Part 24

It is said that many birds are nourished by the seeds of this plant.

CLIMBING FALSE BUCKWHEAT. Polygonum scandens. Buckwheat Family.

Stem.—Smooth, twining, and climbing over bushes, eight to twelve feet high. Leaves.—Heart or arrow-shaped, pointed, alternate. Flowers.—Greenish or pinkish, in racemes. Calyx.—Five-parted, with colored margins. Corolla.—None. Stamens.—Usually eight. Pistil.—One, with three stigmas. Seed-vessel.—Green, three-angled, winged, conspicuous in autumn.

In early summer this plant, which clambers so perseveringly over the moist thickets which line our country lanes, is comparatively inconspicuous. The racemes of small greenish flowers are not calculated to attract one’s attention, and it is late summer or autumn before the thick clusters of greenish fruit composed of the winged seed-vessels arrest one’s notice. At this time the vine is very beautiful and striking, and one wonders that it could have escaped detection in the earlier year.

——— ——— Dalibarda repens. Rose Family.

Scape.—Low. Leaves.—Heart-shaped, wavy-toothed. Flowers.—White, one or two borne on each scape. Calyx.—Deeply five or six-parted, three of the divisions larger and toothed. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Many. Pistils.—Five to ten.

The foliage of this pretty little plant suggests the violet; while its white blossom betrays its kinship with the wild strawberry. It may be found from June till August in woody places, being one of those flowers which we seek deliberately, whose charm is never decreased by its being thrust upon us inopportunely. Who can tell how much the attractiveness of the wild carrot, the dandelion, or butter-and-eggs would be enhanced were they so discreet as to withdraw from the common haunts of men into the shady exclusiveness which causes us to prize many far less beautiful flowers?

STARRY CAMPION. Silene stellata. Pink Family.

Stem.—Swollen at the joints, about three feet high. Leaves.—Whorled in fours, oval, taper-pointed. Flowers.—White, in a large pyramidal cluster. Calyx.—Inflated, five-toothed. Corolla.—Of five deeply fringed petals. Stamens.—Ten. Pistil.—One, with three styles.

In late July many of our wooded banks are decorated with the tall stems, whorled leaves, and prettily fringed flowers of the starry campion.

Closely allied to it is the bladder campion of the fields, S. Cucubalus, a much smaller plant, with opposite leaves, loosely clustered white flowers, a greatly inflated calyx, and two-cleft petals. This is an emigrant from Europe, which was first naturalized near Boston, and has now become wild in different parts of the country, quite overrunning some of the farm-lands which border the Hudson River.

PLATE XXIV

Dalibarda repens. ]

COLIC-ROOT. STAR-GRASS. Aletris farinosa. Bloodwort Family.

Leaves.—Thin, lance-shaped, in a spreading cluster from the root. Scape.—Slender, two to three feet high. Flowers.—White, small, growing in a wand-like, spiked raceme. Perianth.—Six-cleft at the summit, oblong-tubular. Stamens.—Six. Pistil.—One, with style three-cleft at apex.

In summer we find these flowers in the grassy woods. The generic title is the Greek word for “a female slave who grinds corn,” and refers to the mealy appearance of the blossoms.

TALL MEADOW RUE. Thalictrum polygamum. Crowfoot Family.

Four to eight feet high. Leaves.—Divided into many firm, rounded leaflets. Flowers.—White, in large clusters; some perfect, others unisexual. Calyx.—Of four or five small petal-like sepals which usually fall off very early. Corolla.—None. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistils.—Four to fifteen.

Where a stream trails its sluggish length through the fields of midsummer, its way is oftentimes marked by the tall meadow rue, the feathery, graceful flower-clusters of which erect themselves serenely above the myriad blossoms which are making radiant the wet meadows at this season. For here, too, we may search for the purple flag and fringed orchis, the yellow meadow lily, the pink swamp milkweed, each charming in its way, but none with the cool chaste beauty of the meadow rue. The staminate flowers of this plant are especially delicate and feathery.

WHITE AVENS. Geum album. Rose Family.

Stem.—Slender, about two feet high. Root-leaves.—Divided into from three to five leaflets, or entire. Stem-leaves.—Three-lobed or divided, or only toothed. Flowers.—White. Calyx.—Deeply five-cleft, usually with five small bractlets alternating with its lobes. Corolla.—Of five petals. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistils.—Numerous, with hooked styles which become elongated in fruit.

The white avens is one of the less noticeable plants which border the summer woods, blossoming from May till August. Later the hooked seeds which grow in round burr-like heads secure wide dispersion by attaching themselves to animals or clothing. Other species of avens have more conspicuous golden-yellow flowers.

PLATE XXV

TALL MEADOW RUE.—T. polygamum. ]

MEADOW-SWEET. Spiræa salicifolia. Rose Family.

Stem.—Nearly smooth, two or three feet high. Leaves.—Alternate, somewhat lance-shaped, toothed. Flowers.—Small, white or flesh-color, in pyramidal clusters. Calyx.—Five-cleft. Corolla.—Of five rounded petals. Stamens.—Numerous. Pistils.—Five to eight.

The feathery spires of the meadow-sweet soar upward from the river banks and low meadows in late July. Unlike its pink sister, the steeple-bush, its leaves and stems are fairly smooth. The lack of fragrance in the flowers is disappointing, because of the hopes raised by the plant’s common name. This is said by Dr. Prior to be a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon mead-wort, which signifies honey-wine herb, alluding to a fact which is mentioned in Hill’s “Herbal,” that “the flowers mixed with mead give it the flavor of the Greek wines.”

Although the significance of many of the plant-names seems clear enough at first sight, such an example as this serves to show how really obscure it often is.