- late, or perfect. Calyx-tube. — Coherent with the ovary. Corolla. — Petals five, oblong. Stamens. — Five. Pistil. — One; styles two to five, usually three. Fruit. — Small, yellowish, berry-Hke drupes. The Dwarf Ginseng usually blooms with the Har- binger-of-Spring in the open woods of northern Ohio, and is almost as delicate in appearance as its com- panion. Its small white flowers are clustered in feathery, fluffy balls about the size of a small marble, and each ball stands an inch or two above the whorl i6i . GINSENG FAMILY of compound leaves on the flower-scape. A sweet, nut-like tuber, about half an inch in diameter, lies deep in the earth and is somewhat difficult to obtain; the stem that leads to it is so slender and delicate that it Dwarf Ginseng. Panax trifolium breaks, and the little tuber is lost. This tuber is edible, and there is a tradition that the early settlers of this country used it for food, whence the name Ground- nut. The fruit is a more or less perfect cluster of small, yellowish berries which ripen early, and the plant is soon overwhelmed by the rush of summer foliage. 162 WILD SARSAPARILLA WILD SARSAPARILLA Ardlla nudlcaulis » Perennial. Rich, shady, moist woods. Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Colorado and Idaho. Common in northern Ohio. May-June. Entire plant aromatic. Root. — Long, horizontal, aromatic. Stem. — One short stem to a plant; this bears one leaf- stem and one flower-stem. The flower-stem bears from three to five, usually three, umbels of greenish white flowers; the leaf-stem one large compound leaf. Leaf. — Long-stalked, compounded of three divisions, each of which has five leaflets, oblong-oval or ovate, serrate, pointed. Flowers. — Small, greenish white, borne in three to five umbels at the top of the flower-stem, more or less polyga- mous. Umbels two or more inches across. Calyx. — Tube, coherent with the ovary. Petals. — Five, oblong, strongly reflexed. Stamens. — Five, alternate with the petals, conspicuous. Pistil. — Ovary two to five-celled; styles two to five. Fruit. — Shining, dark-purple berries in clusters. Pollinated by flies and bees. Common in woods and thickets, itself always under shade, it shelters its three spreading umbels of greenish w^hite flowers under the cover of a large, solitary, com- pound leaf. Its long horizontal roots are very grate- ful to many burrowing creatures, for they are not only near the surface, but appetizing as well. One of its country names is Rabbitroot. .163 GINSENG FAMILY In early spring the plant arises as a very short, smooth stem, which bears a tall leaf-stalk and a shorter, naked flower-stalk. The single large leaf, of exquisite bronze tints when first it appears, is compounded of three to five ovate- toothed leaflets on each of its three divisions; later it fades to green. The flower-stalk usually bears at its summit three crowded umbels of small greenish white flowers. The tiny five-parted flowers have their petals curved back- ward over the calyx, throwing the stamens into relief. The flowers are succeeded by clusters of dark-purple berries greatly loved by birds. This is not the true Sarsaparilla of medicine, though often used as a substitute for it; that comes from a different herb, Smllax officinalis^ a native of Mexico and South America. 164 tk=^ Wild Sarsaparilla. Ardlia nudicaillis Dwarf Ginseng. Panax trifdlium UMBELLlFEIL^— CARROT FAMILY DOWNY SWEET CICELY \Osmorrhiza hrevistylis. W asJiingtonia cldytoni IcU^t em Osmorrhiza, from osme, odor, and rhiza, root; the roots have a pleasant odor. Perennial. In moist, rich woodlands. Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Dakota, south to Virginia and Tennessee. Abundant in northern Ohio. April, May. Roots. — Fleshy, aromatic, anise-scented. Ste7n. — Smooth or slightly hairy, one to three feet high; downy when young, later nearly smooth; often stained a dull purplish red. Leaves. — Basal and lower stem-leaves compounded in threes; leaflets ovate or oblong, variously cut and toothed; veins prominent; dull green above, shining beneath. Flowers. — Small, white, borne in compound umbels, which are opposite the leaves; these umbels have about four rays. Involucre of three or four narrow bracts. In- volucels of about five lanceolate bracts. Umbellets three to six-flowered. Calyx. — Minute, grown fast to ovary, without a border. Corolla. — Petals five, oblong, point incurved. Statnens. — Five, inserted with the petals on the disk which crowns the ovary. Pistil. — Of two carpels; styles two. Frtiit. — Dark green or blackish, dry, bristly, slender, narrow below, rounded and cleft at summit. 