Wild Flowers Worth Knowing

Part 1

WILD FLOWERS WORTH KNOWING

ADAPTED BY ASA DON DICKINSON From Nature’s Garden

BY NELTJE BLANCHAN

1917

PREFACE

A still more popular edition of what has proved to the author to be a surprisingly popular book, has been prepared by the able hand of Mr. Asa Don Dickinson, and is now offered in the hope that many more people will find the wild flowers in Nature’s garden all about us well worth knowing. For flowers have distinct objects in life and are everything they are for the most justifiable of reasons, i.e., the perpetuation and the improvement of their species. The means they employ to accomplish these ends are so various and so consummately clever that, in learning to understand them, we are brought to realize how similar they are to the fundamental aims of even the human race. Indeed there are few life principles that plants have not worked out satisfactorily. The problems of adapting oneself to one’s environment, of insuring healthy families, of starting one’s children well in life, of founding new colonies in distant lands, of the cooperative method of conducting business as opposed to the individualistic, of laying up treasure in the bank for future use, of punishing vice and rewarding virtue--these and many other problems of mankind the flowers have worked out with the help of insects, through the ages. To really understand what the wild flowers are doing, what the scheme of each one is, besides looking beautiful, is to give one a broader sympathy with both man and Nature and to add a real interest and joy to life which cannot be too widely shared.

Neltje Blanchan.

Oyster Bay, New York, January 2, 1917.

Editor’s Note.--The nomenclature and classification of Gray’s New Manual of Botany, as rearranged and revised by Professors Robinson and Fernald, have been followed throughout the book. This system is based upon that of Eichler, as developed by Engler and Prantl. A variant form of name is also sometimes given to assist in identification.--A.D.D.

CONTENTS

Preface, and Editor’s Note

WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY (Alismaceae) Broad-leaved Arrow-head

ARUM FAMILY (Araceae) Jack-in-the-Pulpit; Skunk Cabbage

SPIDERWORT FAMILY (Commelinaceae) Virginia or Common Day-flower

PICKEREL-WEED FAMILY (Pontederiaceae) Pickerel Weed

LILY FAMILY (Liliaceae) American White Hellebore; Wild Yellow, Meadow, Field or Canada Lily; Red, Wood, Flame or Philadelphia Lily; Yellow Adder’s Tongue or Dog-tooth “Violet”; Yellow Clintonia; Wild Spikenard or False Solomon’s Seal; Hairy, True or Twin-flowered Solomon’s Seal; Early or Dwarf Wake-Robin; Purple Trillium; Ill-scented Wake-Robin or Birth-root; Carrion flower

AMARYLLIS FAMILY (Amaryllidaceae) Yellow Star-grass

IRIS FAMILY (Iridaceae) Larger Blue Flag, Blue Iris or Fleur-de-lis; Blackberry Lily; Pointed Blue-eyed Grass, Eye-bright or Blue Star

ORCHIS FAMILY (Orchidaceae) Large Yellow Lady’s Slipper, Whippoorwill’s Shoe or Yellow Moccasin Flower; Moccasin Flower or Pink, Venus’ or Stemless Lady’s Slipper; Showy, Gay or Spring Orchis; Large, Early or Purple-fringed Orchis; White-fringed Orchis; Yellow-fringed Orchis; Calopagon or Grass Pink; Arethusa or Indian Pink; Nodding Ladies’ Tresses

BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (Polygonaceae) Common Persicaria, Pink Knotweed or Jointweed or Smartweed

POKEWEED FAMILY (Phytolaccaceae) Pokeweed, Scoke, Pigeon-berry, Ink-berry or Garget

PINK FAMILY (Caryophyllaceae) Common Chickweed; Corn Cockle, Corn Rose, Corn or Red Campion, or Crown-of-the-Field; Starry Campion; Wild Pink or Catchfly; Soapwort, Bouncing Bet or Old Maid’s Pink

PURSLANE FAMILY (Portulacaceae) Spring Beauty or Claytonia

WATER-LILY FAMILY (Nymphaeaceae) Large Yellow Pond or Water Lily, Cow Lily or Spatterdock; Sweet-scented White Water or Pond Lily

CROWFOOT FAMILY (Ranunculaceae) Common Meadow Buttercup, Tall Crowfoot or Cuckoo Flower; Tall Meadow Rue; Liver-leaf, Hepatica, Liverwort or Squirrel Cup; Wood Anemone or Wind Flower; Virgin’s Bower, Virginia Clematis or Old Man’s Beard; Marsh Marigold, Meadow-gowan or American Cowslip; Gold-thread or Canker-root; Wild Columbine; Black Cohosh, Black Snakeroot or Tall Bugbane; White Bane-berry or Cohosh

