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Title: Studies of Plant Life in Canada:
   Wild Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Grasses
Author: Traill, Catharine Parr (1802-1899)
Illustrator: Chamberlin, Agnes Dunbar [ne Moodie] (1833-1913)
Editor: Chamberlin, Agnes Dunbar [ne Moodie] (1833-1913)
Date of first publication: 1906 (first publication of this "new and
   revised edition": original edition published in 1885)
Edition used as base for this ebook:
   Toronto: William Briggs, 1906
Date first posted: 15 June 2009
Date last updated: 15 June 2009
Project Gutenberg Canada ebook #332

This ebook was produced by:
 Marcia Brooks, Therese Wright
& the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

This file was produced from images generously made available
by the Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries




       STUDIES OF PLANT LIFE
             IN CANADA




[Illustration: PLATE I. THE AUTHOR]




      _Studies of Plant Life
             in Canada_


Wild Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Grasses

                 BY

          MRS. C. P. TRAILL

Author of "The Backwoods of Canada," "Canadian Crusoes,"
"Pearls and Pebbles: Notes of an Old Naturalist," etc., etc.




NEW AND REVISED EDITION


Illustrated with 8 reproductions in natural colors and 12 half-tone
engravings, from drawings by Mrs. Agnes D. Chamberlin.


TORONTO:
WILLIAM BRIGGS
1906




Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one
thousand nine hundred and six, by AGNES D. CHAMBERLIN, at the Department
of Agriculture.





               TO

         HER EXCELLENCY

     _The Countess of Grey_

THIS BOOK IS BY HER KIND PERMISSION
RESPECTFULLY AND GRATEFULLY DEDICATED




PREFACE


This little work on the flowers and native plants of Central Canada is
offered to the Canadian public with the hope that it may prove a means of
awakening a love for the natural productions of the country, and a desire
to acquire more knowledge of its resources. It is not a book for the
learned. The aim of the writer is simply to show the real pleasure that may
be obtained from a habit of observing what is offered to the eye of the
traveller,--whether by the wayside path, among the trees of the forest, in
the fields, or on the shores of lake and river. Even to know the common
name of a flower or fern is something added to our stock of knowledge, and
inclines us to wish to know something beyond the mere name. Curiosity is
awakened, and from this first step we go on to seek for higher knowledge,
which may be found in works of a class far above what the writer of the
present book can aspire to offer to the reader. The writer has adopted a
familiar style in her descriptions of the plants, thinking it might prove
more useful and interesting to the general reader, especially to the young,
and thus find a place on the book-shelves of many who would only regard it
for the sake of its being a pretty, attractive volume, on account of the
illustrations. These, indeed, are contributed by the pencil of a gifted and
accomplished lady, Mrs. Agnes Chamberlin, a beloved relative, to whose
artistic taste and talents the author is greatly indebted. She is conscious
that many imperfections will be found in this volume, the contents of which
have been written at intervals during a long series of years, many of which
were marked by trials such as fell to the lot of the early colonists and
backwoods settlers, and others of a more afflicting nature, which required
patience and faith to bear and to say, "Thy will be done, O Lord."

There is a common little weed that is known by the familiar name of
Carpetweed, a small Polygonum, that grows at our doors and often troubles
us to root up, from its persevering habits and wiry roots. It is crushed by
the foot and bruised, but springs up again as if unharmed beneath our
tread, and flourishes under all circumstances, however adverse. This little
plant had lessons to teach me, and gave courage when trials pressed hard
upon me. The simplest weed may thus give strength if we use the lesson
rightly and look up to Him who has pointed us to that love which has
clothed the grass of the field and cared for the preservation of even the
lowliest of the herbs and weeds. Will He not also care for the creature
made in His own image? Such are the teachings which Christ gave when on
earth. Such teachings are still taught by the flowers of the field.

Mothers of Canada, teach your children to know and love the wild flowers
springing in their path, to love the soil in which God's hand has planted
them, and in all their after wanderings through the world their hearts will
turn back with loving reverence to the land of their birth, to that dear
country, endeared to them by the remembrance of the wild flowers which they
plucked in the happy days of childhood.

As civilization extends through the Dominion and the cultivation of the
tracts of forest land and prairie destroys the native trees and the plants
that are sheltered by them, many of our beautiful wild flowers, shrubs and
ferns will, in the course of time, disappear from the face of the earth and
be forgotten. It seems a pity that no record of their beauties and uses
should be preserved; and as there is no national botanical garden in Canada
where collections of the most remarkable of our native plants might be
cultivated and rescued from oblivion, any addition to the natural history
of the country that supplies this want is therefore not without its value
to the literature and advancement of the country, and it is hoped that it
may prove valuable to the incoming immigrant who makes Canada an abiding
home.

The author takes this opportunity of acknowledging the kind and invaluable
assistance which she has received from her friend, Mr. James Fletcher, of
the Dominion Library, and the encouragement to her labors by Professor
Macoun's opinion of the usefulness of her work on the vegetable productions
of the country. She has also to acknowledge the benefit derived from the
pamphlet on the "Canadian Forest Trees," by her respected friend, Dr.
Hurlburt. Mr. Fletcher, with that zeal for his favorite study which has
already won for him so high a place among the naturalists of Canada, and
that kindness which shrinks from no trouble and has won him so many
friends, accepted the drudgery of revising the work and seeing it through
the press.

The Wild or Native Flowers and Flowering Shrubs are arranged, as a general
rule, in the order of time in which they appear in the woods; but it has
been thought that by grouping them somewhat in families, especially where
only a short mention is made of some species, it would be easier to refer
to them than if this order were strictly adhered to.

                                                                C. P. T.
LAKEFIELD, 1885.




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


  PLATE I.  Frontispiece.
    Portrait of the Author.

  PLATE II.  P. 8.
    Wood Anemone (Anemone Nemorosa).
    Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba).
    Spring Beauty (Claytonia Virginica).
    Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora).

  PLATE III.  P. 18.
    Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum).
    Rock Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis).
    Yellow Adder's Tongue (Erythronium Americanum).

  PLATE IV.  P. 24.
    Blood Root (Sanguinaria Canadensis).
    Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides).

  PLATE V.  P. 30.
    Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris).
    Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis).

  PLATE VI.  P. 36.
    Wood Geranium (Geranium maculatum).
    Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum).
    Squirrel Corn (Dicentra Canadensis).
    Star Flower (Trientalis Americana).

  PLATE VII.  P. 48.
    Scarlet Painted Cup (Castilleia coccinea).
    Showy Orchis (Orchis spectabilis).
    Indian Turnip (Arisma triphyllum).
    Coneflower (Rudbeckia hirta).

  PLATE VIII.  P. 56.
    False Mitrewort (Tiarella cordifolia).
    May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum).

  PLATE IX.  P. 66.
    Painted Trillium (Trillium erythrocarpum).
    Wild Lily of the Valley (Smilacina bifolia).
    Flowering Wintergreen (Polygala paucifolia).

  PLATE X.  P. 76.
    Arrow-head (Sagittaria variabilis).
    Great Lobelia (Lobelia syphilitica).
    Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis).

  PLATE XI.  P. 84.
    Four-leaved Loose-Strife (Lysimachia quadrifolia).
    Marsh Vetchling (Lathyrus palustris).

  PLATE XII.  P. 96.
    False Fox-glove (Gerardia quercifolia).
    Turtle-head (Chelone glabra).
    Dragon-head (Physostigia Virginiana).

  PLATE XIII.  P. 120.
    Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium spectabile).
    Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia).
    Wild Orange Lily (Lilium Philadelphicum).

  PLATE XIV.  P. 144.
    Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea.).

  PLATE XV.  P. 160.
    Sweet-Scented Water-Lily (Nympha odorata).
    Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar advena).

  PLATE XVI.  P. 172.
    Daphne Mezereum.

  PLATE XVII.  P. 184.
    American Brooklime (Veronica Americana).
    Purple Scented Raspberry (Rubus odoratus).
    One-flowered Pyrola (Moneses uniflora).
    Shin-leaf (Pyrola elliptica).

  PLATE XVIII.  P. 192.
    Trailing Arbutus (Epiga repens).

  PLATE XIX.  P. 200.
    Strawberry Blite (Blitum capitatum).

  PLATE XX.  P. 208.
    Early Wild Rose (Rosa blanda).
    Beard Tongue (Pentstemon pubescens).




INTRODUCTION

    "There's nothing left to chance below;
      The Great Eternal cause
     Has made all beauteous order flow
      From settled laws."


Every plant, flower, and tree has a simple history of its own, not without
its interest if we would read it aright. It forms a page in the great
volume of Nature which lies open before us, and without it there would be a
blank; in Nature there is no space left unoccupied.

We watch on some breezy day in summer one of the winged seeds of the
thistle or dandelion taking its flight upward and onward, and we know not
where it will alight, and we see not the wisdom of Him

    "Who whirls the blowballs' new-fledged pride
      In mazy rings on high,
     Whose downy pinions once untied
      Must onward fly.

    "Each is commissioned, could we trace
      The voyage to each decreed,
     To convey to some barren place
      A pilgrim seed."
                      --_Agnes Strickland._

When the writer of the little volume now offered to the Canadian public
first settled in the then unbroken backwoods on the borders of the
Katchewanook, just where the upper waters of a chain of lakes narrow into
the rapids of the wildly beautiful Otonabee, that section of the province
was an unbroken wilderness. There was no road opened, even for the rudest
vehicle, on the Douro side of the lakes, and to gain her new home the
authoress had to cross the river at Auburn, travel through the newly cut
road in the opposite township, and again cross over the Otonabee at the
head of the rapids in a birch-bark canoe. There was at that period no other
mode of connection with the northern part of the Township of Douro. Now a
branch railroad from Peterboro' terminates in the flourishing village where
once the writer wandered among the forest pines looking for wild flowers
and ferns.

As to the roads, one might say, with the Highland traveller,

    "Had you but seen these roads before they were made,
     You'd have lift up your hands and have blessed General Wade."

The only habitations, beyond our own log cabin, at the date of which I
write, were one shanty and the log house of a dear, lamented and valued
brother, the enterprising pioneer and founder of the prosperous village of
Lakefield.

It may easily be imagined that there were few objects of interest in the
woods at that distant period of time--1832--or as a poor Irish woman
sorrowfully remarked, "'Tis a lonesome place for the likes of us poor women
folk; sure there isn't a hap'orth worth the looking at; there is no
nothing, and it's hard to get the bit and the sup to ate and to drink."

Well, I was better off than poor Biddy Fagan, for I soon found beauties in
my woodland wanderings, in the unknown trees and plants of the forest.
These things became a great resource, and every flower and shrub and forest
tree awakened an interest in my mind, so that I began to thirst for a more
intimate knowledge of them. They became like dear friends, soothing and
cheering, by their sweet unconscious influence, hours of loneliness and
hours of sorrow and suffering.

Having never made botany a study, and having no one to guide and assist me,
it was acquiring knowledge under difficulties, by observation only; but the
eye and the ear are good teachers, and memory is a great storehouse, in
which are laid up things new and old which may be drawn out for use in
after years. It is a book the leaves of which can be turned over and read
from childhood to old age without weariness.

Having experienced the need of some familiar work giving the information
respecting the names and habits and uses of the native plants, I early
conceived the idea of turning the little knowledge which I gleaned from
time to time to supplying a book which I had felt the great want of myself;
but I hesitated to enter the field when all I had gathered had been from
merely studying the subject without any regular systematic knowledge of
botany. The only book that I had access to was an old edition of "North
American Flora," by that industrious and interesting botanist, Frederick
Pursh. This work was lent to me by a friend, the only person I knew who had
paid any attention to botany as a study, and to whom I was deeply indebted
for many hints and for the cheering interest that she always took in my
writings, herself possessing the advantages of a highly cultivated mind,
educated and trained in the society of persons of scientific and literary
notoriety in the Old Country. Mrs. Stewart was a member of the celebrated
Edgeworth family. Pursh's "Flora," unfortunately for me, was written
chiefly in Latin. This was a drawback in acquiring the information I
required; however, I did manage to make some use of the book, and when I
came to a standstill I had recourse to my husband, and there being a
glossary of the common names, as well as one of the botanical, I contrived
to get a familiar knowledge of both.

My next teachers were old settlers' wives, and choppers and Indians. These
gave me knowledge of another kind, and so by slow steps, and under many
difficulties, I gleaned my plant-lore. Having, as I have said, no resource
in botanical works on our native flora, save what I could glean from Pursh,
I was compelled to rely almost entirely upon my own powers of observation.
This did much to enhance my interest in my adopted country and add to my
pleasure as a relief, at times, from the home-longings that always arise in
the heart of the exile, especially when the sweet opening days of Spring
recall to the memory of the immigrant Canadian settler old familiar scenes,
when the hedges put out their green buds, and the Violets scent the air;
when pale Primroses and the gay starry Celandine gladden the eye, and the
little green lanes and wood-paths are so pleasant to ramble through among
the Daisies and Bluebells and Buttercups; when all the gay embroidery of
English meads and hedgerows put on their bright array. But for the Canadian
forest flowers and trees and shrubs, and the lovely ferns and mosses, I
think I should not have been as contented as I have been away from dear old
England. It was in the hope of leading other lonely hearts to enjoy the
same pleasant recreation that I have so often pointed out the natural
beauties of this country to their attention, and now present my forest
gleanings to them in a simple form, trusting that it may not prove an
unacceptable addition to the literature of Canada, and that it may become
a household book, as Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne is to this
day among English readers. And now at the age of eighty-three years,
fifty-two of which have been spent in the fair province of Ontario, in her
far forest home on the banks of the rapid Otonabee, the writer lays down
her pen, with earnest prayers for the prosperity of this her much beloved
adopted country, that with the favor and blessing of our God it may become
the glory of all lands.

LAKEFIELD, ONT., 1884.




ACKNOWLEDGMENT


Mrs. Chamberlin gratefully acknowledges the advice and encouragement given
to her in the preparation of this work by the Dominion Botanist, Professor
John Macoun, F.C.S., F.R.S.C., and by the Assistant Botanist, James M.
Macoun, C.M.G.; and also gladly embraces the opportunity afforded in this
preface of extending her sincere thanks to Dr. James Fletcher, the
well-known entomologist and botanist, who in the midst of the pressing
duties of his position was kind enough to undertake the correction of the
proofs of this present edition of PLANT LIFE IN CANADA.

Mrs. Chamberlin also makes grateful acknowledgment of the valuable
assistance given her by her daughter, Mrs. Geraldine Moodie, in
photographing the paintings from which the plates used in the present
edition were taken.

LAKEFIELD, ONT., August 1st, 1906.




STUDIES OF PLANT LIFE




SECTION I.

WILD, OR NATIVE FLOWERS


VIOLETS.

    "The violet in her greenwood bower
      Where birchen boughs with hazel mingle,
     May boast herself the fairest flower
      In forest, glade or copsewood dingle."
                                            --_Scott._


There is music and poetry in the very name--"Violet." In the forest
wilderness, far removed from all our early home associations, the word will
call up, unbidden, a host of sweet memories of the old familiar land where
as children we were wont to roam among bowery lanes, and to tread the
well-worn pathways through green pastures down by the hawthorn hedge, and
along grassy banks where grew in early spring Primroses, Bluebells, and
purple Violets. What dainty, sweet-smelling posies have you and I, dear
reader (I speak to the emigrants from the dear Old Country), gathered on
sunny March and April days on those green banks and grassy meadows? How
many a root full of freshly opened Violets or Primroses have we joyfully
carried off to plant in our own little bits of garden ground, there to fade
and wither beneath the glare of sunshine and drying winds. Little we
heeded this, for the loss was soon replaced from Nature's abundant store.

I doubt not but that Violets and Primroses, the Bluebells and the Cowslips
yet bloom and flourish in the loved haunts of our childhood. Year after
year sees them bloom afresh--pure, sweet and fragrant as when last we
filled our laps with their flowers or twined them in garlands for our hair;
but we change and grow old. God wills it so, and it is well! Though Canada
boasts of many members of this charming family, there is none among our
Violets so deeply blue, or so deliciously fragrant, as the common English
March Violet, _Viola odorata_. This sweet flower bears away the crown from
all its fellows. One of our older poets (Sir Henry Wotton) has said, as if
in scornful contrast of it when compared with the rose,

    "Ye violets that first appear,
      By your pure purple mantles known,
     Like the proud virgins of the year,
      As if the spring were all your own,
      What are ye when the rose is blown?"

Good Sir Henry, we would match the perfume of the lowly violet even against
the fragrance of the blushing rose.

Though deficient in the scent of the purple Violet of Europe, we have many
lovely species among the native Violets of Canada. The earliest is the
small flowered


EARLY WHITE VIOLET--_Viola blanda_ (Willd.).

This blossoms early in April, soon after the disappearance of the snow. The
light green smooth leaves may be seen breaking through the black, damp,
fibrous mould closely rolled inward at the margins; the flowers are small,
rather sweet scented, greenish white, with delicate pencillings of purple
at the base of the petals. It is a moisture-loving plant, and affects open,
recently overflowed ground, near creeks. It comes so early that we welcome
its appearance thankfully, for it

      "Tells us that winter, cold winter, is past,
    And that spring, welcome spring, is returning at last."

On pulling up a thrifty plant late in the summer, it surprises you with a
new set of flowers, quite different from the spring blossoms; these are
small buds and flowers of a dull chocolate-brown, lying almost covered over
in the mould, with seed pods, some ready to shed the ripened seed, others
just formed.

A variety of this mysterious little plant has been distinguished by some
botanists as _Viola clandestina_, from the curious hidden way in which it
produces the subterranean flowers and seeds.

The commonest among our blue Violets is


THE HOODED VIOLET--_Viola cucullata_ (Ait.),

so-called from the involute habit of the leaves, which, when first
appearing, are folded inwardly, as if to shield the tender buds of the
flowers from the chilling winds. There are many forms or varieties of this
species, varying very much in appearance, the difference being probably due
to the habitat in which they occur. One of the handsomest is the large blue
Wood Violet, which flowers about the middle of June, has blue scentless
flowers with round petals, and large blunt hirsute leaves, and is found in
low woods.[1] Another variety, with deep violet flowers, has elongated
petals and pointed, rather smooth leaves of a purplish tint, at least till
late in the season. It is found on open sunny banks and dry grassy
hill-sides.[2] Yet another variety is often found by the sides of springs
and rivers, forming spreading tufts among the grass with its smooth-pointed
leaves and pale, delicate flowers.[3]

  [1] _Viola Dicksoni_, Greene.

  [2] _Viola subviscosa_, Greene.

  [3] _Viola prionosepala_, Greene.

The prettiest of all our blue Violets is the


ARROW-LEAVED VIOLET--_Viola sagittata_ (Ait.).

It is found in low, sandy, shady valleys or very light loamy soil. The
leaves of this species are not always arrow or heart-shaped, but in some
cases are long and narrow, blunt at the apex, decurrent on the short
leaf-stalk, notched at the edges, and rather roughened and dulled in color
by the short silvery hairs on the surface. The flowers rise singly from the
crown of the plant; color, a bright royal blue, a little white at the base
of the petals, which are bearded with soft silky wool; anthers, a bright
orange color, and forming a tiny cone from the meeting of the tips. The
flowers, six or eight in number, fall back from the centre and lie
prostrate on the closely horizontal leaves. The unopened buds are sharply
folded with bright green sepals, and are of a deep bluish-purple. Another
form, sometimes called _Viola ovata_, very nearly resembles the above, but
the leaves are less hairy and the color is more purple in the tint.


THE PENCILLED VIOLET--_Viola renifolia_ (Gray),

bears its white blossoms on rather long slender foot-stalks, and these are
slightly larger than those of the above. It is milky-white, with dark
veinings. The leaves, although covered with soft hairs, have a bright,
smooth and shining appearance. They are round heart or kidney-shaped,
notched at the edges. As the summer advances the foliage of the Pencilled
Violet increases in luxuriance, and many white fibrous running roots are
produced in the loose soil. This attractive species may be found in swamps
and forests, growing amidst decayed wood and mosses, and increasing after
the same manner as _Viola blanda_. A point which easily distinguishes this
species from the last is the total absence of scent; the leaves, too, are
much more pubescent--a character which is very noticeable in the early
morning, when they are covered with dew.

Among the branching Violets we have two pretty lilac ones, the Long Spurred
Violet (_Viola rostrata_) and the Dog Violet (_Viola canina_ var.
_sylvestris_). These pretty species are distinguished by the long spur,
lilac-tinted petals, striped and veined with dark purple and branching
stem. The next in point of interest is the


DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET--_Viola pubescens_ (Ait.).

This handsome species is confined to our forests and copses. It will attain
to more than a foot in height in its rich native woods; it blossoms in
spring, and quite often through the early summer; the color is golden
yellow, veined with black jetty lines. The seed-vessels are deeply clothed
with white silky wool.

The Yellow Violet has been immortalized by the sweet verses of that rare
poet of nature, Cullen Byrant--almost every child is familiar with his
stanzas on the Yellow Violet. There is another variety of this Violet,
called _var. scabriuscula_, which is not so branching; it is of lower
growth, the leaves darker, and the blossoms smaller but of a deeper golden
color. This variety is found in drier, more open soil--the black veining
more distinctly marked than in the downy Yellow Violet, and the
seed-vessels smooth. They both improve under culture, having two sets of
flowers during the season.

Among the white Violets none is so beautiful as the


BRANCHING WHITE WOOD VIOLET--_Viola Canadensis_ (L.).

This, our Canada Violet, is worthy of a place in our gardens. Not only is
it a lovely flower, but it takes kindly to garden culture, preferring a
shady place to the open sunshine. In its native haunts--the rich black
vegetable mould of beech and maple woods--it rises to the height of from
nine inches to a foot, throwing out slender leafy-bracted branches, with
many buds and pure milk-white flowers. The petals are slightly clouded on
the outside with purple; the buds are also dark, while the petals of the
flower are veined with purple, and in some cases there is a shade of yellow
in the centre of the flowers, though this is not seen so distinctly when
under cultivation.

The plant continues to send forth blossoms all through the summer, and even
late in the month of September when undisturbed. The seeds, ripening early,
form new plants, which, sheltered by the parent stem, continue to increase,
forming a compact ball of snow-white flowers. This has been the case in my
own garden. If well watered and in suitable soil, this pretty branching
violet may be taken from the woods even in full bloom, and will grow and
continue to blossom freely, but must have shade and moisture and leaf-mould
to ensure success to its healthy growth. The leaves are large, broad at the
base, narrowing to a very slender point, and coarsely toothed.

The violet has ever been a favorite flower with the poets; from Shakespeare
and Milton down to the present day we find mention of this lovely flower
scattered through their verses. Nor are the old Italian poets silent in its
praise. Luigi de Gonzaga, in stanzas addressed to his lady-love (Maria
Mancini), says:

    "But only violets shall twine
     Thy ebon tresses, lady mine."

Milton, in his sonnet to "Echo," speaks of the "violet embroidered vale."

Here are lines to early violets, after the manner of the old English poet,
Herrick:

    Children of sweetest birth,
    Why do ye bend to earth
    Eyes in whose deepest blue
    Lies hid the diamond dew?

    Has not the early ray
    Yet kissed those tears away
    That fell with closing day?
    Say, do ye fear to meet
    The hail and driving sleet
    Which gloomy winter stern
    Flings from his snow-wreathed urn?

    Or do ye fear the breeze,
    So sadly sighing thro' the trees,
    Will chill your fragrant flowers
    'Ere April's silv'ry showers
    Have visited your bowers?
    Why came ye till the Cuckoo's voice
    Bade hill and dale rejoice?
    Till Philomel, with tender tone
    Waking the echoes lone,
    Bade woodland glades prolong
    Her sweetly tuneful song?

    Till Skylark blithe and Linnet grey,
    From fallow brown and meadow gay,
    Pour forth their jocund roundelay?
    Till Cowslips wan and Daisies pied
    Broider the hillock's side,
    And opening Hawthorn buds are seen
    Decking the hedge-row screen?

    What though the Primrose, drest
    In her pure modest vest,
    Came rashly forth
    To brave the biting North,
    Did ye not see her fall
    Straight 'neath his snowy pall?
    And heard ye not the West Wind sigh
    Her requiem as he hurried by?

    Go hide ye, then, till groves are green
    And April's clouded bow is seen,
    Till suns are bright, and skies are clear,
    And every flower that doth appear
    Proclaims the birthday of the year.
                                       --_C. P. T._


LIVER-LEAF--WIND-FLOWER--_Hepatica acutiloba_ (DC.).

(PLATE II.)

                       "Lodged in sunny clefts,
    Where the cold breeze comes not, blooms alone
    The little Wind-flower,[4] whose just opened eye
    Is blue as the spring heaven it gazes at."
                                             --_Bryant._


The American poet Bryant has many happy allusions to the Hepatica under the
name of "Wind-flower." The more common name among our Canadian settlers is
"Snow-flower," it being the first blossom that appears directly after the
melting of the winter snows.

  [4] The blue-flowered _Hepatica triloba_ is evidently the flower meant by
      the poet.

In the forest--in open, grassy woods, on banks and upturned roots of
trees--this sweet flower gladdens the eye with its cheerful starry
blossoms; every child knows it and fills its hands and pinafore with its
flowers--pink, blue, deep azure and pure white. What the daisy is to
England the Snow-flower or Liver-leaf is to Canada. It lingers long
within the forest shade, coyly retreating within its sheltering glades from
the open glare of the sun, though for a time it will not refuse to bloom
within the garden borders, when transplanted early in spring. Doubtless, if
properly supplied with black mould from the woods, and partially sheltered
by shrubs, it would continue to grow and flourish with us constantly.

[Illustration: PLATE II.

1. Wood Anemone (Anemone Nemorosa). P. 20.
2. Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). P. 8.
3. Spring Beauty (Claytonia Virginica). P. 24.
4. Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora). P. 32.]

We have two sorts, _H. acutiloba_ and _H. triloba_. A large variety was
found on Long Island in Rice Lake, the leaves of which are five lobed; the
lobes are much rounded, the leaf stalks stout, densely silky, the flowers
large, of a deep purple blue. This handsome plant throve under careful
cultivation, and proved highly ornamental.

The small round closely-folded buds of the Hepatica appear before the white
silky leaves unfold themselves, though many of the old leaves of the former
year remain persistent through the winter. The buds rise from the centre of
a silken bed of soft sheaths and young leaves, as if Nature kindly provided
for the warmth and protection of these early flowers with parental care.

Later in the season the young leaves expand, just before the flowers drop
off. The white flowered is the most common among our Hepaticas, but
varieties may be seen of many hues--waxen pink, pale blue and azure blue,
with intermediate shades and tints.

This pretty native flower improves under garden culture, forming a lovely
flowery border, giving us the very earliest blossoms of April and May to
gladden us before any of our garden flowers open. The colors of the pink
and the blue deepen in open sunny borders.

The Hepatica belongs to the Nat. Ord. Ranunculace, the Crowfoot family,
but possesses none of the acrid and poisonous qualities of the Ranunculus
proper, being used in medicine, as a mild tonic, by the American herb
doctors in fevers and disorders of the liver.

It is very probable that its healing virtues in complaints of the liver
gave rise to its common name in old times; some assign the name,
"Liver-leaf," to the form of the lobed leaf.


BLUE COHOSH, PAPOOSE ROOT--_Caulophyllum thalictroides_ (Michx.).

(PLATE IV.)

Though bearing the same Indian name, "Cohosh," our plant has been removed
by botanists to another family than the red and white Baneberries, or
Cohoshes, which are members of the Ranunculace or Crowfoot family. There
is no beauty in the blossoms of the Blue Cohosh, yet the plant is
remarkable for its medicinal uses, which are well known among the Indians
and the herbalists of the United States medical schools.