165 CARROT FAMILY Pollinated by flies and bees. Some flowers are perfect, others staminate. In the perfect flowers the anthers ma- ture before the stigmas. The delicate fern-like leaves of the Sweet Cicely in early spring carpet the forest floor in open sunny woodlands. The thick anise-scented roots are attrac- tive to children and to rabbits, but the roots of so many of the wild UmbellifercB are poisonous and children should be w^arned to eat none y^ of them. The flower- ing umbel is small and inconspicuous, there is no appear- ance of a flat-topped cluster, such as usu- ally distinguishes the family of Umbellif- ercB. The chief beauty of the plant lies in the foliage, which, abundant in April, in May often overshadows other plants and virtually covers the forest floor. The tiny blossom has five white petals and a very short style, w^hich gives the plant its specific name. This character is best noted by means of a lens. The seeds are long and slender, armed with short bristles, which enable them to cling to the passerby and so ride with two legs or four to a home. i66 Downy Sweet Cicely. Osmorrhiza brevisiylis HARBINGER-OF-SPRING HARBINGER-OF-SPRING. PEPPER-AND-SALT Erigenia hulhdsa Erigenia, Greek, born in the spring. A low, smooth, perennial herb, found in open woods and alluvial bottom-lands. Western New York to Minnesota and Kansas, south to Maryland and Tennessee. Com- mon in northern Ohio. March, April. Stem. — Simple, from a deep, round tuber, three to six inches high, bearing at its summit a small compound umbel. Leaves. — One or two, divided into three segments, which are cut and lobed and cut again. Umbels. — Mostly compound, one to four slender rays Vv'hich bear small white flowers with conspicuous dark stamens; involucre usually a single leaf. Calyx. — Adheres to the ovary. Petals. — Five, flat, entire, white. Stamens. — Five, exserted; filaments white; anthers large, deep purple. Fruit. — Nearly orbicular, notched at both ends, glabrous. This exquisite creature, a plant of the Middle West, is fortunate both in its name and that name's sig- nificance— Erigenia, Born in the Spring — for it is one of the earliest to bloom as well as the smallest and most delicate of our early visitors. The reason it can do so well lies in the fact that deep in the ground is a tuber, and from this the stem forces its way upward to sun and light. This little tuber looks not unlike a tiny potato dotted with many eyes, and by the time the flowers 167 CARROT FAMILY appear many slender, fibrous roots have been produced. It is about the size of a hazelnut and is sunken from two to four inches beneath the surface. It sends up a simple stem which bears, usually, two compound leaves that show themselves at or a little above the sur- face as the bloom ap- pears. The plant is one of the UmbellifercB and its bloom is a compound umbel, of three or four small umbels. Each of these consists of four or five florets, each floret wdth five white petals, and less than a quarter of an inch across. The stamens are five, pro- truding; filaments white, and anthers dark purple. The styles are two and white. So white are the petals and so dark the anthers, that the country name, Pepper-and-Salt, is well deserved. In northern Ohio the plant can be hopefully looked for in maple-sugar camps and usually blooms at the time of sugar-making. By the first of May its chosen haunts are covered with a lace-like canopy four inches from the ground, made of the spreading, delicately divided leaves, and among them are the tiny brown fruits of the carrot clan. By June its race is run, its foliage dies, and deep in the ground a bulb awaits in the darkness another spring. i68 Harbinger-of-Spring. Erigenia hulhosa SANICLE SANICLE. BLACK SNAKEROOT Sanlcula Maryldndica Name said to be from sano, to heal. Perennial. Borders of thickets and woodlands. New- foundland to Alberta, south to Georgia and Tennessee, west to Minnesota and Kansas. Common in northern Ohio. May, June. Stems. — Rather stout, one to two feet high, topped by a two to four-rayed umbel. Stem-leaves. — Palmately three to five-lobed or parted, those from the root long-petioled; involucral leaves smaller. Umbels. — Irregular or compound, generally few-rayed. Flowers. — Small, greenish yellow, mostly perfect with a few staminate ones intermixed. Fruit. — Globular, ribless, thickly covered with hooked prickles. Pollinated by many insects. Stigmas mature before the anthers, which are imprisoned beneath the petals until all danger of self-fertilization is over. Some flowers are perfect, others staminate only. Sanicle is difficult to analyze, as all umbel-bearing plants are, but can be easily identified notwithstanding. It grows in rich, moist woodlands, a companion of Sw^eet Cicely, blooms about the middle of May, ripen- ing its fruit in