How to know the wild flowers

Blood-root.
Sanguinaria Canadensis. Poppy Family.

Rootstock.—Thick, charged with a crimson juice. Scape.—Naked, one-flowered. Leaves.—Rounded, deeply lobed. Flower.—White, terminal. Calyx.—Of two sepals falling early. Corolla.—Of eight to twelve snow-white petals. Stamens.—About twenty-four. Pistil.—One, short.

In early April the firm tip of the curled-up leaf of the blood-root pushes through the earth and brown leaves, bearing within its carefully shielded burden—the young erect flower-bud. When the perils of the way are passed and a safe height is reached this pale, deeply lobed leaf resigns its precious charge and gradually unfolds itself; meanwhile the bud slowly swells into a blossom.

Surely no flower of all the year can vie with this in spotless beauty. Its very transitoriness enhances its charm. The snowy petals fall from about their golden centre before one has had time to grow satiated with their perfection. Unless the rocky hill-sides and wood-borders are jealously watched it may escape us altogether. One or two warm sunny days will hasten it to maturity, and a few more hours of wind and storm shatter its loveliness.

Care should be taken in picking the flower—if it must be picked—as the red liquid which oozes blood-like from the wounded stem makes a lasting stain. This crimson juice was prized by the Indians for decorating their faces and tomahawks.

Shad-bush. June-berry. Service-berry.
Amelanchier oblongifolia. Rose Family.

A tall shrub or small tree found in low ground. Leaves.—Oblong, acutely pointed, finely toothed, mostly rounded at base. Flowers.—White, growing in racemes. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five rather long petals. Stamens.—Numerous, short. Pistils.—With five styles. Fruit.—Round, red, berry-like, sweet and edible, ripening in June.

Down in the boggy meadow in early March we can almost fancy that from beneath the solemn purple cowls of the skunk-cabbage brotherhood comes the joyful chorus—

but we chilly mortals still find the wind so frosty and the woods so unpromising that we return shivering to the fireside and refuse to take up the glad strain till the feathery clusters of the shad-bush droop from the pasture thicket. Then only are we ready to admit that

Even then, search the woods as we may, we shall hardly find thus early in April another shrub in blossom, unless it be the spice-bush, whose tiny honey-yellow flowers escape all but the careful observer. The shad-bush has been thus named because of its flowering at the season when shad “run;” June-berry, because the shrub’s crimson fruit surprises us by gleaming from the copses at the very beginning of summer; service-berry, because of the use made by the Indians of this fruit, which they gathered in great quantities, and, after much crushing and pounding, utilized in a sort of cake.

Wood Anemone. Wind-flower.
Anemone nemorosa. Crowfoot Family.

Stem.—Slender. Leaves.—Divided into delicate leaflets. Flower.—Solitary, white, pink, or purplish. Calyx.—Of from four to seven petal-like sepals. Corolla.—None. Stamens and Pistils.—Numerous.

writes Bryant, bringing vividly before us the feathery foliage of the spring woods, and the tremulous beauty of the slender-stemmed anemones. Whittier, too, tells how these

And in the writings of the ancients as well we could find many allusions to the same flower were we justified in believing that the blossom christened the “wind-shaken,” by some poet flower-lover of early Greece, was identical with our modern anemone.

Pliny tells us that the anemone of the classics was so entitled because it opened at the wind’s bidding. The Greek tradition claims that it sprang from the passionate tears shed by Venus over the body of the slain Adonis. At one time it was believed that the wind which had passed over a field of anemones was poisoned and that disease followed in its wake. Perhaps because of this superstition the flower was adopted as the emblem of sickness by the Persians. Surely our delicate blossom is far removed from any suggestion of disease or unwholesomeness, seeming instead to hold the very essence of spring and purity in its quivering cup.

Rue Anemone.
Anemonella thalictroides. Crowfoot Family.

Stem.—Six to twelve inches high. Leaves.—Divided into rounded leaflets. Flowers.—White or pinkish, clustered. Calyx.—Of five to ten petal-like sepals. Corolla.—None. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistils.—Four to fifteen.