The round, rather large blue berries are not the portion of the plant that
is used, but the thick-knotted root-stock. The leaves are of a dull bluish
green, the flowers dark purplish green, lurid in color; the leaves are
closely folded about the thick fleshy stem when they first appear. The
whole plant impresses one with the conviction that it is poisonous in its
nature; there is something that looks _uncanny_ about it. Nature stamps a
warning on many of our herbs by unmistakable tokens: the glaring
inharmonious coloring of some; the rank odors exhaled by others; the acrid,
biting taste in the leaves and juices--all these are safeguards if we would
but heed them as warnings. The compound leafage of the Blue Cohosh breaks
the ground in April with the immature flowers; after a while the leaf
spreads out and the lurid blossoms expand. The berries are set upon short
thick fleshy foot-stalks, and the round hard fruit forms a loose panicle of
drupe-like naked seeds of horny texture.

The plant may be found in open woods and grassy plain-lands, known by its
large bluish green leafage and the dark blue berries.[5]

  [5] The roots of this plant are in use with the Indian women, its common
      name being "Papoose Root." Its virtues are of a singular and powerful
      nature, known only to the native Indian.


BLOOD-ROOT.--_Sanguinaria Canadensis_ (L.).

(PLATE IV.)

    "Here the quick-footed wolf,
     Pausing to lap thy waters, crushed the flower
     Of Sanguinaria, from whose brittle stem
     The red drops fell like blood."

Just at the margin of the forest, and in newly-cleared ground among the
rich black leaf mould, may be seen late in April and May the closely-folded
vine-shaped leaf of the Blood-root, enclosing in its fold one pure white
bud.

The leaf is strongly veined beneath with pale orange veins. The simple
semi-transparent round leaf stalk, as well as the flower scape, is filled
with a liquor of a bright orange red color: break the thick fleshy tuberous
root and a red fluid drops from every wounded pore, whence its local name
"Blood-root."[6]

  [6] The Indians have an old legend of the transformation of the Wood
      Thrush into the form of the Blood-root, which poetical fancy has
      been sweetly versified by a lady in Toronto, who favored me with a
      copy of the poem.

This juice is used largely by the Indian women in their various
manufactures. With it they dye the porcupine quills and moose-hair both red
and orange, and also stain the baskets of a better sort that they offer for
sale in the stores. Nor is this the only use to which it is applied: they
use the juice both externally in curing cutaneous eruptions of the skin,
and internally in other diseases. Latterly its medicinal qualities have
been acknowledged by the American Eclectic School of Pharmacy as valuable
in many forms of disease, so that we find our beautiful plant to be both
useful and ornamental.

The Blood-root grows in large beds; each knob of the root sends up one leaf
and its accompanying flower bud, which it kindly enfolds as if to protect
the fair, frail blossom from the chilling winds and showers of hail and
sleet. The leaf is of a grayish or bluish green; at first the underside,
which is the part exposed to view, is salmon colored veined with red, but
as it expands and enlarges the outer surface darkens into deeper green. The
blossom is composed of many petals, varying from eight to twelve.[7] The
many stamens are of a bright orange yellow. The stigma is two-lobed, and
the style short or sessile. The seed is contained in an oblong pod of two
valves. The seeds are of a bright red brown color. The ivory white petals
are oblong, blunt, or sometimes pointed; the outer ones larger than the
inner, at first concave, but opening out as the flower matures. Under
cultivation the blossom of the Blood-root increases in size, but the plant
does not seem to spread and multiply as freely as in its native soil. It
is one of our most lovely native Spring flowers. It is a pity that, with
the march of civilization, we shall soon lose its fair pure blossoms. It is
easily cultivated, and repays care by the increase in size of the flowers,
ripening the seeds perfectly and freely.

  [7] Very rarely more than eight. It might be called an Easter flower. The
      two sepals fall off as the flower opens; owing to this fact few know
      there were any. The flower is composed of four large petals on the
      outside and four smaller ones inside, both forming, when separated, a
      perfect St. Andrew's Cross. I never saw this noticed by anyone but
      myself. It is so fragile a plant that it is often hard to get a
      perfect flower, as the petals drop when it is being
      plucked.--A. D. C.


TALL BUTTERCUP--_Ranunculus acris_ (L.).

We see in Canada this old familiar meadow-flower of our childhood bright
and gay, growing abundantly in low wet pasture lands, where it becomes to
the eye of the farmer a troublesome, unprofitable weed, rejected by the
cattle for its bitter, acrid qualities. Yet it is pleasant to meet its old
familiar face in a foreign land, where often the sight of some simple
flower will awaken tender recollections of early scenes of sunny grassy
meadows, where we wandered in days of thoughtless childhood, free of care
as the lark that carolled above our heads in the glad sunshine; happy days
brought back to memory in all their freshness by the sight of a simple
yellow Buttercup blossoming in Canadian wilds and wastes, despised and
rejected by others but precious to the heart of the lonely immigrant, who
hails it as a tiny link between himself and his early home life.


EARLY CROWFOOT--_Ranunculus fascicularis_ (Muhl.).

This native species of Ranunculus is one of our earliest spring flowers. It
grows low and spreading to the ground, the hairy foliage giving a hoary
tint to the divided coarsely-cut leaves; the blossoms are of a pale yellow
color, not as large as the common Buttercup. The root is a cluster of thick
fleshy fibres.

One of the prettiest of the Ranunculus family is the


CREEPING SPEARWORT--_Ranunculus reptans_ (Gray),

a tiny, delicate plant, with slender thready stems rooting from beneath the
joints. The leaves are very narrow and pointed, those nearest to the root a
little lobed or eared. The little bright golden shining flowers only a few
lines broad, are borne in the axils of the leaves of the prostrate creeping
stems, and peep out from the sandy soil among tufts of minute hairy sedges
(_Eleocharis acicularis_) that clothe the damp low-lying shores of rivers
or lakes. There are several Water Crowfoots, some with white flowers,
others with yellow. These latter flowers float upon the surface of
slow-flowing rivers or lakes, gently rising or falling with the motion of
the waters. The beautiful adaptation of plants to soil and circumstances
may be noticed in these and some other aquatic plants which have their
foliage dissected into narrow segments, so that the water may freely flow
through them. Of the water Ranunculi, we may mention White Water Crowfoot
(_R. aquatilis_) and Yellow Water Crowfoot (_R. multifidus_).

There are among our native Ranunculus flowers a few plants of which the
outward beauties of their blossoms are better known to us than their useful
qualities, though doubtless even the lowliest among them has a part to
perform, not for man's sole benefit, but for the support or shelter of some
of God's creation among the insect tribes or smaller animals or birds which
find nourishment in their seeds, leaves or roots. It is a remarkable fact
that rarely, if ever, is the flower of any plant selected for food by bird
or beast.

There are many native plants of the order Ranunculace,--too many to be
here described. Gray describes nineteen species of Ranunculi proper, only a
part of the plants described being found with us, and there are doubtless
many others found in our extensive Dominion not at present named.

The large deep golden, abundant flowers of the


MARSH MARIGOLD--_Caltha palustris_ (L.),

(PLATE V.)

are too well known to need any minute description. It is, indeed, a
splendid flower, and can hardly fail of being admired when seen, like a
"field of cloth of gold," covering the low, wet ground with its large
leaves of a deep refreshing green and its rich golden cups--a pleasant
sight to the eye in May. The leaves were used as a pot-herb by the early
backwoods settlers, before gardens were planted; but, through carelessness
or ignorance, accidents of a fatal nature are known to have occurred
through mistaking the leaves of the _Arisma triphyllum_ for those of the
more innocent herb, the Marsh Marigold, or Water Cowslip, as this plant is
often called.


MITREWORT, BISHOP'S CAP--_Mitella diphylla_ (L.).

This elegant forest flower is found in moist, rich soil, among beech,
maple, and other hardwood trees.

We have two species of these plants: one, _Mitella nuda_ (L.), rather
creeping, with green blossoms, only a few inches in height, and the flowers
larger and fewer on the slender scape, the bright green lobed leaves
spreading on the ground. The taller Mitrewort has elegant fringed cups,
greenish white, many flowers arranged in a long slender spike. The term
"diphylla" distinguishes it from the low dwarf species, there being two
opposite pointed leafy bracts about the middle of the long slender scape.
Not only are the fringed cap-like flowers worthy of minute attention, but
the boat-shaped two-valved capsules of the seed vessels form a pretty
feature in the plant. At an early stage of ripeness the shining jet black
seeds appear; these are scarcely less attractive than the delicate fringed
flowers, and have given rise to the local name in some places of
"Gem-flower."

Nearly allied to the above is the woodland flower,


FALSE MITREWORT--_Tiarella cordifolia_ (L.),

(PLATE VIII.)

to which the name of "Wood Mignonette" is often given, not on account of
its scent--for there is no particularly agreeable odor in the flower, and
the leaves are somewhat coarse and pungent in quality--but for the beauty
of the light graceful blossoms, which are white with orange tipped or light
tawny brown anthers. The petals are pointed and five in number; stamens
ten, long and slender; styles two; seed vessels two-valved; the base of the
pistil is thickened, forming a turban-like pod.

There are two forms of our pretty "Wood Mignonette"--one with closer, more
globular, heads of flowers, the other with the flowers looser and more
scattered. Both affect the rich black mould and shade of the forest trees.

The plant might be called evergreen, as the leaves appear green and fresh
from beneath the covering of Winter's snow. The large flat sharply-toothed,
lobed leaves are shaded in the centre with purple; the veinings also
blackish purple, and the surface is beset with very short appressed hairs.
The leaf stalks of the young plants are of a reddish pink, and are hairy at
their junction with the root.


WOOD BETONY--_Pedicularis Canadensis_ (L.).[8]

This plant is commonly found in open grassy thickets and plainlands. Of the
two common species, we have one with dark dull red flowers and another with
yellow. It is a rather coarse flower; the spike leafy, hairy and rough; the
leaves are divided into many rounded lobes, toothed at the margins and
deeply cleft, nearly to the mid-rib, turning black in drying. The yellow
flowered is a smaller plant than the red; the foliage is much more hairy,
and the lipped blossoms are also hairy, the upper lip arched over the lower
lobes of the corolla. I think it must be a distinct variety, or even
species. Lindley remarks, in his "Natural System," that the Betony is acrid
in quality, but that it is eaten by goats--unluckily we have few goats in
Canada to benefit by the herbage of this homely plant.[9]

  [8] The name given to this lovely plant in English has a low, vulgar
      sound--"Lousewort"--that in the native Cree language is "Moostoos
      Ootasee."

  [9] The Betony referred to by Lindley belongs to the Sage family.


FLOWERING WINTERGREEN--_Polygala paucifolia_ (Willd.).

(PLATE IX.)

This is one of our early flowering plants distinguished by the common name
of "Wintergreen." It belongs to a family of well-known plants called
Milkworts--low bitter herbs--some of which are remarkable for tonic
properties, of which the Senega, or Snakeroot, is an example.

Some of the species are remarkable as bearing fertile flowers under ground.
The flowers of some are white, others red, and others again purple or
reddish lilac. The name Milkwort appears to have been adopted without any
foundation, from an imaginary idea that the herbage of some of the species
promoted the secretion of milk in cows. Several of the milkworts are
indigenous to Canada.

_P. Senega_ is not evergreen in its habits; it flowers in May among
grasses on dry uplands; it is simple, slender, and not ungraceful, the
leafy stem terminating in a spike of greenish-white flowers. The wiry root
is said to possess medicinal qualities. The plant which merits our
attention more particularly for its beautiful flowers is _P. paucifolia_,
the beautiful fringed, or crested, Polygala. It is a small-sized plant,
about six to nine inches in height; the stem is simple, rising from a
running or creeping root-stock, often furnished with subterranean imperfect
leaflets and fertile flowers. The smooth dark-green leaves, delicately
fringed with soft silky hairs tinged with a purplish hue, are persistent
through the winter. The stem of the plant is leafy, the lower leaves small
and bract-like, the upper ones larger and clustered round the summit; from
amongst these appear from two to four, and sometimes as many as five,
elegantly winged purple-lilac flowers. The two upper petals are long-ovate,
the lower forming a crested keel, finely tinged with deeper purple. The
flowers of this beautiful species are very graceful, slightly drooping from
among the shining leaves on thread-like pedicels. The stamens are six;
sepals of the calyx five; petals three. Some old writers have given the
name of "Fly-flower" to our pretty Polygala, and truly not an inappropriate
name, as one might not inaptly liken the opened blossom to some gay
purple-winged insect ready to take its flight from the bosom of the soft
silky leaves that form an involucre round it.

This Flowering Wintergreen is one of our earliest Spring flowers; in fine
warm seasons it appears in the latter end of April, continuing to bloom on
till the middle of May. The early flowering plants are not so tall, neither
are the flowers so large as those put forth later in the season. On
sunny spots, on moderately sandy soil, on open wastes by the wayside, or at
the edge of the partly cleared forest, it expands its soft
purple--sometimes rose-colored--flowers, often mingled promiscuously with
the white blossoms of the Wild Strawberry and creeping Early Everlasting.
The lovely winged flowers gladden the eye of the traveller when as yet but
few blossoms have ventured to brave the late frosts that ofttimes nip the
fair promise of the spring.

[Illustration: PLATE III.

1. Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). P. 35.
2. Rock Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis). P. 39.
3. Yellow Adder's Tongue (Erythronium Americanum). P. 33.]

No wonder that we watch with pleasure for the reappearing of our little
floral gem, as in the old times we did for the bright golden varnished
flowers of the Smaller Celandine, that starred the green turfy banks in our
English lanes, opening so gaily to the ruffling winds and sunshine on
bright March mornings. Some of the peasants and old writers call the little
Celandines "Kingcups," and I have often fancied that Shakespeare was
thinking of this sweet spring flower when he wrote his charming song,
"Hark, the Lark at Heaven's Gate Sings,"

    "And winking Mary-buds begin
      To ope their golden eyes;
     With all the things that pretty bin,
      My lady sweet, arise."

Mary-golds, which some suppose the poet meant by _Mary-buds_, have little
poetical charm about them, not being associated with the Lark as a wild
spring flower. It is more than probable it was the gay little Celandine
that he thus immortalizes with his sweet song.

The larger form of our Flowering Wintergreen is found somewhat later in May
in the woods, and is known by the settlers as "Satin-flower." It would make
a pretty border plant, and from its early flowering would be a great
acquisition to our gardens.


AMERICAN SNAKEROOT--_Polygala Senega_ (L.),

already referred to, is less ornamental, though a delicate and graceful
little plant. Like the rest of the genus, its root is perennial, woody, and
bitter in its qualities. The stem is simple, wand-like, clothed with
lanceolate leaves, and terminating in a spike of greenish-white flowers.
The wings of this species are small, and embrace the flattened, less
conspicuously crested keel. Its favorite haunt is dry upland plains, among
shrubs and wild grasses; it blossoms later than the more showy purple
Polygala, being seen through May and June, and later through the summer.

Another purple-flowered species is


SLENDER PURPLE MILKWORT--_Polygala polygama_ (Walt.).

The flowers form slender racemes of violet-colored blossoms springing from
a woody root-stock, which also bears numerous inconspicuous but more
fertile flowers beneath the ground. Its usual habitat is dry grassy banks
in sandy or rocky ravines; all these plants seem to prefer sunshine to
shade, and favor a light sandy, loamy soil. Several of the species are used
as tonics and alteratives by the American herbalists.


WOOD ANEMONE--_Anemone nemorosa_ (L.).

(PLATE II.)

                        "Within the wood,
    Whose young and half-transparent leaves
    Scarce cast a shade, gay circles of anemones
    Danced on their stalks."
                                    --_Bryant._

The classical name "Anemone" is derived from a Greek word which signifies
the wind, because it was thought that the flower opened out its blossoms
only when the wind was blowing. Whatever the habits of the Anemone of the
Grecian Isles may be, assuredly in their native haunts in this country the
blossoms open alike in windy weather or in calm, in sunshine or in shade.
It is more likely that the wind acting upon the downy seeds of some species
and dispersing them abroad has been the origin of the idea, and has given
birth to the popular name which poets have made familiar to the ear with
many sweet lines. Bryant, who is the American poet of Nature, for he seems
to revel in all that is fair among the flowers and streams and rocks and
forest shades, has also given the name of "Wind-flower" to the blue
Hepatica.

This pretty, delicate species loves the moderate shade of groves and
thickets; it is often found in open pinelands of second growth, and
evidently prefers a light and somewhat sandy soil to any other, with
glimpses of sunshine stealing down upon it.

The Wood Anemone is from four to nine inches in height, but occasionally
taller; the five rounded sepals which form the flower are white, tinged
with a purplish-red or dull pink on the outside. The leaves are
three-parted, divided again into three, toothed and sharply cut, and
somewhat coarse in texture; the three upper stem leaves form an involucre
about midway between the root and the flower-cup.

Our Wood Anemone is a cheerful little flower, gladdening us with its
blossoms early in the month of May. It is very abundant in the neighborhood
of Toronto, on the grassy banks and piney dells of Dovercourt, and
elsewhere.

    "There thickly strewn in woodland bowers,
     Anemones their stars unfold."

A taller species, _Anemone dichotoma_, with very beautiful white starry
flowers, is found on gravelly banks by river-sides and under the shade of
shrubs in most parts of Canada, as is also the downy-seeded species known
as "Thimble-weed" (_Anemone cylindrica_), from the cylindrical heads of
fruit. This latter is not very attractive for beauty of color; the flower
is greenish-white, small, two of the sepals being shorter and less
conspicuous than the others. The plant is from one to two feet high; the
leaves of the cut and pointed involucre are coarse, and are of a dull
green, surrounding the several long flower-stalks. The soft cottony seeds
remain in close heads through the winter till the spring breezes disperse
them.

The largest species of our native Anemones is the Tall Anemone (_A.
Virginiana_). This handsome plant loves the shores of lakes and streams;
damp rich ground suits it well, as it grows freely in such soil, and under
moderate shade when transferred to the garden.

The foliage of the Tall Anemone is coarse, growing in whorls round the
stem; divisions of the leaf three parted, sharply pointed and toothed. In
this, as in all the species, the colored sepals (or calyx leaves) form the
flower. The outer surface of the ivory-white flower is covered with minute
silky hairs; the round flattened silky buds rise singly on tall naked
stems, but those of the outer series are supplied with two small leaflets
embracing the stalk. The central and largest flowers open first, then the
lateral or outer ones as these fade away; thus a succession of blossoms is
produced, which continue to bloom for several weeks. The flowers of this
plant under cultivation become larger and handsomer than in their wild
state; sometimes the flowers are tinted with purple. This species is
distinguished from _A. cylindrica_ by its round heads of fruit and larger
flowers. The Anemone is always a favorite flower wherever it may be seen,
whether in British woods, on Alpine heights, or in Canadian wilds; on
banks of lonely lakes and forest streams, or in the garden parterre, where
it is rivalled by few other flowers in grace of form or splendor of color.

We cannot boast, in this part of the Dominion, any of the more brilliant
and beautiful flowers of this ornamental family, though that interesting,
lovely species known as Pasque-flower--_Anemone patens_ (L.), var.
_Nuttalliana_ (Gray)--is largely distributed over the prairie lands of the
Western States and in our North-western Provinces, where it is one of the
earliest of the spring flowers to gladden the heart with its large lavender
blossoms, than which none are more beautiful. The bud appears on a thick
leafless scape, about four to six inches high, enclosed in a cut and
sharply pointed involucre of grey bracts of silvery hue and shining
brightness. The scape is clothed with hairy scales; from within this silky
covering peeps out the fair bud, which shortly expands into a large open
cup-like very beautiful blossom, with a shade of white at the base of each
large pointed sepal. As the flower advances a change takes place in the
whole aspect of the plant; the root-leaves begin to appear, which are
compoundly cut and divided, and the head of plumy fruit is raised on a high
scape above the silken involucre and now ripens in the breezy air and
sunshine.[10]

  [10] This is the Crocus Anemone of the West and has been chosen as the
       floral emblem of Manitoba.

I have a fine dried specimen before me, perfect under all its several
aspects, and I wish that it could be oftener seen as a cultivated border
ornament in our Canadian gardens. The name "Pasque-flower" is hardly known
among the inhabitants of our North-western prairies, and the Indian name
would, I am sure, be descriptive of some natural quality of the plant, its
growth or habits.

We have in Ontario several distinct species of Anemone, though none so
finely colored as the prairie flower; nor can we boast of the splendid
Anemones that gem the wilderness tracts of Palestine. Some travellers have
suggested that it was to the brilliant blossoms of the scarlet, blue and
white Anemones that the Saviour drew the attention of his disciples, while
Sir James Smith has supposed--and with more probability--it was to the
glowing colors of the golden flowered _Amaryllis lutea_, which abounds on
the fields of Palestine, that He alluded in His words, "Behold the lilies
of the field," etc.[11]

  [11] A literal translation of the words is "the bright and shining ones."


SPRING BEAUTY--_Claytonia Virginica_ (L.) and _C. Caroliniana_ (Michx.).

(PLATE II.)

    "Where the fire had smoked and smouldered,
     Saw the earliest flower of Springtime,
     Saw the Beauty of the Springtime,
     Saw the Miskodeed[12] in blossom."--_Longfellow._

This simple, delicate little plant is one of our earliest April flowers. In
warm springs it is almost exclusively an April flower, but in cold and
backward seasons it often delays its blossoming time till May.

  [12] Miskodeed--Indian name for Spring Beauty.

Partially hidden beneath the shelter of old decaying timbers and fallen
boughs, its pretty pink buds peep shyly forth. It is often found in
partially cleared beech-woods and in rich moist meadows.

In Canada there are two species: _C. Caroliniana_, with few flowers, white,
veined with red, and both leaves and flowers larger than the more common
western form; _C. Virginica_, the blossoms of which are more numerous,
smaller and pink, veined with lines of a deeper rose color, forming a
slender raceme; sometimes the little pedicels or flower-stalks are bent or
twisted to one side, so as to throw the flowers all in one direction, as in
the figure given in Pursh's work before alluded to.

[Illustration: PLATE IV.

1. Blood-Root (Sanguinaria Canadensis). P. 11.
2. Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). P. 10.]

The scape springs from a small deep tuber, bearing a single pair of soft
oily succulent leaves. In the white-flowered species (_C. Caroliniana_)
these leaves are placed about midway up the stem, but in the pink (_C.
Virginica_) the leaves lie closer to the ground and are smaller and
narrower, of a dark bluish-green hue. Our Spring Beauties well deserve
their pretty poetical name. They come in with the robin and the song
sparrow, the hepatica and the first white violet; they linger in shady
spots, as if unwilling to desert us till more sunny days have wakened up a
wealth of brighter blossoms to gladden the eye; yet the first and the last
are apt to be most prized by us, with flowers as well as other treasures.

How infinitely wise and merciful are the arrangements of the Great Creator!
Let us instance the connection between bees and flowers. In cold climates
the former lie torpid, or nearly so, during the long months of winter,
until the genial rays of the sun and light have quickened vegetation into
activity and buds and blossoms open their stores of nutriment necessary for
the busy insect tribes.

The bees seem made for the blossoms, the blossoms for the bees. On a bright
March morning what sound can be more in harmony with the sunshine and blue
skies than the murmuring of the honey bees in a border of cloth-of-gold
Crocuses? What sight more cheerful to the eye? But I forget. Canada has few
of these sunny flowers, and no March days like those that woo the hive bees
from their winter dormitories. And even April is with us only a name. We
have no April month of rainbows, suns and showers. We miss the deep blue
skies and silver throne-like clouds that cast their fleeting shadows over
the tender springing grass and grain; we have no mossy lanes odorous with
blue violets, and our April flowers are, comparatively speaking, few, and
so we prize our early violets, hepaticas and spring beauties. We miss the
turfy banks studded with starry daisies, pale primroses and azure
bluebells.

In the warmth and shelter of the forest vegetation appears. The black
leaf-mould, so light and rich, quickens the seedlings into rapid growth,
and green leaves and opening buds follow soon after the melting of the
snows of winter. The starry blossoms of the spring plants come forth and
are followed by many a lovely flower, increasing with the more genial
seasons of May and June.

Our May is bright and sunny, more like to the English March; it is, indeed,
a month of promise--a month of many flowers. But too often its fair buds
and blossoms are nipped by frost, and "winter, lingering, chills the lap of
May."


INDIAN TURNIP--_Arisma triphyllum_ (Torr.).

(PLATE VII.)

    "Or peers the arum from its spotted veil."--_Bryant._

There are two species of Arum found in Canada, the larger of which is known
as Green-dragon (_A. Dracontium_); the other is known by the familiar name
of Indian Turnip (_A. triphyllum_ or _A. purpureum_).

These moisture-loving plants are chiefly to be found in rich black swampy
mould, beneath the shade of trees and rank herbage, near creeks and damp
places in or about the forest.

The sheath that envelopes and protects the spadix, or central column which
supports the clustered flowers and fruit, is an incurved membranaceous hood
of a pale green color, beautifully striped with dark purple or
brownish-purple. The flowers are inconspicuous, hidden at the base of the
scape by the sheath. They are of two kinds, the sterile and fertile; the
former, placed above the latter, consisting of whorls of four or more
stamens and two to four-celled anthers; the fertile or fruit-bearing
flowers of one-celled ovaries. The fruit when ripe is bright scarlet,
clustered round the lower part of the round fleshy scape. As the berries
ripen the hood or sheath withers and shrivels away to admit the ripening
rays of heat and light to the fruit.

The root of the Indian Turnip consists of a round wrinkled fleshy corm,
sometimes over two inches in diameter; from this rises the simple scape or
stem of the plant, which is sheathed by the base of the leaves. These are
on long naked stalks, divided into three ovate pointed leaflets, waved at
the edges.

The juices of the Indian Turnip are hot, acrid, and of a poisonous quality,
but can be rendered useful and harmless by the action of heat; the roots
roasted in the fire are no longer poisonous. The Indian herbalists use the
Indian Turnip in medicine as a remedy in violent colic, long experience
having taught them in what manner to employ this dangerous root.

The Arisma belongs to the natural order _Arace_, most plants of which
contain an acrid poison, yet under proper care can be made valuable
articles of food. Among these are the roots of _Arum (Colocasia)
mucronatum_, and others, which, under the more familiar names of eddoes and
yams, are in common use in tropical countries. (Lindley.)

The juice of _A. triphyllum_, our Indian Turnip, has been used, boiled in
milk, as a remedy for consumption.

Portland Sago is prepared from a larger species, _Arum maculatum_ (Spotted
Arum). The corm, or root, yields a fine white starchy powder, similar to
Arrowroot, which is prepared much in the same way as Potato starch. The
pulp, after being ground or pounded, is thrown into clean water and
stirred; after settling the water is poured off and the white sediment is
again submitted to the same process until it becomes quite pure and is then
dried. A pound of this starch may be made from a peck of the roots. The
roots should be dried in sand before using. Thus purified and divested of
its poisonous qualities, the powder so procured becomes a pleasant and
valuable article of food, and is sold under the name of Portland Sago or
Portland Arrowroot.

When deprived of the poisonous acrid juices that pervade them, all our
known species may be rendered valuable both as food and medicine; but they
should not be employed without care and experience.

There seems in the vegetable world, as well as in the moral, two opposite
principles, the good and the evil. The gracious God has given to man the
power, by the cultivation of his intellect, to elect the good and useful,
separating it from the vile and injurious, thus turning that into a
blessing which would otherwise be a curse.

"The Arum family possesses many valuable medicinal qualities," says Dr.
Charles Lee, "but would nevertheless become dangerous poisons in the hands
of ignorant persons."

The useful Cassava, _Jatropha manihot_ (Lin.), of the West Indies and
tropical America, is another remarkable instance of Art overcoming Nature
and obtaining a positive good from that which in its natural state is evil;
the Cassava flour from which the bread made by the natives is manufactured,
being the starchy parts of a poisonous plant of the Euphorbia family, the
milky juice of which is highly acrid and poisonous. The pleasant and
useful article sold in the shops under the name of Tapioca is also made
from the Cassava root.

How well do I recall to mind the old English Arum, known by its familiar
names among the Suffolk peasantry as "Cuckoo-pint," "Jack-in-the-Pulpit"
and "Lords and Ladies." The first name doubtless was suggested from the
appearance of the plant about the time of the coming of that herald of
spring, the Cuckoo; the hooded spathe, shrouding the spadix like a monkish
cowl, must have furnished the second; while the distinction in color
between the deep purplish-red and the creamy white of the central column or
spadix supplied the more euphonious term of "Lords and Ladies," which to
our childish fancies represented the masculine and feminine element in the
plant. Of course, we dreamed not of the Linnan system; the one was the
lord because it was dark, the other the lady because it was fair and more
delicate.


