ZANE ae os x Se, Sea WILD ROSE WILD FLOWERS BY CHESTER A; REED) S: Boo jy ypu) 3, NEW YORK a RERe seb ten als BOT, ANIC eee oe Le GARE WEN aN EA 40 COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS MOHONK SALESROOMS MOHONK LAKE, N. Y. 1912 (@ Copyright 192 Chas. K. Reed, Worcester, Mass. i \? 4 PRESS OF A. M. EDDY ALBION, N.Y ae si WILD FLOWERS Flowering plants are numbered by the thousands; conse- quently in the book we are able to include only some of the more important and most beautiful species. There are all kinds of plants, some good and some useless. Some furnish foods, others are of great value medicinally, still others furnish coloring matter for dyes, and quantities of them have a large aesthetic value; on the other hand many are poisonous, some deadly so, and quantities are absolutely use- less weeds that spring up readily and in great quantities to the detriment of agricultural products. Most species that bear conspicuous flowers do so for their own good and not simply to look pretty. They are designed to attract certain insects that are necessary or useful to assist them in setting seed. As will be seen in the illustra- tion on the following page, flowers have stamens and _ pis- tils, the tips of the former bearing anthers containing pollen grains and the end of the latter, called the stigma, being sticky and connecting through a slender tube through the style to the ovary in the basal portion. In order that seed may set, it is necessary that pollen should come in contact with the stigma. If seed was always set by pollen from the same flower, the continuous inbreeding would in time cause the species to degenerate. To prevent this, many plants are incapable of setting seed unless pollen is brought from some other flower. Insects are the chief agents for per- forming this duty and a great many ingenious devices force them to do so if they wish to partake of the nectar that the flowers provide as compensation for their services. No branch of science offers a wider field or a more interesting -one than the methods of plant reproduction. . Just as interesting are the many devices intended to pre- vent useless insects from pilfering the nectar, such as hairy or sticky stems or parts to prevent crawling insects from M reaching the flowers, long nectar tubes within which short- tongued flies and kees c2nnot reach, ete. ROO facapnvar 1 . us YL. RPedwucie SS = y ath \ ao Comlposite]| Head Flower fi) y| /, | \ \ ‘ \ Bell-shaped WN NS > = , ") ie ae . ake walprhonaceous PARTS AND FORMS OF FLOWERS fo JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT. This, our best known representa- tive of the Arum family, is very abundant during spring in moist woodlands. As its form shows, it is a very close relative of the exquisite Calla Lily. The handsomely striped and veined exterior of what is often considered the flower is known as a spathe, and is the pulpit from which Jack, represented by the vertically projecting spadix, is supposed to preach. The real flowers are small and greenish-yellow, clustered about the base of this spadix or smooth, glossy green column. Some of these plants have clusters of both stamin- ate and pistillate flowers and are self-fertilizing, but most of them have either the one kind or the other and require the assistance of insects in transferring pollen from the one to the other. Some plants are so constructed as to welcome with open arms the insects that are useful to them and to exclude all others. Let us see how Jack treats his many visitors. The column and the inside of the spathe are very slippery, and the former has an abrupt enlargement in the middle leaving just room between it and the sides so that visitors can easily slide down the polished surface but can neither crawl back nor find room to extend their wings in flight. If not too large and they happen to find it, there is a small open- ing in the lower flap of the spathe through which they may force their way; insects so escaping, their bodies perhaps dusted with pollen, forget the trap and immediately enter another plant, perhaps a pistillate one and fulfill the de- signs of our Jack, but at the cost of the lives of others not so fortunate in finding the avenue of escape from the prison. The name Indian Turnip is often applied to this plant since Indians used to boil and eat the acrid, turnip-like roots. = at s “TURK’S-CAP. LILY; TIGER LILY. None of our several species of lilies are more beautiful, more grace- ful or decorative than the Turk’s-cap. With ‘stately grandeur some of the stalks rise to heights of six or seven feet and terminate in the most bril- liant array of pendent blossoms vary- ing in number from two or three up to forty. They usually grow closely together in colonies, forming masses of brilliant color that can be seen to best advantage in low meadows along railroad lines during July and August. In full bloom, the six points of the perianth of this species are curved far back, while those of the Canada or Wild Yellow Lily are always spreading or bell-shaped. Another beautiful species known as the Red Wood Lily, but which grows most commonly in moist sandy ground, has the deep red _ bell- shaped perianth turned upward instead of being in a pendu- lous position. The brightly colored lilies are fertilized by bees or but- terflies which are attracted by brilliant colors while the white ones cater to the long-tongued night moths or sphin- ges. Anyone who has ever handled these lilies knows how easily the pollen is rubbed from the large anthers and can readily see that a visiting bee, searching for the nectar that is contained in grooves at the base of the flower, can scarcely avoid becoming powdered with it. As he visits the next bloom, even while getting a fresh dose of pollen on his under parts, he is leaving some of that from the pre- | 4 vious one on the sticky, projecting stigma. The long stems, thickly studded with leaves make upward progress very arduous for crawling insects and the deep