commonly found in grain-fields. England’s scarlet poppies flood her
farm-lands with glorious color in early summer; while the bluets lighten
the corn-fields of France. Our grain-fields seem to have no native
flower peculiar to them; but often we find a trespasser of foreign
descent hiding among the wheat or straying to the roadsides in early
summer, whose deep-tinted blossoms secure an instant welcome from the
flower-lover if not from the farmer. “What hurte it doeth among corne!
the spoyle unto bread, as well in colour, taste, and unwholesomeness, is
better known than desired,” wrote Gerarde. The large dark seeds fill the
ground wheat with black specks, and might be injurious if existing in
any great quantity. Its former generic name was _Agrostemma_, signifying
_crown of the fields_. Its present one of _Lychnis_, signifies _a light_
or _lamp_.
BLUE VERVAIN. SIMPLER’S JOY.
_Verbena hastata._ Vervain Family.
Four to six feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, somewhat lance-shaped,
the lower often lobed and sometimes halberd-shaped at
base. _Flowers._—Purple, small, in slender erect spikes.
_Calyx._—Five-toothed. _Corolla._—Tubular, somewhat unequally
five-cleft. _Stamens._—Two, in pairs. _Pistil._—One.
Along the roadsides in midsummer we notice these slender purple spikes,
the appearance of which would be vastly improved if the tiny blossoms
would only consent to open simultaneously.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCII
BLUE VERVAIN.—_V. hastata._
]
In earlier times the vervain was beset with classic associations. It was
claimed as the plant which Virgil and other poets mention as being used
for altar-decorations and for the garlands of sacrificial beasts. It was
believed to be the _herba sacra_ of the ancients, until it was
understood that the generic title _Verbena_ was a word which was applied
to branches of any description which were used in religious rites. It
certainly seems, however, to have been applied to some especial plant in
the time of Pliny, for he writes that no plant was more honored among
the Romans than the sacred _Verbena_. In more modern times as well the
vervain has been regarded as an “herb of grace,” and has been gathered
with various ceremonies and with the invocation of a blessing, which
began as follows:
Hallowed be thou, Vervain,
As thou growest on the ground,
For in the Mount of Calvary
There thou was first found.
It was then supposed to be endued with especial virtue, and was worn on
the person to avert disaster.
The time-honored title of Simpler’s joy arose from the remuneration
which this popular plant brought to the “Simplers”—as the gatherers of
medicinal herbs were entitled.
BEARD-TONGUE.
_Pentstemon pubescens._ Figwort Family.
_Stem._—One or two feet high, clammy above. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong
to lance-shaped. _Flowers._—Dull purple or partly whitish, showy, in a
slender open cluster. _Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Tubular,
slightly dilated, the throat nearly closed by a bearded palate;
two-lipped, the upper lip two-lobed, the lower three-cleft.
_Stamens._—Four, one densely bearded sterile filament besides.
_Pistil._—One.
These handsome, showy flowers are found in summer in dry or rocky
places. They are especially plentiful somewhat southward.
The white beard-tongue of more western localities is _P. digitalis_.
This is a very effective plant, which sometimes reaches a height of five
feet, having large inflated white flowers.
SELF-HEAL. HEAL-ALL.
_Brunella vulgaris._ Mint Family (p. 16).
_Stems._—Low. _Leaves._—Opposite, oblong. _Flowers._—Bluish-purple, in
a spike or head. _Calyx._—Two-lipped, upper lip with three short
teeth, the lower two-cleft. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, the upper lip
arched, entire, the lower spreading, three-cleft. _Stamens._—Four.
_Pistil._—One, two-lobed at the apex.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCIII
SELF-HEAL.—_B. vulgaris._
]
Throughout the length and breadth of the country, from June until
September, the short, close spikes of the self-heal can be found along
the roadsides. The botanical name, _Brunella_, is a corruption from
_Prunella_, which is taken from the German for quinsy, for which this
plant was considered a certain cure. It was also used in England as an
application to the wounds received by rustic laborers, as its common
names, carpenter’s herb, hook-heal, and sicklewort, imply. That the
French had a similar practice is proved by an old proverb of theirs to
the effect that “No one wants a surgeon who keeps _Prunelle_.”
WILD BERGAMOT.
_Monarda fistulosa._ Mint Family (p. 16).
Two to five feet high. _Leaves._—Opposite, fragrant, toothed.
_Flowers._—Purple or purplish, dotted, growing in a solitary, terminal
head. _Calyx._—Tubular, elongated, five-toothed. _Corolla._—Elongated,
two-lipped. _Stamens._—Two, elongated. _Pistil._—One, with style
two-lobed at apex.