SQUIRREL CORN--_Dicentra Canadensis_ (DC.).

(PLATE VI.)

This elegant species belongs to the Fumitory family and is remarkable for
its sweetness, as well as for the grace of its almost pellucid white or
pale pink bells and the finely dissected compound foliage of a peculiar
bluish tint of green. The corolla is heart-shaped, with slightly rounded
blunt spurs, the tips of the petals projecting and rather more distinctly
colored. There is a fine variety of this flower with larger, more drooping
bells, and of a decidedly pink shade.

In the rich black mould of the forest and in rather damp situations this
species, known by old settlers as Squirrel Corn and by others as Wood
Hyacinth, may be found. The sweet scent of the fresh flowers evidently
suggested the last name. The round clusters of orange bulblets that are
found at the base of the scape no doubt gave rise to the more common name
Squirrel Corn. Whether or not these grain-like looking bulbs are eaten by
the little ground squirrels I do not know; the fact depends upon the
authority of the Indians and old woodsmen, so we assume it is correct.

In studying the habits of this and the next species of the genus Dicentra,
I have noticed some peculiarities of growth in these interesting plants
which appear to have escaped the attention of the more learned botanical
writers. One thing may here be mentioned, which is the total and very rapid
disappearance of the whole plant directly the flower has perfected and
ripened the seed which is about a month after the plant has bloomed. The
fine and elegantly dissected compound leaves wither away, leaving not a
wreck behind to mark where the plant had grown; delicate seedlings, indeed,
may be detected near where the older plant stood, and a few golden bulblets
may be found near by under the mould, but not a vestige of the original
plant remains. These golden slightly flattened bulbs are intensely bitter,
but not acrid or biting. I think the tiny seedlings are not the offspring
of these bulbs, but of the real seed; yet the bulbs will vegetate and
produce living plants, as in the Tiger Lily.

All the species flourish under cultivation and become very ornamental early
border flowers; but care should be taken to plant them in rich black
vegetable mould, the native soil of their forest haunts.

This family contains another very charming species to which the outlandish
and vulgar name of "Dutchman's Breeches" has been given, and I am sorry to
say this name has been retained in Dr. Gray's manual. A far prettier and
more appropriate, because descriptive, name would be that of


FLY-FLOWER--_Dicentra Cucullaria_ (DC.),

the diverging nectaries taking just the angle of the wings of the Deer-fly
when spread for flight, and the brown tips of the four petals giving the
semblance of the head of the insect. The delicate pale primrose-tinted
sac-like spurs of the corolla give a peculiar aspect to this very
attractive flower, which forms one of the ornaments of the spring. It
appears early in the month of May, or, in warm and genial seasons, as early
as the latter weeks in April. Like the Squirrel Corn, the foliage is finely
dissected and ample; it blooms, however, a week earlier.

[Illustration: PLATE V.

1. Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris). P. 15.
2. Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis). P. 68.]


GOLDEN FUMITORY--_Corydalis aurea_ (Willd.).

This pretty flower is also one of our native Fumitories; it makes a good
border bloomer, is biennial in habit, seeds itself and blossoms freely. It
is a low-growing, bushy plant, with pale bluish finely dissected foliage
and simple racemes of golden yellow flowers; it begins to blossom very late
in May and continues all through June and later. There is a finer, larger,
more compactly growing plant, with larger flowers and foliage, found in
rocky woods and islands in our backwoods' lakes. A very pretty species is
_Corydalis glauca_ (Pursh). This is tall and branching, with delicate
flowers of bright pink, yellow and green, or white. The foliage is very
blue in shade, not very abundant; the divisions of the leaf bluish; pods
very slender, splitting and shedding bright shining seeds. It is a very
pretty plant, and grows readily among grasses and other wayside
herbage.[13]

  [13] On rocky islands this very elegant species may be found in
       profusion, growing luxuriantly in the clefts of the gneiss rocks,
       and where the soil is black with decomposed vegetable mould; it will
       bear to be removed, and grows freely in the garden.


RED BANEBERRY, RED COHOSH--_Acta spicata_ (L.), var. _rubra_ (Gray).

The Red Cohosh is a larger plant than the Blue Cohosh, with foliage
coarsely veined, pointed in the divisions, of a full green, sharply cleft,
and toothed; flowers white in a close-tufted terminal raceme. The berries
when ripe are oval, shining, of a deep red, set on slender stalks; it grows
in damp, rich woods.


WHITE COHOSH--_Acta alba_ (Bigel.).

This is a striking-looking plant when in ripe fruit; the berries are white
and shining, set on rose-red fleshy footstalks; the plant is branching and
inclined to fall prostrate from the weight of the long-stalked cluster of
heavy fruit. In some of its peculiar characteristics it seems to resemble
the Blue Cohosh; the Indian herbalists evidently considered they were of
the same nature. In none of these plants is the fruit edible.


BELLWORT--WOOD DAFFODIL--_Uvularia grandiflora_ (Smith).

(PLATE II.)

    "Fair Daffodil, we weep to see
       Thee haste away so soon,
     As yet the early rising sun
       Has not attained his noon.
           Stay, stay!--
       Until the hasting day
           Has run
      But to the evening song;
     When, having prayed together, we
      Will go with you along."
                              --_Herrick._

This slender drooping flower of early spring is known by the name of
Bellwort, from its pendent lily-like bells; and by some it is better known
as the Wood Daffodil, to which its yellow blossoms bear some remote
resemblance.

The flowers of the Bellwort are of a pale greenish yellow; the divisions of
the petal-like sepals are six, pointed and slightly twisted or waved; the
flowers droop from slender thready pedicels terminating the branches; the
stem of the plant is divided into two portions, one of which is generally
barren of flowers. The leaves are of a pale green, smooth, and in the
largest species perfoliate, clasping the stem.

The root-stock or rhizome is white, with fleshy roots. The Bellwort is
common in rich shady woods and grassy thickets and on moist alluvial soil
on the banks of streams, where it attains to the height of two feet. It is
an elegant but not very showy flower, remarkable more for its graceful
pendent straw-colored or pale yellow blossoms than for its brilliancy. It
belongs to a sub-order of the Lily tribe. There are three species in
Canada--_Uvularia grandiflora_, _U. perfoliata_ and _U. sessilifolia_.


ADDER'S-TONGUE--DOG-TOOTH VIOLET--_Erythronium Americanum_ (Smith).

(PLATE III.)

    "And spotted adder's-tongue, with drooping bell,
      Greeting the new-born spring."

In rich black mould on the low banks of creeks and open woodlands large
beds of these elegant Lilies may be seen piercing the softened ground in
the month of April; the broad lanceolate leaves are beautifully clouded
with purple or reddish brown, and sometimes with milky white. Each bulb of
the second year's growth produces two leaves, and between these rises a
round naked scape (or flower stem), terminated by a drooping yellow bell.
The unfolded bud is striped with lines of dark purple. A few hours of
sunshine and warm wind soon expand the perianth, composed of six colored
recurved segments which form a lily-like turban-shaped flower; each segment
is grooved, and spotted at the base with oblong purplish-brown dots. The
outer surfaces of three of the colored flower leaves are marked with dark
lines. The stamens are six; anthers oblong; pollen of a brick-red, or dull
orange color, varying to yellow. The style is club-shaped; stigmas three,
united.

This elegant Lily even when expanded bends downward as if to hide its
glories from the full glare of the sunlight. The clouded leaves are of an
oily smoothness, resisting the moisture of rain and dew. This is one of the
most elegant of our native Lilies and is well worth cultivation. It
blossoms early in May or late in April, and we hail it with gladness when
it brightens us with a graceful golden bell at the edge of the dark forest.

The name Dog-tooth Violet seems very inappropriate. The pointed segments of
the bell may have suggested the resemblance to the teeth of a dog; but it
is difficult to trace any analogy between this flower and the Violet, no
two plants presenting greater dissimilarity of form or habit than the Lily
and the Violet, though often blended in the verse of the poet. The American
name, Adder's-tongue, is more significant.[14] This name must refer to the
red pointed anthers rather than the foliage, as some have suggested.

  [14] The name Dog-tooth refers to the shape of the small pointed white
       bulbs of the common European species, so well known in English
       gardens.--_Prof. Lawson._

The White-flowered Adder's-tongue, _Erythronium albidum_ (Nutt.), grows in
the more western portions of Canada, as on the shores of Lake Huron.


WHITE TRILLIUM--EASTER FLOWER--_Trillium grandiflorum_ (Salisb.).

(PLATE III.)

    "And spotless lilies bend the head
     Low to the passing gale."

Nature has scattered these remarkable flowers with no niggardly hand over
hill and dale, wide shrubby plain and shady forest glen. In deep ravines
and on rocky islets the bright snow-white blossoms of the Trilliums greet
the eye and court the hand to pluck them. The old people in this part of
the province call them by the familiar name of lily. Thus we have Asphodel
Lilies, Douro Lilies, etc. In Nova Scotia they are called Moose-flowers,
probably from being abundant in the haunts of moose-deer. In some of the
New England States the Trilliums, white and red, are known as the
"Death-flower," but of the origin of so ominous a name we have no record.
We might imagine it to have originated in the use of the flower to deck the
coffins or graves of the dead. The pure white blossoms might serve not
inappropriately for emblems of innocence and purity when laid upon the
breast of the early dead. The darker and more sanguine hue of the red
species might have led to its selection for such as fell by violence; but
these are mere conjectures. A prettier name has been given to the Nodding
Trillium (_T. cernuum_), that of "Smiling Wake-robin," which seems to be
associated with the coming of the cheerful chorister of early spring, "the
household bird with the red stomacher," as Bishop Carey[15] calls the robin
redbreast. The botanical name of the Trillium is derived from _trilix_,
triple, all the parts of the plant being in threes. Thus we see the round
fleshy scape furnished with three large sad green leaves, two or three
inches below the flower, which is composed of a calyx of three sepals, a
corolla of three large snow-white or else chocolate red petals, the styles
or stigmas three, ovary three-celled, and the stamens six (which is a
multiple of three). The white fleshy tuberous root is much used by the
American schools of medicine in various diseases, also by the Indian herb
doctors.

  [15] An old writer in the time of James I. and tutor to one of the
       daughters of Charles I.

_Trillium grandiflorum_ is the largest and most showy of the white species.
_Trillium nivale_, or Lesser Snowy Trillium, is the smallest; this last
blooms early in May. May and June are the months in which these flowers
appear. The white-flowered Trilliums are subject to many variations and
accidental alterations. The green of the sepals is often transferred to the
white petals in _T. nivale_; some are found handsomely striped with red and
green, and in others the very footstalks of the almost sessile leaves are
lengthened into long petioles. The large White Trillium is changed,
previous to its fading, to a dull reddish lilac.


PURPLE TRILLIUM--BIRTHROOT--_Trillium erectum_ (Lin.).

(PLATE VI.)

    "Bring flowers, bring flowers, o'er the bier to shed,
     A crown for the brow of the early dead.
     Though they smile in vain for what once was ours,
     They are love's last gift--bring flowers, bring flowers."
                                                          --_Hemans._

Gray and other botanical writers call this striking flower "Purple
Trillium"; it should rather be called red, its hue being decidedly more red
than purple; and in the New England States it is called by the country
folks the Red Death-flower, in contrast to the larger White Trillium or
White Death-flower. _T. erectum_ is widely spread over the whole of old
Canada. It appears in the middle of May and continues blooming till June,
preferring the soil of damp, shady woods and thickets; but it takes very
kindly to a shaded border in the garden, where it increases in size and
becomes an ornamental spring flower.

[Illustration: PLATE VI.

1. Wood Geranium (Geranium maculatum). P. 58.
2. Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum). P. 36.
3. Squirrel Corn (Dicentra Canadensis). P. 29.
4. Star Flower (Trientalis Americana). P. 60.]

"Few of our indigenous plants surpass the Trillium in elegance and beauty,
and they are all endowed with valuable medicinal properties. The root of
the Purple Trillium is generally believed to be the most active. Tannin and
Bitter Extract form two of its most remarkable ingredients." So says that
intelligent writer on the medicinal plants of North America, Dr. Charles
Lee.

The Red Trilliums are rich but sombre in color, the petals are
longish-ovate, regular, not waved, and the pollen is of a greyish dusty
hue, while that of the white species is bright orange yellow. The leaves
are of a dark lurid green, the coloring matter of the petals seeming to
pervade the leaves. And here let me observe that the same remark may be
made of many other plants. In purple flowers we often perceive the violet
hue to be perceptible in the stalk and under part of the leaves, and
sometimes in the veins and roots. Red flowers, again, show the same
tendency in stalk and veins. Where the flower is white the leaves and
veinings, with the stem and branches, are for the most part of a lighter
green, more inclining to the yellow or else bluish tinge of green.

The Blood-root in its early stage of growth shews the orange juice in the
stem and leaves, as also does the Canadian Balsam and many others that a
little observation will point out. The coloring matter of flowers has
always been more or less of a mystery to us; that light is one of the great
agents can hardly for a moment be doubted, but something also may depend
upon the peculiar quality of the juices that fill the tissues of the
flower, and on the cellular tissue itself. Flowers deprived of light, we
know, are pallid and often colorless, but how do we account for the deep
crimson of the beetroot, the rose-red of the radish, the orange of the
rhubarb and carrot, which roots, being buried in the earth, are not subject
to the solar rays? The natural supposition would be that all roots hidden
from the light would be white, but this is by no means the case. The
question is one of much interest and deserves the attention of all
naturalists, and especially of the botanical student.

What shall we say to the rich color of the ruby, carbuncle, amethyst, topaz
and emerald, taken from the darkness of the mine; can it be that all are
really colorless till the light is admitted to them and the different
conditions of the crystallized forms catch, imprison and forever hold fast
the glorious rays of light?


PAINTED TRILLIUM--_Trillium erythrocarpum_ (Mx.).

(PLATE IX.)

This beautiful ornamental species is of rare occurrence in our woods. The
flower is elegantly tinged with soft pink veinings on the white waved and
pointed petals; the base of each is richly colored and shaded from deep red
to pale rose, which color indeed is slightly diffused through the flower;
leaves distinctly petioled, broad at the base, waved at the margins and
sharply pointed; the whole plant from six to nine inches in height. The
specimen from which the drawing is taken was found in May, near Ottawa,
where it is not uncommon. The under-surface of the leaves is slightly
tinged with purple.

Though scarce in our western woods, Gray says the Painted Trillium may be
found as far northward as Lake Superior; it also occurs in New England, and
southward in the Alleghanies and Virginia.


ROCK COLUMBINE--_Aquilegia Canadensis_ (Lin.).

(PLATE III.)

    "The graceful columbine, all blushing red,
     Bends to the earth her crown
     Of honey-laden bells."

This graceful flower enlivens us all through the months of May and June by
its brilliant blossoms of deep red and golden yellow.

In general outline the Wild Columbine resembles its cultivated sisters of
the garden, but is more light and airy in habit. The plant throws up many
tall slender stalks, furnished with leafy bracts, from which spring other
light stems terminated by little pedicels, each bearing a large drooping
flower and bud, which open in succession.

The flower consists of five red sepals and five red petals; the latter are
hollowed, trumpet-like at the mouth; ascending they form narrow tubes,
which are terminated by little round knobs filled with honey. The delicate
thready pedicel on which the blossom hangs causes it to droop down and thus
throw up the honey-bearing tubes of the petals, the little balls forming a
pretty sort of floral coronet at the junction with the stalk.

The unequal and clustered stamens and the five thready styles of the pistil
project beyond the hollow mouths of the petals like an elegant
golden-fringed tassel; the edges and interior of the petals are also of a
bright golden yellow. These gay colors are well contrasted with the deep
green of the root-leaves and bracts of the flower-stalks. The bracts are
lobed in two or three divisions. The larger leaves are placed on long
footstalks; each leaf is divided into three leaflets, which are again twice
or thrice lobed and unequally notched; the upper surface is smooth and of a
dark rich green, the under pale and whitish. As the flowers fade the husky
hollow seed pods become erect; the seeds are black and shining.

The Wild Columbine is perennial and very easily cultivated. Its blossoms
are eagerly sought out by the bees and humming-birds. On sunny days you may
be sure to see the latter hovering over the bright drooping bells,
extracting the rich nectar with which they are so bountifully supplied.
Those who care for bees and love humming-birds should plant the graceful
red-flowered Columbine in their garden borders. Indeed, this elegant
ornamental species should find a place in every garden. I have seen a
striking effect produced by a number of these flowers grown together.

In its wild state it is often found growing among rocks and surface stones,
where it insinuates its roots into the clefts and hollows that are filled
with rich vegetable mould; and thus, being often seen adorning the sterile
rocks with its bright crown of waving blossoms, it has obtained the name of
Rock Columbine.


PAINTED CUP--SCARLET CUP--_Castilleia coccinea_ (Spreng.).

(PLATE VII.)

                                   "Scarlet tufts
    Are glowing in the green like flakes of fire;
    The wanderers of the prairie know them well,
    And call that brilliant flower the Painted Cup."
                                                    --_Bryant._

This splendidly-colored plant is the glory and ornament of the plain-lands
of Canada. The whole plant is a glow of scarlet, varying from pale
flame-color to the most vivid vermilion, rivalling in brilliancy of hue
the Scarlet Geranium of our gardens.

The Painted Cup owes its gay appearance not to its flowers, which are not
very conspicuous at a distance, but to the deeply-cut leafy bracts that
enclose them and clothe the stalks, forming at the ends of the
flower-branches clustered rosettes.

The flower is a flattened tube bordered with bright red and edged with
golden yellow. Stamens four; pistil one, projecting beyond the tube of the
calyx; the capsule is many-seeded. The radical or root-leaves are of a dull
hoary green, tinged with reddish purple, as also is the stem, which is
rough, hairy, and angled. The bracts, or leafy appendages which appear on
the lower part of the stalk, are but slightly tinged with scarlet, but the
color deepens and brightens towards the middle and summit of the branched
stem.

The Scarlet Cup appears in May, along with the White and Red Trilliums, but
these early plants are small; the stem is simple, rarely branched, and the
color of a deeper red. As the summer advances our gallant soldier-like
plant puts on all its bravery of attire. All through the glowing harvest
months the open grassy plains and the borders of the cultivated fields are
enriched by its glorious colors. In favorable soil the plant attains a
height of from two to three feet, throwing out many side branches,
terminated by the clustered brilliantly-tinted bracts; some heads are as
large as a medium-sized rose. They have been gathered in the corners of the
stubble fields on the cultivated plains as late as October; specimens from
the prairies are of a deep purplish red.[16] A not uncommon slender
variety occurs of a pale buff, and also of a bright lemon color. The
American botanists speak of _Castilleia coccinea_ as being addicted to a
low wettish soil, but this has not been my experience; if you would find it
in its greatest perfection you must seek it on the high dry rolling plains
of Rice Lake, Brantford, the Humber to the north of Toronto, Stoney Lake,
the neighborhood of Peterboro', and similar localities.

  [16] This is _Castilleia miniata_, Dougl.

For soil the Scarlet Cup seems to prefer light loam, and evidently courts
the sunshine rather than the shade. If it could be prevailed upon to
flourish in our garden borders it would be a great acquisition, from its
long continuance in flower and its brilliant coloring. The seed is light
brown, contained in thinnish capsules, ripe in September. Gray says: "Herbs
parasitic on roots," but our brave plant is no parasite but grows freely on
open ground. Neither is it found with us in low wettish places; it loves
the light and would not flourish in shade. It is essentially a "prairie
flower." I have had bright specimens from our North-West and also from
Wisconsin and Dakota, U.S.; of a darker red from Manitoba.

These lovely plants, like many others that adorn our Canadian woods and
wilds, yearly disappear from our midst, and soon we shall seek them but
find them not.

We might say with the poet:

    "'Twas pity Nature brought ye forth
       Merely to show your worth,
          And lose ye quite!
      But ye have lovely leaves, where we
       May read how soon things have
       Their end, though ne'er so brave;
      And after they have shown their pride
       Like you awhile, they glide
          Into the grave."
                                --_Herrick._

I do not know if our brave Scarlet Cup of Canada has any floral
relationship to an herb known in the Old Country as "Clary,"[17] or by its
local and descriptive name of "Eye-bright." It is an old-fashioned flower
sometimes found in cottage gardens. I remember its curiously colored leaves
and bracts attracted my notice when first I saw it in a neglected corner of
a poor old woman's garden. There were two varieties, one with the dull
veiny leaves bordered with purple, as if the leaves had been dipped into
some logwood dye; the other with a full pink. I forget, in the long lapse
of time since I saw the plants, if the flower itself was pretty or partook
of the same tint of color as the foliage, but the great marvel consisted in
the black oval seeds, not very large, about the size of the seed of the
sage. This wonderful seed, Nannie Prime told me, gave the name to the plant
"Eye-bright," though, she added, "the learned gardener folk do call it
'Clary.' If any dust or motes, or any bad humors, are in the eye, and one
of these seeds be put into the corner of the eye, it will gather it all
round itself and clear the precious sight; and this is why folks do give it
the name of 'Eye-bright.' Sure, Miss, the Lord gave this little seed for a
cure for us poor folk, and no doubt the whole plant is good for other
complaints, as many of our _harbs_ be if we did but use them right." We
know of no especial healing virtue contained in the seed or leaves of our
beautiful Scarlet Cup; but it charms the eye and delights us, and that is
God's gift also. There seems to be no actual void, no space unfilled, in
God's creation. Something fills up all vacancies, either in vegetable or
animal life; unseen organisms, too subtle and too fine to become visible
to our unassisted vision, have their existence, though we behold them not.

    "Father of earth and heaven, all, all are Thine,
      The boundless tribes in ocean, air and plain,
      And nothing lives, and moves, and breathes in vain.
     Thou art their soul, the impulse is divine:
     Nature lifts loud to Thee her happy voice,
      And calls her caverns to resound Thy praise;
      Thy name is heard amid her pathless ways,
     And e'en her senseless things in Thee rejoice."
                                                    --_Jane Roscoe._

  [17] _Salvia Sclarea_ of the Sage Family.


WILD GINGER--_Asarum Canadense_ (L.).

This is a singular herbaceous plant, chiefly found in bush-wood and damp,
rich meadow-land. The leaves are wide, rounded kidney-form, with deep
sinuses. The flower, on a short peduncle, springs from the root-stock and
appears below the leaves close to the ground, never more than one to each
shoot; it is campanulate with sharp-pointed segments of a deep chocolate
color. The floral envelope consists of a calyx, but no corolla; the
creeping thick fleshy root-stock is warm, pungent and aromatic. It is a
coarse, singular-looking plant, much used in Indian medicine craft.


LADY'S SLIPPERS--MOCCASIN FLOWERS.

Among the many rare and beautiful flowers that adorn our native woods and
wilds few, if any, can compare with the lovely plants belonging to the
Orchis family. Where all are so worthy of notice it is difficult to make a
choice; happily there is no rivalry to contend with in the case of our
Artist's preferences. We will, however, first treat of the Cypripediums or
Lady's Slippers, better known by the name of Moccasin Flowers, a name
common in this country to all the species. The plants of this family are
remarkable alike for the singular beauty of their flowers and the peculiar
arrangement of the internal organs. In the Linnan classification they were
included, in common with all the Orchids, among the Gynandria.

Whether we regard these charming flowers for the singularity of their form,
the exquisite texture of their tissues, or the delicate blending of their
colors, we must acknowledge them to be altogether lovely and worthy of our
admiration.

One of the rarest, and at the same time most beautiful and curious, of our
native Orchids is the


RAM'S-HEAD ORCHIS--_Cypripedium arietinum_ (R-Br.),

which has smooth glaucous green leaves and small purplish flowers bearing a
close resemblance to a ram's head, with the horns and ears and a tuft of
wool on the top of the head. It is seldom over six inches in height; it
grows in cold peat bogs, and flowers in June. Associated with it we find
our most gorgeous representative of the family, the


SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER OR PINK-FLOWERED MOCCASIN PLANT--_Cypripedium
spectabile_ (Swartz).

(PLATE XIII.)

This grows chiefly in tamarack swamps and near forest creeks, where, in
groups of several stems, it displays its pure blossoms among the rank and
coarser herbage. The stem rises to the height of from eighteen inches to
two feet. The leaves, which are large, ovate, many nerved and plaited,
sheathing at the base, clothe the fleshy stem, which terminates in a single
sharp-pointed bract above the flower. The flowers are terminal and
generally solitary, although old and strong plants will occasionally bear
two or even three blossoms on one stem. The unfolded buds of this species
are most beautiful, having the appearance of slightly flattened globes of
delicately-tinted rice-paper.

The large sac-like inflated lip is slightly depressed in front, tinged with
rosy pink, and striped. The pale thin petals and sepals, two of each, are
whitish at first, but turn brown when the flower is more advanced towards
maturity. The sepals may be distinguished from the petals, the former being
longer than the latter and united at the back of the flower. The column on
which the stamens are placed is three-lobed; the two anthers are placed one
on either side, under the two lobes; the central lobe is sterile, thick,
fleshy, and bent down, somewhat blunt and heart-shaped. The root of the
Lady's Slipper is a bundle of white fleshy fibres.

One of the remarkable characteristics of the flowers of this genus, and of
many of the natural order to which it belongs, is the singular resemblance
the organs of the blossom bear to the face of some animal or insect. Thus
the face of an Indian hound may be seen in the Golden-flowered _Cypripedium
pubescens_; that of a sheep or ram, with the horns and ears, in _C.
arictinum_; while our "Showy Lady's Slipper" displays the curious face and
peering black eyes of an ape.

A rarer species is the


STEMLESS LADY'S SLIPPER--_Cypripedium acaule_ (Ait.).

It differs from the former species by the sac, which is large and of a
beautiful rose tint, exquisitely veined with deeper red zigzag lines, not
being closed but merely folded over in front; this is not observable until
you examine it closely. The scape rises from between the two large oval
leaves, which lie horizontally on the mosses amidst which the plant grows.
This species is only one-flowered.

A time will come when these rare productions of our soil will disappear
from among us, to be found only in those waste and desolate places where
the foot of civilized man can hardly penetrate; where the flowers of the
wilderness flourish, bloom and decay unseen save by the all-seeing eye of
Him who adorns the lonely places of the earth, filling them with beauty and
fragrance.

For whom are these solitary objects of beauty reserved? Shall we say, with
Milton:

    "Thousands of unseen beings walk this earth,
     Both while we wake and while we sleep--
     And think, though man were none,
     That earth would want spectators, God want praise?"


YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPERS--_Cypripedium parviflorum_ (Salisb.) and
_Cypripedium pubescens_ (Willd.).

     "And golden slippers meet for fairies' feet."

Of the golden-flowered Moccasin flowers we boast of two very beautiful
species, _C. pubescens_ (Hairy Moccasin flower) and _C. parviflorum_
(Lesser-flowered Moccasin flower). The larger plant is the more showy; the
smaller the more graceful and with a delicate fragrance which is not so
strong in the larger flower. The long spirally twisted petals and sepals,
of a purplish brown color sometimes tinted and veined with red, give this
smaller flower a very elegant appearance, though the rich golden hue of the
larger is more striking to the eye.

_C. parviflorum_ affects the moist soil of wet grassy meadows and swamps,
while the larger plant loves the open plain lands among shrubs and tall
grasses. In the month of June, when it may be seen beside the gay Painted
Cup (_Castilleia coccinea_), the Blue Lupine (_L. perennis_), the larger
White Trillium, and other lovely wild flowers, it forms a charming contrast
to their various colors and no less varied forms.

The stem of the larger Moccasin flower is thick and leafy, each many-nerved
leaf sheathing the flowers before they open. The flowers are from one to
three in number, bent forward, drooping gracefully downwards. The golden
sac-like lip is elegantly striped and spotted with ruby red; the twisted
narrow petals and sepals, two in number of each kind, are of a pale fawn
color, sometimes veined and lined with a deeper shade of brown.