recesses within which the nectar is contained prevent short-tongued ones from reaching the sweets. € » % WILD SPIKENARD. In rich, uncleared ground or thick- ets this species, which also belongs to the Lily Family, grows in abund- ance. The angular stem, which grows from one to three feet in length, is alternately set with large, wavy- edged pointed leaves and, during May and June, is terminated with a flowering spike, each tiny white flow- er of which has a perfectly formed six-parted perianth. Later in the year a cluster of small purple or magenta berries is to be seen in place of the white blossoms. This berry-method of dispersing the seeds is one used by a great many plants and is very successful. Birds eating the berries of- ten carry the seeds for miles from the place of their growth before dropping them. Somewhat similar to Spikenard in form and arrangement of stem and leaves is the well known Solomon’s Seal which grows abundantly in all rich woods. If we pull up one of the roots we may easily understand the name; the thick perennial rootstock is scarred and sealed in many places, each representing the seat of the plant stem of a previous year. The flowers of Solomon’s Seal are little greenish bells suspended in pairs below the leaves at their junctions with the main stem. Still another form of lily grows “alone the banks of wood- land streams or brooks, a small dainty species usually known as the Dog-tooth Violet or yellow Adder’s-tongue. The name violet of course is a misnomer for it is a true lily with the usual perfect six-parted, bell-like perianth. The single straw-colored blossom grows, nodding from a slender stem rising from between two clasping spotted leaves. It is often appropriately termed the Trout Lily because it blooms along trout brooks and again known as the Fawn Lily, because of the leaves, which are green, spotted with purple and white. 10 CANADA MAYFLOWER. Whole woods, particularly conifer- ous ones, are often carpeted with the low growing green leaves of this plant which is shown on the left in the picture. The flower on the right is the Three-leaved False Solomon’s Seal; the two species are often con- fused with one another but a close examination will show that the flow- eis of the Former lave a four-parted perianth while those of the latter are divided into six points besides being fewer in number. Either species may have two or three leaves, so the num- ber cannot be used as a guide to their identity. They bloom most profusely about Memorial Day and as the leaves are so clean and bright and the flowers so beauti- ful and dainty, they are used quite extensively for decorat- ing. During fall the place of each pistillate flower is oc- cupied by a small purple berry, standing erect and await- ing the appearance of the bird which is destined to carry its precious seed-contents to other localities. Thus birds not only play a very important part in the economy of nature by destroying injurious insects, but also assist in the distri- bution of our plant life to a very considerable extent. The true Lily of the Valley, while very familiar as a cul- tivated species is wild only in the mountains of our southern states. It is, however, often found in New York and New England as an escape from gardens. The delicate little, nodding, white bell-shaped flowers grow along the upper _ part of a slender stem, rising from the bases of two large, oval pointed leaves. The leaf veins, like those of nearly all species belonging to this family, run lengthwise of the leaf. ta - PAINTED TRILLIUM. The trilliums derive their name from the fact that all their parts are arranged in threes—three leaves, three petals, three sepals and a three- parted stiema, Nhe Painted Fril- lium, which is the handsomest spe- cies has its waxy-white, wavy-edged flower standing erect above the whorl! of three leaves. It is quite abundant in certain moist woodland and oftcn grows in large beds. Two other white species are quite abundant, the large-flowered White Trillium which has blossoms two or three inches across and the Nodding Trillium, which has smaller white flowers suspended, inverted, below the whorl of leaves. Neither of these species have the crimson mark that adds so much to the beauty of the Painted variety. Beautiful as they are, all the trilliums have a slight dis- agreeable odor while that of the Purple Trillium or Wake Robin is very unpleasant, strongly resembling the odor of decomposing flesh. Presumably, this odor is for the pur- pose of alluring certain carrion flies to the flowers, which insects are the chief fertilizing agents. In the case of the Purple Trillium, the color too is one that would attract flies that were in the habit of seeking out putrid substances. This species flowers in April and May, which early flower- ing is one of the reasons for the name of Wake Robin, although, as a matter of fact, they do not bloom until weeks after robins have arrived in abundance. After the flowering season a single, oval berry is seated above and close to the whorled leaves. 12 YELLOW STA® GRASS. From the- latter “pare of April, throughout the summer, the handsome golden stars of this common plant gleam at us from the grass carpeted ground of pasture or first growth woods. It belongs to the Amaryllis I'amily, a small family closely relat- ed to the Lilies, having flat grass- like leaves and long slender stems bearing six-parted flowers. The leaves of the present species so closely re- semble grass that the plants would not be noticed were it not for the blossoms. The flower is wide spread and of six equal divisions. Although half a dozen or more buds are in a loose umbel at the top of each stem, the flowers open but one or two at a time, so that the period of bloom for each plant may extend over a period of many days. ‘The blossoms yield little or no nectar but are visited by many smaller bees for pollen, some of which is unavoidably carried on their bodies and deposited on the sticky stigmas of blossoms