The rue anemone seems to linger especially about the spreading roots of old trees. It blossoms with the wood anemone, from which it differs in bearing its flowers in clusters.

Star-flower.
Trientalis Americana. Primrose Family.

Stem.—Smooth, erect. Leaves.—Thin, pointed, whorled at the summit of the stem. Flowers.—White, delicate, star-shaped. Calyx.—Generally seven-parted. Corolla.—Generally seven-parted, flat, spreading. Stamens.—Four or five. Pistil.—One.

Finding this delicate flower in the May woods, one is at once reminded of the anemone. The whole effect of plant, leaf, and snow-white blossom is starry and pointed. The frosted tapering petals distinguish it from the rounded blossoms of the wild strawberry, near which it often grows.

Stem.—Three to six inches high, with two or three leaves. Leaves.—Lance-shaped to oval, heart-shaped at base. Flowers.—White or straw-color, growing in a raceme. Perianth.—Four-parted. Stamens.—Four. Pistil.—One, with a two-lobed stigma. Fruit.—A red berry.

It seems unfair that this familiar and pretty little plant should be without any homely English name. Its botanical title signifies “Canada Mayflower,” but while it undoubtedly grows in Canada and flowers in May, the name is not a happy one, for it abounds as far south as North Carolina, and is not the first blossom to be entitled “Mayflower.”

In late summer the red berries are often found in close proximity to the fruit of the shin-leaf and pipsissewa.

Gold Thread.
Coptis trifolia. Crowfoot Family.

Scape.—Slender, three to five inches high. Leaves.—Evergreen, shining, divided into three leaflets. Flowers.—Small, white, solitary. Calyx.—Of five to seven petal-like sepals which fall early. Corolla.—Of five to seven club-shaped petals. Stamens.—Fifteen to twenty-five. Pistils.—Three to seven. Root.—Of long, bright yellow fibres.

This little plant abundantly carpets the northern bogs and extends southward over the mountains, its tiny flowers appearing in May. Its bright yellow thread-like roots give it its common name.

Pyxie. Flowering-moss.
Pyxidanthera barbulata. Order Diapensiaceæ.

Stems.—Prostrate and creeping, branching. Leaves.—Narrowly lance-shaped, awl-pointed. Flowers.—White or pink, small, numerous. Calyx.—Of five sepals. Corolla.—Five-lobed. Stamens.—Five. Pistil.—One, with a three-lobed stigma.

In early spring we may look for the white flowers of this moss-like plant in the sandy pine-woods of New Jersey and southward. At Lakewood they appear even before those of the trailing arbutus which grows in the same localities. The generic name is from two Greek words which signify a small box and anther, and refers to the anthers, which open as if by a lid.

Rootstock.—Five to ten inches long, wrinkled, crisp, of a pleasant, pungent taste. Stem.—Leafless below, bearing two leaves above. Leaves.—Divided into three-toothed leaflets. Flowers.—White, in a terminal cluster. Pod.—Flat and lance-shaped.

The crinkle-root has been valued—not so much on account of its pretty flowers which may be found in the rich May woods—but for its crisp edible root which has lent savor to many a simple luncheon in the cool shadows of the forest.

Spring-cress.
Cardamine rhomboidea. Mustard Family (p. 17).

Rootstock.—Slender, bearing small tubers. Stem.—From a tuberous base, upright, slender. Root-leaves.—Round and often heart-shaped. Stem-leaves.—The lower rounded, the upper almost lance-shaped. Flowers.—White, large. Pod.—Flat, lance-shaped, pointed with a slender style tipped with a conspicuous stigma; smaller than that of the crinkle-root.

The spring-cress grows abundantly in the wet meadows and about the borders of springs. Its large white flowers appear as early as April, lasting until June.

Whitlow-grass.
Draba verna. Mustard Family (p. 17).

Scapes.—One to three inches high. Leaves.—All from the root, oblong or lance-shaped. Flowers.—White, with two-cleft petals. Pod.—Flat, varying from oval to oblong, lance-shaped.