SHOWY ORCHIS--_Orchis spectabilis_ (L.).

(PLATE VII.)

    "Full many a gem of purest ray serene
      The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear;
     Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
      And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
                                                --_Gray._

Deep hidden in the damp recesses of the leafy woods, many a rare and
precious flower of the Orchis family blooms, flourishes, and decays unseen
by human eye, unsought by human hand, until some curious flower-loving
botanist plunges amid the rank, tangled vegetation and brings its beauties
to the light. One of these lovely natives of our Canadian forests is known
as _Orchis spectabilis_ (Beautiful Orchis, or Showy Orchis). This pretty
plant is not, indeed, of very rare occurrence; its locality is rich maple
and beechen woods in eastern Canada. The color of the flower is white,
shaded, and spotted with pink or purplish lilac; the corolla is what is
termed ringent or gaping, the upper petals and sepals arching over the
waved lower petal. The scape is smooth and fleshy, terminating in a
loosely-flowered and many-bracted spike; the bracts are dark-green,
pointed, and leaf-like; the root a bundle of round white fibres; the
leaves, two in number, are large, blunt, oblong, shining, smooth, and oily,
from three to five inches long, one larger and more pointed than the other.
The flowering time of the species is May and June. The exquisite cellular
tissues of many of our flowers of this order delight the eye and give an
appearance of great delicacy and grace to the blossoms. In this charming
species the contrast between the lilac purple color of the arching petals
and sepals and the almost pellucid lower lip, or somewhat broadly-lobed
under petal, is very charming. The large shining leaves lie close to the
ground when the plant is in flower. Transplanted to gardens the Showy
Orchis rarely survives the second season of removal from the forest shade.
It will not grow freely exposed to cold wind or glaring sunlight. It loves
moist heat; the conservatory would probably suit it, and it would be worth
a trial there, or in the grove or wilderness, or at the root of a large
tree near water.

[Illustration: PLATE VII.

1. Scarlet Painted Cup (Castilleia coccinea). P. 40.
2. Showy Orchis (Orchis spectabilis). P. 48.
3. Indian Turnip (Arisma triphyllum). P. 26
4. Coneflower (Rudbeckia hirta). P. 115.]


WILD GARLIC--WILD LEEK--_Allium tricoccum_ (Ait.).

As soon as the warm rays of early spring sunbeams have melted the snow in
the woods we see the bright closely-folded and pointed leaves of the Wild
Garlic, or Wild Leek, as it is commonly called, piercing through the carpet
of dead leaves that thickly covers over the rich black mould, the refuse of
many years of former decayed foliage. The cattle, that have been for many
months deprived of green food, eagerly avail themselves of the first
appearance of the succulent and welcome leaves of the Garlic. The milk of
the cows becomes so strongly flavored with the disagreeable odor of the
oily vegetable that the milk and butter are rejected, and can only be used
by persons who are indifferent to the nature of their food; the generality
of people turn away with a feeling of disgust from leeky butter and leeky
milk. It is, however, a consolation to the thrifty farmer to know that,
like many other evils, it has its palliative. The cows and oxen, that have
been brought low in flesh and strength during the long, hard winter, are
speedily restored to health by feasting upon this otherwise objectionable
food.

It is a pleasant plant to the eye, the rich verdure of the broad succulent
leaves springing so freshly where all was barren and unsightly; and, later
in the season, the tall heads of pretty pale blossoms are not without
attraction, though not nice to place in a bouquet of sweeter flowers.

Before so many extensive tracts of forest had been cut down the Wild Garlic
was to be found in all beech and maple woods. But it is becoming very rare,
and one hears no more complaints of leeky milk and butter.


PHLOX--_Phlox divaricata_ (L.).

We have in Canada several species of this family, and all are worthy of
cultivation. _Phlox divaricata_ is found on dry grassy wastes by forest
roads, in shady spots. It is a plant of slender growth, about twelve or
eighteen inches high, with slender lanceolate pointed leaves somewhat
clasping the stem; flowers in a flat spreading head terminal on the
slightly-stalked branches; corolla salver-shaped, primrose-like; calyx with
slender pointed sepals; color of the petals pale lilac, scalloped at the
edges. It is an elegant species. A small variety of this beautiful flower
has also been found in low meadows near the Ottawa river, growing in great
profusion in some of the north-eastern townships, where its beautiful
bluish flowers formed an attractive feature in the landscape.

A gentleman who had an especial love for the beauties of nature was much
struck with the beauty of this very lovely flower, and brought home some
roots; the plant was then in full bloom. They continued to flourish till
the following spring, when they disappeared entirely. The leaves were of a
full rich glossy green, delicately fringed with silky purplish hairs;
flowers not so large as the _P. divaricata_ found here; heads loose on long
footstalks springing from between the slightly-clasping leaves; roots
white, fibrous.

A charming little dwarf Phlox is that known by the gardeners as Moss Pink,
or Lake Erie Moss. The slender pointed grassy-looking foliage and abundant
pink flowers, together with its low tufted growth and hardy character, make
it most valuable as an edging for flower beds. It comes early and remains
for some time in bloom, and even when the blossoms have faded the bright
cheerful verdure that remains has a good effect as a pretty edging to the
beds. It grows in large cushion-like plots when not used as an edging for
borders.


GOLD THREAD--_Coptis trifolia_ (Salisb.).

In the deep shady forest we are attracted by the bright glossy
thrice-parted (trifoliate) leaves of this pretty plant. In early spring its
delicate white starry flowers, on upright slender footstalks, appear, just
peeping above the mosses among which it delights to grow. The modest
pearly-white star-shaped blossoms contrast well with the dark evergreen
shining leaves and orange thready rootlets that may be seen among the
light feathery mosses, hardly concealed, for they are barely covered by the
mould in which they grow. The orange fibrous roots and rootlets are
intensely bitter, and are much used by the old settlers as tonic remedies
against weakness in children when brought low by fever and ague; more
especially is it used as a wash for sore ulcerated mouths, as thrush in
young infants. The Indian women use it for their little ones in case of
sore mouth and sore gums in teething. I once saw the small evergreen leaves
of the Gold Thread applied to a very different purpose--that of trimming
evening dresses of clear white muslin--and as the heat of the room had
little effect on them they looked fresh and singularly ornamental on the
young ladies who had so tastefully arranged the leaves on their simple
white dresses.

I have noticed the term "Gold Thread" applied lately to one of the species
of Dodder, that singular parasite, but it was by a person apparently
unacquainted with our elegant little forest evergreen _Coptis trifolia_.


BUNCH-BERRY--SQUAW-BERRY--_Cornus Canadensis_ (Lin.).

This elegant and attractive little plant is met with most commonly in beds
beneath the shade of evergreens, hemlocks and spruces; it multiplies by its
creeping rootstock as well as by the drupe-like berry. Its popular name in
the backwoods is the Squaw-berry, and also Bunch-berry. It is a truly
lovely little plant--a perfect forest gem.

In height our tiny Dogwood rarely exceeds four or six inches; the stem is
leafy, the upper leaves forming a whorl round the flowers, which are
enclosed by the white corolla-like involucre; the latter is more
conspicuous than the tiny terminal umbel of little flowers with their dark
anthers. The flowers are succeeded by small round berries, which become
brilliantly scarlet by the end of the summer, appearing like a bright red
coral ring surrounded by the whorl of dark green somewhat pointed veiny
leaves.

From its love of shady damp soil this little plant would grow under
cultivation if suitable localities were selected in shrubberies, among
evergreens, and in rock-work not much exposed to the sun. This low Cornel
is very ornamental both in flower and fruit. The berries are sweet but
insipid. The Indian women and children eat them and say, "Good to eat for
Indian." The taste of the Indian is so simple and uncultivated that he will
eat any fruit or vegetable that is innocuous, apparently indifferent to its
flavor.

The poor squaw gathers her handful of berries and goes her way contented
with her forest fare, from which the more luxurious children of
civilization would turn away with contempt, or admire their beauty,
possibly, and then cast them away as worthless. Few indeed think of the
lessons that may be learned even from the humblest forest flower, speaking
to their hearts of the loving care of the great Creator, who provideth
alike for all His creatures. He openeth His hand and filleth all things
living with plenteousness.

There are, among other species of the Dogwood family that might be
enumerated as indigenous to this western part of Canada, some with blue
berries, some with white, some with red, and others with dark steel-colored
fruit. The dwarf Cornel (_C. Canadensis_) is the smallest species; the
rough, bushy round-leaved _C. circinata_ the second; _C. florida_ the
largest: all are tonics, and bitter; some are used in medicine, others in
dyeing, by the natives. The berries of several species are largely sought
for as food by the wild ducks that haunt the borders of marshes and lake
shores where these shrubs abound.

The Cornel seems to have a wide geographical range, it being found not only
in the Eastern States of North America, but in the colder parts of Canada,
westerly and northerly, and extending even to the borders of the Arctic
Zone. I have before me a specimen of it closely allied species from North
Cape, Norway, which was gathered by a friend among the dark evergreen
glades of that far-off land. The tiny plant is smaller and has a more
pinched and starved look than our more vigorous plant, otherwise there is
no apparent difference. The early frosts of Autumn give a pretty purple
shade to the surface of the leaves of our little forest Dogwood, but they
do not wither, remaining fresh and persistent through the winter beneath
the snow.


TWISTED STALK--_Streptopus roseus_ (Mx.).

This is a graceful plant, with pretty pink-spotted bells, belonging to the
Lily family. We find it in the forests as well as in open grassy thickets.
The stalk is divided into two or three branches, bearing on the underside
several pairs of graceful pendent bells on thready twisted footstalks. The
tips of the segments are pointed and slightly recurved. The berries are
red, round and seeded with several hard bony nutlets. The flower is
scentless. The foliage is of a light yellowish green, many nerved, oval and
pointed. Associated with this there often may be found in the deep shade of
pine woods, as well as in the rich black leaf mould of the hardwood forest,
the False Solomon's Seal (_Polygonatum biflorum_--L.), which has pale
greenish-tinged bells and large blue berries. The leaves are of a dark
bluish green. The stem is simple and bends gracefully. The flowers,
notwithstanding the name, are mostly solitary. Our woods hide within their
shades many a lovely flower seen only by the Indian hunter and the
backwoods lumberer or the axe man; by the former they are noted for some
medicinal or healing quality, by the latter they are trodden under foot,
while to the uneducated settler whose business it is to clear the forest
land of the trees and wild productions of the soil, on which the
life-supporting grain and roots are to be sown or planted, these natural
beauties have no value or charm, and he says, "Cut them down, why cumber
they the ground." In these things he sees not the works of the Creator;
they are, in his eyes, "weeds, weeds, weeds, nothing but weeds."

Our Bellworts and Trilliums, Smilacinas and Orchids are among the most
interesting and attractive of our native forest flowers, but as the woods
are levelled and the soil changed by exposure to the influence of the
elements and the introduction of foreign plants, these native beauties
disappear, and soon the eye that saw and marked their lovely forms and
colors will see them no more.


MAY-APPLE--MANDRAKE--_Podophyllum peltatum_ (L.).

(PLATE VIII.)

The Mandrake, or May-apple, is found chiefly in the rich black soil of the
forest, where partially clear of underwood; in such localities it forms
extensive beds. When the broad umbrella-like leaf first breaks the soil,
early in May, it comes up closely folded round the simple fleshy stem, in
color of a deep bronze or coppery hue, smooth and shining, but assuming a
lighter shade of green as it expands. The blossom appears first as a large
round green bud between the axils of the two broad peltate, lobed and
shining leaves; the first year's leaves are single and smaller, and the
young plant is flowerless.

The corolla of the flower consists of from six to nine concave
greenish-white thick petals; sepals (or calyx leaves), six; the edges of
the petals are generally torn or ragged; the handsome flower, slightly
drooping between the two large leaves, gives out a powerful scent, not
agreeable if inhaled too closely, but pleasant at a little distance.

The plant increases by buds from the thickly matted fleshy root-stock; the
roots form a singular network under the soft vegetable mould, spreading
horizontally, at every articulation sending up a pair of fruit-bearing
scapes. A single-leafed plant is most probably a seedling of the former
year.

The fruit of the May-apple is a large fleshy berry; the outer rind when
ripe is yellow, otherwise darkish-green and of a rank, unpleasant flavor;
the inner or pulpy part is white, soft, and filled with somewhat bony
light-brown seeds. When not over-ripe this pulpy part may be eaten; it is
sub-acid and pleasant. The fruit makes a fine preserve with white sugar and
when flavored with lemon-peel and ginger, but the outer coat I would not
make use of. The fruit is ripe in August, and should be gathered when the
first yellow spots on the outer coat indicate ripeness, and laid in a sunny
window for a few days.

[Illustration: PLATE VIII.

1. False Mitrewort (Tiarella cordifolia). P. 16.
2. May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum). P. 55.]

The medicinal value of the root of this remarkable plant is now so well
established that it has superseded the use of calomel in complaints of the
liver with most medical practitioners in this country, but so powerful are
its properties that it should never be used by unskilful persons. Ignorant
persons have been poisoned by mistaking the leaves for those of the Marsh
Marigold (_Caltha palustris_) and using them as a pot herb. A case of
this kind occurred some years ago whereby several persons were poisoned. At
that time there was no attempt made by the backwoods settlers to cultivate
vegetables, and they made use of many of the wild herbs with very little
knowledge of their sanative or injurious qualities.


AMERICAN BROOKLIME--_Veronica Americana_ (Schw.).

(PLATE XVII.)

    "Flowers spring up and die ungathered."
                                           --_Bryant._

In the language of flowers the blossoms of the Veronica, or Speedwell, are
said to mean undying love or constancy, but the blossoms of the Speedwell
are fugacious, falling quickly, and therefore, one would say, not a good
emblem of the endurance of love or friendship.

Sweet, simple flowers are the wild Veronicas, chiefly inhabiting damp
overflowed ground, the borders of weedy ponds and brooks, whence the names
of Brooklime and Marsh Speedwell, Water Speedwell, and the like. Some of
the species are indeed found mostly growing on dry hills and grassy banks,
cheering the eye of the passing traveller with their slender spikes of
azure flowers. This species is often known by the pretty name of
Forget-me-not, though it is not the true "Forget-me-not," which is
_Myosotis palustris_, also with the rest of its family called
"Scorpion-grass," from the small buds, before expansion, having the petals
twisted and forming a small coil at the tips of the branches. The American
Brooklime is one of the prettiest of the native Veronicas, and may easily
be recognized by its branching spikes of blue flowers and veiny partially
heart-shaped leaves. It is but little that we have to say of our pretty
native wilding, for its delicacy and harmless qualities are all that
require notice about it. The traveller passes it by with scarcely a
commendatory glance; its fleeting pale blue scentless blossoms, which fall
at a touch, scarcely attract the little children when gathering flowers by
the wayside brooks. It remains with the true lover of flowers, even if they
be only homely weeds, to examine and appreciate the inimitable beauty and
wisdom shown in their several parts, each so wisely fitted to perform its
part according to the Divine Maker's will.


WOOD GERANIUM--_Geranium maculatum_ (L.).

(PLATE VI.)

There are but few flowers of the Cranesbill family in Canada. The one most
worthy of notice is the Wood Geranium. This is a very ornamental plant; its
favorite locality is in open grassy thickets, among low bushes, especially
those tracts of country known as "oak openings," where it often reaches to
the height of from two to three feet, throwing out many branches adorned
with deep lilac flowers; the half-opened buds are very lovely. The blossom
consists of five petals, obtuse, and slightly indented on their upper
margins, and is lined and delicately veined with purple. The calyx consists
of five pointed sepals; stamens ten; the anthers are of a reddish brown;
styles five, cohering at the top. When the seed is mature these curl up,
bearing the ripe brown seed adhering to the base of each one. The common
name, Cranesbill, has been derived from the long grooved and stork-like
beak composed of the styles. The Greek name of the plant means a crane. The
whole plant is more or less beset with silvery hairs. The leaves are
divided into about five principal segments; these again are lobed and cut
into sharply pointed irregularly sized teeth. The larger hairy root-leaves
are often discolored with red and purplish blotches, whence the specific
name _maculatum_ (spotted) has been given to this species.

The flower-stem is much branched and is furnished with leafy bracts; the
principal flowers are on long stalks, usually three springing from a
central branch and again subdividing into smaller branchlets, terminating
in buds, mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels; as the older and
larger blossoms fall off a fresh succession appears on the side branches,
furnishing rather smaller but equally beautiful flowers. Gray gives the
blooming season of the Cranesbill from April to July, but with us it rarely
appears before June and may be seen all through July and August. Besides
being very ornamental, our plant possesses virtues which are well-known to
the herbalist as powerful astringents, which quality has obtained for it
the name of Alum-root among the country people, who use a decoction of the
root as a styptic for wounds, and, sweetened, as a gargle for sore throat
and ulcerated mouth; it is also given to young children to correct a lax
state of the system. Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as
well as for its beauty. A low-growing showy species, with large
rose-colored flowers and much dissected leaves, may be found on some of the
rocky islets in Stoney Lake, Ontario. The slender flower-stem is about six
inches in height, springing from a leafy involucre, which is cut and
divided into many long and narrow segments; flowers, generally from one to
three, terminal on the little bracted footstalks; the seed vessels not so
long as in the Wood Geranium.

Besides the above-named we have some smaller species, such as the
well-known Herb Robert (_G. Robertianum_--L.), which is said to have been
introduced from Britain but is by no means uncommon in Canada. It is
usually found in half-cleared woodlands and by waysides, attracting the eye
by its bright pink flowers and elegantly cut leaves, which become bright
red in the fall of the year. This pretty species is notorious for its rank
and disagreeable odor, and so it is generally passed by as a weed in spite
of its very pretty pink blossoms.

Another small-flowered species, with pale insignificant blossoms, is also
common as a weed by roadsides and in open woods; this is _G. pusillum_,
smaller Cranesbill. It also resembles the British plant, but is of too
frequent occurrence in remote localities to lead us to suppose it to be
otherwise than a native production of the soil; we find it often in very
remote places in our forest clearings and road-side wastes.


CHICKWEED WINTERGREEN--FLOWER--_Trientalis Americana_ (Pursh).

(PLATE VI.)

This pretty starry-flowered little plant is remarkable for the occurrence
of the number seven in its several parts; it was for some time cherished by
botanists of the old school as the representative of the class Heptandria.

The calyx is seven-parted; the divisions of the delicate white corolla also
are seven, and the stamens seven. The leaves form a whorl at the upper part
of the stem, mostly from five to seven or eight, and are narrow, tapering
at both ends, of a delicate light-green, thin in texture, and of a pleasant
sub-acid flavor. The star-shaped flowers, few in number, on thread-like
stalks, rise from the centre of the whorl of leaves, which thus forms an
involucre to the pretty delicate starry flowers. This little plant is
frequently found at the roots of trees; it is fond of shade, and in light
vegetable mould forms considerable beds; the roots are white, slender and
fibrous; it is one of our early May flowers, though, unless the month be
warm and genial, it will delay its opening somewhat later. In olden times,
when the herbalists gave all kinds of fanciful names to the wild plants,
they would have bestowed such a name as "Herbe Innocence" upon our modest
little forest flower.


LARGE BLUE FLAG--FLEUR-DE-LUCE--_Iris versicolor_ (L.).


    "Lilies of all kinds,
     The fleur-de-luce being one."
                               --_Winter's Tale._

This beautiful flower abounds all through Canada and forms one of the
ornaments of our low sandy flats, marshy meadows and overflowed lake
shores; it delights in wet, muddy soil, and often forms large clumps of
verdure in half-dried ponds and similar localities. Early in spring, as
soon as the sun has warmed the waters after the melting of the ice, the
sharp sword-shaped leaves, escaping from the sheltering sheath that
enfolded them, pierce the moist ground and appear in the form of beds of
brilliant verdure concealing the swampy soil and pools of stagnant water
below. Late in the month of June the bursting buds of rich purple begin to
unfold, peeping through the spathe that envelopes them. A few days of
sunshine and the graceful petals, so soft and silken in texture, so
variable in shades of color, unfold: the three outer ones, reflexed, droop
gracefully downwards, while the three innermost, which are of paler tint,
sharper and stiffer, stand erect and conceal the stamens and petal-like
stigmas, which lie behind them--an arrangement so suitable for the
preservation of the fructifying organs of the flower that we cannot fail
to behold in it the wisdom of the great Creator. The structure of the
cellular tissue in most water plants, and the smooth oily surface of their
leaves, have also been provided as a means of throwing off the moisture to
which their place of growth must necessarily expose them; but for this wise
provision, which keeps the surface dry though surrounded with water, the
plants would become overcharged with moisture and rot and decay too rapidly
to perfect the ripening of their seeds--a process often carried on at the
bottom of streams and lakes, as in the case of the Water-lily and other
aquatics. Our blue Iris, however, does not follow this rule, being only
partly an aquatic; it stands erect and ripens the large bony three-sided
seeds in a three-sided membraneous pod. The hard seeds of the _Iris
versicolor_ have been roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. The
root, which is creeping, fleshy and tuberous, is possessed of medicinal
qualities.

The name Iris, as applied to this genus, was bestowed upon it by the
ancient Greeks--ever remarkable for their appreciation of the beautiful--on
account of the rainbow tinted hues displayed in the flowers of many of the
species; especially are the prismatic colors shown in the flowers of the
large pearly-white garden Iris, a plant of Eastern origin.

The Fleur-de-lis, as it was formerly written, signified whiteness or
purity. This was changed to Fleur-de-luce, a corruption of
Fleur-de-Louis--the blossoms of the plant having been selected by Louis the
Seventh of France as his heraldic bearing in the Holy Wars. The flowers of
the Iris have ever been favorites with the poet, the architect, and
sculptor, as many a fair specimen wrought in stone and marble or carved in
wood can testify.

The Fleur-de-lis is still the emblem of France.

Longfellow's stanzas to the Iris are very characteristic of that graceful
flower:

    "Beautiful lily--dwelling by still river,
           Or solitary mere,
     Or where the sluggish meadow brook delivers
           Its waters to the weir.

    "The wind blows, and uplifts thy drooping banner,
           And around thee throng and run
     The rushes, the green yeomen of thy manor--
           The outlaws of the sun.

    "O fleur-de-luce, bloom on, and let the river
           Linger to kiss thy feet;
     O flower of song, bloom on, and make forever
           The world more fair and sweet."


SHIN-LEAF--SWEET WINTERGREEN--_Pyrola elliptica_ (Nutt.).

(PLATE XVII.)

    "Wandering far in solitary paths where wild flowers blow,
     There would I bless His name."
                                     --_Heber._

The familiar name Wintergreen is applied by the Canadians to many species
of dwarf evergreen plants, without any reference to their natural
affinities. The beautiful family of Pyrola shares this name, in common with
many other charming forest flowers, on account of their evergreen habit.

Every member of this interesting family is worthy of special notice.
Elegant in form and coloring, of a delicate fragrance and enduring verdure,
they add to their many attractions the merit of being almost the first
green things to refresh the eye long wearied by gazing on the dazzling
white of the snow for many consecutive months during winter.

As the dissolving crust disappears from the forest beneath the kindly
influence of the transient sunbeams of early spring, the deep glossy-green
shoots of the hardy Pyrola peep forth, not timidly, as if afraid to meet

    "The snow and blinding sleet;"

not shrinking from the chilling blast that too often nips the fair promise
of April and May, but boldly and cheerfully braving the worst that the
capricious season has in store for such early risers.

All bright and fresh and glossy, our Wintergreens come forth as though they
had been perfecting their toilet within the sheltering canopy of their
snowy chambers to do honor to the new-born year, just awakening from her
icy sleep.

_P. elliptica_ forms extensive beds in the forest, the roots creeping with
running subterranean shoots, which send up clusters of evergreen leaves,
slightly waved and scalloped at the edges, of a deep glossy green and thin
in texture.

The name Pyrola is derived from a fancied likeness in the foliage to that
of the pear, but this is not very obvious; nevertheless we will not cavil
at it, for it is a pretty sounding word, far better than many a one that
has been bestowed upon our showy wild flowers in compliment to the person
who first brought them into notice.

The pale greenish-white flowers of our Pyrola form a tall terminal raceme;
the five round petals are hollow; each blossom set on a slender pedicel, at
the base of which is a small pointed bract; the anthers are of a reddish
orange color, the stamens ascending in a cluster, while the long style is
declined, forming a figure somewhat like the letter J. The seed vessel is
ribbed, berry-shaped, slightly flattened and turbinate; when dry, the light
chaffy seeds escape through valves at the sides. The dry style in this, and
most of the genus, remains persistent on the capsule.

The number five prevails in this plant; the calyx is five-parted; petals
five; stamens ten, or twice five; stigma one, but five-rayed, with five
knobs or tubercles at the apex; seed-vessel five-celled and five-valved.
The flowers are generally from five to ten on the scape.

Most of our Pyrolas are remarkable for the rich fragrance of their flowers,
especially _P. elliptica_, and _P. rotundifolia_, together with its variety
_incarnata_.


ONE-SIDED PYROLA--_P. secunda_ (L.).

This little evergreen plant is singular rather than pretty. The flowers,
which are greenish white, form a one-sided slender raceme, being all turned
to one side of the flower-stem; the style is long and straight, exceeding
the stamens and anthers--the latter are very dark, almost dusky black; the
stigma, thick and ribbed, forms a turban-shaped green knob in the centre of
the flower; stigmas persistent on the capsule. The foliage is dark green,
smooth, serrated at the margin of each oval leaf. The leaves are clustered
at the base of the flower-stem on foot-stalks, leafing the stem upwards a
little. The plant is found in dry woods and on banks, under the shade of
trees. The flower is scentless.


ROUND-LEAVED LESSER PYROLA--_Pyrola rotundifolia_ (L.), var. _incarnata_
(Gray),

is a far more attractive flower, with a few sweet fragrant pink blossoms
and small round or kidney-shaped dark green leaves. Like the sweet violet
of Old Country hedgerows, it betrays its presence by its fine perfume,
though often deep hidden among the mosses and weeds which are found in the
peat-bogs where it grows. We have yet another Pyrola, with round green
bell-shaped flowers and dark-tipped anthers. This is _Pyrola chlorantha_
(Swartz).

Though we have none of the heaths that clothe the hills and common-lands of
Scotland and England, we have a large number of beautiful and highly
ornamental as well as useful plants and flowering shrubs belonging to the
Natural Order Ericace, which are widely diffused all over the northern and
eastern portions of the continent; wherever there exists a similarity in
climate, soil and altitude of the land, there we may expect to find members
of the same natural orders. Thus we find spread over the northern and
eastern portions of this continent plants that are common to northern
European countries; we have representatives of many familiar flowers,
belonging to such families as the Lily, Rose, Violet, Phlox, Saxifrage,
Mint, Dogwood, Pyrola, and Campanula--in fact we cannot enumerate the half
of what we recognize in our woodlands and plains. It is true that the eye
of the botanist will discover some differences in the species, but in most
instances these are so little apparent that a casual observer would not
notice them. The Pyrola has its representative flower in England; the
Linna in Norway. Our pretty _Smilacina bifolia_, or "Wild Lily of the
Valley,"[18] and our Low Cornel are also found, with many of our native
ferns, in that northern land of mountain, flood and forest.

  [18] See plate IX.

It is pleasant to recognize an old familiar flower--it is like the face of
an old friend in a foreign country, bringing back the memory of days lang
syne when the flowers that we gathered in our childhood were a joy and a
delight to heart and eye.

[Illustration: PLATE IX.

1. Painted Trillium (Trillium erythrocarpum). P. 38.
2. Wild Lily of the Valley (Smilacina bifolia). P. 66.
3. Flowering Wintergreen (Polygala paucifolia). P. 17.]


ONE-FLOWERED PYROLA--_Moneses uniflora_ (Gray).

(PLATE XVII.)

