Part 5

BUNCH-BERRY. DWARF CORNEL. _Cornus Canadensis._ Dogwood Family.

_Stem._—Five to seven inches high. _Leaves._—Ovate, pointed, the upper crowded into an apparent whorl of four to six. _Flowers._—Greenish, small, in a cluster which is surrounded by a large and showy four-leaved, petal-like, white or pinkish involucre. _Calyx._—Minutely four-toothed. _Corolla._—Of four spreading petals. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—Bright red, berry-like.

When one’s eye first falls upon the pretty flowers of the bunch-berry in the June woods, the impression is received that each low stem bears upon its summit a single large white blossom. A more searching look discovers that what appeared like rounded petals are really the showy white leaves of the involucre which surround the small, closely clustered, greenish flowers.

The bright red berries which appear in late summer make brilliant patches in the woods and swamps. Both in flower and fruit this is one of the prettiest of our smaller plants. It is closely allied to the well-known flowering-dogwood, which is so ornamental a tree in early spring.

In the Scotch Highlands it is called the “plant of gluttony,” on account of its supposed power of increasing the appetite. It is said to form part of the winter food of the Esquimaux.

SWEET BAY. LAUREL MAGNOLIA. _Magnolia glauca._ Magnolia Family.

A shrub from four to twenty feet high. _Leaves._—Oval to broadly lance-shaped, from three to six inches long. _Flowers._—White, two inches long, growing singly at the ends of the branches. _Calyx._—Of three sepals. _Corolla._—Globular, with from six to nine broad petals. _Stamens._—Numerous, with short filaments and long anthers. _Pistils._—Many, packed so as to make a sort of cone in fruit. _Fruit._—Cone-like, red, fleshy when ripe; the pistils opening at maturity and releasing the scarlet seeds which hang by delicate threads.

The beautiful fragrant blossoms of the sweet bay may be found from June till August, in swamps along the coast from Cape Ann southward.

LIZARD’S TAIL. _Saururus cernuus._ Pepper Family.

_Stem._—Jointed, often tall. _Leaves._—Alternate, heart-shaped. _Flowers._—White, without calyx or corolla, crowded into a slender, wand-like terminal spike which nods at the end. _Stamens._—Usually six or seven. _Pistils._—Three or four, united at their base.

The nodding, fragrant spikes of the lizard’s tail abound in certain swamps from June till August. While the plant is not a common one, it is occasionally found in great profusion, and is sure to arrest attention by its odd appearance.

MOONSEED. _Menispermum Canadense._ Moonseed Family.

_Stem._—Woody, climbing. _Leaves._—Three to seven-angled or lobed, their stalks fastened near the edge of the lower surface. _Flowers._—White or yellowish, in small loose clusters, unisexual. _Calyx._—Of four to eight sepals. _Corolla._—Of six to eight short petals. _Stamens and Pistils._—Occurring on different plants. _Fruit._—Berry-like, black, with a bloom.

Clambering over the thickets which line the streams, we notice in September the lobed or angled leaves and black berries of the moonseed, the small white or yellowish flowers of which were, perhaps, overlooked in June.

MOUNTAIN LAUREL. SPOONWOOD. CALICO-BUSH. _Kalmia latifolia._ Heath Family.

An evergreen shrub. _Leaves._—Oblong, pointed, shining, of a leathery texture. _Flowers._—White or pink, in terminal clusters. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Marked with red, wheel-shaped, five-lobed, with ten depressions. _Stamens._—Ten, each anther lodged in one of the depressions of the corolla. _Pistil._—One.

The shining green leaves which surround the white or rose-colored flowers of the mountain laurel are familiar to all who have skirted the west shore of the Hudson River, wandered across the hills that lie in its vicinity, or clambered across the mountains of Pennsylvania, where the shrub sometimes grows to a height of thirty feet. Not that these localities limit its range: for it abounds more or less from Canada to Florida, and far inland, especially along the mountains, whose sides are often clothed with an apparent mantle of pink snow during the month of June, and whose waste places are, in very truth, made to blossom like the rose at this season.