July. The stem is smooth, pale green, slightly grooved, and hollow, like most of the Umbellif- ercB. Basal leaves are mostly five-parted, the two 169 CARROT FAMILY lower divisions deeply cleft so that the leaf seems seven-parted; stem-leaves are usually three-parted. The tiny, pale, greenish yellow flowers are in very small clusters; the five petals of each floret are curiously Sanicle in Fruit. Sanicula Maryldndica incurved toward the centre of the flower when first it opens; later they are flat. The long stamens of the sterile flowers mature early and are a conspicuous factor in the green-yellow of the flower-clusters. The small, cone-shaped fruit or burr is densely covered with forked prickles, which seize upon the passerby and are thus transported from place to place. It goes without saying that the plant is a disagreeable weed. 170 GOLDEN MEADOW-PARSNIP GOLDEN MEADOW-PARSNIP. EARLY MEADOW- PARSNIP Zizia aurea Zizia, in honor of Ziz, a Rhenish botanist. Perennial. In fields, meadows, and swamps. New Brunswick to Florida, west to Dakotas and Texas. Com- mon in northern Ohio. April-June. Stem. — Smooth, one to three feet high, hollow, green with brownish tinge. Leaves. — Basal leaves long-petioled, compound in twos or threes; leaflets ovate to lanceolate, sharply serrate; upper leaves with sheathing petioles; leaflets twice or thrice-parted. Flowers. — Brilliant yellow, in compound umbels two to three inches across; no involucre; involucels of small bracts; each tiny floret has five small petals; the shape of the little umbels is globular rather than flat; fifteen to twenty rays in each. Involucre. — Wanting; involucels of the small umbels of several small bracts. Calyx. — Adherent to ovary, five-toothed. Corolla. — Petals five, bright yellow, incurved both in bud and in bloom. Stamens. — Five. Pistil. — Of two carpels; styles two. Fruit. — Dry, ovoid; ribs usually winged. The golden-yellow clusters of the Early Meadow- Parsnip often get into the race in April and are especi- ally noticeable because of the pure brilliant yellow of the massed florets. The inflorescence is a compound umbel, that is, the flower-stems of each little cluster 171 CARROT FAMILY of florets arise from the same point; there are usually eight to ten of these flower-stems each bearing an umbel called an umbellet. These umbellets are usu- ally half an inch across and number about twenty Golden Meadow-Parsnip. Zizia aurea florets, which are yellow; calyx, corolla, tiny filaments, and minute anther all yellow, and the effect is glowing. The shape of the umbel varies from a half-hemisphere to globular. At the point where the flower-stems arise there is usually, in umbelliferous plants, a group of green bracts called the involucre. In the Meadow- 172 GOLDEN MEADOW-PARSNIP Parsnip these are wanting. At the point where the tiny stems of the umbcUets arise there are a few minute bracts, which form an involucel; these are present in the Meadow-Parsnip, but very small. The stem is two to three feet high, hollow, and strong. The stem-leaves have sheathing petioles. All the leaves are twice or thrice-compound of oblong or ovate leaflets that are deeply serrate; sometimes the lateral leaflets are once-cleft. The petals of the corolla are curiously incurved, ap- parently the aim being to keep the stamens in hiding until the pistil is mature and pollinated. 173 CORNACE^— DOGWOOD FAMILY *^ DWARF CORNEL. BUNCHBERRY Cornus Canadensis A low, herbaceous shrub, possessing the characteristic blossoms of the Flowering Dogwood. Cool, moist woods. Newfoundland to Alaska, south to New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Colorado, and California. Rare in northern Ohio. May, June. Rootstock. — Slender, creeping, rather woody. Stem. — Flowering stems scaly, three to nine inches high, four-sided, and grooved. Leaves. — Upper leaves crowded into an apparent whorl in sixes or fours, ovate or oval, entire, pointed, con- spicuously veined; lower leaves scale-like. Flowers. — Small, greenish, surrounded by a large white involucre of four ovate leaflets. Calyx. — Tubular, minutely four-toothed. Petals. — Four, oblong, spreading, greenish. Stamens. — Four; filaments slender. Pistil. — Ovary one, two-celled; style slender; stigma flat. Fruit. — A bunch of bright-red, globular drupes. The Bunchberry is a tiny shrub that looks like an herb, blossoms among the early flowers in the heart of the woods, carpets the forest floor of its chosen haunts with a spread of foliage during the summer, and in 174 if^* * ■ 3 # i.'*^*^-%ai»" >S|H^^ La ^Xi f ^i^ritafe .^^m3H^^^ -^ Bi^^^K .^v W«^ L \^ WZ^^0^Ml^ t-*! ii^^*'^ ^ -v ^^^H^ ^S?^JmM *m^ * "„^»^ M^^Sf^^M HMjL^^K^^Pf ^^^ ^^^hK^^J ^ ^^^^^^^^f - ' /^pSMW ^*^|^^^|ji|il ill,. i^^ , .v'^^T ^j|^ P^'^^^HIB^ «. ^^^^^K: ^ ^ ^ *"^ifew!"