Part 9

The flowers are slightly notched at the tip. A strong yellow color. The cup is vase-shaped, hairy; and green. The heads are set on slender, rough-hairy stems, and arranged in a terminal cluster; a small leaf occurs at the junction of the stems.

The blossoms open only in the broad sunlight, and when plucked wilt quickly, thus losing their chief charm, a jaunty carriage.

*Wild Lettuce.* _Lactuca hirsuta._

Found on waysides, and edges of thickets, in July.

The simple leafy stalk grows to be 3 or 4 or 5 feet high; it is hollow, and large, with a strong fibre, a thick, milky and bitter juice, and a tough skin whose surface is somewhat hairy. The color is usually a dark purplish-red.

The long leaf is deeply cut, or lobed, even almost to the wide midrib,--the lobes pointing toward the base of the leaf,--the tip taper-pointed; the upper leaves are slightly or not at all lobed; the surface is smooth above, sometimes hairy on the underside of the midrib. The arrangement is alternate, the leaves partly clasping the stalk. In color a full green, the midrib of the lower leaves a dark reddish-purple.

The minute flowers are collected in small heads, set in vase-shaped green cups; their color varies from a light, dull lavender, to a dingy white. The heads grow in branching clusters from the summit of the stalk.

The stout, tall, dark red stalk and broadly veined leaves make this a conspicuous inhabitant of the roadside; its small flowers however do not seem to fulfil the promise put forth by this vigorous growth. The dark brown, flattened seeds have fine, white, dandelion-like plumes.

*Wormwood.* _Artemisia Absinthium._

Found during July and August along roads and lanes.

The stalk grows from 2 to 3 feet high, and is branching, and shrubby; its fibre is strong, it is slightly grooved, and silky to the touch. In color silvery green.

The rather small leaf is often divided to the midrib, the divisions being long and narrow; the surface is smooth, with fine silky hairs. Color, silvery green. The leaves are set upon the stalk in clusters, alternately; they have an aromatic scent.

The flowers are very minute, of a pale yellowish-green color, and clustered in small hemispherical heads, in pale green cups; their heads, nodding along the sides of the slender branchlets, form long terminal spires.

This Artemisia, though escaped from the garden, has taken most kindly and naturally to the common road, where its light silvery sheen renders it quite distinct from the surrounding growths. It has an agreeable pungent odor, resembling that of the Chrysanthemum, though much stronger, and it is very bitter to the taste.

*Tansy.* _Tanacetum vulgare._

Found in July and August, chiefly along walls and fences, although occasionally in fields.

The stout and sturdy stalk, which grows to be sometimes 4 feet high, is branching and leafy, tough-fibred, round and smooth. Of a rich, light green color.

The large and long leaf is so deeply cleft into many narrow, oblong divisions, and the margin is so regularly toothed, that it bears the appearance of a curly feather; the vigorous curving midrib is an important feature; its texture is coarse, and it is pungently odorous. The color is a full, rich, dark green.

The flowers are very small, of a strong, full yellow, tending slightly toward green; packed tightly into a flat head, like a button with a little dent in the middle. The heads, enclosed in a shallow, yellow-green leafy cup, are set on slender, light green stems, and arranged in large, loose terminal clusters.

Growing in thickly-settled communities the Tansy plant forms a well known member of the roadside tenantry with its noble dark foliage, luxuriant and usually free from blight, and strong stalks topped profusely by the flower clusters, whose yellow is toned to a remarkable harmony with green. On a hot day the smell of the Tansy may be perceived at a considerable distance. “In the spring time are made with the leaves hereof, newly sprung up, and with eggs, cakes or Tansies, which be pleasant in taste, and goode for the stomacke,” says Gerarde, and echoes of rules for Tansy-cakes come to us from the records of early New England house-wives.

*Black-Eyed Susan.* _Rudbeckia hirta._ *Cone Flower.* *Coreopsis.* *“Yellow Daisy.”* *Golden Jerusalem (N. H.)*

Found in sunny meadows and grass fields during July and August in great profusion.