Although the wild bergamot is occasionally found in our eastern woods,
it is far more abundant westward, where it is found in rocky places in
summer. This is a near relative of the bee balm (Pl. LXXXII.), which it
closely resembles in its manner of growth.
DAY-FLOWER.
_Commelina Virginica._ Spiderwort Family.
_Stem._—Slender, branching. _Leaves._—Lance-shaped to linear, the
floral ones heart-shaped and clasping, folding so as to enclose the
flowers. _Flowers._—Blue. _Calyx._—Of three unequal somewhat colored
sepals, the two lateral ones partly united. _Corolla._—Of three
petals, two large, rounded, pale blue, one small, whitish, and
inconspicuous. _Stamens._—Six, unequal in size, three small and
sterile, with yellow cross-shaped anthers, three fertile, one of which
is bent inward. _Pistil._—One.
The odd day-flower is so named because its delicate blossoms only expand
for a single morning. At the first glance there seem to be but two
petals which are large, rounded, and of a delicate shade of blue. A
closer examination, however, discovers still another, so inconspicuous
in form and color as to escape the notice of the casual observer. This
inequality recalls the quaint tradition as to the origin of the plant’s
generic name. There were three brothers Commelin, natives of Holland.
Two of them were botanists of repute, while the tastes of the third had
a less marked botanical tendency. The genus was dedicated to the trio:
the two large bright petals commemorating the brother botanists, while
the small and unpretentious one perpetuates the memory of him who was so
unwise as to take little or no interest in so noble a science. These
flowers appear throughout the summer in cool woods and on moist banks.
BLUE LINARIA. BLUE TOADFLAX.
_Linaria Canadensis._ Figwort Family.
_Stems._—Slender, six to thirty inches high. _Leaves._—Linear.
_Flowers._—Pale blue or purple, small, in a long terminal raceme.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Two-lipped, with a slender spur,
closed in the throat. _Stamens._—Four. _Pistil._—One.
The slender spikes of the blue linaria flank the sandy roadsides nearly
all summer, and even in November we find a few delicate blossoms still
left upon the elongated stems. These flowers have a certain spirituality
which is lacking in their handsome, self-assertive relation,
butter-and-eggs.
SPIDERWORT.
_Tradescantia Virginica._ Spiderwort Family.
_Stems._—Mucilaginous, leafy, mostly upright. _Leaves._—Linear,
keeled. _Flowers._—Blue, clustered, with floral leaves as in the
day-flower. _Calyx._—Of three sepals. _Corolla._—Of three petals.
_Stamens._—Six, with bearded filaments. _Pistil._—One.
The flowers of the spiderwort, like those of the day-flower, to which
they are nearly allied, are very perishable, lasting only a few hours.
They are found throughout the summer, somewhat south and westward. The
genus is named in honor of Tradescant, gardener to Charles I. of
England.
PICKEREL-WEED.
_Pontedaria cordata._ Pickerel-weed Family.
_Stem._—Stout, usually one-leaved. _Leaves._—Arrow or heart-shaped.
_Flowers._—Blue, fading quickly, with an unpleasant odor, growing in a
dense spike. _Perianth._—Two-lipped, the upper lip three-lobed and
marked with a double greenish-yellow spot, the lower of three
spreading divisions. _Stamens._—Six, three long and protruding, the
three others, which are often imperfect, very short and inserted lower
down. _Pistil._—One.
The pickerel-weed grows in such shallow water as the pickerel seek, or
else in moist, wet places along the shores of streams and rivers. We can
look for the blue, closely spiked flowers from late July until some time
in September. They are often found near the delicate arrow-head.
BLUEWEED. VIPER’S BUGLOSS.
_Echium vulgare._ Borage Family.
_Stem._—Rough, bristly, erect, about two feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, lance-shaped, set close to the stem.
_Flowers._—Bright blue, spiked on one side of the branches, which are
at first rolled up from the end, straightening as the blossoms expand.
_Calyx._—Five-parted. _Corolla._—Of five somewhat unequal, spreading
lobes. _Stamens._—Five, protruding, red. _Pistil._—One.
When the blueweed first came to us from across the sea it secured a
foothold in Virginia. Since then it has gradually worked its way
northward, lining the Hudson’s shores, overrunning many of the dry
fields in its vicinity, and making itself at home in parts of New
England. We should be obliged to rank it among the “pestiferous” weeds
were it not that, as a rule, it only seeks to monopolize land which is
not good for very much else. The pinkish buds and bright blue blossoms
with their red protruding stamens make a valuable addition, from the
æsthetic point of view, to the bunch of midsummer field-flowers in which
hitherto the various shades of red and yellow have predominated.