This exquisitely scented flower is found only in the shade of the forest,
in rich black leaf mould, where, like _P. elliptica_, it forms considerable
beds; it is of evergreen habit. The leaves are of a dark green and smooth
surface, clustered at the base of short stems which rise from the running
root-stock, from the centre of each of which rises one simple scape bearing
a gracefully nodding flower; each milk-white petal is elegantly scalloped;
the stamens, eight to ten, are set close to the base of the petals; the
anthers are of a bright purple-amethyst color; the style straight, with
five radiating points at the extremity, forming a perfect mural crown in
shape; it is bright green and much exceeds in length the stamens.

The scent of the flower is very fine, resembling in richness that of the
hyacinth.

The members of the Pyrola family are, for the most part, found in rich
woods, some in low, wet ground, but a few prefer the drier soil of forests;
one of these is the exquisitely beautiful evergreen plant known by Canadian
settlers as


PRINCE'S PINE--_Chimaphila umbellata_ (Nutt.).

From root to summit this plant is altogether lovely. The leaves are dark,
shining and smooth, evergreen and finely serrated; the stem is of a bright
rosy red; the delicately pink-tinted flowers look as if moulded from wax;
the anthers are of a bright amethyst-purple, set round the emerald-green
turbinated stigma. The flowers are not many, but form a loose corymb
springing from the centre of the shining green leaves. There is scarcely a
more attractive native plant than the _Chimaphila_ in our Canadian flora.

The leaves of this beautiful Wintergreen are held in high estimation by the
Indian herbalists, who call it Rheumatism Weed (_Pipsissewa_). It is bitter
and aromatic in quality.


LUPINE--_Lupinus perennis_ (L.).

(PLATE V.)

    "Lupine, whose azure eye sparkles with dew."

Those who know the Blue Lupine only as a cultivated flower can form but a
poor idea of its beauty in its wild state on the rolling prairies or
plain-lands.

On light loamy or sandy soil our gay Lupine may be seen gladdening the
wastes and purpling the ground with its long spikes of azure blue, white
and purple flowers of many shades.

The Lupine comes in with the larger yellow Moccasin (_Cypripedium
pubescens_); the _Trillium grandiflorum_; the white Pyrola, Wild Rose
(_Rosa blanda_); Scarlet-cup (_Castilleia coccinea_) and many others in the
flowery month of June; mingling its azure flowers with these, it produces
an effect most pleasing to the eye.

The blossoms, like those of all the Pulse tribe to which it belongs, are
papilionaceous or winged. The two upper petals or wings are concave,
closing over the scythe-shaped keel which encloses the stamens; these are
united into a bundle at the base (this arrangement is called by botanists
monadelphous). The sheath that conceals the stamens is entire, pointed and
varying in color from white to reddish-purple. The flowers are set on short
pedicels or flower stalks, forming a close long terminal raceme, the lower
flowers opening first. The stem is leafy, erect, downy; the leaves, on
longish footstalks, are composed of from seven to nine soft grayish silky
leaflets set round the central axis of the stalk in a horizontal circle.
The whole plant is soft and velvety in appearance. The pods are long and
somewhat broad. The seeds are ivory white when fully ripe, and are the food
of squirrels, partridges, field-mice and other wild denizens of the
wilderness. The Lupine can be readily grown from seed, and blooms well in
our garden plots, abiding with us year after year. The ivory white weeds
are often introduced into those pretty, fanciful wreaths frequently
exhibited at our township shows, and known as the "Farmer's Wreath," being
composed of different varieties of grain and seeds arranged so as to form
flowers, leaves, fruits, etc.

Before the plain-lands above Rice Lake were enclosed and cultivated, the
extensive grassy flats were brilliant with the azure hues of the Lupine in
the months of June and July; but the progress of civilization swept these
fair ornaments from the soil. What the lover of the country loses of the
beautiful is gained by the farmer in the increase of the useful, and so it
must be; but nevertheless we mourn for the beautiful things which gladdened
our eyes.

    "Oh, wail for the forest, its glories are o'er."


TWINFLOWER--_Linna borealis_ (Gronov.).

    "Nestled at its roots is beauty
     Such as blooms not in the glare
     Of the broad sun. That delicate forest flower
     With scented breath, and look so like a smile,
     Seems, as it issues from the shapeless mould,
     An emanation from the indwelling life."
                                            --_Bryant._

     "And there Linna weaves her rosy wreath."

This delicate and graceful little evergreen is widely diffused through most
of the northern countries of Europe and America. It is found within the
limits of the Arctic Circle; in dreary Kamschatka and in snowy Lapland the
young girls wreathe their hair with its flexible garlands. In inhospitable
Labrador it covers the rocks and mossy roots of pines and birches in lonely
shaded glens. It is found in the Scottish Highlands and through all parts
of the Northern and Eastern States of America. In all the provinces of our
own Canada it may be found in secluded spots. On the rocky islands of the
St. Lawrence and on our inland lakes it is particularly abundant; its
graceful trailing branches cover the rude rocks and fling a robe of
luxuriant vegetation over decaying fallen timber, concealing that which is
unseemly with grace and beauty.

    "Sweet flower, that in the lonely wood
     And tangled forest clothest the rude twisted roots
     Of lofty pine and feathery hemlock
     With thy flower-decked garland ever green;
     Thy modest, drooping rosy bells of fairy lightness
     Wave gently to the passing breeze,
     Diffusing fragrance."

This pretty, graceful little plant was named in honor of the great father
of botany, the good Linnus, who chose it more especially as his own flower
when he plucked it first in Bothnia, and by his wish it was adopted for the
crest of his coat-of-arms.

The little flower has been immortalized by the great botanist. It is said
that one of his pupils, aware of his great master's love for the plant,
when visiting China, caused a service of fine porcelain to be made and
decorated with wreaths of the Linna, as a present to Linnus and as a mark
of his grateful remembrance.

At the death of the great naturalist, Cardinal de Noailles erected a
cenotaph in his garden to his memory, and planted this little northern
flower at its base for the sake of him whose name it bears.[19]

  [19] See Miss Brightwell's Life of Linnus.

At every joint the Linna puts forth white fibrous rootlets, thus
increasing and perpetuating the growth of the plant till it forms a tangled
mass of leafy branches. The leaves are round, slightly crenate, with a
deeper notch at the top, and together with the younger stalks are somewhat
hairy. They are placed in opposite pairs, from the centre of each of which
rises a slender flower stalk, forking near the summit and bearing a pair of
delicate rose-tinted drooping bells, veined with lines of a deeper pink.
The throat of the bell is tubular, as in the Honeysuckle, and is thickly
beset with silvery woolly hairs. Stamens four, two of them shorter than the
others; the corolla is divided near the margin into five pointed segments.
Seed vessel a dry and glandular three-celled but one-seeded pod.

If planted for cultivation, the ground should be shaded and somewhat damp.
In an artificial rock-work, sufficiently protected from the glare of
sunshine and kept moist in hot days, it would grow luxuriantly and throw
its evergreen matted branches over and among the stones with pretty effect.
The blossoms give out a delicate fragrance, especially at dewfall, the
scent being scarcely perceptible during the noontide heat.

Our charming Twinflower is very constant in its habits, being found year
after year in the same locality so long as it enjoys the advantages of
shade and moisture; it cannot endure exposure to the heat and glare of
sunshine, though it will linger as long as it can obtain any shelter.

Thirty years ago I found the _Linna borealis_ growing beneath the shade of
hemlock trees, among long Sphagnous mosses, on the rocky banks of the
Otonabee. Last year, on re-visiting the same spot, I noticed a few dwarfed
and starved-looking yellow plants struggling, as it were, for existence,
but the evergreens that had sheltered them at their roots were all gone.

There seems to be a law of mutual dependence among the vegetable tribes,
each one ministering to the wants of the others. Thus the shelter afforded
by the larger trees to the smaller shrubs and herbs is repaid again to them
by the nourishment that the decaying leaves and stems of these latter
afford, and by the warmth that they yield to their roots in covering the
ground from the winter cold, thus protecting them from injury. Further than
this, it is very probable that they appropriate to their own use qualities
in the soil or in the air that might prove injurious to the healthy growth
of the larger vegetables. That which is taken up by one race of plants is
often rejected by others. Yet so beautiful is the arrangement of God's
economy in the vegetable world that something gathers up all fragments and
nothing is lost--nay, not the minutest particle runs to waste. The farmer
practically acknowledges the principle that one kind of vegetable feeds
upon that which another rejects, when he adopts a certain routine in
cropping his land, for he knows that if he planted grain in constant
succession the soil would soon cease to yield its increase, because it
would have ceased to afford the food necessary for perfecting the grain;
but he sows wheat after roots, as potatoes, turnips and beets, or after
pulse, as pease, beans or vetches, for these have taken only certain
constituents of the soil, leaving those portions on which the cereals feed
unappropriated. Thus silently, unconsciously, and mysteriously do God's
creatures administer to one another, working out the will of their Great
Creator and obeying His laws while following the instincts of their several
natures.

We might follow this inviting subject to a greater length than our limits
will admit, but it is time that we dismiss the lovely little Twinflower,
hoping that it may sometimes win an admiring glance from readers who may
be so fortunate as to meet with its evergreen wreaths and fragrant flowers
in its native woods during the leafy month of June, which is its flowering
season--though often it may be seen lingering in rocky woods through July,
and now and then a few late blossoms will be found in shady ground late in
August.


ROUND-LEAVED SUNDEW--_Drosera rotundifolia_ (L.).

Two species of this interesting and singular family are common in Canada.
One, _Drosera rotundifolia_, with round leaves beset with stiff glandular
hairs of a deep red color, abounds in boggy soil in moist parts of the
Dominion.

The beauty of this little plant consists in the hairy fringes of the
leaves, which exude drops of a clear dew-like fluid; each little leaf seems
adorned with a row of liquid gems, beautiful as pearls and glistening in
the sunlight like miniature diamonds.

The round red leaves are prolonged into the petiole, or rather the
leafstalk is expanded at its edges and terminates in the glandular leaf.
The flowers are small, white, sometimes tinged with pink, borne on a
slender naked somewhat one-sided scape, which droops a little at the tip. I
am not aware of any medicinal or useful qualities of the Sundews, but the
eye that sees the beauty set forth in the little dew-gemmed leaf of this
lovely plant may behold in it with reverent admiration a work of creative
mind surpassing all that man's ingenuity can produce. The jeweller may
polish and set the ruby and the diamond in fretted gold, but he cannot make
one ruby-tinted leaf of the little Sundew.

A rather narrower-leaved species is _Drosera longifolia_ (L.), which grows
abundantly in a peat marsh near Stoney Lake, at a spot known as "Hurricane
Point," a rocky cape at the rear of which lies a low marshy flat covering
several acres of wet ground--a rare garden and nursery for many charming
flowering shrubs and exquisite bog-loving plants. A beautiful carpet of
white Peat Moss (_Sphagnum cymbifolium_) is spread over the surface nearly
a foot deep; on this we see the graceful low-bush Cranberry trailing its
slender branches with their dark green glossy myrtle-like foliage and
delicate pink revolute flowers, as well as berries in every stage of
progress--the tiny green immature fruit, the golden, the mottled and the
deep red ripe berry. How tempting to the hand and eye! There the
slender-leaved Sundew mixes its white flowers with the fringed Orchis,
sending up from the watery soil its modest flowers in the midst of a bed of
the grand blossoms of that rarely constructed plant, the "Pitcher Plant"
(_Sarracenia purpurea_), or, as it is called by some writers, "Side-saddle
flower."[20]

  [20] Gray says it is difficult to fancy any resemblance between this
       flower and a side-saddle. I venture to suggest that the common name
       originated from the flap-like extension of the leaf.

The bog of which I speak abounds in shrubs, among which we see the narrow
dark-leaved Sheep-laurel (_Kalmia glauca_), with its rose-colored flowers;
the aromatic Sweet-Gale (_Myrica Gale_), and Labrador Tea (_Ledum
latifolium_), with its revolute rosemary-like narrow leaves and whitish
flowers. Above all for beauty is the White Peat Moss itself, with its soft
velvety foliage, varying in shade from pale sea-green or creamy-white to
delicate pink and deeper rose. I know of nothing more lovely than are these
exquisite Sphagnums; nor are they without their value, for they are much
used by the florist and gardener in packing roots and plants for sale.

There are more vegetable treasures to be found in the peat marsh near
Hurricane Point than I have noticed. A deer track leads beyond this marsh
to Fairy Lake. This lake is like a mountain tarn; it is surrounded by lofty
rocks, and is not a mere inlet from Stoney Lake, as it now appears, being
encircled on all sides by a stony barrier of rugged rocks, some rising from
the water's edge bare and precipitous, or clothed with gray hoary tufts of
Cladonias and other lichens and mosses. In the clefts may be found the
somewhat rare Hairy Woodsia (_Woodsia Ilvensis_) and the Rock Polypody (_P.
vulgare_). The last-named is not, indeed, an uncommon adornment to the
rocky bluffs and stony islands of our back lakes, where it enlivens the
rugged gray rocky surfaces with its bright glossy fronds and golden fruit
dots. The rocks decline to the side facing the larger lake, and towards the
western corner there is a bed of the White Peat Moss, overshadowed by a
forest of that grand fern, _Osmunda regalis_, worthy of its regal name, for
here, among the soft Sphagnums, and towering to the height of five and six
feet, it bears above its light green leafage (or should I say _frondage_?)
its rich tufts of cinnamon-brown sporangia. Beneath the Osmundas, and
rising above the mosses, the crimson-lipped leaves and large red flowers of
the Pitcher Plant (_Sarracenia purpurea_) may be seen in great perfection.

These are but a few of the attractions of Fairy Lake, for there are flowers
and flowering shrubs of many kinds that grow in the wild rocky soil. The
beautiful spikes of the rose-blossomed _Spira tomentosa_, the Hardhack of
the Indians, and the graceful white _Spira salicifolia_, Wild Roses,
Goldenrods, and Asters, with many others, are scattered round this lovely
lakelet, rendering it a place of interest to the botanist and to the
pleasure-seeking tourist.


PITCHER PLANT--SOLDIER'S DRINKING CUP--_Sarracenia purpurea_ (L.).

(PLATE XIV.)

In passing a bed of these most remarkable plants even the most casual
observer must be struck by their appearance. Indeed, from root to flower
they are in every way worthy of our notice and admiration.

The Pitcher Plant is by no means one of those flowers found only in
inaccessible bogs and dense cedar-swamps, as are some of our rare and
lovely Orchids. In almost any grassy swamp, at the borders of low-lying
lakes and beaver-meadows--often in wet, spongy meadows--it may be found
forming large beds of luxuriant growth.

When wet with recent showers, or glistening with dew-drops, the rich
crimson veinings of the broadly-scalloped lip of the tubular leaf (which is
thickly beset with fine stiff silvery hairs) retain the moisture and shine
and glisten in the sunlight.

The root-stock is thick and bears many fibres. The tubular leaves are of a
reddish tinge on the outer and convex side, but of a delicate light green
within. The texture is soft, smooth and leathery; the base of the leaf at
the root is narrow and pipe-stem-like, expanding into a large hollow
receptacle capable of containing a wine-glass-full of liquid; even in dry
seasons this cup is rarely found empty. The hollow form of the leaves and
the broad ewer-like lips have obtained for the plant its local and
wide-spread names of "Pitcher Plant" and "Soldier's Drinking Cup." This
last name I had from a poor old emigrant pensioner who brought me a
specimen of the plant from the banks of a half-dried up lake near which he
was located, with the remark: "Many a draught of blessed water have we poor
soldiers had, when in Egypt, out of the leaves of a plant like this, and
we used to call it the 'Soldier's Drinking Cup.'"

[Illustration: PLATE X.

1. Arrow-head (Sagittaria variabilis). P. 91.
2. Great Lobelia (Lobelia syphilitica). P. 139.
3. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). P. 138.]

Most probably the plant that afforded the "blessed water" to the poor
thirsty soldiers was the _Nepenthes distillatoria_, which plant is found in
Egypt and other parts of Africa. Perhaps there are but few among the
inhabitants of this well-watered country that have as fully appreciated the
value of the Pitcher Plant as did our poor uneducated Irish pensioner, who
said that he always thought that God in His goodness had created the plant
to give drink to such as were athirst on a hot and toilsome march; and so
he looked with gratitude and admiration on its representative in Canada.

Along the inner portion of the leaf there is a wing or flap which adds to
its curious appearance. The evident use of this appendage is to contract
the inner side of the leaf and to produce a corresponding rounding of the
outer portion, which is thus thrown backwards, enabling the moisture more
readily to fill the cup and to be there retained. Quantities of small
flies, beetles and other insects enter the pitcher, possibly for shelter,
but are unable to get out again owing to the reflexed bristly hairs that
line the upper part of the tube and lip, and thus find a watery grave in
the moisture that fills the hollow below.

The tall stately blossom of the Pitcher Plant is not less worthy of our
attention than the curiously-formed leaves. The smooth round simple scape
rises from the centre of the plant to the height of eighteen inches or two
feet. The flower is single and terminal, composed of five sepals, with
three little bracts; five blunt broad petals of a dull purplish red color,
but sometimes red and light-yellowish green; and in one variety the petals
are mostly of a pale-green hue and there is an absence of the crimson veins
in the leafage. The petals are incurved or bent downwards toward the
centre. The stamens are numerous. The ovary is five-celled, and the style
is expanded at the summit into a five-angled five-rayed umbrella-like
scalloped mantle, which, conceals beneath it five delicate rays, each
terminating in a little hooked stigma. The capsule, or seed-vessel, is
five-celled and five-valved; seeds numerous.

I have been more minute in the description of this interesting plant
because much of its peculiar organization is hidden from the eye and cannot
even be recognized in a drawing, unless it be a strictly botanical one with
all its interior parts dissected; and also because the Pitcher Plant has
lately attracted much attention by its reputed medicinal qualities in cases
of smallpox, that loathsome scourge of the human race. A decoction from the
root of this plant has been said to lessen all the more violent symptoms of
the disorder. If this be really so its use and application should be widely
known; fortunately, the remedy would be within the reach of everyone; like
many of our sanative herbs, it is to be found without difficulty, and being
so remarkable in its appearance, can never be mistaken by the most ignorant
of our country herbalists for any injurious substitute.[21]

  [21] I regret to be compelled to say that later experience has dispelled
       belief in the virtue of the Pitcher Plant, no such good results
       having been obtained from repeated trials in cases of that direful
       disease, smallpox.


WILD ORANGE LILY--_Lilium Philadelphicum_ (Lin.).

(PLATE XIII.)

         "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
    neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his
    glory was not arrayed like one of these."

The word lily is said to be derived from a Celtic word, _li_, which
signifies whiteness; also from the Greek _lirion_. Probably the stately
Lily of the garden, _Lilium candidum_, was the flower to which the name
was first given, from its ivory whiteness and the exquisite polish of its
petals. However that may be, the name lily is ever associated in our minds
with grace and purity, and reminds us of the Saviour of men, who spake of
the lilies of the field, how they grew and flourished beneath the care of
Him who clothed them in robes of beauty more gorgeous than the kingly
garments of Royal Solomon.

Sir James Smith, one of the most celebrated of English botanists, suggests
that the flower alluded to by our Lord may have been _Amaryllis lutea_, or
the Golden Lily of Palestine, the bright yellow blossoms of which abound in
the fields of Juda and at that moment probably caught His eye, their
glowing color aptly illustrating the subject on which He was about to
speak.

The Lily family has a wide geographical range, being found in some form in
every clime. There are lilies that bloom within the cold influence of the
Frigid Zone, as well as the more brilliant species that glow beneath the
blazing suns of the equator in Africa and southern Asia.

Dr. Richardson mentions, in his list of Arctic plants, _Lilium
Philadelphicum_, our own gorgeous Orange (or rather scarlet-spotted) Lily.
He remarks that it is called by the Esquimaux "Mouse-root," from the fact
that it is much sought after by the field-mice, which feed upon the root.
The porcupine also digs for it in the sandy soil in which it delights to
grow.

In Kamschatka the _Lilium pomponium_ is used by the natives as an article
of food, and in Muscovy the white Narcissus is roasted as a substitute for
bread.

The healing qualities of the large white Lily roots and leaves, when
applied in the form of a poultice to sores and boils, are well known. Thus
are beauty and usefulness united in this most attractive plant.

We find the Orange Lily most frequently growing on open plain-lands where
the soil is sandy loam. In partially-shaded grassy thickets in
oak-openings, in the months of June and July, it may be seen mixed with the
azure blue Lupine (_Lupinus perennis_), the golden-flowered Moccasin
(_Cypripedium pubescens_), the large sweet-scented Wintergreen (_Pyrola
elliptica_), and other charming summer flowers. Among these our gay and
gorgeous Lily stands conspicuous.

The stem is from eighteen inches to two feet high. The leaves are narrow,
pointed, and of a dark green color, growing in whorls at intervals round
the stem. The flowers are from one to three--large open bells, of a rich
orange scarlet within, spotted with purplish brown or black. The outer
surface of the petals is pale orange; anthers six, on long filaments;
pollen of a brick red or brown color; stigma three-lobed.

Many flowers increase in beauty of color and size under cultivation in our
gardens, but our glorious Lily can hardly be seen to greater advantage than
when growing wild on the open plains and prairies under the bright skies of
its native wilderness.


HAREBELL--_Campanula rotundifolia_ (Lin.).

(PLATE XIII.)

    "With drooping bells of purest blue
     Thou didst attract my childish view,
        Almost resembling
     The azure butterflies that flew,
     Where 'mid the heath thy blossoms grew,
        So lightly trembling."

The writer of the above charming lines has also called the Harebell "the
Flower of Memory," and truly the sight of these fair flowers, when found in
lonely spots in Canada, has carried one back in thought to the wild
heathery moors or sylvan lanes of the Mother Country.

    "I think upon the heathery hills
       I ae hae lo'ed sae dearly;
     I think upon the wimpling burn
       That wandered by sae clearly."

But sylvan wooded lanes and heathery moorlands are not features of our
Canadian scenery, and if we would find the Harebell we must look for it on
the dry gravelly banks of lakes and rivers, or on rocky islets, for these
are its haunts in Canada.

Although in color and shape of the blossom the Canadian flower resembles
the British one, and is considered by botanists to be the same species, it
is less fragile, the flower stems being stouter and the footstalk or
pedicel stiffer and less pendulous; the root-leaves, which are not very
conspicuous during its flowering season, are round heart-shaped. Those of
the flower-stem are numerous, narrow, and pointed. This pretty flower is
variable in color and foliage. Its general flowering season is July and
August.

The corolla is bell-shaped or campanulate, five-cleft; calyx lobes
awl-shaped, persistent on the seed vessel; stamens five; style one; stigmas
two; seed-vessel several celled and many seeded; in height the plant varies
from a few inches to a foot; the number of flowers vary from a few to many.

We have three common species in Canada: the present one, _Campanula
Americana_ (Lin.), a large, handsome species found in Western Canada; and
_C. aparinoides_ (Pursh), the Rough-stemmed Bellflower, which is found in
thickets and swamps. The latter is of a climbing or rather clinging habit,
the weak slender stem, many-branched, laying hold of the grasses and low
shrubs that surround it for support, which its rough teeth enable it to do
very effectually; in habit it resembles the smaller _Galium_, or Lady's
Bed-straw. The graceful bell-shaped flowers are of a delicate lavender
color. The leaves of this species are narrow-linear, rough with
minutely-toothed bristles; the flowers are few and fade very quickly. The
name Campanula is a diminutive from the Italian _campana_, a bell.

The Harebell has often formed the theme of our modern poets, as
illustrative of grace and lightness. In "The Lady of the Lake" we have this
pretty couplet, when describing Ellen:

    "E'en the light harebell raised its head
     Elastic from her airy tread."


YELLOW-FLOWERED WOOD-SORREL--_Oxalis stricta_ (L.).

This delicate little flower may be found occasionally by the wayside, but
is oftener seen among the herbage near the borders of cultivated fields.
The trifoliate leaves are terminal on longish footstalks, thin in texture,
and of a pleasant acid taste. At sunset, like the clover and other
trefoils, it droops and folds its leaflets together to sleep, for some
plants rest as in sleep. This Wood-sorrel is somewhat branching and bushy;
the pale yellow blossoms are on long stalks, fading very soon. There is
also another species--_Oxalis Acetosella_ (L.)--white with purple veinings,
a lovely delicate thing of great beauty, which is found on damp mossy banks
at the edge of low pastures. It has been asserted by some persons that the
Wood-sorrel is the Irish Shamrock, the emblem of the Holy Trinity; but it
is more likely, if St. Patrick really used any plant as a simile, that he
took the familiar golden-blossomed trefoil Yellow Clover, which is the
Shamrock which grows so abundantly in Ireland by waysides.[22] The
Wood-sorrel is of rarer occurrence and of less familiar appearance.

  [22] St. Patrick is said to have plucked the tiny leaves to explain how
       one could be three.


CISTUS--ROCK-ROSE--_Helianthemum Canadense_ (Michx.).

We find the yellow Cistus growing on gravelly hills and sunny banks. It is
a pretty delicate-flowered plant of slender upright growth and hoary
foliage, beset with silvery-gray hairs. The flowers, rarely more than two
opening at a time, are about an inch wide; the petals slightly notched at
the upper edge, of a pale brimstone color; the many stamens and anthers
reddish-orange. The flowers open at sunrise but fall before night; they are
so slight in texture that the least touch affects them. There is a
peculiarity in this plant that is very singular, the tendency to produce an
abundance of abortive flowers along the lower portion of the stem. These
never open, and give a scaly look to the plant. The Cistus is also known by
the name of "Frost Plant"; this name may have been given to it from the
hoary appearance of the leaves, though a less obvious cause has been
assigned for the name. It is said that ice-crystals are formed on the bark
in the autumnal frosts; but most likely some crystallized substance from
the juices of the plant has been mistaken for ice.


YELLOW FLAX--WILD FLAX--_Linum sulcatum_ (Riddell).

This is a delicate little plant, mostly found on dry sunny banks during the
hot summer months. The blossoms resemble the common blue Flax, but are
smaller; the narrow leaves are harder in texture and the plant not more
than one foot in height; the flower falls very soon.[23] I do not know if
the stem possesses the thready flax fibre of the cultivated species; its
only recommendation is the pretty pale yellow blossom.

  [23] This is so marked that after picking many and finding the flower
       fallen before I got home, I had to take my materials and sit on the
       side of the bank and sketch it as it grew.--A. D. C.


CANADIAN BALSAM--_Impatiens fulva_ (Nutt.).

Our Wild Balsam is a singularly gay plant with its profusion of
orange-colored spotted flowers, light foliage and semi-transparent stems.
The butterflies seem to take delight in hovering over the bright blossoms,
and the humming-birds may be seen on sunny days with outstretched beaks and
wings winnowing the air as they balance their tiny bodies while extracting
sweets or insects from the curiously-hooded flowers. In the New England
States it is known as the Humming-bird Flower, but it has other pretty
descriptive names, Jewel Weed, Speckled Jewel, and Touch-me-not. This last
alludes to the sensitive nature of the slender seed-pods, which burst at a
slight touch, rolling themselves into pretty rings and shedding abroad the
seed.

The flowers hang lightly, drooping on very slender thready stalks; when
open the outer sepal of the colored calyx forms a hooded cap which reminds
one of an old jester's cap and bells. It is only in the single-flowered
Balsam under cultivation that we see the curious hood with its horn-like
nectary; but the elastic seed-pod is, like the wild species, equally
sensitive if touched. A strong coloring matter of bright orange pervades
the whole plant in our Wild Balsam--leaves, stem and flower. The Indian
women use the juice in dyeing, and also apply it in Erysipelas caused by
Poison Ivy and in other diseased states of the skin. Our Balsam loves low
wet soil. The low lake shore and forest streams are its favorite haunts,
where it attains the height of three and four feet.

There are two species: _Impatiens fulva_, distinguished by its
deeper-colored blossoms, orange, almost scarlet, and its brown spots and
darker green leaves; and _I. pallida_ (Nutt.), paler, the markings on the
petals slighter, the foliage much lighter, and the juice of the plant
more watery.

[Illustration: PLATE XI.