The shrub is highly prized and carefully cultivated in England. Barewood Gardens, the beautiful home of the editor of the London _Times_, is celebrated for its fine specimens of mountain laurel and American rhododendron. The English papers advertise the approach of the flowering season, the estate is thrown open to the public, and the people for miles around flock to see the radiant strangers from across the water. The shrub is not known there as the laurel, but by its generic title, _Kalmia_. The head gardener of the place received with some incredulity my statement that in parts of America the waste hill-sides were brilliant with its beauty every June.

The ingenious contrivance of these flowers to secure cross-fertilization is most interesting. The long filaments of the stamens are arched by each anther being caught in a little pouch of the corolla; the disturbance caused by the sudden alighting of an insect on the blossom, or the quick brush of a bee’s wing, dislodges the anthers from their niches, and the stamens spring upward with such violence that the pollen is jerked from its hiding-place in the pore of the anther-cell on to the body of the insect-visitor, who straightway carries it off to another flower upon whose protruding stigma it is sure to be inadvertently deposited. In order to see the working of this for one’s self, it is only necessary to pick a fresh blossom and either brush the corolla quickly with one’s finger, or touch the stamens suddenly with a pin, when the anthers will be dislodged and the pollen will be seen to fly.

This is not the laurel of the ancients—the symbol of victory and fame—notwithstanding some resemblance in the form of the leaves. The classic shrub is supposed to be identical with the _Laurus nobilis_ which was carried to our country by the early colonists, but which did not thrive in its new environment.

The leaves of our species are supposed to possess poisonous qualities, and are said to have been used by the Indians for suicidal purposes. There is also a popular belief that the flesh of a partridge which has fed upon its fruit becomes poisonous. The clammy exudation about the flower-stalks and blossoms may serve the purpose of excluding from the flower such small insects as would otherwise crawl up to it, dislodge the stamens, scatter the pollen, and yet be unable to carry it to its proper destination on the pistil of another flower.

The _Kalmia_ was named by Linnæus after Peter Kalm, one of his pupils who travelled in this country, who was, perhaps, the first to make known the shrub to his great master.

The popular name spoonwood grew from its use by the Indians for making eating-utensils. The wood is of fine grain and takes a good polish.

The title calico-bush probably arose from the marking of the corolla, which, to an imaginative mind, might suggest the cheap cotton-prints sold in the shops.

WHITE SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE. CLAMMY AZALEA. _Rhododendron viscosum._ Heath Family.

A shrub from three to ten feet high. _Leaves._—Oblong. _Flowers._—White, clustered, appearing after the leaves. _Calyx-lobes._—Minute. _Corolla._—White, five-lobed, the clammy tube much longer than the lobes. _Stamens._—Usually five, protruding. _Pistil._—One, protruding.

The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful shrub appear in early summer along the swamps which skirt the coast, and occasionally farther inland. The close family resemblance to the pink azalea (Pl. LXV.) will be at once detected. On the branches of both species will be found those abnormal, fleshy growths, called variously “swamp apples” and “May apples,” which are so relished by the children. Formerly these growths were attributed to the sting of an insect, as in the “oak apple;” now they are generally believed to be modified buds.

AMERICAN RHODODENDRON. GREAT LAUREL. _Rhododendron maximum._ Heath Family.

A shrub from six to thirty-five feet high. _Leaves._—Thick and leathery, oblong, entire. _Flowers._—White or pink, clustered. _Calyx._—Minute, five-toothed. _Corolla._—Somewhat bell-shaped, five-parted, greenish in the throat, with red, yellow, or green spots. _Stamens._—Usually ten. _Pistil._—One.

This beautiful native shrub is one of the glories of our country when in the perfection of its loveliness. The woods which nearly cover many of the mountains of our Eastern States hide from all but the bold explorer a radiant display during the early part of July. Then the lovely waxy flower-clusters of the American rhododendron are in their fulness of beauty. As in the laurel, the clammy flower-stalks seem fitted to protect the blossom from the depredations of small and useless insects, while the markings on the corolla attract the attention of the desirable bee.

In those parts of the country where it flourishes most luxuriantly, veritable rhododendron jungles termed “hells” by the mountaineers are formed. The branches reach out and interlace in such a fashion as to be almost impassable.