NIGHTSHADE.
_Solanum Dulcamara._ Nightshade Family.
_Stem._—Usually somewhat climbing or twining. _Leaves._—Heart-shaped,
the upper halberd-shaped or with ear-like lobes or leaflets at the
base. _Flowers._—Purple, in small clusters. _Calyx._—Five-parted.
_Corolla._—Five-parted, wheel-shaped. _Stamens._—Five, yellow,
protruding. _Pistil._—One. _Fruit._—A red berry.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCIV
BLUEWEED.—_E. vulgare._
]
The purple flowers, which at once betray their kinship with the potato
plant, and, in late summer, the bright red berries of the nightshade,
cluster about the fences and clamber over the moist banks which line the
highway. This plant, which was imported from Europe, usually indicates
the presence of civilization. It is not poisonous to the touch, as is
often supposed, and it is doubtful if the berries have the baneful power
attributed to them. Thoreau writes regarding them: “The Solanum
Dulcamara berries are another kind which grow in drooping clusters. I do
not know any clusters more graceful and beautiful than these drooping
cymes of scented or translucent, cherry-colored elliptical berries....
They hang more gracefully over the river’s brim than any pendant in a
lady’s ear. Yet they are considered poisonous; not to look at surely....
But why should they not be poisonous? Would it not be bad taste to eat
these berries which are ready to feed another sense?”
GREAT LOBELIA.
_Lobelia syphilitica._ Lobelia Family.
_Stem._—Leafy, somewhat hairy, one to three feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, ovate to lance-shaped, thin, irregularly toothed.
_Flowers._—Rather large, light blue, spiked. _Calyx._—Five-cleft, with
a short tube. _Corolla._—Somewhat two-lipped, the upper lip of two
rather erect lobes, the lower spreading and three-cleft.
_Pistil._—One, with a fringed stigma.
The great lobelia is a striking plant which grows in low ground,
flowering in midsummer. In some places it is called “High-Belia,” a pun
which is supposed to reflect upon the less tall and conspicuous species,
such as the Indian tobacco, _L. inflata_, which are found flowering at
the same season.
If one of its blossoms is examined, the pistil is seen to be enclosed by
the united stamens in such a fashion as to secure self-fertilization,
one would suppose. But it is hardly probable that a flower as noticeable
as this, and wearing a color as popular as blue, should have adorned
itself so lavishly to no purpose. Consequently we are led to inquire
more closely into its domestic arrangements. Our curiosity is rewarded
by the discovery that the lobes of the stigma are so tightly pressed
together that they can at first receive no pollen upon their sensitive
surfaces. We also find that the anthers open only by a pore at their
tips, and when irritated by the jar of a visiting bee, discharge their
pollen upon its body through these outlets. This being accomplished the
fringed stigma pushes forward, brushing aside whatever pollen may have
fallen within the tube. When it finally projects beyond the anthers, it
opens, and is ready to receive its pollen from the next insect-visitor.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCV
GREAT LOBELIA.—_L. syphilitica._
]
The genus is named after an early Flemish herbalist, de l’Obel.
INDIAN TOBACCO.
_Lobelia inflata._ Lobelia Family.
One to two feet high. _Stem._—Branching from the root.
_Leaves._—Alternate, ovate, or oblong, somewhat toothed.
_Flowers._—Blue or purple, small, growing in a loose raceme,
resembling in structure those of the great lobelia. _Pod._—Much
inflated.
During the summer we note in the dry, open fields the blue racemes of
the Indian tobacco, and in the later year the inflated pods which give
it its specific name. The plant is said to be poisonous if taken
internally, and yields a “quack-medicine” of some notoriety. The Indians
smoked its dried leaves, which impart to the tongue a peculiar
tobacco-like sensation.
There are other species of lobelia which may be distinguished by their
narrower leaves and uninflated pods, and by their choice of moist
localities.
HOG PEA-NUT.
_Amphicarpæa monoica._ Pulse Family (p. 16).
_Stem._—Climbing and twining over plants and shrubs. _Leaves._—Divided
into three somewhat four-sided leaflets. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous,
pale lilac, or purplish, in nodding racemes. _Pod._—One inch long.