This little plant may be found flowering along the roadsides and in sandy places during April and May. It has come to us from Europe.

Shepherd’s Purse.
Capsella Bursa-pastoris. Mustard Family (p. 17).

Stem.—Low, branching. Root-leaves.—Clustered, incised or toothed. Stem-leaves.—Arrow-shaped, set close to the stem. Flowers.—White, small, in general structure resembling other members of the Mustard family. Pod.—Triangular, heart-shaped.

This is one of the commonest of our wayside weeds, working its way everywhere with such persistency and appropriating other people’s property so shamelessly, that it has won for itself the nickname of pickpocket. Its popular title arose from the shape of its little seed-pods.

Flowering stem.—Two-leaved, one-flowered. Flowerless stems.—Terminated by one large, rounded, much-lobed leaf. Leaves (of flowering stems).—One-sided, five to nine-lobed, the lobes oblong, the leaf-stalks fastened to their lower side near the inner edge. Flower.—White, large, nodding from the fork made by the two leaves. Calyx.—Of six early falling sepals. Corolla.—Of six to nine rounded petals. Stamens.—Twice as many as the petals. Pistil.—One, with a large, thick stigma set close to the ovary. Fruit.—A large, fleshy, egg-shaped berry, sweet and edible.

“The umbrellas are out!” cry the children, when the great green leaves of the May-apple first unfold themselves in spring. These curious-looking leaves at once betray the hiding-place of the pretty but unpleasantly odoriferous flower which nods beneath them. They lie thickly along the woods and meadows in many parts of the country, arresting one’s attention by the railways. The fruit, which ripens in July, has been given the name of “wild lemon,” in some places on account of its shape. It was valued by the Indians for medicinal purposes, and its mawkish flavor still seems to find favor with the children, notwithstanding its frequently unpleasant after-effects. The leaves and roots are poisonous if taken internally, and are said to have been used as a pot-herb, with fatal results. They yield an extract which has been utilized in medicine.

Twin-leaf. Rheumatism-root.
Jeffersonia diphylla. Barberry Family.

A low plant. Leaves.—From the root, long-stalked, parted into two rounded leaflets. Scape.—One-flowered. Flower.—White, one inch broad. Sepals.—Four, falling early. Petals.—Eight; flat, oblong. Stamens.—Eight. Pistil.—One, with a two-lobed stigma.

The twin-leaf is often found growing with the blood-root in the woods of April or May. It abounds somewhat west and southward.

Harbinger-of-Spring.
Erigenia bulbosa. Parsley Family (p. 15).

Stem.—Three to nine inches high, from a deep round tuber. Leaves.—One or two, divided into linear-oblong leaf-segments. Flowers.—White, small, few, in a leafy-bracted compound umbel.

The pretty little harbinger-of-spring should be easily identified by those who are fortunate enough to find it, for it is one of the smallest members of the Parsley family. It is only common in certain localities, being found in abundance in the neighborhood of Washington, where its flowers appear as early as March.

Early Everlasting. Plantain-leaved Everlasting.
Antennaria plantaginifolia. Composite Family (p. 13).

Stems.—Downy or woolly, three to eighteen inches high. Leaves.—Silky, woolly when young; those from the root, oval, three-nerved; those on the flowering stems, small, lance-shaped. Flower-heads.—Crowded, clustered, small, yellowish-white, composed entirely of tubular flowers.

In early spring the hill-sides are whitened with this, the earliest of the everlastings.

Spring Beauty.
Claytonia Virginica. Purslane Family.

Stem.—From a small tuber, often somewhat reclining. Leaves.—Two; opposite, long and narrow. Flowers.—White, with pink veins, or pink with deeper-colored veins, growing in a loose cluster. Calyx.—Of two sepals. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Five. Pistil.—One, with style three-cleft at apex.