visited later, thus effecting cross-fertilization that is so vital to the con- tinued healthy existence of many plants. In moist fields and meadows another flowering grass-like plant is commonly found, namely Blue-eyed Grass which belongs to the Iris Family. The leaves are very narrow and the stem long, slender, angular and sometimes pros- trate—quite uninteresting were it not for the beautiful six- parted flowers with their bright golden centers and violet petals, very appropriately termed blue-eyed. The blossoms are very sensitive and remain open for but a single day and only on bright days at that. While the sun shines the pretty blue eves will twinkle at you but to- wards the close of day, they close in sleep never to open again, but their places on the morrow will be taken by new faces. ‘eo > 13 BEUE FLAG; IRIS. Just the thought of Iris always recalls pleasant pictures to the mind, visions of a pond with its unruffled mirroring surface; the blackbirds that protest so vigorously when you are near their basket-like nests hang- ing just over the water; the frogs that dive with a great splash into its bosom as we tread the edges; the turtles which are lazily sunning themselves on an old stump; the heron that starts up with a single shi.ck of warning and slowly flaps away to more remote fishing grounds; the rattle of the kingfisher which you have disturbed perhaps just as he was about to pounce upon a fish to carry to his clamoring young in yonder bank; the swaying rushes and cat-tails sheltering the noisy and boisterous Marsh Wren; the dragon- flies that go darting hither and yon hawking after the many species of insects that are to be found over still water; and the great clumps of Blue Flags that add a touch of bright color and cheer to ine whole picture. We are accustomed to think of the petals as the most attractive part of a flower, but in this case it is the sepals that are enlarged, bright colored and attract our attention. The name Iris, which is quite appropriate, is from the Greek meaning rainbow and surely the coloring of the sepals on this species may readily suggest the rainbow. The flowers are so constructed that fertilization from their own pollen is impossible, the anthers being located under and below the stigmas which are at the end of the petal-like division of the style. It is a well established fact that certain insects are most strongly attracted by certain colors and the blues and purples are favorites of honey bees. It is these bees that visit the Iris and are the chief agents of its fertilization. 14 SHOWY LADY’S SLIPPER. Lady’s Slippers belong to that most remarkable of plant families, the Orchids. Orchids are noted for the peculiarity of their blossoms which sometimes take very grotesque shapes. Usually one or more of the petals or sepals are greatly enlarged into a sac, a broad platform or are curiously slashed and_ subdivided. They are the most highly specialized of all Howers, each dependant upon the agency of certain insects to in- sure their fertilization, some depend- ant upon the visit of just one species of insect; if that one does not appear, no new seed will be set; only a few years of failure will result in the species being lost to that locality. The expedient most often adopted by orchids to prevent useless insects from pilfering the bountiful supply of nec- tar is to have it at the end of a long slender tube or spur; only a long-tongued insect can reach the sweet and it will be found that the one that is best fitted for the purpose is the one that is also adapted to best accomplish the fertiliza- tion of the blossom. For instance the large White-fringed Orchid is visited by a sphinx moth, which has a tongue of just the right length to drain the nectary. As he presses his face into the tube to reach the last drop his eyes come into contact with tiny sticky buttons to which the pollen masses are attached; as he withdraws his head the pollen masses are drawn from their pockets and project forward, one from either eye. Since the moth eye is a large com- pound one, the covering of part of the surface does not ser- iously inconvenience him; he flies away to the next blossom and lo—the pollen masses are in just the right position to be pressed into the stigma of that flower. Some of these processes of fertilization are very complicated ones and are very interesting to study. 1G) PUNK LADY'S SEIPPER; MOC- CASIN FLOWER. This species is the most widely dis- tributed and one of the most abund- ant species. The single blossom tops a long stem that grows from two clasping leaves at the base. Our other species have leafy stems, that is the leaves alternate up the stem almost to the flower. The largest and most magnificent variety is the Showy Lady’s Slipper, shown on the preced- ing page; the blossoms are also quite fragrant. Another species, the Small White Lady’s Slipper, is not only smaller but lacks the crimson touches that so beautify this one. Rather rare, except in our higher portions, are the small Yellow Tate s Slippers, with their curiously bent and twisted brown sepals. Pink Ladvy’s Slippers are locally met with in small col- onies in rath *r dry woods. The large, delicate pink blos- soms are fertilized through the agency of bumblebees. He enters through the closed fissure in front, his strength being sufficient to force his way in; after eating his fill he takes the easiest way out, through the top; as he forces his burly frame through the narrowing passage his back brushes against a sticky stigma removing any pollen that may have been brought from the previous blossom visited; as he con- tinues, just before emerging, an anther blocks his passage and claps a fresh load of pollen on his back in readiness to continue the good work. Our bumblebee is one of the most useful insects that we have, performing the same duties to many species of plants. Very fortunately, he makes the rounds of flowers of the same kind, thereby avoiding the waste of brushing pollen from one species of plant off on another. Mutilated Lady’s Slippers are often caused by large bees, which bite their way through the wall rather than force out in the proper manner. 