The stalk (from 1 to 2 feet high) is very erect, sometimes bears branches, and is sparingly leafy; it is strong-fibred, coarse-textured, and hairy. The color, light green, is often brownish near the foot.

The leaf is long and narrow, with a fine-pointed tip, and an entire margin; the texture is loose, and the surface rough. The color is yellow-green. It slightly clasps the stalk. The leaves are arranged sparsely and alternately.

The minute flowers, of a rich, deep purple-brown color, are packed smoothly and closely in a cone-shaped head, the base of which is surrounded by a single row of 12 or 15 rays; these rays are over an inch long, and are sometimes one-half wide, they are blunt-pointed with a notched top, their texture is silken and faintly shows the veins, and their color is of a noble full yellow. The head is set upon a mat made of a double row of overlapping, small, green parts, and is borne singly on the summit of the stalk, or branch.

A ruthless invader of mowing lots where it makes a brilliant patch of color that may be discerned from afar, the farmer wages war on this handsome flower. It is not unusual to find it indulging in odd variations upon the established habit of blossoming, such as doubling the rows of rays, or with two or three heads bunched together, or set atop of one another.

*Thoroughwort.* _Eupatorium perfoliatum._ *Boneset.*

Found in roadside thickets, and the borders of copses, during July and August.

The simple stalk, commonly about 2 feet high, sometimes grows to the height of 4 feet; it is large, strong-fibred, round, and hairy to the touch. In color pale green.

The leaf is lance-shaped, with a long fine-pointed tip, and united at the base to the opposite leaf, completely encircling the stalk as though strung upon it; the margin is finely notched, the midrib stout, with many veins showing; the upper surface is rough, the underside is hairy. The color is a strong green. The pairs of leaves are set at right angles with each other, and at a considerable space apart.

The flowers are small and feathery; greenish white. They are gathered in small tuft-like heads, and arranged in loose, leafy, terminal clusters, on short, stout, pale stems.

A charming kink in the outline marks the joining of the leaves. The pleasant perfume of the blossoms is proclaimed by the frequent visits of the bees. Sometimes the flower-cluster spreads to an unexpected size; personal measurement has discovered a plant, but 18 inches in height, whose clustered bloom was fully a foot across.

*Eupatorium.* _Eupatorium ageratoides._ *White Snake-root.*

Found in rich moist soil, along the edges of woods and shaded roads, in August and September.

The stalk (from 2 to 4 feet high) branches a little, and is leafy; it is large, strong, fine-fibred, and smooth. In color, pale green, tinged with dull purple.

The leaf is large, broadly oval, taper-pointed, and widest at the base, with 3 marked ribs, a coarsely toothed margin, a thin texture, and smooth surface. The leaves are set on short stems, and are placed opposite each other on the stalk. The color is green.

The minute flowers, and projecting pistils, are white; and grouped in small heads, enclosed in vase-shaped cups of green, on short stems. The heads are arranged in close, rather flat-topped clusters on the top of the stalk, and springing from the angles of the upper leaves.

This plant comes into bloom in company with its next of kin, Joe Pye and Boneset; it thrives well under cultivation, and certainly is worthy of a better name than “Snake-root,”--which is, perhaps, the reason it is so generally known by “Eupatorium,” the generic name it shares with so many others. It is much frequented by some small creature who leaves a pale labyrinthine trail etched on the broad surface of its leaves.

*Joe Pye Weed.* _Eupatorium purpureum._ *Trumpet Weed.*

Found in moist grounds, ditches, and meadows, during August and September.

The erect, single, and leafy stalk varies from 4 to 8, or even sometimes 9, feet in height; it is large, and stout, and roughish to the touch. The color is a dull pinkish-purple.

The leaf is large, and oblong, tapering at both ends, the tip becoming a long slender point; the margin is notched, the ribs form a stout netted framework, the texture is coarse, and the surface is roughened. The leaves are set on very short stems, and arranged in whorls, of 3 to 6, about the stalk, at regular intervals. In color they are a strong vigorous green, the ribs often tinged with purplish-pink.