BARBERRY FAMILY (Berberidaceae) May Apple, Hog Apple or Mandrake; Barberry or Pepperidge-bush

POPPY FAMILY (Papaveraceae) Bloodroot; Greater Celandine or Swallow-wort

FUMITORY FAMILY (Fumariaceae) Dutchman’s Breeches; Squirrel Corn

Part 2

MUSTARD FAMILY (Cruciferae) Shepherd’s Purse; Black Mustard

PITCHER-PLANT FAMILY (Sarraceniaceae) Pitcher-plant, Side-saddle Flower or Indian Dipper

SUNDEW FAMILY (Dioseraceae) Round-leaved Sundew or Dew-plant

SAXIFRAGE FAMILY (Saxifragaceae) Early Saxifrage; False Miterwort, Coolwort or Foam Flower; Grass of Parnassus

WITCH-HAZEL FAMILY (Hamamelidaceae) Witch-hazel

ROSE FAMILY (Rosaceae) Hardhack or Steeple Bush; Meadow-Sweet or Quaker Lady; Common Hawthorn, White Thorn, Red Haw or Mayflower; Five-finger or Common Cinquefoil; High Bush Blackberry, or Bramble; Purple-flowering or Virginia Raspberry; Wild Roses

PULSE FAMILY (Leguminosae) Wild or American Senna; Wild Indigo, Yellow or Indigo Broom, or Horsefly-Weed; Wild Lupine, Sun Dial or Wild Pea; Common Red, Purple, Meadow or Honeysuckle Clover; White Sweet, Bokhara or Tree Clover; Blue, Tufted or Cow Vetch or Tare; Ground-nut; Wild or Hog Peanut

WOOD-SORREL FAMILY (Oxalidaceae) White or True Wood-sorrel or Alleluia; Violet Wood-sorrel

GERANIUM FAMILY (Geraniaceae) Wild or Spotted Geranium or Crane’s-Bill; Herb Robert, Red Robin or Red Shanks

MILKWORT FAMILY (Polygalaceae) Fringed Milkwort or Polygala or Flowering Wintergreen; Common Field or Purple Milkwort

TOUCH-ME-NOT FAMILY (Balsaminaceae) Jewel-weed, Spotted Touch-me-not or Snap Weed

BUCKTHORN FAMILY (Rhamnaceae) New Jersey Tea

MALLOW FAMILY (Malvaceae) Swamp Rose-mallow or Mallow Rose

ST. JOHN’S-WORT FAMILY (Hypericaceae) Common St. John’s-wort

ROCKROSE FAMILY (Cistaceae) Long-branched Frost-weed or Canadian Rockrose

VIOLET FAMILY (Violaceae) Blue and Purple Violets; Yellow Violets; White Violets

EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY (Onagraceae) Great or Spiked Willow-herb or Fire-weed; Evening Primrose or Night Willow-herb

GINSENG FAMILY (Araliaceae) Spikenard or Indian Root

PARSLEY FAMILY (Umbelliferae) Wild or Field Parsnip; Wild Carrot or Queen Anne’s Lace

DOGWOOD FAMILY (Cornaceae) Flowering Dogwood

HEATH FAMILY (Ericaceae) Pipsissewa or Prince’s Pine; Indian Pipe, Ice-plant, Ghost flower or Corpse-plant; Pine Sap or False Beech-drops; Wild Honeysuckle, Pink, Purple or Wild Azalea, or Pinxter-flower; American or Great Rhododendron, Great Laurel, or Bay; Mountain or American Laurel or Broad-leaved Kalmia; Trailing Arbutus or Mayflower; Creeping Wintergreen, Checker-berry or Partridge-berry

PRIMROSE FAMILY (Primulaceae) Four-leaved or Whorled Loosestrife; Star-flower; Scarlet Pimpernel, Poor Man’s Weatherglass or Shepherd’s Clock; Shooting Star or American Cowslip

GENTIAN FAMILY (Gentianaceae) Bitter-bloom or Rose-Pink; Fringed Gentian; Closed or Blind Gentian

DOGBANE FAMILY (Apocynaceae) Spreading or Fly-trap Dogbane

MILKWEED FAMILY (Asclepiadaceae) Common Milkweed or Silkweed; Butterfly-weed

CONVOLVULUS FAMILY (Convolvulaceae) Hedge or Great Bindweed; Gronovius’ or Common Dodder or Strangle-weed