16 WATER-LILY. The chaste purity and beauty of cur large white Water-Lilies, pictur- ed on the lower half of this illustra- tion, cannot be excelled and_ their sweet fragrance in unequaled by that of any other species. Although the early Water-Lilies are picked in great numbers and sold on the streets of our cities at so much per bunch, their period of bloom is so long and so many seeds are set from each blos- som that remains, that their numbers do not decrease materially except in very restricted areas. The floating leaves are large, four to twelve inches across, attached to the rootstock by very long, round, hollow stems. The flowers have four greenish sepals, many waxy-white petals and a center of many yellow stamens. They open early in the morning, re- main open at least during sunshine and close at night. They are fertilized chiefly by small flies and bees, many of which are attracted by the fragrance and the conspicuous bloom. The joys of paddling a canoe along watery lanes dotted with these magnificent flowers cannot be experienced by everyone, but there is consolation in the fact that these hardy Water-lilies can be successfully grown in our own yards. Many residents in our cities have their lily ponds or tubs on their lawns; they are particularly desirable for decorative purposes since they are in bloom from the first of June until September and species of different shades, white, pink, red and blue, can be secured. An added pleasure is secured by introducing a few goldfish into the little pond, both for appearance and to prevent the breeding of mos- quitoes. The upper picture illustrates the Yellow Pond Lily or Cow Lily, a species that grows abundantly in many ponds, particularly in stagnant water. 17 WOOD ANEMONE; WIND FLOWER. This species, shown on the left of the picture, is exceedingly delicate in appearance but appearances are often deceptive for, frail as it seems, it blooms in April and early May. Swayed this way and that, with a violence that threatens to demolish it, it safely weathers the most severe storms and with the appearance of the sun its nodding head beckons a welcome to the early bees. Very ap- propriate indeed is its most common name of Wind Flower. The single flower head rises above a whorl of three five-parted leaves that top a slender stem; the four to seven sepals are pure white within but purplish white on the outside; they would spread about an inch, but are rarely seen fully expanded, usually hang- ing bell-like. The stem grows from a horizontal rootstock. RUE ANEMONE. This species is smaller in every respect than the Wind Flower. Both kinds grow in our woods, often side by side. Rue Anemone has a very slender and delicate stem growing from a little cluster of tuberous roots; the whorl of leaves is more than three in number and each leaf has a heart- shaped base and is three-lobed; instead of a single blossom, several flowers rise on slender stalks above the leaves. Tall Meadow Rue is an ambitious, bushy looking plant that rears its filmy flower heads from two to five feet above ground in swamps or ‘along streams. The long-stemmed leaves are many times compounded into small three-lobed leaflets; the flowers are in feathery clusters, each composed of many long stamens and no petals, but having usually four, early-falling sepals. 18 WILD COLUMBINE. In spring, Wild Columbine greets us onrocky hillsides and in dry woods, its handsome pendent blossoms nod- ding a welcome to every breath of air. Columbine is a hardy species under cultivation but, although the blossoms attain a larger size, they lack the very daintiness that apneals to us in the wild plant. The slender, wiry, branching stem is set with three- parted leaves; but it is the blossoms that droop from the thread-like pe- duncles that interest us the most— bright red outside and yellow within; each of the five petals is funnel- shaped, terminated with a spur and extending backward from between the projecting sepals. Nectar is contained in the tips of the slender spurs and it must undoubtedly be a long-tongued creature that is able to drain the cups legitimately. Small bees, that are un- able to get at the nectar in the proper way, are wise enough to gnaw through the spurs and steal the sweets. The big bumblebee, however, swings back down from the swaying flower with all the abandon of the trained gymnast on his trapeze and drinks to his heart’s content. Yet this is not the creature for which the Columbine is waiting, although the large bees can fertilize the flowers. If we are fortunate we may see the visitor for which the flower flaunts its flaming red advertisement; with a buzz of wings a tiny Hummingbird appears and, hovering before each blossom, quickly inserts his bill successively in the cornucopias. Red is the favorite color of our Hummingbird and whenever you see a long-tubed red flower, you may be quite certain that _the smallest of birds will sooner or later visit it. Goldthread, shown on the right of the same plate, is a small woodland plant, so named because of the bright yel- low, threadlike roots. 