Yet we are all free to guess—and what flower—at least in the early year, before it has gained that touch of confidence which it acquires later—is so bashful, so pretty, so flushed with rosy shame, so eager to defend its modesty by closing its blushing petals when carried off by the despoiler—as the spring beauty? To be sure, she is not “hidden in her leaflets,” although often seeking concealment beneath the leaves of other plants—but why not assume that Miss Dickinson has availed herself of something of the license so freely granted to poets—especially, it seems to me—to poets of nature? Perhaps of this class few are more accurate than she, and although we wonder at the sudden blindness which leads her to claim that

when it seems as though it needed but little knowledge of flowers to recognize that yellow, probably, occurs more frequently among them than any other color, and also at the representation of this same nature as

when in reality she is so chary of this splendid hue; still we cannot but appreciate that this poet was in close and peculiar sympathy with flowers, and was wont to paint them with more than customary fidelity.

We look for the spring beauty in April and May, and often find it in the same moist places—on a brook’s edge or skirting the wet woods—as the yellow adder’s tongue. It is sometimes mistaken for an anemone, but its rose-veined corolla and linear leaves easily identify it. Parts of the carriage-drive in the Central Park are bordered with great patches of the dainty blossoms. One is always glad to discover these children of the country within our city limits, where they can be known and loved by those other children who are so unfortunate as to be denied the knowledge of them in their usual haunts. If the day chances to be cloudy these flowers close and are only induced to open again by an abundance of sunlight. This habit of closing in the shade is common to many flowers, and should be remembered by those who bring home their treasures from the woods and fields, only to discard the majority as hopelessly wilted. If any such exhausted blossoms are placed in the sunlight, with their stems in fresh water, they will probably regain their vigor. Should this treatment fail, an application of very hot—almost boiling—water should be tried. This heroic measure often meets with success.

Dutchman’s Breeches. White-hearts.
Dicentra Cucullaria. Fumitory Family.

Scape.—Slender. Leaves.—Thrice-compound. Flowers.—White and yellow, growing in a raceme. Calyx.—Of two small, scale-like sepals. Corolla.—Closed and flattened; of four somewhat cohering white petals tipped with yellow; the two outer—large, with spreading tips and deep spurs; the two inner—small, with spoon-shaped tips uniting over the anthers and stigma. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One.

There is something singularly fragile and spring-like in the appearance of this plant as its heart-shaped blossoms nod from the rocky ledges where they thrive best. One would suppose that the firmly closed petals guarded against any intrusion on the part of insect-visitors and indicated the flower’s capacity for self-fertilization; but it is found that when insects are excluded by means of gauze no seeds are set, which goes to prove that the pollen from another flower is a necessary factor in the continuance of this species. The generic name, Dicentra, is from the Greek and signifies two-spurred. The flower, when seen, explains its two English titles. It is accessible to every New Yorker, for in early April it whitens many of the shaded ledges in the upper part of the Central Park.

Squirrel Corn.
Dicentra Canadensis. Fumitory Family.

The squirrel corn closely resembles the dutchman’s breeches. Its greenish or pinkish flowers are heart-shaped, with short, rounded spurs. They have the fragrance of hyacinths, and are found blossoming in early spring in the rich woods of the North.

Foam-flower. False Mitre-wort.
Tiarella cordifolia. Saxifrage Family.

Stem.—Five to twelve inches high, leafless, or rarely with one or two leaves. Leaves.—From the rootstock or runners, heart-shaped, sharply lobed. Flowers.—White, in a full raceme. Calyx.—Bell-shaped, five-parted. Corolla.—Of five petals on claws. Stamens.—Ten, long and slender. Pistil.—One, with two styles.

Over the hills and in the rocky woods of April and May the graceful white racemes of the foam-flower arrest our attention. This is a near relative of the Mitella or true mitre-wort. Its generic name is a diminutive from the Greek for turban, and is said to refer to the shape of the pistil.

Early Saxifrage.
Saxifraga Virginiensis. Saxifrage Family.

Scape.—Four to nine inches high. Leaves.—Clustered at the root, somewhat wedge-shaped, narrowed into a broad leaf-stalk. Flowers.—White, small, clustered. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Ten. Pistil.—One, with two styles.