The small tubular flowers, and projecting thread-like pistils, are, in color, a light pinky purple; they are grouped in small heads, whose cups, and short foot-stems, are of the same color. The heads are arranged in thickly branching, large, more or less flat-topped, terminal clusters.

Joe Pye is a striking plant, of vigorous growth, whose large whorls of leaves are full of sweeping curves. Out of the sunlight and close at hand the flowers seem a little dingy in color, but by the wayside it is pleasing in tone. Why “Joe Pye”?

*Common Thistle.* _Cnicus lanceolatus._

Found in pastures during July and August.

The branching, leafy stalk is 1 or 2 feet high; large, round, and tough-fibred; covered with white wool. In color, green.

The leaf is long, and narrow, tapering to a long point, with a large, stout, and curling midrib; the margin is deeply, and often cut, and armed at every point by strong, stiff, thorn-like spines. The texture is tough, and the upper surface is prickly, while the under is woolly with web-like hairs. The leaf clasps the stalk, and hugs it for a full inch or more before it springs away with a free curve; the lobes are ruffled, and flaring, as they lie along the stalk. The arrangement is alternate, and rather near together. The color is green, lighter at the midrib.

The flowers are small and silky; in color a beautiful deep crimson, tending toward violet. Many flowers are gathered into a large round-topped head, that is held in an admirably shaped green cup, which is protected by many, long, needle-pointed, white spines. One or two flower-heads occur together on the summit of the stalk, or branch. Their perfume is delicious.

This might well be named the Warrior Thistle, being armed _cap-a-pie_ for conflict with cows and boys, and nearly impregnable against them. It loves to sit beside a boulder in the midst of cow-path, or bye-lane, and defy intercourse with any, save the bumble-bees, who sleep upon the silken flower o’ nights. Special observation should be given to the classic vase-shape of the cup.

*Pasture Thistle.* _Cnicus pumilus._ *Bull Thistle.*

Found in dry pastures, uplands, roadsides, during July and August.

The erect, and somewhat branching, stalk varies from 1 to 3 feet in height; it is sparingly leafy, very large, and stout of fibre, and round; hairy to the touch. Color, green.

The leaf is long, and narrow, with a stout midrib; the margin is cut frequently but not deeply, each joint being tipped with a spine that is not so long as those of the Common Thistle; the texture is strong-fibred, the upper surface rather smooth, the underside covered with cobwebby hairs. The color, green. The leaf somewhat clasps the stalk; and the arrangment is alternate, at some distance apart.

The silky flowers are crimson-purple, less strong in tone than the Common Thistle; spreading softly, in a large, rounded, downy head, from the large cup. The cup is a fine urn-shape, closely covered with short prickles; green in color; with a few small leaves at the base. One to three flower heads rise from the summit of the stalk, or branches.

Larger (the flower-head is often nearly two inches across), but less ferociously equipped than the Warrior Thistle, this carries a sweeter perfume, and is the beloved of the bees. Especially is the flower-head lovely in color.

*Canada Thistle.* _Cnicus arvensis._

Found, during July and August, in lanes and fields.

The stalk is branching, and leafy, and from 2 to 3 feet in height; it is large, tough in fibre, and grooved. Its color is grayish-green.

The leaf is narrow, and sharp-pointed, the margin deeply notched, and much ruffled, and bristling in all directions and from every notch with short, sharp spines; the strong midrib is lighter in color than the grayish-green leaf. The leaves, set immediately upon the stalk, are alternately placed.

The small tubular flowers are 5-pointed, and the thread-like stamens and pistils are prominent; their color is lavender, while the stamens and pistils are white. They are gathered into tufted heads, enclosed in a gray-green vase-shaped cup, that is protected by short weak prickles; they grow in loose, branching clusters on the top of the plant.

This Thistle grows in great communities, spreading rapidly, and justly considered a pest by the farmer. The mass of its lavender colored bloom in its prime is pleasing to the eye, but later it develops an unkempt and weedy aspect, more befitting its character of an unwelcome tramp. Its flowers are sweet scented, and much sought by bees and butterflies.