1. Four-leaved Loose-Strife (Lysimachia quadrifolia).
2. Marsh Vetchling (Lathyrus palustris). P. 94.]

Professor Lindley has given the Balsam a place among the garden
Nasturtiums. A very natural affinity seems to exist between the Nasturtiums
and Balsams as respects habits, form and color. Dr. Gray gives the Balsams
an order to themselves.


RATTLESNAKE PLANTAIN--_Goodyera pubescens_ (R. Br.).

This is a formidable name for a lovely little plant the leaves of which are
prettily netted over the dark green surface with milky-white veinings. The
ovate pointed leaves are set close to the ground; from the centre of the
leaves rises a naked stalk of pearly white flowers in a slender spike;
corolla ringent with inflated lip; root-stock somewhat creeping, soft and
fibrous; the flowers are slightly fragrant. This pretty little plant is
found in the forest, often on decayed fallen trunks of trees or in light
fibrous mould. It is very nearly allied to the


SLENDER LADY'S-TRESSES--_Spiranthes gracilis_ (Big.).

The flower-stem of this singular plant is twisted so that the blossoms are
turned to one side, forming a spiral of great beauty. The flowers are
smaller but sweeter than those of the Rattlesnake Plantain; greenish-white,
lipped and fringed. The two leaves are closely pressed to the ground and
are little seen after the plant is in bloom. There are several species of
these graceful Orchids.

The spiral arrangement of the flowers probably suggested the ringlets on
some fair lady's head. The old florists and herbalists of former times were
more gallant than our modern botanists, for they gave many pretty names to
the flowers instead of the harsh-sounding, unmeaning ones that we find in
our scientific manuals of Botany. So we have among our local and familiar
names such prettily sounding ones as "Lady's-tresses," "Sweet Cicely,"
"Sweet Marjoram," or "Marjory," "Mary-gold," "Lady's-slipper," with a
number of others that I could name--besides descriptive names which form a
sort of biography of the plant, giving us a correct idea of its
characteristics and peculiar uses or habits.


SWEET SCENTED WATER-LILY--_Nympha odorata_ (Ait.).

(PLATE XV.)

    "Rocked gently there, the beautiful Nympha
     Pillows her bright head."
                              --_Calendar of Flowers._

Water-lily is the popular name by which this beautiful aquatic plant is
known, nor can we find it in our hearts to reject the name of Lily for this
ornament of our lakes. The White Nympha might indeed be termed "Queen of
the Lakes," for truly she sits in regal pride upon her watery throne, a
very queen among flowers. Very lovely are the Water-lilies of England, but
their fair sisters of the New World excel them in size and fragrance.

Many of the tribe to which these plants belong are natives of the Torrid
Zone, but our White Water-lilies (_Nympha odorata_ and _tuberosa_) and the
Yellow Pond-lilies (_Nuphar advena_, _lutea_ and _Kalmiana_) only are able
to support the cold winters of Canada. The depth of the water in which they
grow enables them to withstand the cold, the frost rarely penetrating to
their roots, which in the Nymphas are rough and knotted, white and fleshy,
and often as thick as a man's wrist. The root-stock is horizontal, sending
many fibrous slender rootlets into the soft mud; the stems that support
the leaves and blossoms are round, of an olive-green, containing open pores
filled with air, which cause them to be buoyed up in the water. These
air-cells may be examined by cutting the stems across, when the beautiful
arrangement of the pores can be seen and admired for their use in buoying
up the stem and allowing the flower-cup to float upon the surface of the
water. These air-cells are arranged with beautiful symmetry, giving
strength as well as lightness.

The leaves of the Water-lily are of a full-green color, deeply tinged with
red towards the fall of the year, so much so as to give a blood-red tinge
to the water; they are of a large size, round kidney-shaped, of leathery
texture and highly-polished surface, resisting the action of the water as
if coated with oil or varnish. Over these beds of Water-Lilies hundreds of
dragon-flies of every color--blue, green, scarlet and bronze--may be seen
like living gems flirting their pearly-tinted wings in all the enjoyment of
their newly found existence--possibly enjoying the delicious aroma from the
odorous lemon-scented flowers over which they sport so gaily.

The flowers of the Water-lily grow singly at the summit of the round smooth
fleshy scapes. Who that has ever floated upon one of our calm inland lakes
on a warm July or August day but has been tempted,[24] at the risk of
upsetting the frail birch-bark canoe or shallow skiff, to put forth a hand
to snatch one of those matchless ivory cups that rest in spotless purity
upon the tranquil water, just rising and falling with the movement of the
stream; or has gazed with wishful and admiring eyes into the still, clear
water at the exquisite buds and half unfolded blossoms that are springing
upwards to the air and sunlight.

  [24] It is decidedly risky, as the stem is not only tough but slippery.
       After several struggles you may succeed (unless you have a knife to
       cut the stem) in either breaking off the flower or dragging into the
       boat several yards of slimy, thick, slippery stems.--A. D. C.

The hollow boat-shaped sepals of the calyx are four in number, of a bright
olive green, smooth and oily in texture. The flowers do not expand fully
until they reach the surface. The petals are numerous, hollow (or concave),
blunt, of a pure ivory white, very fragrant, having the rich odor of
freshly-cut lemons; they are set round the surface of the ovary in regular
rows, one above the other, gradually lessening in size till they change, by
imperceptible gradation, into the narrow fleshy petal-like yellow anthers.
The pistil is without style, the stigma forming a flat-rayed top to the
ovary, as in the Poppy and many other plants.

But if the White Water-lily is beautiful, how much more so is the lovely
pink-flowered variety, _N. odorata_, var. _rosea_, found abundantly in many
of the small lakes in the northern counties of Ontario, particularly in the
Muskoka district, of such an exquisite shade of color that it could be
compared only with the

    "Hues of the rich unfolding morn,
     That ere the glorious sun be born,
     By some soft touch invisible
     Around his path are taught to swell."
                                          --_Keble._

On the approach of night our lovely water-nymph gradually closes her petals
and slowly retires to rest in her watery bed, to rise again the following
day to court the warmth and light so necessary for the perfection of the
embryo seeds; and this continues till the fertilization of the germ has
been completed, when the petals shrink and wither and the seed-vessel sinks
down to the bottom of the water, where the seeds ripen in its secret
chambers. Thus silently and mysteriously does Nature perform her wonderful
work, "sought out only by those who have pleasure therein."[25]

  [25] In that singular plant, the Eel or Tapegrass--_Vallisneria spiralis_
       (L.)--a plant indigenous to our slow-flowing waters, the elastic
       stem which bears the pistillate flowers uncoils to reach the surface
       of the water; about the same time the pollen-bearing flowers, which
       are produced at the bottom of the water on very short scapes, break
       away from the confining bonds that hold them, and rise to the
       surface, where they expand and scatter their fertilizing dust upon
       the fruit-bearing flowers which float around them; after awhile the
       stems coil up again and draw the pod-like ovary down to the bottom,
       there to ripen and perfect the fruit.

The roots of the Water-lily contain a large quantity of fecula (flour),
which, after repeated washings, may be used for food; they are also made
use of in medicine, being cooling and softening; the fresh leaves are used
as good dressings for blisters.

The Lotus of Egypt belongs to this family, and not only furnished
magnificent ornaments with which to crown the heads of the gods and kings,
but the seeds also served as food to the people in times of scarcity. The
Sacred Lotus, or Lily of the Nile (_Nympha Lotus_), found veneration with
the ancient Egyptians.

"Lotus-eaters," says Dr. Lee, "not only abound in Egypt, but all over the
East." "The large fleshy roots of the _Nelumbium luteum_, or great Yellow
Water-lily, found in our North American lakes, resemble the Sweet Potato
(_Batatas edulis_), and by some of the natives are esteemed equally
agreeable and wholesome," observes the same author, "being used as food by
the Indians, as are the roots of another species, _Nelumbium speciosum_, by
some of the Tartar tribes."

The people of China, in some parts of that over-populated country, grow
Water-lilies upon their lakes for the sake of the nourishment yielded by
the roots and seeds.

As yet little value has been attached to our charming White Water-lily,
because its uses have been unknown. It is one of the privileges of the
botanist and naturalist to lay open the vegetable treasures that are so
lavishly bestowed upon us by the bountiful hand of the great Creator.


YELLOW POND-LILY--SPATTER DOCK--_Nuphar advena_ (Ait.).

(PLATE XV.)

    "And there the bright Nympha loves to lave,
     And spreads her golden orbs along the dimpling wave."

The Yellow Pond-lily is often found growing in extensive beds, mingled with
the White, and though it is less graceful in form, there is yet much to
admire in its rich orange-colored flowers, which appear, at a little
distance, like balls of gold floating on the still waters. The large hollow
petal-like sepals that surround the flower are sometimes finely clouded
with dark red on the outer side, but of a deep orange yellow within, as
also are the strap-like petals and stamens; the stigma, or summit of the
pistil, is flat and 12-24 rayed. The leaves are dark-green, scarcely so
large as those of the White Water-lily, more elongated, and are borne on
long thick fleshy stalks, flattened on the inner side and rounded without.
The botanical name _Nuphar_ is derived, says Gray, from the Arabic word
_neufar_, signifying pond-lily.

Nature's arrangements are always graceful and harmonious, and this is
illustrated by the grouping of these beautiful water-plants together, the
ivory white of the large Lily mingling with the brighter, more gorgeous
color of the yellow; and the deeper green of the broad shield-like leaf
contrasting with the bright verdure of that of the Arrow-head and the
bright rosy tufts of the red Water Persicaria--the leaves, veinings and
stems giving warm tints of color to the water as they rise and sink with
the passing breeze.

Where there is a deep deposit of mud in the shallows of still waters we
frequently find many different species of aquatics growing promiscuously,
the tall lance-like leaf and blue, spiked heads of the stately _Pontederia
cordata_ keeping guard, as it were, over the graceful Nympha, like a
gallant knight with lance in rest ready to defend his queen; and around
these the fair and delicate white flowers of the small Arrow-head[26]
resting their frail petals upon the water, looking as if the slightest
breeze that ruffled its surface would send them from their watery pillow.

  [26] See Plate X.

Beyond this aquatic garden lie beds of Wild Rice (_Zizania aquatica_), with
floating leaves of emerald green and waving grassy flowers of straw-color
and purple; while nearer to the shore the bright rosy tufts of the Water
Persicaria (_Polygonum amphibium_), with dark-green leaves and crimson
stalks, delight the eyes of the passer-by.


SPIKENARD--_Aralia racemosa_ (L.).

This valuable plant is distinguished by its heart-shaped five-foliate
pointed and serrated leaves, wide-branching herbaceous stem, long white
aromatic astringent root, greenish-white flowers and racemose branching
umbels of small round purple berries, about the size and color of the
purple-berried elder. It affects a rich deep soil, the long tough roots
sometimes extending to a yard or more in length, forking and branching
repeatedly. The plants are often seen growing on large boulders where there
is a sufficiency of soil, the roots penetrating into the crevices or
extending horizontally over the surface. Another favorite place for this
plant is in the earth adhering to large upturned roots, the seed having
been left by the birds. The root has an aromatic taste and smells like
aniseed or caraway. It is a most valuable domestic medicine, safe and
simple; its curative properties in cases of obstinate dysenterical
disorders deserve to be widely known.

It was from an old Canadian settler that I learned the virtue of the
Spignet-root, for it is by that name it is known in country places. I have
tested its efficacy in many cases of that common and often fatal disorder
to which young children are subject during the hot summer months in Canada.
For the benefit of anxious mothers I give the following preparation from
this valuable root:

Recipe.--Take the long roots, which are covered with a wrinkled brown skin,
wash them well and remove the outer bark; then scrape down the white
fibrous part, which is the portion of the root that is to be made use of,
throwing aside the inner hard central heart, which is not so good.

A large tablespoonful of the scraped root may be boiled in a pint of good
milk till the quantity is reduced to one-half; a small stick of cinnamon
and a lump of white sugar boiled down with the milk improves the flavor,
add to its astringent virtue, and make the medicine quite palatable. The
dose for an infant is a teaspoonful, twice a day; for an adult, a
dessert-spoonful twice or thrice a day, till the disorder is checked.

The months of August and September are the best time to obtain the roots,
which have then come to perfection.

The strengthening and purifying nature of this plant makes it quite safe as
a medicine even for a young infant. The preparation is by no means
unpalatable; it is sweet and slightly bitter, aromatic and astringent. I
have seen children that had been reduced to the last stage of debility
restored, after taking three or four doses, to a healthy state of body; it
purifies the blood and strengthens the system.

This plant, and _Aralia nudicaulis_ (L.), or Wild Sarsaparilla, are held in
great repute as wholesome tonics by the old settlers.

The Ginseng (_A. quinquefolia_--Gray), or Five-leaved Sarsaparilla, is
known by its scarlet berries.


DWARF GINSENG--_Aralia trifolia_ (Gray).

This is a pretty, delicate little plant, with three palmately three to
five-foliate light-green leaves, which form a leafy involucre to the small
delicate umbel of whitish-green flowers which surmounts them. The root is a
round tuber, deep below the soil; it is pungent to the taste.


MONKEY FLOWER--_Mimulus ringens_ (L.).

Our Mimulus is a sober-suited nun, not gorgeously arrayed in crimson and
golden sheen, scarlet or orange, but in a modest, unobtrusive dark violet
color, that she may not prove too conspicuous among the herbage and
grasses. Her favorite haunt is in damp soil by low-lying streams and open
swampy meadows, among moisture-loving herbs, coarse grasses and sedges, and
dwarf sheltering bushes. Yet our Mimulus is by no means devoid of beauty,
the dark violet-purple of the corollas being unusual among wild-flowers.
The blossoms grow from between the axils of the leaves, singly, on rather
long footstalks; the upper lip of the tubular corolla is arched, the lower
spreading and thrice lobed; the leaves are long, of a dullish green, often,
with the angled upright scape, taking a bronzed purple tint.


MAD-DOG SKULLCAP--_Scutellaria lateriflora_ (L.).

This pretty light-blue flower grows on the low-lying shores of the
Katchewanook Lake and other localities on the banks of the Otonabee and its
tributaries. The stem is slender, branching, the leaves rather coarse;
color of the blossoms azure blue, with the small upper lip somewhat curved.

The old settlers imputed great virtues to this very humble herb, which it
is more than doubtful if it possesses. Good faith, however, will often work
marvellous cures. The idea was that the plant would avert the terrible
effects of the bite of a mad dog.

There is also a much handsomer species with larger flowers and simpler
stem--the Common Skull-cap (_S. galericulata_).


MARSH VETCHLING--MARSH PEA--_Lathyrus palustris_ (L.).

(PLATE XI.)

The Marsh Vetchling or Marsh Pea is a graceful climbing plant with purple
flowers and long slender leaflets, arranged in pairs from two to four or
six along the leafstalk, which terminates in a cluster of clasping
thread-like tendrils. The flowers are placed on long slender arching
peduncles springing from the base of the leafstalk, which is furnished at
the joint with a pair of sharply-pointed stipules.

The Marsh Pea is found chiefly in damp ground, among herbs and dwarf
bushes, along the margins of low-lying lakes and creeks and sandy grassy
flats. Its pretty purple pea-shaped blossoms and pale-green leaves attract
the eye as it twines among the herbage and forms graceful garlands amidst
the ranker and coarser plants to which it clings. A taller species with
slender stalks two to four feet high, with ovate-elliptical leaves, much
larger stipules, and an abundance of small pale blue-purple flowers, is
also found on marshy shores. This is the variety _myrtifolius_ of Gray.

There are many other graceful twining plants of this order. The most
remarkable of these is the


GROUND NUT--WILD BEAN--_Apios tuberosa_ (Moench.),

known also as Indian Potato and Sweet Bean, a tall climber, with compound
leaves of five to seven ovate leaflets and sweet-scented clustered flowers
of a brownish-purple color; the pear-shaped tubers, of the size of a hen's
egg, are used as an article of food by the Indians, who roast them in the
embers and eat them as we do baked potatoes. A fine white starchy
substance, tasteless and not unwholesome, can be obtained by grating the
tubers.


BUTTERFLY WEED--_Asclepias tuberosa_ (L.).

Of this remarkable family Canada possesses many handsome species. The most
showy is a large bushy plant with gorgeous orange, almost scarlet, flowers.
Every branch is terminated by a wide-spreading head composed of small
umbels of brilliant flowers. This plant is known by the name of Butterfly
Flower from its singularly gay appearance, which is very attractive when
seen on dry hills on sunny days. The root is used in medicine as a powerful
vermifuge by the old settlers, who say they learned its medicinal virtues
from the Indian herb doctors.

The floral construction of the flowers of all this family is peculiar. The
petals are somewhat pointed, five in number; divisions of the calyx also
five; the petals are reflexed, showing a central crown which is composed of
five hooded nectaries, each of which encloses a curved horn-like appendage.
The crown is often of a different shade of color from the petals, and from
its peculiar form the flower has the appearance of being double. The leaves
of the Butterfly Flower are rough on the surface and hoary; the seed-pods
are also hoary. It is a striking and showy flower, deficient in the viscid
milky juice that is so abundant in others of the genus.

The Pink-flowered Milkweed (_A. Cornuti_) is fragrant and also handsome; it
is a tall showy plant, abounding in milky juice; the leaves are large,
soft, and velvety; the flowers are of pale pink, falling in graceful
tassels from between the leaves; the form of the flowers is the same as in
the above; the seed-pods are large and the seeds flat, lying one over the
other, closely pressed, in beautiful succession, like the shining silvery
scales of a fish; each seed is furnished with a tuft of silken hair.[27]

  [27] The farmers' wives make pretty cushions of this white flax-like
       silk, by filling bags of tulle or net with them, the shining silk
       showing through any transparent fabric.

The pod opens by a long slit, and it is wonderful to see the beautiful
winged seeds, the instant the prison door is opened, rise as if moved by
some sudden impulse, spreading their shining silken wings and taking
flight, wafted away by the slightest breeze to parts unknown. One marvels
how this winged multitude ever found space to lie within the narrow case
from which they escaped; it reminds one of that wonderful genius of the old
Arabian tale that the poor scared fisherman induced to re-enter the metal
pot. Methinks it would be even harder to gather together our fugitive silky
seeds than to coax a refractory genius into a quart pot again!

The whole of the _Asclepias_ family are remarkable for the strong tough
silken fibre that lines the bark of the stout stem. This in the common
Silk-weed (_A. Cornuti_) has attracted much attention, but has not as yet
been utilized for textile fabrics. The fibre is strong and can be divided
into the finest threads of silken softness and of good length, as the plant
reaches from two to three feet or more in height and grows so freely that I
have seen extensive plantations of it on wild spots, where it has been
self-sown and where few other plants would grow.

[Illustration: PLATE XII.

1. False Foxglove (Gerardia quercifolia). P. 132.
2. Turtlehead (Chelone glabra). P. 138.
3. Dragonhead (Physostigia Virginiana).]

The silken beard of the seed, though so bright and beautiful, is too short
and brittle for spinning; still, as a felting material, or for paper
manufacture, it might prove of value, for even the pod might be employed. A
good fibre is found in all the tall Milkweeds, and also in the Apocynums or
Dogbanes, where the thread is still finer. All these plants are remarkable
for the bitter viscid milky juices with which they abound.

We know nothing in medicine experimentally of this tribe of native plants,
but I believe they are supposed to contain poisonous properties of a
narcotic nature, as is the case with most vegetables containing acrid milky
juices.[28]

  [28] It is supposed to cure the bite of a rattlesnake, and it is strange
       that it always grows in abundance where there are rattlesnakes. An
       old saying that an antidote is always near a poison may be true. The
       milk is also a cure for warts.--A. D. C.

It would add greatly to the value of botanical books if a few words as to
the poisonous character of native plants were inserted.


WILLOW-HERB--_Epilobium angustifolium_ (L.).

This handsome, showy plant, with its tall wand-like stem and abundant
blossoms of reddish lilac, adorns old neglected fallow-lands that have been
run over by bush fires, and open swampy spots, where it covers the
unsightly ground with its bright colors and drooping stems, which are often
borne down by the weight of their blossoms and fair buds. It often shares
these waste places with the White Everlasting (_Antennaria margaritacea_),
Wild Red Raspberry, Blackberry, and the Fireweed, with a variety of smaller
plants that take possession of the virgin soil, there to perfect their
flowers and fruit, while at the same time their abundant foliage serves to
cover the confusion caused by charred and blackened trunks and branches of
prostrate trees. Over all these the graceful Willow-herb waves its flowery
spikes and long willowy leaves. All through the months of July, August and
September it blooms on, while later in the season its silky-plumed seeds
fill the air as they wing their way to other wild spots equally favorable
for their growth and development.

The midribs of the leaves are white or rosy red, as also are the wand-like
stems and branches. The terminal naked buds are of a deep crimson; the
seed-pod is long and opens lengthwise to allow the seeds to float off on
the breeze by means of their silky sails.

The Willow-herb is cultivated in gardens in England, where it is known by
the name of French Willow. I remember seeing it in almost a wild state in a
picturesque old garden in Suffolk, where it grew to the height of seven or
eight feet, the long flowery wand-like stems drooping over the margin of a
fish-pond, where, beneath the shadow of a big old willow, I used to sit and
feed the silver-scaled carp, which were so fearless that they came and fed
upon the crumbs that I threw into the water.


EVENING PRIMROSE--_OEnothera biennis_ (L.), var. _grandiflora_ (Lindl.).

    "A tuft of Evening Primroses
     O'er which the mind might hover till it dozes,
     But that it's ever startled by the leap
     Of buds into ripe flowers."
                                --_Keats._

In common with the Northern and Eastern States, Canada owns many native
flowers of this fine family. Our largest variety of _OE. biennis_ is
deliciously fragrant, with large showy flowers of a deep sulphur color--of
all the shades of yellow the most beautiful and satisfying to the eye, so
full, so soft and delicate is the hue. Some species of the Evening
Primrose, true to their descriptive name, open their blossoms only at
sunset; others bloom during the daytime and endure the light and heat of a
July or August sun. One form of the _grandiflora_ is from three to four
feet high, with stout branching stems and many-flowered spikes; others are
low in stature, with rough hoary leaves and smaller flowers. _OE. pumila_,
a dwarf species, about six inches in height, has small flowers of pale
color and of little floral beauty. _OE. biennis_ (L.), var. _muricata_
(Gray), which is common in open fields and plains, is a large branching
species with smooth, red-veined leaves, a red bristly stem, and smaller
flowers than _grandiflora_. It is less fragrant but is a handsome species
and continues flowering all through the summer till cut off by early
frosts. But by far the finest and most interesting of our Evening Primroses
is the large-flowered fragrant _grandiflora_ under consideration. No sooner
has the sun set than one after another may be seen, in quick succession,
the bursting of the closely-shut sepals of the calyx. One by one the petals
begin to unfold--slowly, slowly. You notice a slight movement in the
corolla; first one petal is loosened from its plaited folds, then another,
till in a few seconds the whole flower expands and opens its beautiful deep
sulphur-colored cup with its eight stamens and yellow anthers, giving out a
delightful scent upon the dewy air. What an object of interest is this
flower to children as they gaze with watching, wondering eyes upon its fair
unfolding blossoms. One little fellow, almost a baby, cried out, "Oh, look!
it's waking now!" when he saw the first pure petal softly rolled back as
the blossom commenced opening. The diagonal lines which cross the surface
of the flower are caused by its twisted stivation, or folding in the bud,
and this gives it a crimped appearance which is singularly pretty as well
as curious. It has been stated that a flash of phosphorescent light has
been noticed at the instant the flower opens, but I think a tiny flash of
such pale light would hardly be perceptible during the daylight; besides,
the petals unclose gradually--the only sudden motion is the unclasping of
the enfolding calyx leaves which emprison the corolla. Nevertheless it is a
pretty idea, and it may be a fact, though not as yet a fully established
one. I think it is Professor Lindley who has recorded the circumstance in
his "Natural System of Botany," from the observation of some French
naturalist.


ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE--_Circa alpina_ (L.).

With so ominous a name we might naturally expect to find some sad
lurid-looking poisonous weed or sombre-leaved climber, instead of a very
delicate, innocent-looking leafy plant, with thin light-green foliage and
tiny white or pale pink blossoms dotted with minute spots of pale yellow,
something like the old garden plant London Pride. One can hardly imagine so
inoffensive a little flower being introduced by the ancient sibyls into
connection with their unholy rites, nor understand why its classical name,
_Circa_, after a horrible old enchantress, should have been retained by
our modern botanists.

We often wonder at the Greek names given to plants which are indigenous to
other climes than Greece, and retained even where the significance is so
obscure as to be questioned by our botanical writers. It is these hard
classical names that frighten youthful students, especially young ladies,
who are only too glad when they can meet with names of flowers that give
them an insight into the appearance and qualities of the plants by which
they can be easily recognized.

Imagination loves to get a glimpse at the poetical in the names of flowers,
giving a charm to what is dry and uninteresting in our botanical books;
something that gives us an insight into the history of the flower we study
beyond the mere structure and definition of its parts. I remember an old
gardener (he was by no means an ignorant man) once said, "Oh! madam, in
these days they turn poor Poetry out of doors, but in the olden time it was
not so, for it was the language in which God spake to man through the
tongues of angels and prophets. Ay, and it was the language in which even
sinful man spake in prayer to his Maker; but now they only use hard words
for simple things, such as the flowers of the field and the garden; or the
talk is about gold and the things that gold purchases!"


SPREADING DOGBANE--INDIAN HEMP--_Apocynum androsmifolium_ (L.).

This pretty pink-flowered plant is also known by the name of Shrubby
Milkweed, from the abundance of acrid milky juice that pervades the stem,
branches and leaves.

The flowers of this plant are very unlike those of the _Asclepiadace_; but
it belongs to a closely allied order, and possesses some of the
characteristics of that remarkable order of plants in which the deadly
Strychnia is included, with others of evil reputation. There are many
virtues as well as vices in our Milkweeds. The Apocynums have some worthy
members in the family--sweets as well as bitters.

In the "Hya-hya" of Demerara we find the luscious Milktree, which, with the
Cream-fruit of Sierra Leone and some others, redeems the character of this
remarkable tribe of vegetables. Our own native Shrubby Milkweed has some
marked peculiarities which deserve notice: in common with all the Milkweeds
it has a strong fine silky fibre in the bark, which can be drawn to a great
degree of fineness and in one of the species, _Apocynum cannabinum_ (Indian
Hemp), is exceedingly tough and strong; it is said to have been used by the
natives in lieu of thread. No doubt it can be put to such purpose. While
many writers have dwelt upon the silk contained in the pods of the
Milkweeds, suggesting the possible uses to which it might be applied, the
more valuable strong flaxen fibre, which is superior in quality to hemp,
seems in a large measure to have escaped public attention. The free growth
of the common white-flowered Milkweed, which could be easily cultivated,
growing readily and attaining the height of three or four feet, would give
a long thread easily divided into the finest strands, and might form, as I
have already remarked, a valuable addition in the manufacture of native
Canadian fabrics.

The ancient name, _Apocynum_ is derived from two Greek words signifying
"from a dog"; this shrub was supposed to be injurious or baneful to dogs,
whence its common name, Dogbane. Whether the plant deserves this reproach
as regards dogs I cannot say; but truth obliges me to confess that in its
pretty treacherous bells many a poor incautious fly meets with a certain,
though possibly lingering, death. Lured by the fragrance of its blossoms,
which it gives out at dew-fall, hundreds of small black flies seek rest and
shelter in the flowers, and are seized instantly by the irritable stamens
and held in durance by their legs; and as there is no philanthropist to
take his nightly rounds and release them, they perish in their flowery
prison.

Though the Dogbane is perennial, the stems die down annually and are
renewed again each spring. The bark is of a deep red; the foliage, on
distinct footstalks, ovate and pointed. The flowers appear in loose
spreading cymes; the pale rose, somewhat striped corolla open bell-shaped,
with recurved lobes. The flowers are followed by long slender red pods,
meeting in pairs at the points in twos and fours, the pods converging
together; these pods open longitudinally and let out the small winged
seeds, each of which is furnished with a tuft of delicate silk. The whole
plant is milky, more so than the next less showy-flowered species,--


INDIAN HEMP--_Apocynum cannabinum_ (L.).