In April we notice that the seams in the rocky cliffs and hill-sides begin to whiten with the blossoms of the early saxifrage. Steinbrech—stonebreak—the Germans appropriately entitle this little plant, which bursts into bloom from the minute clefts in the rocks and which has been supposed to cause their disintegration by its growth. The generic and common names are from saxum—a rock, and frango—to break.

Mitre-wort. Bishop’s Cap.
Mitella diphylla. Saxifrage Family.

Stem.—Six to twelve inches high, hairy, bearing two opposite leaves. Leaves.—Heart-shaped, lobed and toothed, those of the stem opposite and nearly sessile. Flowers.—White, small, in a slender raceme. Calyx.—Short, five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five slender petals which are deeply incised. Stamens.—Ten, short. Pistil.—One, with two styles.

The mitre-wort resembles the foam-flower in foliage, but bears its delicate crystal-like flowers in a more slender raceme. It also is found in the rich woods, blossoming somewhat later.

Indian Poke. False Hellebore.
Veratrum viride. Lily Family.

Root.—Poisonous, coarse and fibrous. Stem.—Stout, two to seven feet high, very leafy to the top. Leaves.—Broadly oval, pointed, clasping. Flowers.—Dull greenish, inconspicuous, clustered. Perianth.—Of six spreading sepals. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One, with three styles.

When we go to the swampy woods in March or April we notice an array of green, solid-looking spears which have just appeared above the ground. If we handle one of these we are impressed with its firmness and rigidity. When the increasing warmth and sunshine have tempted the veiny, many-plaited leaves of the false hellebore to unfold themselves it is difficult to realize that they composed that sturdy tool which so effectively tunnelled its way upward to the earth’s surface. The tall stems and large bright leaves of this plant are very noticeable in the early year, forming conspicuous masses of foliage while the trees and shrubs are still almost leafless. The dingy flowers which appear later rarely attract attention.

Stem.—Climbing, three to fifteen feet high. Leaves.—Ovate, or rounded heart-shaped, or abruptly cut off at base, shining. Flowers.—Greenish or yellowish, small, clustered, unisexual. Perianth.—Six-parted. Stamens.—six. Pistil.—One, with three spreading stigmas. (Stamens and pistils occurring on different plants.) Fruit.—A bluish-black berry.

One whiff of the foul breath of the carrion flower suffices for its identification. Thoreau likens its odor to that of “a dead rat in the wall.” It seems unfortunate that this strikingly handsome plant which clambers so ornamentally over the luxuriant thickets which border our lanes and streams, should be so handicapped each June. Happily with the disappearance of the blossoms, it takes its place as one of the most attractive of our climbers.

The common green-brier, S. rotundifolia, is a near relation which is easily distinguished by its prickly stem.

The dark berries and deeply tinted leaves of this genus add greatly to the glorious autumnal display along our roadsides and in the woods and meadows.

Larger White Trillium.
Trillium grandiflorum. Lily Family.

Stem.—Stout, from a tuber-like rootstock. Leaves.—Ovate, three in a whorl, a short distance below the flower. Flower.—Single, terminal, large, white, turning pink or marked with green. Calyx.—Of three green, spreading sepals. Corolla.—Of three long pointed petals. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One, with three spreading stigmas. Fruit.—A large ovate, somewhat angled, red berry.

This very beautiful and decorative flower must be sought far from the highway in the cool rich woods of April and May. Mr. Ellwanger speaks of the “chaste pure triangles of the white wood lily,” and says that it often attains a height of nearly two feet.

T. cernuum has no English title. Its smaller white or pinkish blossom is borne on a stalk which is so much curved as to sometimes quite conceal the flower beneath the leaves. It may be sought in the moist places in the woods.

The painted trillium, T. erythrocarpum, is also less large and showy than the great white trillium, but it is quite as pleasing. Its white petals are painted at their base with red stripes. This species is very plentiful in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains.