Along the shadowy lanes which wind through the woods the climbing
members of the Pulse family are very abundant. During the late summer
and autumn the lonely wayside is skirted by
Vines, with clust’ring bunches growing;
Plants, with goodly burden bowing.
And in and out among this luxuriant growth twist the slender stems of
the ill-named hog pea-nut, its delicate lilac blossoms nodding from the
coarse stalks of the golden-rods and iron-weeds or blending with the
purple asters.
This plant bears flowers of two kinds: the upper ones are perfect, but
apparently useless, as they seldom ripen fruit; while the lower or
subterranean ones are without petals or attractiveness of appearance,
but yield eventually at least one large ripe seed.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCVI
INDIAN TOBACCO.—_L. inflata._
]
BEACH PEA.
_Lathyrus maritimus._ Pulse Family (p. 16).
About one foot high, or more. _Stem._—Stout. _Leaves._—Divided
into from three to five pairs of thick oblong leaflets.
_Flowers._—Papilionaceous, large, purple, clustered.
The deep-hued flowers of this stout plant are commonly found along the
sand-hills of the seashore, and also on the shores of the Great Lakes,
blooming in early summer. Both flowers and leaves are at once recognized
as belonging to the Pulse family.
——— ———
_Strophostyles angulosa._ Pulse Family (p. 16).
_Stems._—Branched, one to six feet long, prostrate or climbing.
_Leaves._—Divided into three leaflets, which are more or less
prominently lobed toward the base, the terminal two-lobed; or some or
all without lobes. _Flowers._—Purplish or greenish, on long
flower-stalks. _Pod._—Linear, straight, or nearly so.
This somewhat inconspicuous plant is found back of the sand-hills along
the coast, often in the neighborhood of the beach pea, and climbing over
river-banks, thickets, and fences as well. It can usually be identified
by its oddly lobed leaflets.
BLUE VETCH.
_Vicia cracca._ Pulse Family (p. 16).
_Leaves._—Divided into twenty to twenty-four leaflets, with slender
tips. _Flowers._—Papilionaceous, blue turning purple, growing in
close, many-flowered, one-sided spikes.
This is an emigrant from Europe which is found in some of our eastern
fields and thickets as far south as New Jersey. It usually climbs more
or less by means of the tendril at the tip of its divided leaves, and
sometimes forms bright patches of vivid blue over the meadows.
Another member of this genus is _V. sativa_, the common vetch or tare,
with purplish or pinkish flowers, growing singly or in pairs from the
axils of the leaves, which leaves are divided into fewer and narrower
leaflets than those of the blue vetch. This species also takes
possession of cultivated fields as well as of waste places along the
roadside.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCVII
BEACH PEA.—_L. maritimus._
]
CHICORY. SUCCORY.
_Cichorium Intybus._ Composite Family (p. 13).
_Stems._—Branching. _Leaves._—The lower oblong or lance-shaped, partly
clasping, sometimes sharply incised, the floral ones minute.
_Flower-heads._—Blue, set close to the stem, composed entirely of
strap-shaped flowers; opening at different times.
Oh, not in Ladies’ gardens,
My peasant posy!
Smile thy dear blue eyes,
Nor only—nearer to the skies—
In upland pastures, dim and sweet,—
But by the dusty road
Where tired feet
Toil to and fro;
Where flaunting Sin
May see thy heavenly hue,
Or weary Sorrow look from thee
Toward a more tender blue![12]
This roadside weed blossoms in late summer. It is extensively cultivated
in France, where the leaves are blanched and used in a salad which is
called “Barbe des Capucins.” The roots are roasted and mixed with coffee
both there and in England.
Horace mentions its leaves as part of his frugal fare, and Pliny remarks
upon the importance of the plant to the Egyptians, who formerly used it
in great quantities, and of whose diet it is still a staple article.
BLUE AND PURPLE ASTERS.
_Aster._ Composite Family (p. 13).
_Flower-heads._—Composed of blue or purple ray-flowers, with a centre
of yellow disk-flowers.
[Illustration:
PLATE XCVIII
CHICORY.—_C. Intybus._
]
As about one hundred and twenty different species of aster are native to
the United States, and as fifty-four of these are found in Northeastern
America, all but a dozen being purple or blue (_i.e._, with purple or
blue ray-flowers), and as even botanists find that it requires patient
application to distinguish these many species, only a brief description
of the more conspicuous and common ones is here attempted.
Along the dry roadsides in early August we may look for the bright
blue-purple flowers of _A. patens_. This is a low-growing species, with
rough, narrowly oblong, clasping leaves, and widely spreading branches,
whose slender branchlets are usually terminated by a solitary
flower-head.
