Chapter CIV: JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, Arisæma triphyllum, 281 (5)

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

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

MOSS POLYGALA.
_Polygala cruciata._ Milkwort Family.

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXVII

SPREADING DOGBANE.—_A. androsæmifolium._
]

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

HEDGE BINDWEED.
_Convolvulus Americanus._ Convolvulus Family.

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXVIII

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

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

PALE CORYDALIS.
_Corydalis glauca._ Fumitory Family.

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

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

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

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

COMMON MILKWEED.
_Asclepias Cornuti._ Milkweed Family.

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

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

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

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

HERB ROBERT.
_Geranium Robertianum._ Geranium Family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXIX

HERB ROBERT.—_G. Robertianum._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXX

BOUNCING BET.—_S. officinalis._
]

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

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

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

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

DEPTFORD PINK.
_Dianthus Armeria._ Pink Family.

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

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

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE.
_Lythrum Salicaria._ Loosestrife Family.

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

PLATE LXXI

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE.—_L. Salicaria._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXII

MEADOW-BEAUTY.—_R. Virginica._
]

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

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

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

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

SEA PINK.
_Sabbatia stellaris._ Gentian Family.

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

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

PLATE LXXIII

SEA PINK.—_S. stellaris._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXIV

_Sabbatia chloroides._
]

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXV

ROSE MALLOW.—_H. Moscheutos._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXVI

FIREWEED.—_E. angustifolium._
]

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

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

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

PURPLE GERARDIA.
_Gerardia purpurea._ Figwort Family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXVII

JOE-PYE-WEED.—_E. purpureum._
]

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

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

PINK KNOTWEED.
_Polygonum Pennsylvanicum._ Buckwheat Family.

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

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

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

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

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

* * * * *

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

IV
RED

WILD COLUMBINE.
_Aquilegia Canadensis._ Crowfoot Family.

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXVIII

WILD COLUMBINE.—_A. Canadensis._
]

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXIX

WAKE ROBIN.—_T. erectum._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PAINTED CUP.
_Castilleia coccinea._ Figwort Family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXX

WOOD LILY.—_L. Philadelphicum._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXXI

BUTTERFLY-WEED.—_A. tuberosa._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXXII

OSWEGO TEA.—_M. didyma._
]

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

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

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

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

CARDINAL-FLOWER.
_Lobelia cardinalis._ Lobelia Family.

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXXIII

CARDINAL-FLOWER.—_L. cardinalis._
]

TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE.
_Lonicera sempervirens._ Honeysuckle Family.

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

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

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

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

V
BLUE AND PURPLE

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

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

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

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

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

COMMON BLUE VIOLET.
_Viola cucullata._ Violet Family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXXIV

LIVERWORT.—_H. triloba._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLATE LXXXV

BLUETS.—_H. cærulea._
]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WILD PHLOX.
_Phlox divaricata._ Polemonium Family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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