much veined, and is coarse in texture, while its surface is a trifle
glossy. It has a strong aromatic flavor to the taste. In color it
is green, showing the same red-purple of the stems at the ribs and
margins. The leaves are set in pairs that spring at right angles to
each other.
The very small tubular corolla is 4-divided, and dark lavender in
color; the 5-parted calyx is green. The flowers are set in whorls
about the stalk, with a space between each whorl,--beneath each ring
of flowers, and supporting it in its place, are seen a pair of little
purple-tinted bracts.
According to personal observation, the buds become dark purple in color
on the south side of the stalk before those on the north side have lost
their green. This is one of the nattiest of the Mints in growth, and is
held in especial affection by children.
[Illustration: SPEARMINT: M. virides.]
*Peppermint.* _Mentha piperita._
Found along meadow runlets and brooks,--near clear water,--in August.
The branching, leafy stalk, from 12 to 15 inches high, is square,
woody-fibred, smooth, and shining. It is a noticeably dark
purple-tinted green, sometimes reddish.
The leaf is oval with a broad base and sharp tip, the margin is
toothed, its ribs are noticeable, and texture thin, the under surface
being slightly rough, although the upper is velvety; its color is
green, toned with purple, which shows upon the upper side of the midrib
and along the edge. The leaves are set on short purplish stems, and
arranged in pairs, which grow at right angles to each other.
The very minute flower has a 2-lipped tubular corolla, the upper and
lower lips being cleft, or faintly notched, in the middle; it is
lavender, and so is the pale projecting pistil. The calyx is 5-parted,
very slightly hairy, and green-purple in color. The flowers are
arranged in compact whorls, and form a close, short, round, terminal
spike.
Its pungent odor and taste are the most commonly noted traits of this
Mint, but the rich-toned shining stalk is more worth observation.
[Illustration: PEPPERMINT: M. piperita.]
*American Pennyroyal.* _Hedeoma pulegioides._
Found, from July to September, in upland fields and pastures.
The sometimes branching stalk is slender, but strong in fibre; it grows
from 5 to 10 inches high, and is hairy to the touch. Green in color.
The small leaf is long-pointed, with a slightly toothed margin, and
somewhat roughened surface. It is medium green in color. The leaves,
on slight stems, are set in pairs, which occur closely, and at right
angles to each other.
The corolla of the very small flower consists of a downy 2-lipped tube,
the upper lip being largest, flat, and notched at the tip, the lower
3-cleft; it is lavender in color. The small calyx is 5-parted. The
flowers are set, on tiny stems, in rings about the stalk in the angles
of the leaves, forming a terminal spine.
The perfume of the Pennyroyal is carried to a considerable
distance,--were it not for this aromatic pungency the casual observer
would often fail to find its haunt, so closely does it keep itself
among the grasses of the pasture.
[Illustration: PENNYROYAL: Hedeoma pulegioides.]
*Hemp Nettle.* _Galeopsis Tetrahit._
Found in waste places, from July to September.
The stalk grows to be 1 or 2 feet high; it is branching, and 4-angled,
and swollen beneath the joints; coarse in fibre, and thickly covered by
stout bristle-like hairs. In color dark green, or dull purplish-red at
the joints.
The long-pointed oval leaf is many ribbed, with a coarsely notched
margin, thin but coarse texture, and roughened by hairs. Its color is
dull green, lighter underneath. The leaves, on their hairy reddish
stems, grow in pairs which spring at right angles to each other.
The small tubular corolla spreads into 2 divisions, the upper being
erect and arched, the lower 3-cleft with a slightly heart-shaped middle
lobe; its color is pink or lavender. The 4 stamens stand erect under
the upper lip. The hairy, green calyx is bell-shaped, with 5 bristling
points. The flowers are set (supported by tiny hairy bracts) in whorls,
in the angles of the upper leaves.