The flowers of this species are white, small, and in terminal cymes; the
leaves are narrow, of a dark green, smooth; the fibre in the bark of this
plant is very strong as well as fine. The Indians use this thread in the
manufacture of fishing nets and lines, and probably in sewing. The banks of
streams and lakes seem to be the habitat of the Indian Hemp. I am not aware
that it has any scent. The scent of the pink Dogbane is only given out
after sunset.


WHITE DWARF CONVOLVULUS--DAY-FLOWER--_Convolvulus spithamus_ (Pursh).

Although so delicate and fragile in texture, there is no flower that loves
the sunlight in its noontide power more than this lovely wild Convolvulus.
In this it differs from the splendid Morning Glory, which opens early, in
the freshness and coolness of the morning but fades before the noonday heat
and light; only on cool cloudy days will it display its glorious tints of
royal purple, rose, crimson, and exquisite shades of pink, pearly-blue, and
white. But our modest white flower may be seen blooming in open fallows
and wild grassy plain-lands, where it has little shade unless from the
surrounding herbage. The plant is seldom more than twelve or eighteen
inches in height, tapering from a broad base to a slender leafy point. The
foliage is whitish or hoary gray, from a minute downy covering. These gray
leaves are hastate, not arrow-shaped, pointed and lobed at the base; the
lower leaves are on long footstalks, the upper ones diminished to mere
bracts. The flowers are large pure white open bells, on long stalks--only
two opening each day. The stem of the plant is somewhat woody, slightly
branching or simple, and forming a pyramid of slender apex, twining
slightly and clasping the stalks of grasses and neighboring herbs.

On the flowery Rice Lake plains I have seen this lovely flower mingling its
hoary foliage and white fragile bells with the gay bracts of the Scarlet
Cup and azure-blue spikes of the Wild Lupine, the Sweet Pyrola and Wild
Rose,--and surely no garden ever shewed more glorious colors or more
harmonious contrasts than this wilderness displayed.

This pretty wild Convolvulus might be introduced into garden culture, where
the soil is light, without any fear of its becoming a troublesome weed like
the common Bindweed, or the double-blossomed variety, which should only be
kept as plants for a trellis or as bower-climbers.


GRASS-PINK CALOPOGON--_Calopogon pulchellus_ (R. Br.).

Our open springy poplar flats, partially shaded by aspen shrubs and wild
grasses, afford shelter to many a rare Orchid. The warm rays of the sun,
acting on the moist boggy soil, quicken into life and loveliness one of the
most ornamental of our orchidaceous plants. In the month of July we find
that very beautiful flower, the Grass-pink, or Calopogon. Its flowers are
little known, and may indeed truly be said to waste their sweetness on the
desert air.

From a round solid corm, about a quarter of an inch in diameter, rises a
bright green sword-shaped leaf, which clasps at its base a tall scape
bearing a loose four to eight-flowered raceme of elegant rose or
lilac-colored flowers. The lower blossoms open first. The form of the
flower is peculiar: the concave upper petal or lip is bearded with yellow
and purple hairs arching over the column, which is winged and free; the
bright reddish-purple sepals and petals are pointed and fragrant; the scape
rises to the height of from eighteen inches to two feet. A bed of these
elegant flowers when in bloom is a charming sight.

Another of our Orchids is the lovely and rare _Arethusa bulbosa_ (L.), the
flower of which is no less remarkable for the beauty of its form and rich
coloring than the Calopogon. The color of the ringent corolla is of a deep
rich rose-purple, and it is very sweetly scented; the scape has
occasionally one grassy leaf. Not less singular is the charming _Calypso
borealis_ (Salisb.), or Bird's-foot Orchis, with its graceful,
deliciously-scented pendulous flowers and crested lip, bearded with yellow
and pink, and its narrow, twisted and waved pale pink sepals and petals;
the scape is garnished with one oval shield-shaped shining leaf of dark
glossy green. It flowers in the month of May.

Another elegant bog-plant is the


SMALL ROUND-LEAVED ORCHIS--_Platanthera rotundifolia_ (Rich.).

    "Your voiceless lips, O flowers, are living preachers;
      Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a book.

    "Floral apostles that in dewy splendor
      Weep without woe and blush without a crime."
                                               --_Horace Smith._

This is one of the lovely native plants of the Orchis family, of which we
boast many remarkable for beauty as well as for the eccentric forms which
arise from the peculiar arrangement of their floral organs.

The one above named is worthy of attention. Our quaint old herbalists would
have called it the Holy Dove, or some such name, from the curious
resemblance that the petals and sepals take to the body and extended white
wings of a hovering dove, the lower lobed petal taking the semblance of the
tail and wings, the upper ones meeting over the anther-cells, which might
be likened to the two eyes of the bird, and the arched hooded appendage
above to the head.

The scape of this pretty Orchis is furnished with one handsome round or
shield-shaped leaf, of shining bright green, and a bracted spike of white
flowers, spotted with delicate pink, as also is the throat of the arched
petal that partly covers the anthers and stigmatic disc.

Our beautiful Orchids, with many other rare bog plants, repay the
difficulties of obtaining them in their native haunts, such as cedar
swamps, cranberry marshes, poplar swales, and peat bogs, where, however
zealous, our lady botanists may not venture without risk.

These rare plants, growing in lonely isolated places, are little known and
but seldom met with, unless, as I have said, by the enthusiastic botanist
who is not afraid to seek for such floral treasures, however difficult they
may be to obtain. A curious and handsome species is the Striped Orchis or
Coral-root (_Corallorhiza striata_, Lindl.). This plant is leafless,
silvery-sheathing scales taking the place of leaves; the roots are branched
and knobby, like some kinds of coral; the scapes, many flowered, grow up in
clusters from twelve to eighteen inches high; the flowers are pale fawn,
striped and dotted with crimson or purple--such was a plant that I found at
the root of a big hemlock tree near the forest road where I often walked
many years ago.

There are several different species of this curious order, varying in size
and the color of their blossoms. Of fringed and tufted, fragrant kinds, we
have the Pearly White and the Fringed Pink Orchids. These are very pretty
and not uncommon flowers. I first saw them on my voyage up the St.
Lawrence, when the ship was anchored off Bic Island and the Captain brought
me a noble posy of sweet flowers, the first Canadian flowers I ever saw.
Among Wild Roses and elegant Blue Lungwort (_Mertensia maritima_), which I
had also seen and gathered near Kirkwall, in Orkney, there were yellow
Loosestrife, Harebells, and the sweet-scented White-fringed Orchis, the
Pink-fringed Orchis and some elegant cream-colored Vetches, with several
other flowers then unknown to me.

There are many other plants of the Orchis family scattered through our
woods and swamps and on the rocky or low islands of our northern lakes.
Among those not already mentioned, the Larger Fringed Orchis (_Habenaria
fimbriata_) may be named. This is a tall handsome bog-plant, flowering in
the beginning of July, with large rose-purple deeply-cut petals. Another
less conspicuous species, found in dry woods, is the Northern Green-man
Orchis, _Habenaria viridis_ (L.), var. _bracteata_ (Reich). The scape of
this species is furnished with long narrow sharply-pointed bracts and
greenish flowers.

In some of our orchidaceous plants when examined there will be seen at the
base of the fleshy scape two roundish bulbs or tubers, farinaceous masses,
whence the bundle of white fibres, the roots and rootlets proper, proceed,
and which contain the prepared food to support the growth of the year.

From one of these tubers the scape, bearing the scaly or leafy bracts,
root-leaves and flowers, springs, and at the flowering season is much
larger than the other.

The flower-bearing bulb deceases from exhaustion of its substance,
shrivels, turns brown, and begins to decay, while the other continues
slowly but steadily to go on increasing, bearing in its bosom the embryo
flower-stem and foliage which are to appear the following year. Another
tiny bulb is also preparing in like manner, attached by a slender fleshy
cord to its companion. Thus from year to year the process goes on, each one
taking the place of its predecessor after its office has been fulfilled.

This singular mode of reproduction seems to supersede the necessity for the
development of seed as in other flowering plants; nor is it so common to
find seedlings of the Orchids springing up round the parent plant, as in
the case of other flowers.

The reason why so few amateur florists succeed in transplanting the native
Orchids into their gardens lies in the want of due care in taking them up.
The life of the plant for the following season being contained in the new
forming tuber, if this be in the least injured the chance of another flower
in the future is at an end. The succulent tender roots are easily broken or
wounded, and these strike rather deep down in the soil and must be taken up
uninjured, with a good portion of the mould, or there is small chance of
life for the plant. Nor will the Orchis thrive in common earth; it requires
fibrous peaty soil, moisture, and some shade, with the warmth that arises
from the moist soil and shelter of the surrounding herbage. They all thrive
best in the conservatory or greenhouse.


GOLDEN DODDER--_Cuscuta Gronovii_ (Willd.).

This singular parasitical plant occurs on the rocky shores of our inland
lakes. There seem to be two species: one with bright orange-colored coils
and greenish white flowers; the other with green rusty wiry stems and
smaller blossoms. This last occurs on the rocky shores of Stoney Lake,
where in the month of August it may be found twining around the slender
stems of the Lesser Goldenrod, a small narrow-leaved Solidago.

In no instance did I find this curious parasite associated with any other
plant; as if by some mysterious instinct the Goldenrod seemed to be
selected for its support. Nor could the union with the flower be discovered
by the most careful examination. The Dodder seems to be leafless and
rootless. The Goldenrod to which it had attached itself did not appear to
have suffered from the clinging embrace of its singular companion, though
its coils were so tightly wound around it that it was not an easy matter to
separate them from the supporting stem. The Dodder could not even be said
to have the claims of a poor relation to excuse its unwelcome intrusion.
The white blossoms of this parasite were closely clustered at intervals on
the wiry stem.

The golden-stemmed species, with somewhat larger greenish-tinged white
flowers, I found in the same locality attached to the culms of stout wild
grasses, which chiefly it seemed to have selected for its support. The
bright orange coils and clusters of flowers formed a pretty contrast with
the dark foliage of the climbing Indian Bean (_Apios tuberosa_), many young
plants of which handsome fragrant climber grew there in profusion, covering
the low bushes.

In the States it is known as Goldthread, from the bright orange thready
twining stems which it throws like a golden net over the neighboring
herbage. It seems, indeed, more ornamental than useful; but as it does not
intrude itself into our gardens we will not quarrel with it. There is room
and space in this wide world for it and others to find some little spot in
which to grow. Each has its own particular and ordained use.

    "Nothing lives, or grows, or moves in vain;
     Thy praise is heard amid her pathless ways,
     And e'en her senseless things in Thee rejoice."
                                                  --_J. Roscoe._


EVERLASTING FLOWERS.

    "Bring flowers for the brow of the early dead."

It is on the open prairie-like tracts of rolling land known in Ontario by
the names of oak-openings and plains, where the soil is sandy or light
loam, that flowers of the Composite Order abound. All through the hot
months of July and August, and late into September, the starry-rayed
blossoms of the sun-loving Sunflowers, Rudbeckias, Asters and Goldenrods
enliven the open wastes and grassy thickets with their gay colors--the more
welcome because that the more delicate of the early spring and summer
flowers have long since faded and gone, and we know that we shall see them
no more.

Our floral calendar might be likened to four stages of life: the tender
early flowers of Spring to innocent child-life: the gay blossoms of May and
June, with all their fruitful promises, to advancing youth; the ripening
fruit of summer's prime, to mature manhood in its strength and perfection;
while the white flowers and hoary leaves of our Pearly Everlastings and
drooping Grasses are not inapt emblems of old age, bending earthward yet
not destroyed, for they have winged seeds that rise and float upwards and
heavenwards, and we shall again behold them in renewed youth and beauty.


EARLY-FLOWERING EVERLASTING--_Antennaria dioica_ (Gaertn.).

Our earliest Everlasting is a pretty low creeping plant, not exceeding six
inches in height, with small round clustered heads of downy whiteness, with
dark brown anthers, which resemble the antenn of some small insect, whence
the generic name _Antennaria_ is taken. The leaves of the plant are white
beneath and slightly cottony on the outer surface, becoming darker green
during the summer. The rootstock is spreading, the leaves numerous,
roundish-spatulate. The whole plant has a hoary appearance when it first
springs up.

This modest, innocent-looking little flower peeps forth in April and
carpets the dry gravelly hills with its downy blossoms and soft silken
leaves, sharing the newly uncovered earth with the Blue Violet (_Viola
cucullata_), and early pale yellow Crowfoot, Rock Saxifrage and Barren Wild
Strawberry (_Waldsteinia fragarioides_--Tratt), which is then beginning to
put forth its new foliage and yellow flowers, that have been kindly
sheltered by the persistent leaves of the former year, now red and bronzed
by the frosts of early spring. Our pretty Canadian Everlasting bears some
family resemblance to the far-famed "Edelweiss" of the High Alps
(_Leontopodium alpinum_). As in that flower, the clustered heads are set
round the centre of the disc, like a little infant family surrounding the
careful mother.

In the singular Alpine species the whole plant, from root-leaves to stem
and involucre, is thickly clothed with snow-white down, as if to keep it
warmly defended from the bitter mountain blasts and whirling showers of
snow and hail. Thus does Creative Love shield and clothe the flowers of
the field; His tender care is over all His works.

Scarcely has our little Everlasting raised its soft cottony head above the
short turf when another species appears, as if to rival its tiny brother,
and known as the


PLANTAIN-LEAVED EVERLASTING--_Antennaria plantaginifolia_ (Hook.).

This plant varies in height from six inches to eight or nine. The woolly
stem is clothed with narrow leafy bracts; the root-leaves are large and
broadly ovate, several-nerved, very white underneath, and less downy on the
outer surface; the corymbed head of flowers shines with bright scales and
silky pappus--the scales are not pure white, but with a slight tinge of
brown. Later on in the month of July a tall slender form of this
Everlasting may be seen, with larger root-leaves and loose heads of flowers
on long footstalks; the flowers are slightly tinged with reddish-purple and
silvery-gray, which gives a pearly or prismatic effect as the eye glances
over a number of the plants moved by the summer wind. The flowery heads are
conical, the unopened blossoms sharply pointed--the whole plant tall,
slender and simple, and very downy.[29]

  [29] _Antennaria neodioica_, Greene.

The later plants of the Everlasting family differ from the above species.
One commonly called


NEGLECTED EVERLASTING--_Gnaphalium polycephalum_ (Mx.),

deserves our especial notice on account of the pleasant fragrance which
pervades the gummy leaves as well as the shining straw-colored flowers; the
scent is aromatic and slightly resinous. This plant is found in old
pastures and by wayside waste lands, often mingled with the Pearly
Everlasting (_Antennaria margaritacea_) and other common species of the
order.

It is so commonly seen and so little cared for as to have obtained the name
of Neglected Everlasting. Truly even a flower may be without honor in its
own country!

There is another plant of this family, found in old dry pastures, with
straw-colored shining flowers; but it lacks the aromatic fragrance and
dark-green narrow revolute gummy leaves of the preceding; it is branching
with a wide-spread corymbed head and has the leaves decurrent on the stem,
whence its name _G. decurrens_. This is an earlier species than the
Neglected Everlasting.


PEARLY EVERLASTING--_Antennaria margaritacea_ (Hook.).

The abundance of the common Pearly Everlasting induced many of the
backwoods settlers' wives to employ the light dry flowers as a substitute
for feathers in stuffing beds and cushions; and very sweet and comfortable
these primitive pillows and cushions are, as well as pleasantly fragrant,
for the Pearly Everlasting is also sweet-scented, though not so much so as
_G. polycephalum_; the heads are soft, elastic, and easily obtained. The
French peasants still hang up wreaths or crosses of the white-flowered
Everlastings in churches and upon the graves of the dead, to mark where one
fair bud or blossom has dropped from the parent tree to mingle with its
kindred dust. It is a fond old custom which time and the world's later
fashions have not yet changed among the simple _habitants_.

Surely we may say with the sweet poet:

    "They are love's last gift,
       Bring flowers--pale flowers."


YELLOW COLTSFOOT--_Tussilago Farfara_ (L.).

A large proportion of our flowers of midsummer and Autumn are of the
Composite Order, but in the spring they are rare, with a few exceptions
such as the Early-flowering Everlasting, the Fleabanes and the Coltsfoot.

The first flower that blossoms is the Coltsfoot (_Tussilago Farfara_--L.),
which breaks the ground in April with its scaly leafless stem and
single-headed orange-yellow rayed flower. It is a coarse, uninteresting
plant, not common excepting in wet clayey soil; seldom found in the forest.
It is the earliest plant of the Canadian spring and prized on that account
and for its medicinal virtue, real or imaginary. Both flower and leaf are
larger than the British species, but its habits are similar.

In July, August and September our rayed flowers predominate, especially in
the two latter months; it is then, when the more delicate herbaceous
flowers are perfecting their seeds, that our hardy Sunflowers lift up their
showy heads and seem to court the glare of the summer sunshine; it is then
that we see our open fields gay with Rudbeckias, Chrysanthemums, Ragworts,
Goldenrods, Thistles and Hawkweeds. In the forest we find our White
Eupatoriums, Prenanthes and Fireweeds. On all waste and neglected spots the
wild Chamomile abounds, as if to supply a tonic for agues and
intermittents. The beautiful Aster family may now be seen in fields, by
waysides, on lonely lake-shores, in thickets, on the margins of pools and
mill-dams, or waving its graceful flowery branches on the grassy plains and
within the precincts of the forest. There are species for each
locality--white, blue, purple, lilac, pearly-blue--with many varieties of
shade, height and foliage; some species graceful, bending, and spreading,
others stiff, upright and coarse; but the species are numberless and their
habits as various. The most elegant are the _Aster cordifolius_ (L.), and
_A. puniceus_ (Ait.); the most delicate the little white shrubby Aster (_A.
multiflorus_--L.), with reddish disc and golden-tipped anthers, which give
a lovely look to the crowded small white-rayed flowers, as if they were
spangled with gold-dust. On dry gravelly banks near lakes and streams is
the favorite haunt of this pretty Aster. The plant is much branched, the
branches growing at right-angles to the stem, crossed with narrow leaves,
and bearing an abundance of small daisy-like blossoms. On the springy
shores of ponds and the banks of low creeks an upright single-headed Aster
(_A. stivus_) may be seen, with bright azure rays and yellow disc,
together with a tall woody-stemmed, flat-topped, coarsely-rayed white
species, _Diplopappus umbellatus_ (T. & G.). The large-flowered, branching,
many-blossomed, purple-rayed Asters are chiefly found in dry fields, by
wayside fences, and among loose rocks and stones, giving beauty where all
else is rough and unsightly, making the desert to blossom as a garden.


CONEFLOWER--_Rudbeckia hirta_ (L.).

(PLATE VII.)

The Coneflower is one of the handsomest of our rayed flowers. The gorgeous
flaming orange dress, with the deep purple disc of almost metallic lustre,
is one of the ornaments of all our wild open prairie-like plains during the
hot months of July, August and September. We find the Coneflower on sunny
spots among the wild herbage of grassy thickets, associated with wild
Sunflowers, Asters and other plants of the widely diffused Composite Order.

Many of these compound flowers possess medicinal qualities. Some, as the
Sow-thistle, Dandelion, Wild Lettuce and others, are narcotic, being
supplied with an abundance of bitter milky juice. The Sunflower, Coreopsis,
Coneflower, Ragweed, and Tansy contain resinous properties.

The beautiful Aster family, if not remarkable for any peculiarly useful
qualities, contains many highly ornamental plants. Numerous species of
these charming flowers belong to our Canadian flora, lingering with us

    "When fairer flowers are all decayed,"

brightening the waste places and banks of lakes and lonely streams with
starry flowers of every hue and shade--white, pearly-blue and deep purple.

The Coneflower is from one to three feet in height, the stem simple or
branching, each branchlet terminating in a single head. The rays are of a
deep orange color, varying to yellow; the leaves broadly lanceolate,
sometimes once or twice lobed, partly clasping the rough hairy stem, hoary
and of a dull green, few and scattered. The scales of the chaffy disc are
of a dark shining purple, forming a somewhat depressed cone. This species,
with a slenderer-stemmed variety with rays of a golden yellow, are to be
met with largely diffused over the Province.

Many splendid species of the Coneflower are to be found on the wide-spread
prairies of the West, where their brilliant starry flowers are mingled with
many a gay blossom known best to the wild Indian hunter and the
herb-seeking Medicine-men of the native tribes, who know their medicinal
and healing qualities, if they are insensible to their outward beauty. One
tall purple-rayed species (_Echinacea purpurea_) is very handsome.

I sometimes think that, though apparently indifferent to the beauties of
Nature, our laborers are not really so unobservant or apathetic as we
suppose them to be; but that, being unable to express themselves in
suitable language, they are silent on subjects concerning which more
enlarged minds can speak eloquently, having words at their command. The
uneducated know little of the art of word painting in describing the
beautiful or the sublime.


SPICE WINTERGREEN--_Gaultheria procumbens_ (L.).

This pretty little plant has many names besides the one above: it is also
known as Teaberry, Checkerberry and Aromatic Wintergreen; but it shares
these English names with many other forest plants.

The aromatic flavor of its leaves and berries has made the Spice
Wintergreen a favorite, not with the Indians only but also with the
confectioners, who introduce the essential oil that is extracted from the
leaves and fruit into their sugar confections. It is also an ingredient in
many of the tonic and alterative bitters prepared and sold by the druggists
in Canada. The squaws chew the dry, spicy, mealy berries when ripe with
great relish; and in the lodge the Indian hunter smokes the leaves as a
substitute for tobacco, for when burnt they give out a pleasant aromatic
smell. The leaves are warm and stimulant, agreeable to the taste and
perfectly wholesome.

The creeping root-stock throws up simple upright stems at intervals,
crowned with a few smooth thick shining leaves of a bright green color. The
flowers are three or four in number, resembling in form the Arbutus, Heath,
Huckleberry and others of the family, being a roundish bell, contracted at
the neck, pale white or flesh-colored. The fruit, which is persistent
through the winter, is of a brilliant scarlet. The fleshy calyx is of the
same texture and color and forms a part of the edible berry. The habit of
the plant is evergreen, and it may be found on sandy knolls, in thickets,
and under the shade of bushes in oak-openings; a finer, larger form is also
to be met with in the forest, in cedar swamps, the leaves, fruit and
flowers being nearly twice the size of the above. The leaves are strongly
revolute at the edges, very smooth and shining.

There is nothing that we cling to with fonder affection than the flowers of
our country, especially such as in childhood we delighted to gather. Thus
the daisy, primrose and violet of England and Ireland and the bonnie
heather and harebell of old Scotia are dear to the heart of the emigrant,
and the sight of one of these beloved flowers, cherished in a garden or
greenhouse, will awaken the tenderest emotions. An old Scotchwoman when
asked how she liked Canada replied, "Ay, nae dout it's a gude land for food
and for the bairns, but there is nae a bit of heather or ae bonny bluebell
in a' the lan'. It's nae like my ain country."

When shown a bunch of harebells which I had gathered fresh from a gravelly
bank, she grat (wept) at the sight of them. "To see," she said, "the bonnie
wee things once mair before I die!"

I was once touched by the rapture, even to tears, of a Swiss nurse who, on
seeing some flowers of the Alpine Ranunculus growing in the garden of
Tavistock Square, flung herself on the grass beside them and kissing each
blossom cried out, "Ah! fleur de mon pays!" (Ah! flower of my country!)

The brilliant scarlet berries of several of the shrubby little
Wintergreens, forming so gay a contrast to the dark glossy foliage, render
them very attractive.

On dry rocky hills we find the Box-leaved Wintergreen or Bearberry
(_Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi_--Spreng.), which clothes the dry rocky and
gravelly hills all through the continent of North America, is found far to
the north, even in barren Labrador, and on the rocky slopes of the far-off
Hudson's Bay. It abounds far north in Norway, and clothes the ground with
its spreading branches. As winter approaches the dark green leaves assume a
purplish-bronze hue, which is enlivened by the bright red berries. These
pretty evergreens might be adopted as a substitute for the holly by such as
care to keep up the old custom of dressing the house with green boughs at
Christmas-tide in honor of the birthday of the Saviour. Might not the
primitive Christians have intended by these emblems to keep faith, hope and
charity ever green within the church and homestead.

A deeper meaning often lies in the old usages of our forefathers than we
are willing to acknowledge in this our day of cotton-spinning and
gold-digging, railroads and electric telegraphs.


RATTLESNAKE ROOT--_Nabalus albus_ (Hook.).

This tall stately-growing plant belongs to the same natural order as the
Lettuce, and, like it, abounds in a bitter milky juice which pervades the
thick spindle-shaped root, the leaves and stem, even to the pedicels of the
graceful nodding pendent flowers.

The plant, applied both externally and internally, has long had the
reputation of being an antidote for the bite of the Rattlesnake.

The slender ligulate corollas which surround the cinnamon-colored pappus
are beautifully striped with purple and creamy white; the pointed tips are
turned backwards in the full-blown flowers, displaying the stamens and
pistils and soft woolly pappus. The clustered flowers, on slender
footstalks, droop very gracefully at intervals on the stem, which with the
branchlets have a purplish tinge.

In the variety _Serpentaria_ this color pervades the whole plant to a
greater degree, and the leaves are more deeply divided than in the type.

In damp rich woods we often find a slender, delicate species which is
commonly called


LION'S-FOOT--_Nabalus altissimus_ (Hook.).

The plant is from two to three feet high; leaves light green, thin,
coarsely toothed and widely lobed. The strap-shaped flowers are narrow,
pointed and revolute; the scales are of a pale green, the pappus of a
beautiful fawn color. The elegant yellow drooping flowers, in clusters,
make this forest plant a very attractive object.

The above plant was pointed out to me as the true Lion's-foot by an old
Yankee settler, and I have retained the name, though it does not quite
correspond with Gray's plant, so called. Gray's Lion's-foot is also known
as Call of the Earth, from the intense bitterness of its root; possibly all
these bitter milky-juiced plants are narcotics, but as yet not recognized
unless by the unlearned Indian or the old herbalist of some remote
backwoods settlement where doctors and druggists were unknown and the herbs
of the field were the only medicaments--generally administered by an old
woman famed more for her herb decoctions and plasters than for her wisdom
in book-learning, who believed that there was a salve for every sore and a
potion for every ailment under the sun if the folk had but faith to believe
in her "yarbs."

[Illustration: PLATE XIII.

1. Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium spectabile). P. 45.
2. Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia). P. 80.
3. Wild Orange Lily (Lilium Philadelphicum) P. 78.]


THOROUGHWORTS.

There is a popular belief among many of our native herbalists that for
every disease that man is subject to God in His mercy has provided a
certain remedy in the herbs of the field and trees of the forest; that
there is a sovereign virtue in roots and barks and leaves and flowers if
man will but search them out and test their qualities.

The use of "simples," as the vegetable medicaments used emphatically to be
termed, has always found advocates in the lower classes, especially amongst
the humble country-folk, who dread mineral medicines, with the nature of
which they are totally unacquainted--preferring the herbs of the field,
which they see growing about them, to the more costly "doctor's stuff," as
they call the prescriptive medicines of the physician. To the herb doctor
they apply with every confidence, entertaining no fear of the vegetable
poisons in which he often deals; in his skill they have unlimited faith.

Much of this kind of knowledge is possessed by the old Canadian and the
Yankee settlers, hardy pioneers who emigrated from the United States at the
close of the Revolutionary War, induced by the promised reward of certain
grants of land in return for their professed or actually proved attachment
to the British Government. These families, under the appellation of U. E.
or United Empire Loyalists, spread themselves along the then unbroken
forests on the shores of the St. Lawrence, and bore hardships and
privations of which there are few parallel cases.