19 CELANDINE. Although this is a stranger in a strange land, having come to our shores from across the seas, it has thriven and multiplied with the rapid- ity common to aliens and extended its range to include the whole eastern half of the United States. The stem is quite stout and very branching. At the end of each branch is a loose cluster of buds on slender stems; these open one or two at a time commencing in May and contin- uing to bloom all summer. The flow- ers are half an inch or more broad; with four golden-yellow petals, a long, slender, pointed green pistil and numerous yellow stamens. ‘Towards the end of the sea- son, the continued flowering is marked by a large number of long slender seed pods; when fully ripened the pods split at the base and allow the escape of the seeds. The thin, soft leaves are divided into three to seven handsome scalloped leaflets. Both stem and leaves have very acrid, yellow juices that stain everything they come in contact with. Celandine grows in abundance in waste land, in rich moist woodland and along beds of brooks. During April and May, in rich hilly woods, we may some- times find the peculiar plant known as Dutchman’s Breeches. The reason for the name is readily apparent to those who have seen the little white trousers dangling along the slend- er flowering stalk, which rises from five to nine inches above ground. The leaves are very much divided and slashed and all rise from the rootstock on long stems. Dutchman’s Breeches belongs to the Fumitory Family, all species of which have finely divided leaves and smooth rather slender stems which contain watery juices. 20 PITCHER PLQNT, The Pitcher Plant is our most in- teresting representative of so-called carnivorous or insectivorous plants. It belongs to a small family of bog- inhabiting plants having hollow leaves. Peat bogs and spongy, mossy swamps are its favorite haunts, and to such places we must go during late May or June if we are to see the unusual and handsome _ blossoms. Each individual flower hangs in an inverted position from the top of a long slender hollow scape growing from the root. They are unusual both in form and coloring as the ac- companying picture shows. Interest- ing as the flowers are, it is the leaves that must claim the most of our attention—hollow pitchers radiating in all direc- tions. They are nearly always partially filled with water, some of which must be rain water received through the open- ing and some of which is a natural fluid secreted by the plant. This fluid is sweet and some claim intoxicating while others say it acts as an anaesthetic. In either case it is quite fatal to the insect endeavoring to partake of it. En- trance to the pitcher is easy over the hairs which all point downward, around the brim; once beyond these, the crea- ture slides down the slippery side to the water and is unable to crawl back or to fly upward once the wings have become wet. Decomposing bodies of many species of insects are often to be found in these pitchers, the resulting products being absorbed by the plant. The Pitcher Plant drowns its victims but our Sundews, which are common in sandy soil and often along roadsides, entangle theirs in the tiny sticky drops that exude from the tips of the many hairs covering the surface of the rounded leaves; the leaf then slowly furls and actually digests its victim by means of its gastric juices. 21 WILD STRAWBERRY. | (Shown by A in the opposite picture) HIGH BUSH BLACKBERRY. (Shown by B in the opposite picture) These two plants need no introduc- tion and are only included because they are so very common and so pop- ular that to omit them would be an almost unpardonable offense in the eyes of the school children who gather the luscious strawberries from the low vines that trail through many of our fields, or the equally delect- able blackberry that is to be found in thickets, along walls or by the road- side and whose thorns are often the cause of severe reproof of the par- ents when the child returns with frock or trousers sadly in need of repairs. Strawberries and blackberries belong to the Rose Family, a large family containing a very great many species of widely differing plants, but all agreeing in the feature of having five petals and five sepals. Presumably to protect themselves from browsing mammals, many. species which dwell in open or pasture land are armed with sharp prickles. One of our most common roses, the Wild Swamp Rose, is shown in our frontispiece. All our wild roses are what we call single, that is they have but the correct number of petals—five. The beautiful monstrocities (I am using this term only in the sense of their being so widely at variance with the original forms) produced by our gardeners and horticulturists are nearly all originated from foreign spe- cies. Roses secrete no nectar but furnish an abundance of pollen for the numerous bees, flies and beetles that visit them. 22 CINQUEFOIL; FIVE-FINGER. The left hand picture shows the common Cinquefoil, the one that spreads so abundantly over fields and pastures, while on the right is Silvery Cinquefoil, so called because of the silvery appearance of the under sur- faces of the leaves. The latter spe- cies is most common in dry barren ground, especially near the coast. The common Cinquefoil is regard- ed as a pernicious weed since it spreads so rapidly by means of its creeping stem. It is often mistaken for the Wild Strawberry or called the yellow flowered strawberry. There is a yellow flowered Barren Strawberry that grows profusely on our hillsides and in small woods but it is easily recognized by the pretty trifoliate leaves that carpet the ground, often in the same localities as Cinquefoil. STEEPLEBUSH or HARDHACK also belongs to the rose family although one would not suspect it at a casual glance. Yet each tiny pink flower has all the rose charac- ters except size. It is a very attractive plant or shrub stand-— ing erect, from two to five feet tall, with reddish-brown stem closely set with handsome leaves which are dark green above and light on the under surfaces, the whole topped off with the delicately colored spire-like flower cluster. The flowers blossom from the summit downward and the period of bloom is so long continued that by the time the lower flow- ers are fully opened the upper ones are faded and brownish in color. These small flowers secrete little or no nectar but have an abundance of pollen and are consequently visited by pollen eating bees and flies. These visitors cannot avoid carrying pollen from plant to plant and shaking it from upper flowers to receptive stigmas of flowers below. Hard- hack grows most abundant in low land but also in moist situations at any elevation. 