A large variety, _G. grandiflora_, is often found in the same
localities; the difference lies in the larger size of the corolla,
which is clear white in color prettily marked with purple on its lower
lip, and in the rounder shape of the calyx. Both plants are unpleasant
to the touch because of their harsh bristle-like hairs.
[Illustration: HEMP NETTLE: Galeopsis Tetrahit.]
*Blue Curls.* _Trichostema dichotomum._
Found on dry sandy plains and in open fields, in September.
The branching, leafy, and erect stalk grows from 6 to 12 inches high;
it is strong and woody-fibred, not noticeably square as is usual among
the Mints, minutely hairy, and soft to the touch. Its color is green,
reddish near the root.
The leaf is oval, with an entire margin, and is nearly smooth to the
touch. It is green in color. The leaves, on short stems, grow in pairs.
They are strong scented.
The corolla is irregular in shape; 5-lobed, 4 of which are equal in
size, slightly pointed, and erect or bent slightly forward, while
the remaining lobe is long, narrow, and down-curving; in color a
deep violet-blue. The 4 stamens and the pistil are long, pale, or
reddish-violet; the green calyx is 5-parted. The flowers are set on
short stems from the ends of the branches.
The blossom opens in the early morning sunlight. At first the pistil
and stamens extend beyond the flower in a long curve, but as the day
advances their tips gradually draw inwards until they are brought into
the throat of the corolla, and thus become the little blue curl which
gives the plant its bye-name; by three o’clock of the afternoon the
curl is completed and the flower falls. Its odor is strong, with a rank
resemblance to the Pennyroyal.
[Illustration: BLUE CURLS: Trichostema dichotomum.]
POKEWEED FAMILY.
PHYTOLACCACEÆ.
*Pokeberry.* _Phytolacca decandra._
*Garget.*
*Pigeon-berry.*
Found in meadows and waysides, from July to September.
A plant, from 5 to 9 feet high, with many branches and leaves; the
stalk is stout, and large (from 1 to 2, or more, inches in diameter),
and round; it is hard-fibred and smooth; in color a dull crimson.
The large leaf is oval, tapering to the tip, and set on a very short
stem; the texture is exceedingly fine, and smooth, and the color a
rather dark and grave green. The arrangement is alternate.
The small 5-parted flower is white, tinted on the outside with crimson;
the seed-box in the center is green. The flowers, on short, pale
crimson foot-stems, grow in elongated terminal clusters upon crimson
stems.
The blossoms begin to open at the base of the cluster and continue
upward, leaving behind the partly formed berries; when ripe they form
a cluster of blue-black fruit, smooth-skinned, and with an abundant
crimson juice. The Pokeberry is a plant of homely gesture and a rather
strong odor, redeemed by its luxuriant growth, and the fine quality of
its foliage. The berries are favorites of children who squeeze them
to use their deep magenta-crimson juice for writing and painting and
dyeing purposes.
[Illustration: POKEBERRY: Phytolacca decandra.]
BUCKWHEAT FAMILY.
POLYGONACEÆ.
*Red Sorrel.* _Rumex Acetosella._
*Sheep Sorrel.*
*Horse Sorrel.*
Found everywhere in impoverished soil during May and June.
Many slender, leafy stems from 6 to 12 inches in height, and bearing
flowers terminally, spring from a foot-tuffet of leaves.
The lower leaves are pointed, with long and flaring wing-like bases
(“halberd-shape”); they are set on long grooved stems; the upper leaves
are similar in shape, or Jack the winged bases, and are set on short
stems. Their margins are entire and their texture is thick, juicy, and
porous, with a smooth surface; gray-green in color. They are acid to
the taste.
The very tiny flower has 6 petal-like parts, and many stamens, and is
in color a bright yellow-green, turning to reddish- or crimson-tawny.
The flowers are arranged irregularly on branching stems in a feathery
spire.