^y 1 «] '"'"^^J; "''^J^^^^^^^Pl" i"^" <:':.--' ''^^^^^B ^^^HH^^^B t ' ,^ .-J ^B^Br F-^. fe. ^ 1 F : ^ ^n^ ^^ ^^^^^^^' r A 5^2 -^B^pgv— v^^^B^ -S^* - ^k. A. .■■■ ■- s ^ M £ k. ■ ♦ <^ 4 ' / ■ v-Jii^^^^^ Bunchberry at Home. Cornus Canadensis DWARF CORNEL autumn delights the eye with its bunches of bright- red berries, which are really drupes, surmounting each slender, leafy stem. The blossom is a copy of that of the Flowering Dogwood, having a similar, great white involucre whose four leaflets look like four white petals, so that the inflorescence, which is rather unusual, looks like a single, large, white flower with a greenish centre. This greenish centre is really a bunch of tiny green tubular florets, each of which will in autumn produce a bright-scarlet berry. 175 ERICACE^— HEATH FAMILY y ^ TRAILING ARBUTUS. MAYFLOWER Epigcta ripens Epig&a, from epi, upon, and ge, the earth, in allusion to the habit of trailing growth. A prostrate, slightly woody, branching shrub with al- ternate evergreen leaves; growing in sandy loam, mossy, rocky soil, on mountainsides, especially in the shade of pine-trees. Newfoundland to the Northwest Territory, southward to Florida, Kentucky, and Michigan. Fre- quent on the sides of ravines in northern Ohio. April, May. Stem. — Woody, prostrate and trailing, bristly with rusty hairs; the trailing branches rooting at the nodes. Leaves. — Evergreen, often weather-worn, on short rusty, hairy petioles; alternate, oval, rounded at base and apex, smooth above, more or less hairy below. Flowers. — Fragrant, pink fading to white, about half an inch across, in clusters of few or many from the axils of the leaves. Calyx. — Five dry, overlapping sepals. Corolla. — Salver-form, tube hairy inside, spreading into five equal lobes. Stamens. — Ten, with slender filaments; anthers at- tached to filaments below the middle. Pistil. — One; ovary five-celled, with erect style and a five-lobed stigma. Fruit. — Globose, slightly five-lobed. Pollinated by bumblebees. Nectar-bearing. 176 TRAILING ARBUTUS This is the famous Mayflower of New England, whose delicate beauty and delightful fragrance have given it a place not only in our literature but in our hearts. Its distribution is so extensive and a personal characteristic of forming its buds in the autumn so Trailing Arbutus. Epigaa ripens general that there have arisen heated controversies as to the time of bloom. In the mountains of Virginia it blooms in March and April, in northern Ohio in April and May, and probably in New England its best full bloom is in May, though, undoubtedly, it some- times blooms in April. As a matter of fact, its buds lie hidden beneath the dry leaves and protecting snow all winter long, awaiting the summons of the sun. All in all, it is a most interesting plant and has been recognized for two centuries as one of the sweetest of spring's messengers, pushing its blossoms through and among the dry brown leaves and almost beside the lingering snow. The light-brown stems are woody and 177 HEATH FAMILY tough, keeping close to the ground. The dull old leaves that have endured the stress of winter storms are rusty and spotted, but it is they that do duty as foliage while the flowers are blooming; the new leaves develop later. The name Mayflower for the hawthorn, familiar in England, as its application to the historic vessel shows, was applied by the Pilgrims to this plant, whose green leaves and pink buds bore an early message of hope and courage to the far-away wanderers. "Yet, 'God be praised,' the Pilgrim said, Who saw the blossoms peer Above the brown leaves, dry and dead, 'Behold our Mayflower here ! " *God wills It, here our rest shall be, Our years of wandering o'er; For us the Mayflower of the sea Shall spread her sails no more.' "O sacred flowers of faith and hope, As sweetly now as then Ye bloom on many a birchen slope In many a pine-dark glen." — Whittier. The Mayflower is a plant still in the state of tran- sition. We find blossoms having both stamens and pistils, others having only stamens, still others having only pistils. These flowers are sometimes all on the same plant; sometimes all the flowers of one plant are staminate, all of another are pistillate. Moreover, the stamens and pistils vary among themselves, sometimes short pistils go with long stamens, sometimes long 178 TRAILING ARBUTUS pistils with short stamens. What the flower will be is a case of anybody's guess. The cultivation of the Mayflower has often been tried but has rarely been successful. Indeed, there is a wide-spread belief that it is impossible. Doubtless it is difiicult, but it is not impossible. A recent number of The Garden Magazine^ in its di- rections to gardeners, says: ''Bear in mind that the Trailing Arbutus must always be lifted with its root system absolutely undisturbed. Herein lies the secret of its obstinacy. Take it up after a soaking rain with mud, stones, moss, or whatever surrounds it and care- fully as possible shift it to a sheltered place and cover it from sun and wind for an entire season. An excel- lent plan is to Hghtly fit the sod into a paper pot or a strawberry-box, so that its removal may not even jar the soil about the roots. Colonies of Arbutus creep out into the open and these are most desirable for removal as they have become hardened by wind and weather." These suggestions make it apparent that growing Arbutus is no light task. Seedlings are rare, new plants come from rooting branches that sprawl upon the ground. Probably the real difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary garden soil is not suited to it; it requires an acid soil and is intolerant of lime. 179 DIAPENSIACE^— DIAPENSIA FAMILY PYXIE, FLOWERING MOSS. PINE-BARREN BEAUTY Pyxidanthera barbuldta Name from pyxis, a small box, and anther a, anther; the anther opening as if by a lid. Perennial. A small, creeping evergreen shrub, very- leafy, much branched, growing in mat-like patches. Moist, sandy soil of the pine-barrens of New Jersey and North Carolina. March-May. Root. — Long tap-root, from the centre of the matted top. Leaves. — Moss-like, narrow, pointed, alternate, crowded and overlapping; young ones woolly at base. Flowers. — Many, small, five-parted, white with pinkish buds, solitary and terminal. Calyx. — Five sepals, oblong and obtuse, reddish at tip. Corolla. — Short, bell-shaped, five-lobed; lobes ovate, erose. Stamens. — Five, inserted on corolla, alternate with its lobes; anthers awned at base. Pistil. — One, with three-celled ovary and single style. Fruit. — Capsule, many-seeded. Pollinated by small flies. This is a pretty little creeping plant found native only in the pine-barrens of New Jersey and North 1 80 PYXIE, FLOWERING MOSS Carolina; a plant which creeps like a vine, looks like a moss, flowers like an herb, and is really a shrub; that is, its stems are woody. It forms small evergreen mounds resembling mossy cushions, which in early Pyxie. Pyxidanthera barbuldia spring are sprinkled wdth pink buds and tiny white flowers. The name is purely scientific but, shortened to Pyxie, irresistibly suggests the fairy wild folk to whom that name belongs and, smiling upward in the April sunshine, the tiny creature wields a marvellous charm. The Pyxie belongs to a small and exceptionally in- teresting group of plants which are remarkable for their beauty, distinctiveness, and geographical distri- bution. They, allied to the heaths, are survivors of an ancient world and represent a vanishing race. The plant grows best in moist, sandy soil, in partial shade and soil rich in vegetable mould. The buds normally are pale pink; in full sunlight and poor soil they are darker. i8i PRIMULACE^— PRIMROSE FAMILY STAR-FLOWER Trientdlis Americana Trientdlis, one-third of a foot, the usual height of the plant. Low and smooth perennial. Moist shade of woods and thickets. Nova Scotia to Minnesota, southward to the mountains of Virginia. Rare in northern Ohio. May. Star-Flo wer. Trienlalis Americana Rootstock. — Long, horizontal, slender. Leaves. — Five to ten, in a whorl at the summit of the stem, thin, tapering at both ends, of unequal size. 182 SHOOTING-STAR Flowers. — White, solitary, star-like, on slender, wiry- stems, above a whorl of leaves. Calyx. — Sepals, five to nine-parted, usually seven-parted; divisions narrow, pointed. Corolla. — Wheel-shaped, half an inch across, deeply cut into seven spreading segments. Stamens. — Six to seven, with long, delicate filaments and small golden anthers. Pistil. — One; style and stigma one. These small, white Star-Flowers, poised above a whorl of leaves, dance in the wind with a charming lightness and grace. They produce no nectar, only pollen re- wards their insect visitors. They possess one ex- tremely interesting characteristic, the parts of the flower tend to appear in sevens — a very unusual thing. As a rule, floral parts appear in fives or threes or mul- tiples of fives and threes, rarely in sevens. SHOOTING-STAR Dodecdtheon Meadia ♦ Dodecdtheon, from dodeka, twelve, and theoi, gods; the twelve gods, a name given by Pliny to the Primrose, which was believed to be under the protection of the superior gods. Perennial. A plant of cliffs, open woodlands and prairies. Pennsylvania to Manitoba, Georgia, California. Absent from northern Ohio, but reported from middle and southern Ohio. April, May. Root. — Fibrous. Leaves. — All basal, oblong or spatulate, three to twelve inches long, narrowed into petioles. 