23 STONE or RABBIT’S-FOOT CLOVER. (Shown by A in the opposite picture) ‘COMMON RED CLOVER. (Shown by B in the opposite picture) g Clovers, which are among our best | known and most valuable plants, are characterized by their three-parted or trifoliate leaves and rather round © flower heads. A very common spe- cies and the most noticeable one be- cause of the size and color -of the | flower heads, is Red Clover. It is | & present in nearly every field, meadow, &@ pasture and yard and is visited by a | great many handsome butterflies as well as several species of bees. It is said to be so dependant upon our common bumblebee for fertilization that without the aid of this insect, the clover soon perishes. The little pink florets, which compose the flower head are sweet scented and abound in nectar. The whitish inverted V-shaped mark in the middle of each leaflet adds much to the beauty of the plant. WHITE CLOVER is a smaller plant in every way, but the white or pale pink florets that make up the smaller flower head are very fragrant. This species is one of the most useful for honey bees and also furnishes excellent fodder for cattle, large fields being often sown to it for both pur- poses. It also roots very readily and makes a good founda- tion for lawns; hence clover seed is usually sown with grass seed for the making of new lawns. RABBIT’S-FOOT CLOVER is a small but very attrac- tive species that abounds everywhere. The small elongated flower heads are very soft and silky owing to the long, pink- ish feathery tips to the five-parted calices. They are vis- ited by the smallest of butterflies, particularly by the hand- some species usually known as the Little Copper Butterfly. 24 WOOD SORRELS. Wood Sorrels are handsome but very dainty and delicate plants, the WHITE WOOD SORREL (shown by A in the opposite picture) being very abundant in cool, shady recesses of mountainous regions where the handsome leaves often carpet the ground in large patches. The leaves are quite clover-like but are broadly heart shaped at the ends of the leaf- lets. ‘They are so very sensitive that they fold up every night, during cloudy or stormy weather and also upon being touched. The juices of the plant are very sour, in fact Oxalic acid, which is so often used for re- moving the stains of iron rust from clothing, is made from the leaves of this very species, which is native to Europe and Africa. During June, white, pink veined, five-petal- led flowers appear, one on each stalk, above the green leaves. VIOLET WOOD SORREL is very similar except that the flowers are colored as shown in B on the picture on this page and two or more blossoms appear from the top of each flower stalk. This species is not nearly as abundant as the preceding one. WILD GERANIUM or CRANESBILL is found grow- ing abundantly in most open woodland and thickets. Both the flowers and leaves of this plant are strikingly handsome, the former being quite large and showy, with five, rounded, delicately veined rose-purple petals, and ten violet-tipped stamens surrounding a curious elongated green pistil which gives the plant the name of Cranesbill. This pistil is the pods in which the seeds develop and when matured, it splits suddenly sending the seeds sharply in all directions, this being one of the plants that adopts the “spring-gun”’ method for distributing its seeds. The leaves are large and coarse- ly veined, five-cleft and notched and slashed. The flowers are quite fragile, drooping soon after being plucked and the petals fall off upon the slightest provocation. 29 YELLOW WOOD SORREL; LADY’S SORREL. This species is not a woodland plant but blooms abundantly in fields, gardens and along roadsides as well. From April until October the bright yellow blossoms show their shining faces above the frail leaves; they open only during sunshine and close each night, at which time the leaves also fold up umbrella-fashion. The sensitive leaves are quite acrid, hav- ing a flavor very similar to those of the leaves of the common Red Sorrel. Bhan GED PO LY GAL A‘or MILKWORT is a pretty little plant growing in rich moist woods or swamps. The leaves and form of the plant are somewhat like that of the common Wintergreen, but the leaves are more pointed at the tips. The pretty pink flowers that ap- pear during May and June are quite orchid-like, three of the petals forming a central tube enclosing the stamens and the other two wide spreading iike wings, and suggesting to children the title of “Bird-on-the-wing” by which they often know the plant. They also bear tiny underground flowers that are self-fertilizing, while the outer ones, which are borne in pairs, are dependent upon bees for transferring pollen to their stigmas. FIELD or PURPLE MILKWORT is a sturdy little pink-headed piant that grows in fields or along roadsides in company with Hop or Yellow Clover and it is a singular fact that the flowers of these two plants belonging to dis- tinct families should be similar in form. The leafy stem which grows from six to twelve inches tall, branches at the top and each branch terminates in a cylindrical flower head, the flowers proper being concealed beneath the pink, scale- like sepals that closely overlap one another. The bloom is from the bottom of the head upward, the lower rows ma- turing and dropping away as the flowering continues. The name Polygala is derived from the Greek, meaning much milk and was given these plants since it was believed cattle feeding upon them gave more plentifully. 