Spreading by underground runners, the Red Sorrel colors the dry fields
of early summer with its rich hues, and children love its fresh leaves
for their tart flavor; but few give its feathery plumes their meed of
praise, since it is nothing more than “a common weed.”
[Illustration: RED SORREL: Rumex Acetosella.]
*Tear-thumb.* _Polygonum sagittatum._
Found blossoming on swampy ground, and along ditches, from July to
October.
The weak-fibred, 4-angled, stalk, armed on the angles with sharp
saw-toothed prickles, that point downwards, is green in color.
The long arrow-shaped leaves have short foot-stems, and grow singly, at
long intervals; they have entire edges, and a smooth surface, though
the back of the midrib is set with small prickles; they are fine in
texture, and of a dark green color.
The little 5-parted flowers, white, or rose colored, grow in small
close heads, on the ends of smooth foot-stems, from the angles of the
upper leaves.
The leaves are pretty in shape and color, though so far apart as to
make small impression on the passer-by; the lopping stalk supports
itself on the surrounding vegetation by means of its backward pointing
prickles; it turns a russet-red in autumn. A shining, brown, 3-angled
seed is developed within the long-lasting flower.
[Illustration: TEAR-THUMB: Polygonum sagittatum.]
*Knotweed.* _Polygonum Pennsylvanicum._
Found in barrens and waste places in August and September.
Branching much and sprawling in manner, this plant grows from 1 to 3
feet in height; it is jointed, noticeably shining, and smooth except
for the new growths and flower-stems which are rough with hairs. Its
color is green, somewhat red at the joints, which are covered loosely
by sheaths of a coarse weak fabric.
The leaf is long-pointed at each end, and roughened by hairs on the
ribs, edges, and upper surface; the texture is flimsy, and the color a
crude green. The arrangement is alternate.
The small and inconspicuous flowers are 5-parted, and vary from pink
to green-white in color; they are tightly and irregularly bunched in a
terminal club-shaped spike, with a little leaf at its base--frequently
a second bunch of flowers occurs a little lower down the stem.
Found commonly in great masses the plant serves to hide the ugly
remnants man casts into the fields it chooses for its habitation.
[Illustration: KNOTWEED: P. Pennsylvanicum.]
*----* _Polygonum amphibium._
Found in swamps in September and October.
The single stem, 3 or 4 inches high, bears a few leaves, and is large,
round, hollow, and juicy; a dull-reddish-green color, that is dark near
the foot.
The leaf (varying from 2 to 5 inches in length) is oblong with a
pointed tip and wedge- or heart-shaped base, an entire margin, and
prominent midrib; it has a thin, leathery texture, and a very smooth
shining surface; in color it is dark green, much toned with dull red,
the midrib lighter. The leaves, on short stout stems, clasp the stalk
with a dry, red-brown sheath enfolding the joint; they are placed
alternately.
The flowers are 5-parted, the tips of the divisions seldom spreading,
of a bright rose-pink, coarse hue. They are gathered in a close club,
set on a short, terminal, green stem.
The lower of the three or four leaves float upon the surface of the
water or lie on the mud of this plant’s miry home.
[Illustration: ---- P. amphibium.]
BIRTHWORT FAMILY.
ARISTOLOCHIACEÆ.
*Wild Ginger.* _Asarum Canadense._
Found in rich soil in woodlands, blossoming during May.
The very short stalk barely shows above the ground; it is large and
stout and fibrous, bearing two or three sheaths and terminating in the
flower, and the leaf-stems which are from 4 to 8 inches in length.
The large wide leaf is heart-shaped or rounded, with an entire margin,
and strongly marked by the ribs and veins; the upper surface is velvety
to the touch, while it is rough and woolly underneath, and the color is
a strong green, whitish beneath. The stem is stout, erect, and slightly
woolly. Two or three leaves only are borne on the summit of the stalk.