*Spiny-leaved Sow Thistle.* _Sonchus asper._

Found in cultivated fields, and along roadsides, in August.

The stalk is either simple, or branching near the top, from 2 to 3 or 4 feet high, large, round, and very hollow like a tube, and juicy; it is grooved, and smooth to the touch. The color is green, sometimes streaked with red near the foot.

The leaf is very long (sometimes 10 inches), lance-shaped with a tapering point, and noticeable rounded wing-like bases; the margin is deeply and irregularly toothed, and the edge is rolled under, thus making the teeth sharp-pointed, and stiff, like little spines; the midrib is prominent beneath, wide, flat, and pale above; underneath many veins show; the texture is thin, and the surface is smooth. The upper side is a cool clear green, the underside silvery, with a pale bloom. It is clasping, the prolonged bases flaring like wings on either side of the stalk.

The flowers are tiny and downy; light yellow in color; gathered in a flat-topped head (which is less than an inch across), enclosed in a small vase-shaped, green, and leafy cup. The heads are set on slender stems, in loose terminal groups, or singly on short leafy stems from the angles of the leaves; at the junction of these foot-stems small, oval leaves occur.

Nothing could be more suggestive of decorative design than the fine arch and spring of this leaf, with its ornamental winged clasps; and its refinement of color is an added excellence. The highly inappropriate folk-name (it is said to be a favorite article of diet among the English swine) should be abolished, and the plant called instead The Gothic Thistle in memory of a school who could appreciate its sculptural significance better than the moderns.

*Common Sow Thistle.* _Sonchus oleraceus._

Found in fields, and cultivated lands in August.

The stalk varies in height from 1 to 4 feet; it is single, and leafy, somewhat twisting, tougher in fibre than _S. asper_, hollow, with a milky juice, and smooth. Color, a cool green.

The curiously cut leaf (about 6 inches long) is divided into a large triangular tip, a pair of acute-angled flaring side divisions, and narrow long-pointed bases which project like sharp-pointed wings beyond the stalk they clasp. Occasional leaves are not cut, and are merely lance-shaped. The midrib is flat above, and round beneath; the margin is toothed, with fine, weak spines; the texture is firm, and the surface is smooth and shining. Color, a fine cool green, the underside silvery with bloom. The arrangement is alternate.

The flowers are similar in color, size, and arrangement to _S. asper_. The foot-stems are sometimes bristly with short hairs, and at their junction occurs a long-pointed, small leaf, whose margin is entire. Below the flower-cluster the stalk is bare for a considerable space; single flower-heads spring from the angles of the leaves the greater part of its height.

The immature flower-heads are wrapped in a woolly blanket. The leaf is something like a Dandelion’s in shape, and interesting from a decorative point of view. These plants are said to be common to many countries,--Europe, Africa, and New Zealand. In the last-named region an old traveller says the parrots “of beauteous dyes, but odious accents” feed upon it.

*Chicory.* _Cichorium Intybus._ *Succory.* *Blue Sailors.*

Found, from July to September, growing in dry waste places.

The stalk, which varies from 2 to 4 feet in height, is branching, and leafy, rather large, stout and tough of fibre, and rigid in growth; it is grooved and hairy. The color is gray-green.

The leaf is not large, oblong in shape, with a sharp tip; the margin is slightly notched, with spreading hairs along the edge; the midrib is strong and the surface is hairy; the gesture curving, or wavy. In color, gray-green. The lower leaves are sharply cut at the base. The arrangement is alternate, and the leaves clasp the stalk.

The flower is “strap-shaped,” rather broad, with a finely notched lip; the texture is very fine and thin, and the surface is shining and smooth. The color is an exquisite gray-blue or lavender, sometimes inclining to lilac, or even to pink. The flowers are arranged in heads, composed of several rows, spreading from a leafy green cup, which is closely surrounded by 4 or 6 little leaves (or “bracts”): all these parts being hairy. The heads are set close to the stalk in groups of twos and threes, in the angles of leaves, or singly on short stout stems.