The nectar secreted by the blossoms is popularly supposed to be poisonous. We read in Xenophon that during the retreat of the Ten Thousand, the soldiers found a quantity of honey of which they freely partook, with results that proved almost fatal. This honey is said to have been made from a rhododendron which is still common in Asia Minor and which is believed to possess intoxicating and poisonous properties.

Comparatively little attention had been paid to this superb flower until the Centennial Celebration at Philadelphia, when some fine exhibits attracted the admiration of thousands. The shrub has been carefully cultivated in England, having been brought to great perfection on some of the English estates. It is yearly winning more notice in this country.

The generic name is from the Greek for _rose-tree_.

WOOD SORREL. _Oxalis Acetosella._ Geranium Family.

_Scape._—One-flowered, two to five inches high. _Leaves._—Divided into three clover-like leaflets. _Flower._—White veined with red, solitary. _Calyx._—Of five sepals. _Corolla._—Of five petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One with five styles.

Surely nowhere can be found a daintier carpeting than that made by the clover-like foliage of the wood sorrel when studded with its rose-veined blossoms in the northern woods of June. At the very name comes a vision of mossy nooks where the sunlight only comes on sufferance, piercing its difficult path through the tent-like foliage of the forest, resting only long enough to become a golden memory.

The early Italian painters availed themselves of its chaste beauty. Mr. Ruskin says: “Fra Angelico’s use of the _Oxalis Acetosella_ is as faithful in representation as touching in feeling. The triple leaf of the plant and white flower stained purple probably gave it strange typical interest among the Christian painters.”

Throughout Europe it bears the odd name of “Hallelujah” on account of its flowering between Easter and Whitsuntide, the season when the Psalms sung in the churches resound with that word. There has been an unfounded theory that this title sprang from St. Patrick’s endeavor to prove to his rude audience the possibility of a Trinity in Unity from the three-divided leaves. By many this ternate leaf has been considered the shamrock of the ancient Irish.

The English title, “cuckoo-bread,” refers to the appearance of the blossoms at the season when the cry of the cuckoo is first heard.

Our name sorrel is from the Greek for _sour_ and has reference to the acrid juice of the plant. The delicate leaflets “sleep” at night; that is, they droop and close one against another.

POISON SUMACH. _Rhus venenata._ Cashew Family.

A shrub from six to eighteen feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into seven to thirteen oblong entire leaflets. _Flowers._—Greenish or yellowish-white, in loose axillary clusters; some perfect, others unisexual. _Fruit._—Whitish or dun-colored, small, globular.

The poison sumach infests swampy places and flowers in June. In early summer it can be distinguished from the harmless members of the family by the slender flower-clusters which grow from the axils of the leaves, those of the innocent sumachs being borne in pyramidal, terminal clusters. In the later year the fruits of the respective shrubs are, of course, similarly situated, but, to accentuate the distinction, they differ in color; that of the poison sumach being whitish or dun-colored, while that of the other is crimson.

STAGHORN SUMACH. _Rhus typhina._ Cashew Family.

A shrub or tree from ten to thirty feet high. _Leaves._—Divided into eleven to thirty-one somewhat lance-shaped, toothed leaflets. _Flowers._—Greenish or yellowish-white, in upright terminal clusters, some perfect, others unisexual, appearing in June. _Fruit._—Crimson, small, globular, hairy.

This is the common sumach which illuminates our hill-sides every autumn with masses of flame-like color. Many of us would like to decorate our homes with its brilliant sprays, but are deterred from handling them by the fear of being poisoned, not knowing that one glance at the crimson fruit-plumes should reassure us, as the poisonous sumachs are white-fruited. These tossing pyramidal fruit-clusters at first appear to explain the common title of staghorn sumach. It is not till the foliage has disappeared, and the forked branches are displayed in all their nakedness, that we feel that these must be the feature in which the common name originated.

POISON IVY. _Rhus Toxicodendron._ Cashew Family.

A shrub which usually climbs by means of rootlets over rocks, walls, and trees; sometimes low and erect. _Leaves._—Divided into three somewhat four-sided pointed leaflets. _Flowers._—Greenish or yellowish-white, small, some perfect, others unisexual; in loose clusters in the axils of the leaves in June. _Fruit._—Small, globular, somewhat berry-like, dun-colored, clustered.