The flower has no petals; the calyx is shaped like a deep, round cup,
3-parted at the top, with curling margins. It is coarse and firm in
texture, with a hairy surface; the outside dull purplish, the divisions
reddish-brown or bronze, and the inside of the cup creamy white
curiously marked in the bottom by a hexagonal design in purple; the 12
stamens are gathered close about the 6-parted pistil. The single flower
is set on a short, bristly stem, that springs from between the leaves,
and turns downward, the blossom resting its face upon the earth and
burying itself so carefully in the leaf mold that only search reveals
it.
Later in the season the leaves attain a considerable size, four or five
inches across; they are always decorative in shape and color. The root
is aromatic, and sharp to the taste,--whence the folk-name.
[Illustration: WILD GINGER: Asarum Canadense.]
LAUREL FAMILY.
LAURACEÆ.
*Spice-bush.* _Lindera Benzoin._
*Fever-bush.*
*Benjamin-bush.*
*Wild Allspice.*
Found flowering in April in damp soil and light shade.
A branching, slender shrub from 4 to 12 feet in height, of a woody
fibre which is rather easily broken. The bark is smooth and firm,
slightly glossy, and gray-brown, inclining to reddish when young.
The leaf is broad oval in shape, with a sharp tip, and set on a short
stem; the margin is entire, the texture thick and tough, and the color
is a rich dark green, paler underneath. The arrangement of the leaves
is alternate, and they succeed the flowers in unfolding.
The flowers, small and indeterminate in shape, are thin and fragile in
texture, and greenish, or lemon-yellow in color; they have 6 narrow
petal-like parts, and many fine yellow stamens, with bright orange
tips. They are set on little foot-stems, in small clusters within the
protecting grasp of two pairs of small temporary envelopes, the outer
pair golden brown and bark-like, the inner resembling the flower. These
little clusters occur close together all along the branches.
Blossoming amidst the gray woods of the early spring this golden
odorous shrub is a delightful surprise. The little leaf-bud is seen
pushing its way forth from between the flower-clusters before the
blossoms are fairly spread.
[Illustration: SPICE-BUSH: Lindera Benzoin.]
MEZEREUM FAMILY.
THYMELÆACEÆ.
*Leatherwood.* _Dirca palustris._
*Moosewood.*
Found in light moist woodlands in April.
A shrub, from 2 to 4, or 5, feet in height, branching in an angular
fashion; the smooth close bark is very flexible and tough, gray-brown,
and slightly shining, dotted with lighter color.
The oval leaf is entire, strong-fibred, and smooth, and set on a very
short stem. The arrangement is generally alternate, and the color a
full green.
The small tubular flower, with slightly notched edges, and a thin
texture, is of a beautiful golden yellow color; the 8 orange-tipped
stamens and the pistil hang from the mouth of the tube. The flowers
droop in small clusters from the hold of three or four bracts which are
beautifully smooth and green on the inside, and thickly covered with a
fine purplish down on the outside; they are set irregularly along the
branches.
It is stated in Gray’s _Manual_ there are as many temporary bracts as
there are flowers, but no hard and fast rule is observed in nature in
such details; according to personal observation 4 is the usual number.
These bracts fall as soon as the leaves push forth. It is noted that
the flowers lose their color as the leaf-buds swell, although they do
not wither until the leaves are unrolling. The bark is so elastic and
tough that a knot may be tied, without its breaking, in a stem as big
as the little finger. The first glimpse of this gray bush strung with
its golden jewels and never a trace of green about its branches, gives
a pleasure akin to the more spiritual delight of beholding the Wych
Hazel which occupies the same place in nature at the other end of the
flower year.
[Illustration: LEATHERWOOD: Dirca palustris.]
SWEET-GALE FAMILY.
MYRICACEÆ.
*Sweet-fern.* _Myrica asplenifolia._
Found in April, on dry uplands and along copse borders.
A tough-fibred bush, from 1 to 2 feet high, with many low branches,
very leafy, the bark rough, and reddish, or when old covered by a gray
bloom.