26 JEWEL-WEED or SPOTTED TOUCH-ME-NOT. Jewel-weed grows in rank, almost tropical profusion in moist ground, particularly about the edges of ponds or along watercourses. ‘The reason for its name is not difficulty to under- stand when one sees the funny little orange cornucopias hanging from their slender stems like jewels pend- ent from a lady’s ear in the olden days. There are many, however, who claim a different origin for the name; perhaps they are right,—we cannot say. The thin toothed leaves have a peculiar texture that sheds water; after a rain or heavy dew, we will see glistening drops collected along the margins of the leaves and it does not even require a fertile imagination to see in them, jewels such as only Nature can produce. This plant grows from two to five feet in height, having a reddish, smooth branching stem along which the leaves al- ternate. The flowers hang in pairs from the axils of the outer leaves, although usually but one of them opens at a time. The peculiar flower has three petals and three sepals, one of the latter forming the crooked sac in the base of which nectar is concealed. While some bees and moths are able to get at the nectar, apparently Hummingbirds which visit the blossoms frequently are the benefactors for which the plant is catering. However seed will be set, even if neither bird nor insects visit the blossoms, for Jewel-weed bears also cleistogamous flowers that never open and which fertilize themselves. The plant is of more than passing interest even after the flowering season because of the curiously twisted seed pods that take the places of the blossoms. When these are ripen- ed, the slightest touch causes them to instantly split and coil so quickly as to send the seeds flying two or three feet in every direction. Even though we know just what is going to happen, one cannot help being startled at the very sud- denness of the “explosion.” ROSE MALLOW. The Rose Mallow is one of the most strikingly beautiful plants to be found in our range, but it grows, ex- cept very locally, only in slightly brackish marshes or swamps along our Atlantic seaboard. The stout- stemmed plant grows from three to seven feet in height and has very large leaves, from three to eight |} inches in length. But it is the mag- nificent blossoms that attract our at- tention——mammoth pink beauties measuring four to eight inches across. The stamens are united into a large column, bearing anthers on the exter- ior surface; the pistil projects through and beyond this column. The newly opened flowers in which the pollen is ripened, are wide spread so that bees may get at the nectar at the base and get pollen on their backs without coming into contact with the yet unripened stigmas; but they carry this pollen to older flowers which are partially folded and in trying to get by the five stigmas that partially block the entrance cannot avoid dusting some of the precious grains on the sticky surfaces. MARSH MALLOW, the plant from the roots of which the mucilagenous substance so much used in confectionary is made, belongs to a different genus from the Rose Mallow. It is not common here but has been naturalized from Europe in a few places near the coast. Its pink flowers are much smaller than those of the preceding species, being not more than an inch and a half across. The COMMON MALLOW is an abundant weed about old farm houses and along some country roads. Country school children are very familiar with it for it furnishes them with the so-called “cheeses” that they delight in eat- ing. It is a low and spreading plant having rather pretty notched and lobed leaves and small pale blue or white flow- ers, measuring barely half an inch across. 28 BLUE VIOLETS. On the left in the opposite picture is shown the COMMON, PURPLE or MEADOW VIOLET, one of the most delightful species and one that grows in profusion everywhere. In dry fields we find the plants small and the blossoms low down so as to be partly shielded by the grass; in meadows and marshes, the leaves and the flowers have exceedingly long stems, but in cool, shady, moist woods we find the plants in their most perfect form and _ proportion. Violets are favorite flowers with everyone; they lack only a sweet scedt to make them ideal. So many violets are collected every year to make nosegays for the young ladies that it is very fortunate that they are not en- tirely dependent upon the visible flowers setting seed, or the species would become very rare. That it does not ie in numbers is due to the fact that at the base, sometimes underground are tiny flowers that never open aed that fer- tilize Shou cals and produce seed. Of course enough of the showy flowers are cross fertilized by bees to keep the plants from degenerating by continued inbreeding. ‘These violets are often transplanted to the garden or raised in hothouses, in the latter case the blossoms sometimes attain a somewhat larger size than they do even under the most favorable con- ditions outside. The present species, which is technically known as Viola cucullata, has the heart-shaped leaves all growing from the base on long slender petioles. Another common blue violet, the CANADA VIOLET (V. canaden- sis), shown by the picture on the right hand, has a leafy stem and the flowers raised on slender stems rising from the axils of the leaves. Still another species, very abundant in the southern states and of local occurrence in our range, known as BIRD-FOOT VIOLET (V. pedata), has the leaves which proceed from the base, deeply cut into from five to eleven parts. This species also has unusually large bright orange anthers blocking the entrance to the flower throat. WHITE VIOLETS. _ Although not nearly as showy and conspicuous as their larger blue and purple cousins, SWEET WHITE VIOLETS have an attraction that the others do not have in that they are sweet scented. Like the blue ones, they grow small and short in unfavorable situations and long-stem- med and fairly large in the marshes or moist woods that are their prefer- able haunts. The flowers are small, expanding less than a half inch. Fine purplish lines running down the throat guide visiting insects to the nectary at the base of the short spur. Smaller and shorter tongued bees and butterflies usually visit the white violets, while those with comparatively long tongues only, can reach to the bottom of the longer spurs on the blue violets. The leaves of this species, all proceeding from the base of the plant, are heart-shaped at the