This much-dreaded plant is often confused with the beautiful Virginia creeper, occasionally to the ruthless destruction of the latter. Generally the two can be distinguished by the three-divided leaves of the poison ivy, the leaves of the Virginia creeper usually being five-divided. In the late year the whitish fruit of the ivy easily identifies it, the berries of the creeper being blackish. The poison ivy is reputed to be especially harmful during the night, or at any time in early summer when the sun is not shining upon it.

VIRGINIA CREEPER. AMERICAN IVY. _Ampelopsis quinquefolia._ Vine Family.

A woody vine climbing by means of disk-bearing tendrils, and also by rootlets. _Leaves._—Usually divided into five leaflets. _Flowers._—Greenish, small, clustered, appearing in July. _Fruit._—A small, blackish berry in October.

Surely in autumn, if not always, this is the most beautiful of our native climbers. At that season its blood-like sprays are outlined against the dark evergreens about which they delight to twine, showing that marvellous discrimination in background which so constantly excites our admiration in nature. The Virginia creeper is extensively cultivated in Europe. Even in Venice, that sea-city where one so little anticipates any reminders of home woods and meadows, many a dim canal mirrors in October some crumbling wall or graceful trellis aglow with its vivid beauty.

SHIN-LEAF. _Pyrola elliptica._ Heath Family.

_Scape._—Upright, scaly, terminating in a many-flowered raceme. _Leaves._—From the root, thin and dull, somewhat oval. _Flowers._—White, nodding. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Of five rounded, concave petals. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One, with a long curved style.

In the distance these pretty flowers suggest the lilies-of-the-valley. They are found in the woods of June and July, often in close company with the pipsissewa. The ugly common name of shin-leaf arose from an early custom of applying the leaves of this genus to bruises or sores; the English peasantry being in the habit of calling any kind of plaster a “shin-plaster” without regard to the part of the body to which it might be applied. The old herbalist, Salmon, says that the name _Pyrola_ was given to the genus by the Romans on account of the fancied resemblance of its leaves and flowers to those of a pear-tree. The English also call the plant “wintergreen,” which name we usually reserve for _Gaultheria procumbens_.

_P. rotundifolia_ is a species with thick, shining, rounded leaves.

COMMON BLACK HUCKLEBERRY. _Gaylussacia resinosa._ Heath Family.

One to three feet high. _Stems._—Shrubby, branching. _Leaves._—Oval or oblong, sprinkled more or less with waxy, resinous atoms. _Flowers._—White, reddish, or purplish, bell-shaped, growing in short, one-sided clusters. _Calyx._—With five short teeth. _Corolla._—Bell-shaped, with a five-cleft border. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A black, bloomless, edible berry.

The flowers of the common huckleberry appear in May or June; the berries in late summer. The shrub abounds in rocky woods and swamps.

COMMON BLUEBERRY. _Vaccinium corymbosun._ Heath Family.

Five to ten feet high.

The blueberry has a bloom which is lacking in the huckleberry. It is found in swamps or low thickets in late summer.

SQUAW HUCKLEBERRY. _Vaccinium stamineum._ Heath Family.

Two or three feet high. _Stems._—Diffusely branched.

This large greenish or yellowish berry is hardly edible. The flowers appear in June, and are easily recognized by their protruding stamens. The leaves are pale green above and whitish underneath.

PIPSISSEWA. PRINCE’S PINE. _Chimaphila umbellata._ Heath Family.

_Stem._—Four to ten inches high, leafy. _Leaves._—Somewhat whorled or scattered, evergreen, lance-shaped, with sharply toothed edges. _Flowers._—White or purplish, fragrant, in a loose terminal cluster. _Calyx._—Five-lobed. _Corolla._—With five rounded, widely spreading petals. _Stamens._—Ten, with violet anthers. _Pistil._—One, with a short top-shaped style and disk-like stigma.

When strolling through the woods in summer one is apt to chance upon great patches of these deliciously fragrant and pretty flowers. The little plant, with its shining evergreen foliage, flourishes abundantly among decaying leaves in sandy soil, and puts forth its dainty blossoms late in June. It is one of the latest of the fragile wood-flowers which are so charming in the earlier year, and which have already begun to surrender in favor of their hardier, more self-assertive brethren of the fields and roadsides. The common name, pipsissewa, is evidently of Indian origin, and perhaps refers to the strengthening properties which the red men ascribed to it.