The long narrow leaf is cut to the midrib into many narrow and
irregular lobes, with an entire or slightly notched margin, and a thin
texture; the surface is smooth above, and rough underneath; the color
a cool strong green. The leaves are set on short foot-stems, placed
irregularly and close together. They come following after the flower
catkins.
The pistil-bearing flowers gathered in an inconspicuous crimson
cluster, like a scrubby little paint brush, and the stamen-bearing
flowers, borne in the form of a slender green and brown catkin, are
often found on the same plant; they grow close to the ends of the stalk
in small groups.
After the blossom season is over, the plant puts forth its thick
foliage, and so flavors the air from earliest spring till near
midwinter, with the sweet aroma which belongs to both leaf and flower.
Though not evergreen, the dried leaves often cling to the bushes until
the new growth displaces them. This is a genuine New England colonist
of our sterile pasture hills, growing in large clumps and groups with
hardy persistence.
[Illustration: SWEET FERN: Myrica asplenifolia.]
ORCHIS FAMILY.
ORCHIDACEÆ.
*Gay Orchis.* _Orchis spectabilis._
*Showy Orchis.*
*Spring Orchis.*
Found in May, in deep wet woods.
The large, single, flower-stalk reaches about 6 inches in height, and
springs from between a pair of root-leaves; it is smooth and elastic.
Pale green in color.
The root-leaves are long (sometimes about 6 inches), broadly oval,
blunt at the tip, tapering into a grooved foot; the margin is entire
(as is true of all Orchids), the texture thick, and leathery. The upper
side of the leaf is dull green, underside it is silvery with bloom.
The leaves which occur along the flower-spike are long-pointed, erect,
clasping, and alternate.
The lip of the flower is large, and spreading, with a flattened spur
which is largest at the tip, and as long as the foot-stem; other petals
small, club-shaped, and bent over like a hood; the calyx parts stand
erect, their tips pointed. All parts of the flower are leathery, and
thick in texture; and colored a pale pink-violet, except the lip, which
is waxen white, tinted with yellow. It is set on a short, twisted
foot-stem, in the clasp of a leaf-like bract. The arrangement is
alternate, in a few-flowered spike.
This is a noticeably lustreless flower. The twist in the foot-stem is
an interesting feature.
[Illustration: GAY ORCHIS: Orchis spectabilis.]
*Pink Lady’s Slipper.* _Cypripedium acaule._
*Whip-poor-will.*
Found in the woods, frequently under evergreens, though sometimes in
deciduous shade, during May.
The slender flower-stem, from 8 to 12 inches in height, is bent like a
shepherd’s crook, and bears on the curve a small, pointed, green leaf.
It is hairy, and light green.
There are 2 root-leaves, large (from 5 to 7 inches long), oval, with
a pointed tip, and a much clasping base; the ribs are parallel, and
prominent, the margin is entire, the texture is loose, and somewhat
coarse, and the surface is hairy. Color, green.
The lip of the flower is shaped like a large, hollow bag, slightly
puckered on its infolded margin; the other petals are long, narrow,
and twist, or curl, on either side of the bag; the calyx-parts are
apparently only 2 (though botanists consider the lower is composed of
two parts grown together),--they are placed above, and below the bag.
The petal-like pistil is pink; the bag--of a loose texture--is a crude
crimson-pink, inclining to violet, veined by many darker lines; the
other parts of the flower--of a thin texture and hairy--are colored a
dull reddish-brown, tinted with purple. The single flower hangs from
the end of the stem.
In some localities pure white forms are frequently found, and sometimes
a single stem will bear two blossoms placed back to back. A rank odor
is observable, if the plant is rudely handled.
[Illustration: PINK LADY’S SLIPPER: Cypripedium acaule.]
*Large Yellow Lady’s Slipper.* _Cypripedium pubescens._
*Yellow Moccason Flower.*
Found in May, about a week later than the Pink Lady’s Slipper, among
low growths in moist shade.