Ground-nut. Dwarf Ginseng.
Aralia trifolia. Ginseng Family.

Stem.—Four to eight inches high. Leaves.—Three in a whorl, divided into from three to five leaflets. Flowers.—White, in an umbel. Fruit.—Yellowish, berry-like. Root.—A globular tuber.

The tiny white flowers of the dwarf ginseng are so closely clustered as to make “one feathery ball of bloom,” to quote Mr. Hamilton Gibson. This little plant resembles its larger relative, the true ginseng. It blossoms in our rich open woods early in spring, and hides its small round tuber so deep in the earth that it requires no little care to uproot it without breaking the slender stem. This tuber is edible and pungent-tasting, giving the plant its name of ground-nut.

Ginseng.
Aralia quinquefolia. Ginseng Family.

Root.—Large and spindle-shaped, often forked. Stem.—About one foot high. Leaves.—Three in a whorl, divided into leaflets. Flowers.—Greenish-white, in a simple umbel. Fruit.—Bright red, berry-like.

This plant is well known by name, but is yearly becoming more scarce. The aromatic root is so greatly valued in China for its supposed power of combating fatigue and old age that it can only be gathered by order of the emperor. The forked specimens are believed to be the most powerful, and their fancied likeness to the human form has obtained for the plant the Chinese title of Jin-chen (from which ginseng is a corruption), and the Indian one of Garan-toguen, both of which, strangely enough, are said to signify, like a man. The Canadian Jesuits first began to ship the roots of the American species to China, where they sold at about five dollars a pound. At present they are said to command about one-fifth of that price in the home market.

Stem.—Bearing a single large, long-stalked, much-divided leaf, and a shorter naked scape which bears the rounded flower-clusters. Flowers.—Greenish-white, in umbels. Calyx.—With short or obsolete teeth. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Five. Fruit.—Black or dark purple, berry-like.

In the June woods the much-divided leaf and rounded flower-clusters of the wild sarsaparilla are frequently noticed, as well as the dark berries of the later year. The long aromatic roots of this plant are sold as a substitute for the genuine sarsaparilla. The rice-paper plant of China is a member of this genus.

Spikenard.
Aralia racemosa. Ginseng Family.

Root.—Large and aromatic. Stem.—Often tall and widely branched, leafy. Leaves.—Divided into many leaflets. Flowers.—Greenish-white, in clusters which are racemed. Fruit.—Dark purple, berry-like.

Canada Violet.
Viola Canadensis. Violet Family.

Stem.—Leafy, upright, one to two feet high. Leaves.—Heart-shaped, pointed, toothed. Flowers.—White, veined with purple, violet beneath, otherwise greatly resembling the common blue violet.

We associate the violet with the early year, but I have found the delicate fragrant flowers of this species blossoming high up on the Catskill Mountains late into September; and have known them to continue to appear in a New York city-garden into November. They are among the loveliest of the family, having a certain sprightly self-assertion which is peculiarly charming, perhaps because so unexpected.

The tiny sweet white violet, V. blanda, with brown or purple veins, which is found in nearly all low, wet, woody places in spring, is perhaps the only uniformly fragrant member of the family, and its scent, though sweet, is faint and elusive.

The lance-leaved violet, V. lanceolata, is another white species which is easily distinguished by its smooth lance-shaped leaves, quite unlike those of the common violet. It is found in damp soil, especially eastward.

Solomon’s Seal.
Polygonatum biflorum. Lily Family.

Stem.—Slender, curving, one to three feet long. Leaves.—Alternate, oval, set close to the stem. Flowers.—Greenish-white or straw-colored, bell-shaped, nodding from the axils of the leaves. Perianth.—Six-lobed at the summit. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—A dark blue berry.

The graceful leafy stems of the Solomon’s seal are among the most decorative features of our spring woods. The small blossoms which appear in May grow either singly or in clusters on a flower-stalk which is so fastened into the axil of each leaf that they droop beneath, forming a curve of singular grace which is sustained in later summer by the dark blue berries.