These charmingly colored blossoms are scattered all along the stalks and branches, beginning near the foot, where they first open, not more than a few being in perfection at once. This scantiness of bloom and the stiff weediness of its growth make the Chicory plant less loved than it deserves for the peculiar beauty of its blue flowers. It grows most profusely near the seaboard, and in vacant city lots or neglected door-yards it bravely tries to hide the ugly remnants of civilization thrown aside by man.

*Burdock.* _Arctium Lappa._

Found, during August and September, along roads and in barren fields.

The stalk branches much, and is very leafy, with a bushy habit of growth, between 2 and 4 feet in height; it is large, stout-fibred, round, grooved, and rough to the touch. The color is light green, showing the red-purple tints of the flowers in streaks, especially at the junction of the stems.

The leaf is very large; the foot-leaves (often over 12 inches long) are rudely heart-shaped, and much puckered or fulled on the midrib, the upper leaves are smaller, and oval; the ribs show underneath in bold relief, the veins being like a strong network; the margin is entire, the texture coarse, and the surface rough. The color is gray-green, lighter underneath, while the midrib is pink above, and paler beneath. The leaves are set on stout, trough-like, reddish stems, which clasp the stalk; the arrangement is alternate.

The flower is very small and silky, crowded into a soft tuft, enclosed in an urn-shaped burr, which is armed with row upon row of sharp out-spreading spines, long, hooked, and sticky. The color of the heads varies, from nearly white, to a deep rose-purple, or blue-purple; the burr is green, or purple. The heads are set on short stems in irregular terminal groups, or on the short branches.

As the flowers mature thread-like white pistils push forth; they open first on the rim of the head. Ranking a pest among flowers, the Burdock is loved by children for its sticky burrs from which they fashion variegated toys. Designers would do well to study its bold finely arching leaves. “So if you please we will take a leaf of burdock, the principal business of that plant being clearly to grow leaves, wherewith to adorn foregrounds.”---Ruskin.

*Elecampane.* _Inula Helenium._

Found along roadsides in August.

Growing to the good height of 5 feet sometimes, this very large, and stout stalk is single and leafy, tough-fibred, but smooth to the touch. Colored green, with a beautiful purple-gray bloom.

The leaf is large; its heart-shaped base has prolonged points, and its tip tapers very much; the margin is irregularly scalloped, its ribs are many and strong, the midrib being large and prominent beneath, and so taut it puckers and pulls the blade; the texture is thick, and the underside is slightly woolly. The root-leaves are oval, and on long stems; the upper leaves are clasping, and alternately placed. Their color is a strong grayish-green, of a peculiarly fine, cool quality.

The flowers are small, and yellow, soon turning to tawny. They are set in a large disc, surrounded by many, narrow, bright yellow rays. The cup which holds the head is shallow and composed of many broad, curling or wavy, light green parts, which overlap each other in several rows; close beneath the cup occurs a small leaf. The head is set on a stem which bears a single leaf midway its length; two or three flower-heads are grouped together; they are placed terminally, and in the angles of the upper leaves.

Growing in large settlements, by the stone wall or Virginia-rail fence, Elecampane commands attention by its splendid vigor of growth, and the free curves of its fine leafage. In color too, it is highly suggestive of decorative purposes, for the excellence of its green, and the plum-gray bloom upon its stout stalk.

*Life Everlasting.* _Anaphalis margaritacea._ *Pearly Everlasting.* *Moonshine (Vt.)*

Found in July, August, and September, in roadside tangles, dry pastures and uplands.

The stalk which varies from 12 to 18 inches in height is branching, and leafy, round, woody-fibred, and covered with silky wool. Of a light green color, much modified by the gray-white wool, which is often tinged with brown near the ground.

The leaf is very long and narrow, with a pointed tip, the midrib is noticeably strong, and the margin entire; it is soft and agreeable to the touch, because of the silky wool which covers both upper and lower surfaces, and tempers its color to a light gray-green, somewhat darker than the stalk. The arrangement is clasping, alternate, and frequent.