The single stalk grows from 1 to 2 feet; it is erect, or slightly bent
aside, leafy, strong-fibred, and roughened by minute hairs. Color,
green.
The leaf is a broad oval, with a sharp tip, many parallel ribs, of a
loose-fibred texture, and hairy on the upper surface. Color, strong
green. It clasps the stalk, and folds about it. Two or three or more
leaves are placed alternately along the stalk; they diminish gradually
in size.
The Yellow Lady’s Slipper’s rounded pouch, or bag, has a circular
opening at the top, and is thick in texture, with a smooth and shining
surface. The long and narrow side petals are much twisted, and curled;
the two calyx-parts are broad-oval, the lower 2-cleft; they are ribbed,
with slightly wavy margins. All these parts are thin and downy, and
colored dull red, or brownish, or purplish, streaked with green; the
pouch is bright yellow, streaked with dull red parallel veins. The
flower is set, with an outward swinging gesture, on the tip of the
stalk, which is enlarged just beneath the point of contact.
The blossom is faintly odorous.
[Illustration: LARGE YELLOW LADY’S SLIPPER: C. pubescens.]
*Showy Lady’s Slipper.* _Cypripedium spectabile._
*Whip-poor-will’s Shoes.*
Found in bogs and swamps, in July.
The leafy stalk, about 2 feet in height, is downy to the touch. Its
color is green.
The large oval leaf tapers much at the tip, and clasps the stalk at the
base; the many ribs are parallel, the margin is wavy, and the surface
is roughish. In color it is a full toned yellowish-green. The leaves
are alternate in growth.
The bag of this flower is large, rounded, and much inflated; it is
white and crimson-pink in color, and set about by 4 white petal-like
parts. The stamens and large pistil are white, tinged with yellow. From
1 to 3 flowers grow on the summit of the stalk.
This is a curious and showy flower, much sought because of its rarity;
its leafage is full, and fine in its long lines and strong curves, and
the four flying white pennants give the blossom a cheerful and animated
expression.
[Illustration: SHOWY LADY’S SLIPPER: C. spectabile.]
*----* _Pogonia ophioglossoides._
Found in swamps and other moist grounds during June and July.
The stalk grows between 6 and 9 inches high; it is smooth, and slender;
the color is green.
The leaf is oval, with a thick texture, and smooth surface. Color, a
rather light green. Only 2 leaves clasp the stalk, one about midway,
and another, much smaller, quite near the flower.
The 5 petals and calyx-parts are long, and narrow, and spread apart to
disclose the “bearded” lower petal (or lip); their color is a light
rose-pink, the fringed lip being darker, with a pale yellow “beard.”
The flower is poised lightly upon the summit of the stalk.
This is one of the prettiest of our Orchids; its fragrance is fresher,
and less heavy than that of many of its stouter relatives.
[Illustration: ---- Pogonia ophioglossoides.]
*----* _Calopogon pulchellus._
Found in swamps and wet grounds, in July.
The smooth, green, flower-stem rises directly from the root, to the
height of about a foot.
One grass-like, green leaf grows from the root.
The lower petal of the blossom is wedge-shaped, with a prolonged base,
and somewhat fringy in the center,--owing to the straightness of the
foot-stem it points upward; the other petals and calyx-parts are
pointed-oval in shape; the pistil is petal-like, and curling. The color
of the flower is dark magenta, the fringes on the lip being magenta and
yellow. From 2 to 6 flowers, on very short foot-stems, grow upon the
single stem.
The lip is provided with a hinge, which permits it to fall, and rest
upon the curling tip of the pistil beneath.
[Illustration: ---- Calopogon pulchellus.]
*Early Purple Fringed Orchid.* _Habenaria fimbriata._
*Meadow Pink.*
Found on moist and shaded banks, or beside wayside runlets, in June.