The larger species, P. giganteum, grows to a height of from two to seven feet, blossoming in the meadows and along the streams in June.

The common name was suggested by the rootstocks, which are marked with large round scars left by the death and separation of the base of the stout stalks of the previous years. These scars somewhat resemble the impression of a seal upon wax.

The generic name is from two Greek words signifying many, and knee, alluding to the numerous joints of the rootstock.

Choke-berry.
Pyrus arbutifolia. Rose Family.

A shrub from one to three feet high. Leaves.—Oblong or somewhat lance-shaped, finely toothed, downy beneath. Flowers.—White or reddish, small, clustered. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistil.—One, with two to five styles. Fruit.—Small, pear-shaped or globular, berry-like, dark red or blackish.

This low shrub is common in swamps and moist thickets all along the Atlantic coast, as well as farther inland. Its flowers appear in May or June; its fruit in late summer or autumn.

Stem.—Slender, trailing and creeping. Leaves.—Evergreen, small, ovate, pointed. Flowers.—Small, white, solitary from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.—Four-parted, with four large bracelets beneath. Corolla.—Deeply four-parted. Stamens.—Eight. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—A pure white berry.

This pretty little creeper is found blossoming in May in the peat-bogs and mossy woods of the North. It is only conspicuous when hung with its snow-white berries in late summer. It has the aromatic flavor of the wintergreen.

Bearberry.
Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi. Heath Family.

A trailing shrub. Leaves.—Thick and evergreen, smooth, somewhat wedge-shaped. Flowers.—Whitish, clustered. Calyx.—Small. Corolla.—Urn-shaped, five-toothed. Stamens.—Ten. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—Red, berry-like.

This plant blossoms in May, and is found on rocky hill-sides. Its name refers to the relish with which bears are supposed to devour its fruit.

False Solomon’s Seal.
Smilacina racemosa. Lily Family.

Stem.—Usually curving, one to three feet long. Leaves.—Oblong, veiny. Flowers.—Greenish-white, small, in a terminal raceme. Perianth.—Six-parted. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—A pale red berry speckled with purple.

A singular lack of imagination is betrayed in the common name of this plant. Despite a general resemblance to the true Solomon’s seal, and the close proximity in which the two are constantly found, S. racemosa, has enough originality to deserve an individual title. The position of the much smaller flowers is markedly different. Instead of drooping beneath the stem they terminate it, having frequently a pleasant fragrance, while the berries of late summer are pale red, flecked with purple. It puzzles one to understand why these two plants should so constantly be found growing side by side—so close at times that they almost appear to spring from one point. The generic name is from smilax, on account of a supposed resemblance between the leaves of this plant and those which belong to that genus.

A shrub from three to six feet high. Leaves.—Somewhat three-lobed, resembling those of the maple, downy underneath. Flowers.—White, small, in flat-topped clusters. Calyx.—Five-toothed. Corolla.—Spreading, five-lobed. Stamens.—Five. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—Berry-like, crimson, turning purple.

Perhaps our flowering shrubs contribute even more to the beauty of the early summer woods and fields than the smaller plants. Along many of the lanes which intersect the woodlands the viburnums are conspicuous in June. When the blossoms of the dockmackie have passed away we need not be surprised if we are informed that this shrub is a young maple. There is certainly a resemblance between its leaves and those of the maple, as the specific name indicates. To be sure, the first red, then purple berries, can scarcely be accounted for, but such a trifling incongruity would fail to daunt the would-be wiseacre of field and forest. With Napoleonic audacity he will give you the name of almost any shrub or flower about which you may inquire. Seizing upon some feature he has observed in another plant, he will immediately christen the one in question with the same title—somewhat modified, perhaps—and in all probability his authority will remain unquestioned. There is a marvellous amount of inaccuracy afloat in regard to the names of even the commonest plants, owing to this wide-spread habit of guessing at the truth and stating a conjecture as a fact.

Hobble-bush. American Wayfaring-tree.
Viburnum lantanoides. Honeysuckle Family.