base but much rounder than those of the Common Blue Violet. ~The LANCE-LEAVED VIOLET, also a white species, is taller and more slender than the Sweet White variety and the flowers are usually a trifle larger although less sweetly scented. A distinct and ready means of identification is furnished by the long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves which grow from the root. Late in summer they send out many stolens or runners which take root at intervals and form new plants. These violets also bear cleistogamous flowers, tiny ones concealed among the bases of the leaves, which set their seed without unfolding. Consequently these plants are exceedingly well fitted to battle successfully for their existence. They require wetter situations than most blue violets and in such places greatly outnumber their blue cou- sins although their smaller size and modest colors render them inconspicuous by comparison. 30 YELLOW VIOLET Yellow Violets are much more local in their distribution than other species. They prefer rich but not moist woods and are most often found in small colonies along the banks. of woodland brooks. They have always been prime favorites of mine because in a certain piece of woods where a small brook tumbles its noisy way over the stones down through the alders that line its banks, a colony of Yellow Violets has been established for a longer time than I can remember. The space occupied by them is barely larger than an or- dinary room, but in this spot they grow in such profusion that the leaves hide the ground. This same place is an“ideal one for migrating birds and the violets are always in bloom on May tenth when the season if migration is at its very height. Furthermore, in the ald- ers, almost over my bed of violets, a pair of Wood Thrushes nearly always have their home. So whenever I see this spe- cies, it always brings to me memories of this favorite spot and of Wood Thrushes. There are two kinds of Yellow Violets, the downy and the smooth, the former having a hairy or downy stem and the latter having a number of basal leaves during its flowering season. The Yellow Violet is one of the tallest members of the family, its stem ranging from six to eighteen inches in height. Usually two pairs of leaves branch out from the stem and from the axils grow the flower stalks. The two side petals of the handsome yellow flowers are heavily bearded and the lower one has prominent veinings leading: down the throat. The markings are presumed to be guides for insects to follow to reach the nectar at the end of the short spur and the hairy beard is for them to hold to as they reach within and to force them to brush against the stigma and anthers in the proper manuer. After the flowering season, the Yellow Violets have numerous small, closed, self- fertilizing blossoms on runners from the root. 31 PINK AZALEA; WILD HONEY- SUCKLE. During early May, suitable rich woods, thickets and hillsides are aglow with the beautiful pink blos- soms of Azalea. The rosy blush is the more prominent because the flow- ers commonly appear before or just as the leaves commence to grow. Col- lectively, the blossoms make a most wonderful picture and each individ- ual flower is also beautiful in form and color. Considerable nectar is secreted at the base of the long flower tube, which is so filled with the long stamens and pistil that only long- tongued insects are able to reach the bottom. The bumblebee is an abundant and probably the most useful visitor. He first brushes against the very long, protruding style, the sticky end of which collects some pol- len from his underparts, then clambers over the shorter stamens, dusting himself with fresh pollen before he gets at the desired sweets. That the handsome flower is but an ad- vertisement to attract the useful insects is shown by the fact that soon after having been visited the whole corolla becomes loosened from the calyx and slips down to the end of the long style, where it hangs for a few days before falling to the ground. Less common than the preceding species, is RHODORA which is shown in the lower half of the picture. This is a much lower shrub than Azalea, found in similar habitat but not as abundant anywhere. The corolla is long-tubed but instead of flaring out into even lobes, it has a three- notched, broad upper one and a smaller two-cleft lower lobe. WHITE AZALEA or SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE is less common than the pink species and is chiefly confined to swamps near the coast. The flowers are quite similar to the others except that they are white, the tube is longer and the whole blossom is quite sticky. The flowers appear in June and July, long after the shrub is fully leaved. 32 MOUNTAIN LAUREL. Some of our most famous paint- ings have been of homely and com- monplace scenes; some of our most beautiful birds are reckoned as abundant; and it is the same with our wild flowers, although we are apt to regard most highly those species that are the most difficult to obtain. When I wish to see the most glorious floral panorama that Nature pro- duces, I visit Laurel or Spoonwood swamps during the latter part of May. Great masses of beautiful pink and white blossoms top the hand- some, dark-leaved shrubs. In fav- orable places where the soil is very rich, Laurel grows even more luxuriantly on wooded hill- sides than in the more extensive swampy tracts. The stiff, oval, deep green leaves are evergreen and very decorative, so much so that great quantities of them are gathered for the making of wreaths, a practice that is gradually forcing one to eee longer and longer journeys from the large cities if he wishes to see Miounten Laurel in its haunts. Each individual flower is very interesting in form and structure. The buds are always pink and the opened flow- ers frequently are, the degree of pinkness depending upon the nature of the ground The the amount of light that is received by them. The corolla is saucer-shaped, with five points.