183 PRIMROSE FAMILY Flowers. — Purplish pink or yellowish white, the cone tipped with yellow; few or several hanging on slender, recurved pedicels in an umbel at the top of a simple scape, six to twenty inches high. Ca/>'x.— Deeply five-parted. Corolla.- — Of five narrow lobes bent backward and up- ward; the tube very short, thickened at throat, and marked with dark reddish purple dots. Stamens. — Five, united into a protruding cone. Pistil. — One, extending be- yond the stamens. Fruit. — A five-valved cap- sule, standing erect. Pollinated by bumblebees and butterflies. Nectar- bearing. This curious name of Sho^ing-star. Dodecdtheon Meadia Twelvc Gods has an ancicnt lineage but little if any ap- plication to its present wearer. Linnaeus fancied he saw in the little group of unusual-shaped flowers a congress of tiny divinities seated around a miniature Olympus, and so gave to the plant the ancient name that nobody owned. The plant is chiefly of southern and western range and continental distribution. The flowering stalk rises one to two feet from the cluster of oblong leaves which form a loose rosette. The blossoms, whose backward-turned petals suggest the ears of a frightened rabbit, are gathered into a 184 SHOOTING-STAR loose terminal arrangement and hang from slender, curving stems which spring from the tip of the stalk. There is a large group of flowers of which the potato in our fields and the tomato in our gardens are common examples, with protruding cones made up of the united stamens so arranged, apparently, that the visiting in- sect which seeks the honey must jar out pollen from the end of the cone and receive it upon the under side of its body, the more surely to distribute it. This stamen cone is a very marked characteristic of the blossoms of Shooting-Star. I8S MENYANTHACE^— BUCKBEAN FAMILY BUCKBEAN. MARSH-TREFOIL Menydnthes trifoUdta The ancient name probably from men, month, and anthos, flower; some say from the length of its flowering period, which is about a month. A perennial swamp herb, bearing in early spring sprays of beautiful white flowers and three-parted leaves. New England, Pennsylvania, and farther north and west. Not reported in Ohio. May. Rootstock. — Thick, creeping, running horizontally a con- siderable distance. Leaves. — Ternately divided, on long petioles which are sheathed at the base; leaflets oval or oblong. Flowers. — White or slightly reddish bells, borne in a raceme on a naked scape a foot high. Calyx. — Five-parted, shorter than the corolla. Corolla. — Short, funnel-form, bearded within wath white hairs, the border five-cleft and spreading. Pistil. — Ovary, one-celled; style exserted, persistent; stigma two-lob ed. Fruit. — Many-seeded capsule. Professor William W. Bailey, writing of New Eng- land fio^vers, reports as follows: ''A very beautiful flower, common to both hemi- spheres, is in the month of May often found in our swamps. It is the Buckbean or Menydnthes, a member of the gentian family. It has long, subaqueous root- i86 BUCKBEAN stocks, from which spring the long-petioled compound leaves of three leaflets. The racemed flowers are borne on naked scapes and are white or externally Buckbean. Menydnlhes trifolidta tinged with pink; within, the divisions of the corolla are closely bearded with exquisite hairs. ''The Menydnthes is apt to grow provokingly out of one's reach from the shore. If one has high rubber boots, it is delightful to wade in after it and to stand w^aist-deep amidst its waving plumes. Like some Lorelei, it has tempted many an adventurer into the water." 187 APOCYNACE^— DOGBANE FAMILY VINCA. PERIWINKLE. TRAILING MYRTLE Vinca minor « Perennial. Native to Europe and escaped from gar- dens; common in country gardens, cemeteries, and shady places. April-November. Stem. — Trailing and creeping, rooting at the nodes; only the short flower-stems ascending. Leaves. — Opposite, evergreen, shining, ovate or oblong- ovate. Flowers. — Blue or white, salver-shaped, solitary in the axils of the leaves. Calyx. — Tubular, five-toothed. Corolla. — Blue or white, salver-shaped, border five- lobed; lobes almost wedge-shaped, convolute in bud; throat angled and thickened. Stamens. — Five, inserted on the upper part or middle of the tube; filaments short; anthers bearded at the tip. Pistil. — Of two carpels; style long, slender, supports a cup which is the stigma. Fruit. — Two pods, each having three or four seeds; nectar-bearing. "There sprange the violet al newe And fresh pervenke rich of hewe." — Chaucer. (( Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes." — Wordsworth. 