SPOTTED PIPSISSEWA. _Chimaphila maculata._ Heath Family.

The spotted pipsissewa blossoms a little later than its twin-sister. Its slightly toothed leaves are conspicuously marked with white.

WHITE DAISY. WHITE-WEED. OX-EYED DAISY. _Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum._ Composite Family (p. 13).

The common white daisy stars the June meadows with those gold-centred blossoms which delight the eyes of the beauty-lover while they make sore the heart of the farmer, for the “whiteweed,” as he calls it, is hurtful to pasture-land and difficult to eradicate.

The true daisy is the _Bellis perennis_ of England,—the

Wee, modest crimson-tippit flower

of Burns. This was first called “day’s eye,” because it closed at night and opened at dawn,—

That well by reason men it call may, The Daisie, or else the eye of the day,

sang Chaucer nearly four hundred years ago. In England our flower is called “ox-eye” and “moon daisy;” in Scotland, “dog-daisy.”

The plant is not native to this country, but was brought from the Old World by the early colonists.

DAISY FLEABANE. SWEET SCABIOUS. _Erigeron annuus._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Stout, from three to five feet high, branched, hairy. _Leaves._—Coarsely and sharply toothed, the lowest ovate, the upper narrower. _Flower-heads._—Small, clustered, composed of both ray and disk-flowers, the former white, purplish, or pinkish, the latter yellow.

During the summer months the fields and waysides are whitened with these very common flowers which look somewhat like small white daisies or asters.

Another common species is _E. strigosus_, a smaller plant, with smaller flower-heads also, but with the white ray-flowers longer. The generic name is from two Greek words signifying _spring_ and _an old man_, in allusion to the hoariness of certain species which flower in the spring. The fleabanes were so named from the belief that when burned they were objectionable to insects. They were formerly hung in country cottages for the purpose of excluding such unpleasant intruders.

MAYWEED. CHAMOMILE. _Anthemis Cotula._ Composite Family (p. 13).

_Stem._—Branching. _Leaves._—Finely dissected. _Flower-heads._—Composed of white ray and yellow disk-flowers, resembling the common white daisy.

In midsummer the pretty daisy-like blossoms of this strong-scented plant are massed along the roadsides. So nearly a counterpart of the common daisy do they appear that they are constantly mistaken for that flower. The smaller heads, with the yellow disk-flowers crowded upon a receptacle which is much more conical than that of the daisy, and the finely dissected, feathery leaves, serve to identify the Mayweed. The country-folk brew “chamomile tea” from these leaves, and through their agency raise painfully effective blisters in an emergency.

NEW JERSEY TEA. RED-ROOT. _Ceanothus Americanus._ Buckthorn Family.

_Root._—Dark red. _Stem._—Shrubby, one to three feet high. _Flowers._—White, small, clustered. _Calyx._—White, petal-like, five-lobed, incurved. _Corolla._—With five long-clawed hooded petals. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One, with three stigmas.

This shrubby plant is very common in dry woods. In July its white feathery flower-clusters brighten many a shady nook in an otherwise flowerless neighborhood. During the Revolution its leaves were used as a substitute for tea.

BASTARD TOADFLAX. _Comandra umbellata._ Sandalwood Family.

_Stem._—Eight to ten inches high, branching, leafy. _Leaves._—Alternate, oblong, pale. _Flowers._—Greenish-white, small, clustered. _Calyx._—Bell or urn-shaped. _Corolla._—None. _Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One.

The bastard toadflax is commonly found in dry ground, flowering in May or June. Its root forms parasitic attachments to the roots of trees.

WINTERGREEN. CHECKERBERRY. MOUNTAIN TEA. _Gaultheria procumbens._ Heath Family.

_Stem._—Three to six inches high, slender, leafy at the summit. _Leaves._—Oval, shining, evergreen. _Flowers._—White, growing from the axils of the leaves. _Calyx._—Five-lobed. _Corolla._—Urn-shaped, with five small teeth. _Stamens._—Ten. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A globular red berry.