There are a good many kinds of Vagnera, natives of America and Asia,
with a single stem, scaly below and leafy above; the leaves alternate,
with short leaf-stalks or none; the flowers small, the divisions equal
and spreading, white or greenish, in a cluster; the berry round,
usually with one or two seeds.
[Sidenote: =False Solomon's Seal.
Wild Spikenard=
_Vágnera amplexicàulis (Smilacina)_
=White
Spring
West=]
It is a pity that all flowers cannot have really individual names.
"False" is especially unattractive and "Solomon's Seal" is confusing,
as the flowers are not alike, but this is the old name used all over
the world, so it will have to stand, though unworthy of this pleasing
plant. It is from one to three feet high, with large, light-green
leaves, usually slightly downy on the under side. The flower-cluster
is sweet-scented and composed of numerous, very small, cream-white
flowers, the conspicuous parts of which are the stamens, white and
larger than the petals, giving a feathery appearance to the whole
cluster. The fruit is a light-red berry, very finely sprinkled with
dark-red dots. This fine tall plant is very decorative and is common in
rich moist woods. The name was given in honor of Wagner.
[Sidenote: =Star-flowered Solomon's Seal=
_Vágnera sessilifòlia (Smilacina)_
=White
Spring
West=]
A gracefully bending plant, from one to two feet high, springing from a
slender root-stock. The bright light-green leaves, without leaf-stalks
and clasping at base, have a slight "bloom" like some lily leaves and
are handsome and conspicuous, but not at all coarse, and are usually
very smooth, but sometimes minutely downy. The small, delicate,
cream-white flowers, on a very slender, angled flower-stalk, grow in a
loose cluster and the berries are reddish-purple or nearly black. This
charming plant sometimes forms large patches in moist, rich soil in
shady places and its pretty foliage is often very noticeable beside the
railroad tracks in Utah.
[Illustration: Star-flowered Solomon's Seal--V. sessilifolia.