Probably no member of the group is more striking than the New England
aster, _A. Novæ Angliæ_, whose stout hairy stem (sometimes eight feet
high), numerous lance-shaped leaves, and large violet-purple or
sometimes pinkish flower-heads, are conspicuous in the swamps of late
summer.
_A. puniceus_ is another tall swamp-species, with long showy pale
lavender ray-flowers.
One of the most commonly encountered asters is _A. cordifolius_, which
is far from being the only heart-leaved species, despite its title. Its
many small, pale blue or almost white flower-heads mass themselves
abundantly along the wood-borders and shaded roadsides.
Perhaps the loveliest of all the tribe is the seaside purple aster, _A.
spectabilis_, a low plant with narrowly oblong leaves and large bright
heads, the violet-purple ray-flowers of which are nearly an inch long.
This grows in sandy soil near the coast and may be found putting forth
its royal, daisy-like blossoms into November.
Great Britain can claim but one native aster, _A. Trifolium_, or
sea-starwort as it is called. Many American species are cultivated in
English gardens under the general title of Michaelmas daisies. The
starwort of Italy is _A. amellus_. The Swiss species is _A. Alpinum_.
This beautiful genus, like that of the golden-rod, is one of the
peculiar glories of our country. Every autumn these two kinds of flowers
clothe our roadsides and meadows with so regal a mantle of purple and
gold that we cannot but wonder if the flowers of any other region
combine in such a radiant display.
IRON-WEED.
_Vernonia Noveboracensis._ Composite Family (p. 13).
_Stem._—Leafy, usually tall. _Leaves._—Alternate, somewhat
lance-oblong. _Flower-heads._—An intense red-purple, loosely
clustered, composed entirely of tubular flowers.
Along the roadsides and low meadows near the coast the iron-weed adds
its deep purple hues to the color-pageant of late August. By the
uninitiated the plant is often mistaken for an aster, but a moment’s
inspection will discover that the minute flowers which compose each
flower-head are all tubular in shape, and that the ray or strap-shaped
blossoms which an aster must have are wanting. These flower-heads are
surrounded by an involucre composed of small scales which are tipped
with a tiny point and are usually of a purplish color also.
BLUE CURLS. BASTARD PENNYROYAL.
_Trichostema dichotomum._ Mint Family (p. 16).
_Stem._—Rather low, branching, clammy. _Leaves._—Opposite, narrowly
oblong or lance-shaped, glutinous, with a balsamic odor.
_Flowers._—Purple, occasionally pinkish, not usually clustered.
_Calyx._—Five-cleft, two-lipped. _Corolla._—Five-lobed, the three
lower lobes more or less united. _Stamens._—Four, very long and
curved, protruding. _Pistil._—One, with a two-lobed style.
In the sandy fields of late summer this little plant attracts notice by
its many purple flowers. Its corolla soon falls and exposes to view the
four little nutlets of the ovary lying within the enlarged calyx like
tiny eggs in their nest. Its aromatic odor is very perceptible, and the
little glands with which it is covered may be seen with the aid of a
magnifier. The generic name, _Trichostema_, signifies _hairy stamens_
and alludes to the curved hair-like filaments.
SEA LAVENDER. MARSH ROSEMARY.
_Statice Caroliniana._ Leadwort Family.
_Stems._—Leafless, branching. _Leaves._—From the root, somewhat
oblong, thick. _Flowers._—Lavender-color or pale purple, tiny,
scattered or loosely spiked along one side of the branches.
_Calyx._—Dry, funnel-form. _Corolla._—Small, with five petals.
_Stamens._—Five. _Pistil._—One, with five, rarely three, styles.
In August many of the salt marshes are blue with the tiny flowers of the
sea lavender. The spray-like appearance of the little plant would seem
to account for its name of rosemary, which is derived from the Latin for
_sea-spray_, but Dr. Prior states that this name was given it on account
of “its usually growing on the sea-coast, and its odor.”
Blossoming with the lavender we often find the great rose mallows and
the dainty sea pinks. The marsh St. John’s-wort as well is frequently a
neighbor, and, a little later in the season, the salt marsh fleabane.
BLAZING STAR.
_Liatris scariosa._ Composite Family (p. 13).
_Stem._—Simple, stout, hoary, two to five feet high.
_Leaves._—Alternate, narrowly lance-shaped. _Flower-heads._—Racemed
along the upper part of the stem, composed entirely of tubular flowers
of a beautiful shade of rose-purple.