POLEMONIUM FAMILY (Polemoniaceae) Ground or Moss Pink

BORAGE FAMILY (Boraginaceae) Forget-me-not; Viper’s Bugloss or Snake-flower

Part 3

VERVAIN FAMILY (Verbenaceae) Blue Vervain, Wild Hyssop or Simpler’s Joy

MINT FAMILY (Labiatae) Mad-dog Skullcap or Madweed; Self-heal, Heal-all, Blue Curls or Brunella; Motherwort; Oswego Tea, Bee Balm or Indian’s Plume; Wild Bergamot

NIGHTSHADE FAMILY (Solanaceae) Nightshade, Blue Bindweed or Bittersweet; Jamestown Weed, Thorn Apple or Jimson Weed

FIGWORT FAMILY (Scrophulariaceae) Great Mullein, Velvet or Flannel Plant or Aaron’s Rod; Moth Mullein; Butter-and-eggs or Yellow Toadflax; Blue or Wild Toadflax or Blue Linaria; Hairy Beard-tongue; Snake-head, Turtle-head or Cod-head; Monkey-flower; Common Speedwell, Fluellin or Paul’s Betony; American Brooklime; Culver’s-root; Downy False Foxglove; Large Purple Gerardia; Scarlet Painted Cup or Indian Paint-brush; Wood Betony or Loosewort

BROOM-RAPE FAMILY (Orobanchaceae) Beech-drops

MADDER FAMILY (Rubiaceae) Partridge Vine or Squaw-berry; Button-bush or Honey-balls; Bluets, Innocence or Quaker Ladies

BLUEBELL FAMILY (Campanulaceae) Harebell, Hairbell or Blue Bells of Scotland; Venus’ Looking-glass or Clasping Bellflower

LOBELIA FAMILY (Lobeliaceae) Cardinal Flower; Great Lobelia

COMPOSITE FAMILY (Compositae) Iron-weed or Flat Top; Joe Pye Weed, Trumpet Weed, or Tall or Purple Boneset or Thoroughwort; Golden-rods; Blue and Purple Asters or Starworts; White Asters or Starworts; Golden Aster; Daisy Fleabane or Sweet Scabious; Robin’s or Robert’s Plantain or Blue Spring Daisy; Pearly or Large-flowered Everlasting or Immortelle, Elecampane or Horseheal; Black-eyed Susan or Yellow or Ox-eye Daisy; Tall or Giant Sunflower; Sneezeweed or Swamp Sunflower; Yarrow or Milfoil; Dog’s or Fetid Camomile or Dog-fennel; Common Daisy, Marguerite, or White Daisy; Tansy or Bitter Buttons; Thistles; Chicory or Succory; Common Dandelion; Tall or Wild Lettuce; Orange or Tawny Hawkweed or Devil’s Paint-brush

COLOR KEY

GENERAL INDEX OF NAMES

WILD FLOWERS

WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY (Alismaceae)

Broad-leaved Arrow-head

Sagittaria latifolia (S. variabilis)

Flowers--White, 1 to 1-1/2 in. wide, in 3-bracted whorls of 3, borne near the summit of a leafless scape 4 in. to 4 ft. tall. Calyx of 3 sepals; corolla of 3 rounded, spreading petals. Stamens and pistils numerous, the former yellow in upper flowers; usually absent or imperfect in lower pistillate flowers. Leaves: Exceedingly variable; those under water usually long and grass-like; upper ones sharply arrow-shaped or blunt and broad, spongy or leathery, on long petioles.

Preferred Habitat--Shallow water and mud.

Flowering Season--July-September.

Distribution--From Mexico northward throughout our area to the circumpolar regions.

Wading into shallow water or standing on some muddy shore, like a heron, this striking plant, so often found in that bird’s haunts, is quite as decorative in a picture, and, happily, far more approachable in life. Indeed, one of the comforts of botany as compared with bird study is that we may get close enough to the flowers to observe their last detail, whereas the bird we have followed laboriously over hill and dale, through briers and swamps, darts away beyond the range of field-glasses with tantalizing swiftness.

While no single plant is yet thoroughly known to scientists, in spite of the years of study devoted by specialists to separate groups, no plant remains wholly meaningless. When Keppler discovered the majestic order of movement of the heavenly bodies, he exclaimed, “O God, I think Thy thoughts after Thee!”--the expression of a discipleship every reverent soul must be conscious of in penetrating, be it ever so little a way, into the inner meaning of the humblest wayside weed.

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