188 VINCA This is the first out-of-door flower in many country gardens where builds have no place ; and its lovely blue flowers among the clean, glossy leaves, smiHng upward to the sky, have an especial charm in the early April days. Country people know the plant chiefly as Myrtle and Periwinkle ; in city parks and gardens it covers the ground as Vinca; PHny knew it in Roman times as Per- vinca. Why the French call it Flower-of-Mystery is by no means clear, but the rea- son of the English name, Joy-of-the-Ground, is ap- parent to any one. The value of the plant lies chiefly in its hardy nature and trailing growth and the fact that it will flourish and make a green carpet under the cover of trees where little else will grow. So closely do the sterile creeping stems cling to the ground that the ancients named them serpents. The calyx of the blossom is cut into five deep seg- ments; the corolla forms a long tube below, expanding into a flat, five-lobed border above. The flower pro- duces both pollen and nectar, but rarely any fruit; when it does it forms two little pods, each containing three or four seeds. The reliance of the plant for re- production is in the long runners which develop roots at the nodes. It is now extensively used as a cover plant in parks for shaded places where nothing else will grow. 189 Periwinkle. Vfnca minor POLEMONIACE.^— PHLOX FAMILY s/ PHLOX Phlox divaricdta Phlox, flame, is an ancient name transferred to this genus. Perennial. Moist open woods and fields. Ontario to Minnesota, south to Florida, Kansas, and Arkansas. Abundant in northern Ohio. ^}^ April, May. Stem. — Downy, erect or diffuse, with creeping pros- trate or ascending leafy shoots. Leaves. — Of flowering stems opposite, ovate-lance- olate or oblong, mostly acute; the uppermost al- most clasping. Flowers. — Pale lilac-pur- ple, in loose, spreading clus- ters, faintly fragrant. Calyx. — Five-toothed; teeth slender and pointed. Corolla. — Salver-shaped, five-lobed with long tube; lobes obcordate or obovate and notched, convolute in bud. -Five, unequal, inserted on the corolla-tube and alternate with its lobes, included. 190 Phlox. Phlox divaricdta Stamens. GROUND-PINK Pistil. — Ovary thrcc-ccllcd; style threadlike; stigmas three. Fruit. — Oblong-globose capsule. This is one of the flowers so abundant both in April and JMay that one scarcely knows in which month to place it. In color it varies from pale lilac to nearly white. Like all the Phloxes, its corolla is salver- shaped, this word referring to the ancient salver whose handle was a tube extending below the tray, rather than to our modern form. It is very pretty in masses, but its color is not decided enough to be effective alone, and its loose clusters look a little ragged. The Phlox Drummondii of the gardens is a Texan species, which has been developed into numerous varieties. GROUND-PINK. MOSS-PINK Phlox siibuldta Perennial. In dry, sandy or rocky soil, extensively cul- tivated as an early blooming plant. New York to Michi- gan, south to Florida and Kentucky. Escaped from cul- tivation in New England. Rare in northern Ohio, except in gardens. April, May. Stems. — Much branched, forming mats; branches two to six inches long. Leaves. — Crowded, awl-like, acute or acuminate, spread- ing. Flowers. — Pink-purple or white, clustered at the ends of the branches. Calyx. — Tubular, five-lobed. Corolla. — Salver-shaped, five-lobed, tube slender; lobes slightly notched at the apex. 191 PHLOX FAMILY Stamens. — Five, inserted on the tube of the corolla and alternate with its lobes, included. Pistil. — Ovary three-celled; style slender; stigmas three. Fruit. — Ovoid capsule, three-celled, three-valved, sev- eral-seeded. Moss-Pink. Phlox subulata The Moss-Pink under cultivation sets the garden ablaze ^vith brilliant bloom and lights up the desola- tion of early May. The depressed stems with their little sharp-pointed leaves make dense mats of moss- like foliage, and when in flower these mats are trans- formed into a mass of rose-purple, pink, or white, so perfectly does the bloom hide the foliage. Rocky hill- sides and rocky banks are its natural home, but any light soil will serve. 192 POLEMONIUM POLEMONIUM. GREEK VALERIAN. JACOB'S- LADDER Polcmonium rcptans From the Greek, polcmos, war. Perennial. Alluvial bottoms. New York to Minnesota, south to Georgia and Kansas. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Ste7n. — Smooth, branching, twelve to eighteen inches high, erect or declined; often stained at base. Leaves. — Alternate, pin- nately divided, leaflets five to fifteen, opposite or irregular, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, entire, an inch or more long, acute; petiole winged. Flowers. — Blue-violet bells in loose, few-flowered clus- ters, terminating the branches. Calyx. — Bell-like, smooth, veiny, finally five-lobed. Corolla.