Leaves.—Rounded, pointed, closely toothed, heart-shaped at the base, the veins beneath as well as the stalks and small branches being covered with a rusty scurf. Fruit.—Coral-red, berry-like.

The marginal flowers of the flat-topped clusters of the hobble-bush, like those of the hydrangea, are much larger than the inner ones, and are without either stamens or pistils; their only part in the economy of the shrub being to form an attractive setting for the cluster, and thus to allure the insect-visitors that are usually so necessary to the future well-being of the species. The shrub is a common one in our northern woods and mountains. Its straggling growth, and its reclining branches, which often take root in the ground, have suggested the popular names of hobble-bush, and wayfaring-tree.

Round-leaved Dogwood.
Cornus circinata. Dogwood Family.

A shrub six to ten feet high. Leaves.—Rounded, abruptly pointed. Flowers.—Small, white, in flat, spreading clusters. Calyx.—Minutely four-toothed. Corolla.—Of four white, oblong, spreading petals. Stamens.—Four. Pistil.—One. Fruit.—Light blue, berry-like.

The different members of the Dogwood family are important factors in the lovely pageant which delights our eyes along the country lanes every spring. Oddly enough, only the smallest and largest representative of the tribe (the little bunch-berry, and the flowering-dogwood, which is sometimes a tree of goodly dimensions), have in common the showy involucre which is usually taken for the blossom itself; but which instead only surrounds the close cluster of inconspicuous greenish flowers.

The other members of the genus are all comprised in the shrubby dogwoods; many of these are very similar in appearance, bearing their white flowers in flat, spreading clusters, and differing chiefly in their leaves and fruit.

The branches of the round-leaved dogwood are greenish and warty-dotted. Its fruit is light blue, and berry-like.

The panicled dogwood, C. paniculata, may be distinguished by its white fruit and smooth, gray branches.

The red-osier dogwood, C. stolonifera, is common in wet places. Its young shoots and branches are a bright purplish-red. Its flower-clusters are small; its fruit, white or lead-color.

The bark of this genus has been considered a powerful tonic, and an extract entitled “cornine,” is said to possess the properties of quinine less strongly marked. The Chinese peel its twigs, and use them for whitening their teeth. It is said that the Creoles also owe the dazzling beauty of their teeth to this same practice.

Bellwort.
Oakesia sessilifolia. Lily Family.

Stem.—Acutely angled, rather low. Leaves.—Set close to or clasping the stem, pale, lance-oblong. Flower.—Yellowish-white or straw-color. Perianth.—Narrowly bell-shaped, divided into six distinct sepals. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One, with a deeply three-cleft style.

In spring this little plant is very abundant in the woods. It bears one or two small lily-like blossoms which droop modestly beneath the curving stems.

With the same common name and near of kin is Uvularia perfoliata, with leaves which seem pierced by the stem, but otherwise of a strikingly similar aspect.

Hawthorn. White-thorn.
Cratægus coccinea. Rose Family.

A shrub or small tree, with spreading branches, and stout thorns or spines. Leaves.—On slender leaf-stalks, thin, rounded, toothed, sometimes lobed. Flowers.—White or sometimes reddish, rather large, clustered, with a somewhat disagreeable odor. Calyx.—Urn-shaped, five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five broad, rounded petals. Stamens.—Five to ten, or many. Pistil.—One, with one to five styles. Fruit.—Coral-red, berry-like.

The flowers of the white-thorn appear in spring, at the same time with those of the dogwoods. Its scarlet fruit gleams from the thicket in September.

White Baneberry.
Actæa alba. Crowfoot Family.

Stem.—About two feet high. Leaves.—Twice or thrice-compound, leaflets incised and sharply toothed. Flowers.—Small, white, in a thick, oblong, terminal raceme. Calyx.—Of four to five tiny sepals which fall as the flower expands. Corolla.—Of four to ten small flat petals with slender claws. Stamens.—Numerous, with slender white filaments. Pistil.—One, with a depressed, two-lobed stigma. Fruit.—An oval white berry, with a dark spot, on a thick red stalk.