— Open bell, border five-lobed; lobes short, rounded. Stamens. — Five, inserted on the tube of the corolla; declined, hairy at base. Pistil.— Ovary three-celled; style single; stigmas three. Fruit. — Globose-oblong capsule, mostly three-seeded; seeds emit spiral threads when moistened. By a curious interchange of terms, this plant has obtained the name of Greek Valerian, which probably 193 Greek Valerian. Polemonium reptans PHLOX FAMILY it will always retain. Jacob 's-Ladder is also without significance. Polemonium is referred in the books to the Greek, polemos, war, explained by Pliny as given to a certain plant for the reason that two ancient kings went to war because they could not agree which of them first discovered its virtues. The Latin name, reptans, suggests that it creeps — a thing it never does. The plant is a pretty Uttle creature dwelling by choice in moist woods and by meadow rimlets, but taking kindly to cultivation, and better known perhaps in the gardens than out of them. In color the flower- bells vary from bright blue to pure white, and, as the anthers are white, this gives the flower an unusual and delicate appearance. The ripe seed when mois- tened emits an innumerable number of spiral threads which to the naked eye appear like a thick mucus. 194 HYDROPHYLLACE^— WATER-LEAF FAMILY y HYDROPHYLLUM. VIRGINIA WATER-LEAF Hydrophyllum Virginicum From the Greek, hydor, water, and phyllon, leaf, but the allusion is not evident. Perennial. Moist, shady places in rich soil. From Quebec to Alaska, south to South Carolina, Kansas, and Washington. Frequent in northern Ohio. May. Rootstocks. — Creeping, scaly. Stems. — Slender, twelve to eighteen inches high, grow- ing in clusters, often branched at the base. Leaves. — Alternate; lower and basal leaves long- petioled, pinnately cut into five or seven segments which are oval or lanceolate, acute, sharply toothed or cut; upper leaves short-petioled with fewer segments. Flowers. — Pale violet-purple or white with violet veins, borne in cymose clusters or one-sided racemes, coiled and forking. Calyx. — Deeply five-parted, the segments narrow- lanceolate, fringed with long white hairs. Corolla. — Tubular bell, five-lobed, with five linear honey- scales within, alternating with the lobes. Stamens. — Five, inserted on the base of the corolla, extending far beyond the corolla; filaments white, bearded; anthers linear-oblong, dark in color. Pistil. — One; style threadlike; stigma two-cleft. 195 WATER-LEAF FAMILY Fruit. — Capsule, globose, size of small pea, four-seeded; only one of the seeds usually reaching perfection. Pollinated by bees. Nectar-bearing. Hydrophyllum is a leafy plant about a foot high, forming colonies and communities in moist, shady Hydrophyllum. Hydrophyllum Virglnicum places, and blooming in May. Stems and leaves are rather smooth, but the flower-cluster fairly bristles with hairs. This cluster is a one-sided, coiled raceme which unrolls as the buds come into bloom — a kind of inflorescence called scorpoid, of which the garden gives us in the Heliotrope an excellent example. 196 BORAGINACE^— BORAGE FAMILY VIRGINIA COWSLIP. BLUEBELLS. LUNGWORT Mertensia Virginica Named in honor of Mertens, a German botanist. Perennial. In low meadows and along streams, often cultivated. Ontario to Minnesota, south to New Jersey, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Kansas. Frequent in northern Ohio. April, May. Stem. — Smooth, pale, erect, one to two feet high. Leaves. — Oblong or obovate, veiny, entire; the lower four to six inches long and narrowed into margined petioles. Flowers. — Showy, clustered, pinkish purple when open- ing, changing later to blue. Calyx. — Five-lobed; lobes oblong-lanceolate. Corolla. — Cylindric, trumpet-shaped, pendent, obscurely five-lobed, throat open, often with five ridges between the stamens. Stamens. — Five, inserted on the tube. Pistil. — Ovary four-divided; style threadlike. Fruit. — Four seed-like little nuts, wrinkled. Pollinated by bees and butterflies. Nectar-bearing. The brilliant blue blossoms of the Virginia Cowslip are very striking among their paler neighbors. The 197 BORAGE FAMILY most interesting thing about these blossoms is their marked change in color; each little bell beginning life Bluebells. Meriensia Virginica a lovely pink-purple but becoming bright blue before ending it. Virginia CowsUp has also the distinction of being the one smooth species in a family noted for the harsh, rough, hairy, and forbidding character of stem and leaves. 198 -- LABIATE— MINT FAMILY GROUND-IVY. GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND (! \Nepeta glecdma. Glecdma hederdcea ^€