Dwellers in the lonely leafy wilderness, with no road but the rushing river
or broad-spread sea-like lake, they lived apart from their fellow-men;
self-dependent, they relied upon their own ingenuity and personal
exertions for the actual necessaries of life. The men supplied the
household with game from the forest (it was over-plentiful in those days)
and fish from the lakes and streams; while in clearing the land, and
cultivating it in the rude fashion of the time, the women and children,
without respect of age and sex, did their part. On the females depended the
manufacture of every article of clothing; the loom occupied a prominent
place in the log house, and the big spinning-wheel occupied the "stoop" in
summer.

Occasionally a few families, bound together by ties of love or interest,
wisely formed a colony and lived within a reasonable distance from one
another; but more commonly, their grants comprising many hundreds of acres,
according to the number of persons in one household, the settlers were
thrown far apart. A blazed path through the forest was their only means of
communication by land, and this often interrupted by rapid unbridged
streams or impenetrable cedar-swamps.

In case of accidents, such as wounds from axes, broken limbs, and such
ailments as agues and fevers, necessity compelled active measures to be
adopted on the spot; of medical practitioners, so called, there were none;
the broken limbs were set by those in the settlement possessed of the most
nerve, while the elder women bound up the wounds or gathered the healing
herbs which they had learned to distinguish by experience, or from oral
tradition, as being curative in certain disorders. Something of this
healing art was derived from their ancestors, who had the knowledge from
the Indian medicine-men; and some remedies were, no doubt, discovered by
chance--a happy thought seized upon and put into practice in some desperate
case, where the chances of life hung upon something being done to relieve
the sufferer.

To these simple people, no doubt, we owe many of the significant local
names by which our native plants are still distinguished, and which will
always be adopted when speaking of them in familiar parlance. Occasionally
we pause and ponder on the source whence such a name as Boneset, for
_Eupatorium perfoliatum_ (L.), has been derived. We can only surmise that
the powerful virtues of the plant are serviceable, in cases of dislocations
and fractures, in reducing fever and causing a more healthy action of the
blood, thus accelerating the return of strength to the injured limb.

The sanative qualities of these plants are no new discovery, nor are the
medicinal properties confined to one species alone; some are used in curing
the bites of snakes, as _E. ageratoides_ (L.), and an infusion of the
leaves of another species is an excellent diet drink; almost all are
sudorifics and tonics.

The genus Eupatorium is dedicated to Eupator Mithridates, who is said to
have used a species of the genus in medicine. Several species of these
homely plants are used in fevers and intermittents by the herb-doctors and
Indians.

The tallest and most showy of the Eupatoriums is


TRUMPETWEED--THOROUGHWORT--_E. purpureum_ (L.).

The flowers, in dense corymbs, are of a deep flesh-color, approaching to
red; leaves shining, coarsely veined, narrowing to a point, the upper ones
much narrower, mostly growing in whorls round the stout stem. The plant has
a bitter, somewhat resinous scent when the leaves are bruised. This tall
Thoroughwort is abundant on the banks of creeks and in marshy places, where
it often reaches the height of five or six feet.

The red-flowered Eupatorium, the old Thoroughwort of the English
herbalists, closely resembles our Canadian plant; its habits, colors and
qualities seem the same. When viewing the native species it appears to
carry my thoughts back to childish haunts on the banks of the clear-flowing
Waveney and the flowery Suffolk meadows,

    "Where in childhood I strayed,
     And plucked the wild flowers that hung over the way."

A more graceful member of the Eupatorium family is the


WHITE SNAKEROOT--_Eupatorium ageratoides_ (L.),

which is a pretty, elegant, perennial plant found in rich woods. The white
flowers are borne in compound corymbs.

The leaves are from two to three inches long, toothed, narrowly pointed, on
long stalks, and of a bright green, smooth and thin. Our plant is about
three feet high, wide and loosely spreading. The pretty white corymbs of
flowers make this an attraction among the forest herbage, for at the season
when it is in bloom most of the flowers have disappeared from the woods.

Not unfrequently we find in damp woods, but more especially on open marshy
ground, the well-known herb,


BONESET--_Eupatorium perfoliatum_ (L.).

This species is easily distinguished from any other by its veiny hoary
grayish-green leaves, united at the base around the stem, or perfoliate,
the stem of the plant passing through the centre of each pair. The large
closely-set corymbs of flowers are of a greenish-white and want the pretty
tasselled appearance of the White Snakeroot (_E. ageratoides_). The scent
of this more homely plant is strongly resinous and bitter, but it is held
in great esteem for certain qualities of a tonic and anti-febrile nature,
and it forms one of the old remedies for ague and fever.

In evidence of the value of the herb Boneset, Pursh gives a practical
illustration from his personal experience of the efficacy of its medicinal
properties. He says:

"The whole plant is exceedingly bitter, and has been used for ages past by
the natives in intermittent fevers; it is known by its common names,
Thoroughwort and Boneset. During my stay in the neighborhood of Ontario,
when both influenza and lake fever were raging, I saw the benefit arising
from the use of it, both as regarded myself and others. It is used as a
decoction, or, as I considered more effectual, as an infusion or extract in
rum or gin." (_Vide_ Pursh's _Flora Americ Septentrionalis._)


MAYWEED--_Maruta Cotula_ (DC.).

    "The traveller passes by
     With reckless glance and careless tread,
     Nor marks the kindly carpet spread
            Beneath his thankless feet.

    "So poor a meed of sympathy
     Do gracious herbs of low degree
            From haughty mortals meet."
                                   --_Agnes Strickland._

This is one of our commonest weeds, intruding itself into the very streets
and by-lanes of our villages, but never welcome there, as it gives out a
nauseous bitter scent at dew-fall. The more sunny the place and the drier
the soil the more does this hardy plant flourish; it heeds not the
trampling feet of man or steed, but rises uninjured from the tread of the
passer-by, cheerful under all persecution, despised and disregarded as it
is. If we look closely we see beauty in the finely cut and divided foliage
and the ivory-white daisy-like flowers which appear all through the
summer; but when seen in dirty streets we overlook its merits and turn from
it with distaste. This feeling is not very amiable, but it is natural to
dislike whatever is vulgar, low and intrusive.


WILD SUNFLOWER--_Helianthus strigosus_ (L.).

    "As the sunflower turns to her god as he sets
     The same look which she turned when he rose."
                                               --_Moore._

So sings the Irish bard, but I rather fancy it is a poetical illusion, for
I have watched the flowers and never could convince myself of the fact.
However, we may hope that as the Sunflower has become so fashionable an
ornament in the present day, some of its devoted lovers will strive to
ascertain the truth of the tradition.

As a not very graceful badge of the votaries of stheticism, we see the
garish orange Sunflower worn in hats and bonnets, as ornaments for breast
and sleeves, and reproduced in needle-work and other ornamental designs for
the boudoir or drawing-room. Rows of the gigantic flowers may now be seen
lolling their jolly heads in gardens and lording it over the humbler and
lowlier blossoms.

We have many flowers of this wide-spread tribe of plants extending through
the country wherever the soil and surroundings are favorable to their
growth; especially may different members of these rayed flowers be found on
dry plains, in open copse-woods, and on the banks of streams where the soil
is sandy or gravelly.

So numerous are the varieties that it would be tedious to enumerate them.
One of the handsomest is _H. strigosus_ (L.). The Sunflowers form one of
the distinguishing floral ornaments of the Canadian plains and of the
extensive prairies of the North-west, where miles of Sunflowers,
Rudbeckias, Liatris and other gorgeous flowers--blue, white, red--may be
seen all through the hot summer months, the orange and yellow stars of the
Helianthus tribe above all conspicuously apparent.

The garden Sunflower may often be met with within the forest, the seed
having been carried by the ground-hog or squirrel and dropped on the road.
I have seen little piles of the ripe seed of the garden Sunflower lying on
stumps and rails to dry, the industrious little gleaners depositing them in
such places to be hoarded at their convenience in their granaries. The same
thing may be noticed during the harvest-time near the wheat-fields. I have
watched with no little curiosity the heaps of wheat left by these little
innocent gleaners, and have seen them come with their companions to fetch
away their newly-threshed stores, having first carefully destroyed the
germs. Who taught the squirrel this latter wise precaution to prevent the
germination of the grain?

Many years ago, while living on a wild lot on the Rice Lake, my son, in
digging the ground for the construction of a root-house, discovered a
granary of a squirrel, or it might be of a ground-hog, the Canadian marmot.
A large supply of Indian corn, beech-nuts and acorns was stored many feet
below the surface of the dry sandy soil; but the eye or germ had been
carefully bitten out of each one.


DANDELION--_Taraxacum Dens-leonis_ (Desf.).

The Composite Order presents us with more numerous families of plants than
any other, and supplies us with a host of flowers, and also some
troublesome weeds, which are of wide diffusion, the winged seeds being
borne to great distances and establishing themselves wherever they chance
to alight. Many an unnamed flower exists, no doubt, in secluded spots where
as yet the foot of man has never trod. Those primitive wilds where even the
hardy lumberman's axe has never been heard, those rugged hills known only
to the eagle and the falcon, those deep cedar swamps that afford shelter to
the wolf, the bear and the wildcat, conceal many a graceful shrub and rare
plant that one day may be gazed on with admiring eyes by the fortunate
naturalist, whose reward may possibly be to have his name conferred upon
the newly-discovered floral treasure.

A large number of plants of the Composite Order are remarkable for the
bitter milky juice contained in the leaves, stalks and roots, the
properties of which are narcotic and sedative. This bitter milky juice
pervades all parts of the Dandelion or _Taraxacum_; also the Wild Endive
and other members of the Lettuce tribe.

The Dandelion is so well known that it is unnecessary to enter into any
description of its floral parts. The root of the Dandelion has been
utilized as a substitute for coffee; in preparing it the root should be
washed thoroughly, but the thin brown skin not scraped off, as much of the
tonic virtue is contained in this brown covering of the root. This must be
cut up into small pieces and dried by degrees in the oven until it becomes
dry and crisp enough to grind in the coffee-mill; it is then used in the
same way as the coffeeberry, with the addition of milk and sugar. A small
portion of fresh coffee would, I think, be an improvement to the beverage,
but it is not usually added. Many persons have used this preparation of the
Dandelion and greatly approved of it. It is a good tonic and very
wholesome. The herb itself, if the leaves be blanched, makes a good salad,
equal to the garden Endive.


PURSLANE--_Portulaca oleracea_ (L.).

This is one of the troublesome weeds of our gardens, and one would hardly
associate it with the brilliant showy flower of our borders. We must,
however, recognize it as a near relation. The original of the cultivated
Portulaca of our gardens is _P. grandiflora_, from South America, whence it
was introduced some years ago. Even in its wild state, or on its native
prairies, it is a strikingly attractive flower, claiming the admiration of
the beholder; but our humbler species is regarded as a thing of naught. The
simple Purslane, however, has its virtues, and we will try to rescue it
from being utterly despised by showing how it may be utilized. When the
plant first appears it pushes forth small wedge-shaped succulent leaves, of
a dull red color, and soon spreads over the ground, branching at every
thickened joint. If the soil be rich it becomes very luxuriant, and being
very tenacious of life, it is difficult to get rid of it, as it springs
again from the joints, flourishing the more vigorously from the persecution
it has undergone. The axil of every joint is furnished with a small
sharply-pointed red bud. The flowers are small, pale yellow, opening in
sunshine; the pod many seeded, with a little round lid that covers the top
of the capsule.

The soft, oily mildness of the leaves and stalks of this plant renders it
useful as an application, crushed or steeped in hot water or milk, for
inflammatory tumors. I have seen it also recommended as a pot-herb for the
table--in fact, it is largely grown in France for that purpose; I have also
heard it said that it may be used as a dye, but that the blue color
produced is very evanescent.[30]

  [30] I cooked it for greens and found it very nice.--A. D. C.


WILD BERGAMOT--_Monarda fistulosa_ (L.).

Among the Mints we have many different species, all odorous, pungent and
aromatic; some have pretty flowers, but generally speaking they are more
valued for their qualities than chosen for any striking beauty of color in
the blossoms. We have Spearmint, Peppermint, Horsemint, Catnip and many
others of this humble but not useless family.

The plants of the Natural Order Labiat are remarkable for being mostly
aromatic and pungent; although some are coarse and rank in odor, none are
hurtful.

One of the handsomest and most agreeable in scent is the tall _Monarda_ or
Wild Bergamot, a very handsome sweet-scented plant, common upon our
oak-openings and wild grassy plains and dry uplands. I have seen a very
pretty variety--_Monarda fistulosa_ (L.), var. _mollis_ (Benth.)--with
rose-colored blossoms and glandular flowers, from the Poplar Hills,
Manitoba. The species so commonly seen on the hilly ground above Rice
Lake--_Monarda fistulosa_ (L.)--is tall, with soft leaves of a dull green,
of a fine aromatic scent and velvety surface; the globular heads of the
lilac-lipped flowers are terminal; the color of the corolla varies from
lilac to very pale pinkish-white.

All the species are sweet-scented and might be utilized to advantage as an
aromatic flavoring, the Bergamot being far more delicate and agreeable than
the Wintergreen which is so largely used in confections.


HEALALL--_Prunella vulgaris_ (L.).

This simple herb is commonly found in grassy meadows and on wayside
waste-lands, near rivers and low grounds. It is common everywhere, yet it
is generally thought to be an exotic, having been introduced among foreign
grasses and thus become naturalized to the country.

There seems to be really no special virtue in the plant; though it boasts
of a name which should entitle it to notice, yet we are ignorant of its
medicinal or healing uses. It is destitute of any sweetness, but the
blossoms are pretty and associated with English meadows and green bowery
lanes, so we look kindly upon the purple-lipped flower for the dear Old
Country's sake.


COMMON MULLEIN--_Verbascum Thapsus_ (L.).

This plant is one of the tallest of our wayside weeds; the large soft
leaves, densely clothed with silky white hairs, are not considered without
value by the herb-doctors. They are used in pulmonary disorders, as outward
applications for healing purposes, and in such complaints as dysentery, to
allay pain; the leaves are made hot before the fire and so laid over the
body of the sufferer. Moreover, this wonderful plant, if laid in cellars or
granaries, is said to drive away rats and mice; but this virtue may be only
a fond delusion. Commend me rather to Miss Pussy as a more certain
exterminator of these troublesome household pests. A grand and stately
spike of golden flowers, called Giant-taper, grew in my father's garden,
and was the resort of honey-bees innumerable. Homely as our Canadian plant
is considered to be, yet it has uses of its own besides those attributed to
it by the old settlers. The abundance of the seeds, which remain in the
hard capsules during the winter, afford a bountiful supply of food for the
small birds that come to us early in Spring. In March, and early in April,
the snow-birds and their associates, the little chestnut-crowned sparrows,

    "That come before the swallow dares,"

and the brown song sparrows, may be seen eagerly feasting on the dry seeds
which still remain on the withered plants. Later on, in May and June, the
soft gray down of the hoary leaves is used as lining for the nests of the
humming-birds and other small birds that weave dainty soft cradles for the
tiny families that need such tender care. Taught by unerring wisdom, each
mother-bird seeks its most suitable material, and appropriates it for the
use and comfort of its unknown, unseen brood. Let us not despise the common
Mullein, for may it not remind us of Him who careth for the birds of the
air, and giveth them from His abundant stores their meat in due season, and
that wonderful unerring wisdom that we call instinct. "Who _least_, hath
_some_; who _most_, hath _never all_."


FALSE FOXGLOVE--_Gerardia quercifolia_ (Pursh).

(PLATE XII.)

I think old Gerarde, the first English writer on the wild flowers and
native plants of England (for whose memory all botanists feel a sort of
veneration), would have given a far better description of the stately plant
honored by his name than the writer of this little work can hope to do,
seeing that the only native species that has come within her knowledge is a
slender purple-flowered Gerardia, _G. purpurea_, which grows on the margin
of Rice Lake, among wild grasses and other herbage.

It has been said by one who was a diligent botanist and naturalist (the
late Dr. G. G. Bird), that no Gerardias were found north of the Great
Lakes, but all were confined to the Western and Eastern States; this,
however, was a mistake. At that date very little was known of the Canadian
Flora. It was the trying time of pioneer life in the backwoods, when little
heed was taken of the vegetable productions of the country. Even the trees
of the forest were hardly distinguished by name, and much less were the
wild flowers cared for, unless some of the settlers knew of curative
medicines to be extracted from the leaves or roots, or of some household
dye for the home-spun flannel garments which were then all that could be
obtained as clothing for their families.

But to return to my Gerardias, several fine species have been found growing
on the islands of Lake Ontario and on the banks of the Humber, that
fruitful wilderness of many flowers; and doubtless these handsome, showy
plants are well known in many localities westward in the Dominion of
Canada.

The handsomest of all is _G. quercifolia_, Oak-leaved Gerardia, a robust,
stately plant of from three to six feet in height, with large open-throated
orange bells; it is known as False Foxglove. There are several fine
purple-flowered species, and others of paler yellow than _quercifolia_,
with stems coarse, rigid, downy or bristly; the leaves are mostly rough on
the surface and of a dull green.

I am not aware of any particularly useful qualities attributed to this
genus, but as ornaments to our gardens they would prove very
attractive--one of the most suitable is _G. pedicularia_, a very much
branched species which grows in dry thickets; it is about two feet high,
has prettily lobed foliage, and bears a profusion of yellow flowers. It
seems a pity that these beautiful plants should be passed by as only weeds,
unnoticed and unvalued.


GAYFEATHER--BUTTON SNAKEROOT--_Liatris cylindracea_ (Michx.).

This pretty purple flower is found growing on dry hills, near lakes and
rivers, on sandy flats and old dried water-courses. The slender, stiff,
upright stem is clothed with rigid, narrow, grass-like, dark green leaves,
the longest being nearest to the root. The flowers form a long spike of
densely-flowered heads; the scales of the involucre that surrounds them are
green, tipped with black, and finely fringed; the styles protrude beyond
the tips of the corolla. The root is a round corm, about the size of that
of the crocus, sweetish and slightly astringent, mealy when roasted, and
not unpleasant to the taste. The roots are sought after by the ground-hogs,
which animals often make their burrows near the place where the plants
abound, which is often on the slopes of dry, gravelly hills; at any rate it
is on the sides of ravines, on the dry plains above Rice Lake, and on
islands in our chain of back lakes in Burleigh and Smith, where I have
found the bright Gayfeather blooming in the hot month of August. The seeds
are hairy, almost bristly, of a light sandy brown when ripe. The blossoms,
when quite dry, retain their beautiful color, even for many years, and may
be mixed with the flowers of the Pearly Everlasting for winter bouquets or
ornamental wreaths.

One of the species of this family, _L. scariosa_, a handsome flower found
on our North-western prairies, is known by the name of Blazing Star. The
showy flowers of the _Liatris_ family, and their hardy habits, make them
desirable plants for cultivation. They are easily propagated from seed.


GOLDENROD--_Solidago latifolia_ (L.).

The Solidagos are among our late August and September wild flowers, coming
in with the hot summer suns which have given the ripened grain to the
cradle scythe of the harvester. The Trilliums and Lupines and gorgeous
Orange Lilies have departed with the Moccasin-flowers, the sweet-scented
Pyrolas, and the Wild Roses. Many of the fair flowers have faded and gone,
but we are not quite deserted; we have yet our graceful Asters, our pretty
Gayfeathers, our Sunflowers, Coneflowers and the blue Gentians, and
brightening the waysides with many a gay, golden sceptre-like branch, our
hardy, sunny Goldenrods, varying in color from gorgeous orange to pale
straw-color, from the tall stemmed _S. gigantea_ to the slender wand-like
forms of the dwarf species, of which we possess many kinds, some with hoary
foliage, others with narrow willow-like leaves of darker hue. On the grassy
borders of inland forest streams we find the Goldenrods; they seem to
accommodate themselves to every kind of soil and situation. The rocky
clefts of islands are gay with their bright colors, the moist shores of
lakes, the sterile, dusty waysides, corners of rail-fences or the forest
shades, no spot so rude but bears one or another species of these hardy
plants; a coarse but grand genus, and not without its value. Not for
ornament alone is the Goldenrod prized. The thrifty wives of the old
Canadian settlers prized it as a dye-weed, and gathered the blossoms for
the coloring matter that they extracted from them, with which they dyed
their yarn yellow or green.

One of the late flowering species, _S. latifolia_, is remarkable for its
fragrance; it is slender in habit, the lax branches trailing upon the
ground in grassy woodlands. The leaves are large, very sharply and coarsely
toothed, margined on the leafstalk, terminating in a slender point at the
apex. The blossoms, which are larger than those of many of the taller
species, are clustered in the axils of the large thin leaves at rather
distant intervals along the slender branches; the silky pappus of the
winged seeds is tinged with purplish-brown, the flowers are golden-yellow.


STRAWBERRY BLITE--INDIAN STRAWBERRY--_Blitum capitatum_ (L.).

(PLATE XIX.)

The Strawberry Blite--or, as it is often called, Indian Strawberry--is
widely spread over the Northern States and Canada. Wherever the forest has
been cleared it is sure to appear, as it seems to affect the rich black
leaf-mould of the newly-cleared forest.

It is not indeed found within the close thick forest, but appears wherever
a partial clearing has been made. It may be seen close to the rough log
walls of the lumberer's or chopper's shanty, flourishing in great
luxuriance under this half culture. On forest land that has been burnt over
and left uncropped it may be seen in perfection, and within the garden
enclosure, where it becomes a common weed, though truly more ornamental
than many a flower that the gardener cultivates with care and trouble.

When fully ripe the long spikes of crimson fruit and the foliage, of a
bright green color, have a beautiful appearance, tempting the hand to pluck
the richly-colored seed clusters; but beauty is not always to be trusted,
and in this case the eye is deceived and the taste disappointed. The fruit
is insipid and flavorless, though not unwholesome.

The red juice is used by the Indian women in dyeing, and in old times the
backwoods settlers made it a substitute for ink, but unless the color be
fixed by alum it fades and disappears from the paper.

The Indian Strawberry, or Blite, belongs to the Spinach family, and may be
used with safety as a substitute for the garden vegetable, being perfectly
harmless.

I well remember, many years ago, greatly alarming some of my neighbors in
the backwoods by gathering the tender leaves and shoots of these plants and
preparing them for the table. I was assured that death would be the result
of my experiment; but I was confident in the innocent qualities of my
fruit-bearing Spinach, and laughed at the prediction that I should find
death in the pot.

Nor is the Indian Strawberry the only member of the Spinach tribe that is
found growing in Canada. We possess several others, among these the herbs
commonly known by the country people as Good King Henry (_B. Bonus
Henricus_), which has been introduced from Europe, and Lamb's Quarters
(_Chenopodium album_), which plants are still made use of as spring
vegetables, though not now in such repute as formerly. Happily few houses,
or even shanties, cannot boast of a garden around the dwelling, but many
years ago it was a rare thing to see even a cabbage-plot fenced in about
the homestead, and the cultivation of flowers was regarded as a piece of
useless extravagance, a mark of pride and idle vanity. We do not wish
_those_ good old times back again!

The leaves of the Indian Strawberry are thin, long-pointed, somewhat
halbert-shaped, with shallow indentations at the edges. They are of a
bright lively green color. In the earlier stages of growth, the flowering
spikes stand upright, but as the fruit ripens they decline, and are bending
or entirely prostrate, much resembling the drooping Amaranth (called Love
Lies Bleeding) of our gardens, but more brilliant in hue. The berries of
the Indian Strawberry are wrinkled on the surface and dotted over with
purplish-black seeds, which lie embedded in the soft fruity pulp of the
altered calyx in a manner similar to the Strawberry. The fruit begins to
ripen in July, and continues by a succession of lateral branches to bear
its red clusters all through August, after which the frosts of September
cut it off and destroy the beauty of the plant.


TURTLEHEAD--SNAKEHEAD--_Chelone glabra_ (L.).

(PLATE XII.)

This coarse but rather showy plant is found in damp thickets near lakes and
streams. The large white two-lipped flowers grow in terminal clusters or
spikes; the upper lip projects downward like a turtle's bill; the foliage
is dark green, the leaves opposite, the edges coarsely-toothed, long and
sharp-pointed; the stem, simple, or widely branching and bushy; the large
handsome white flowers are often tinged with red or purplish-red; the
blossom is open-throated, somewhat contracted at the mouth by the
overhanging of the upper lip. The whole plant is from two to three feet
high. The name of the genus is derived from a Greek word which signifies a
tortoise, the form of the beaked corolla resembling the head of a reptile;
hence also the common name Snakehead, from the fancied likeness to the open
mouth of a snake. The flowering season is from July to September; probably
under cultivation this flower would become highly ornamental as a large
border plant.

There are many very ornamental flowers belonging to the same natural order
as the Turtlehead, among which are the Beard-tongue (_Pentstemon
pubescens_),[31] Monkey-flower (_Mimulus_), Snapdragon (_Antirrhinum_),
Scarlet-cup (_Castilleia_), and the Gerardia, with many other plants more
remarkable for beauty than for any useful or healing qualities, but very
showy in the garden and not difficult of cultivation.

  [31] See Plate XX.


CARDINAL FLOWER--_Lobelia cardinalis_ (L.).

(PLATE X.)

One of the most striking of our native flowers is the Red Lobelia or
Cardinal Flower. The plant had found its way into English gardens as a
rarity before I saw it growing in all its wild beauty on the margins of the
Otonabee, on my first journey, or rather voyage, up the country. There,
growing at the edge of the low grassy flats beside the water, its tall
loose spike of deep red flowers fluttering in the breeze and reddening the
surface of the bright river with the reflection of its glorious color, this
splendid flower first met my admiring eyes.

It was but a short time before that I had seen it cultivated as a new and
rare border flower, and here it was in all its loveliness on the banks of a
lonely forest stream which then flowed through an almost unbroken
wilderness, growing uncared for, unsought for and unvalued. The people, a
rude set of Irish settlers, were amused at the delight with which I plucked
the flowers. They cared for none of these things; they were to them only
useless weeds.

There are several varieties of the Cardinal Flower occasionally found among
the wild plants near the inland lakes and creeks of the backwoods, some
with flesh-colored corollas, or white striped with red; but these
variations are not very common. The prettiest of the blue-flowered plants
of the Lobelia family is a small, delicate, branching one, with azure-blue
and white petals, which is cultivated in hanging baskets, as its bright
blue flowers and slender leaves droop gracefully over the pot or basket and
contrast charmingly with larger flowers of deeper color and more vivid
foliage.

The largest of the North American Lobelias is _L. syphilitica_,[32] a
stout-stemmed, many-flowered species, which is chiefly found near springs;
the flowers are full blue and the spike much crowded; the height about
eighteen or twenty inches; leaves light green. The plant seems to flourish
in clayey soil near water, and is not often cultivated. Another
blue-flowered Lobelia of slenderer habit is _L. spicata_, the leaves
growing up the wand-like stem in threes, with intervals between; it has a
one-sided look. The spike of flowers is loose and scattered, the leaves
very thin, long and narrow, light-green and smooth.

  [32] See Plate X.

Though by no means so showy--for, indeed, it is a very simple-looking
flower--but more remarkable for its uses and medicinal qualities, is the
celebrated


INDIAN TOBACCO--_Lobelia inflata_ (L.).

This plant is much sought after by the old settlers and by the Indian
medicine-men, who consider it to be possessed of rare virtues, infallible
as a remedy in fevers and nervous diseases. At first it has the effect of
producing utter prostration of the nervous system, and is known to be of a
poisonous nature. It is, I suppose, a case of "kill or cure."

A decoction of the dried plant relieves fever through the pores of the
skin; but though used by some of the old settlers, it should not be
administered by anyone inexperienced in its peculiar effects. The Indians
smoke the dried leaves, from which fact the common name is derived--Indian
Tobacco. They also call the plant Kinnikinnic, which, I suppose, means
"good to smoke," as the word is also applied to one of the Cornels, as well
as to the aromatic Wintergreen, and more generally to the Bearberry
(_Arctostaphylos_)--the leaves of these plants being used as a substitute
for the common Tobacco, or to increase its influence when smoking "the
weed."

The Indian Tobacco is a small branching biennial, from nine to eighteen
inches high; leaves ovate-lanceolate, light green; seed vessel inflated;
flowers pale blue, veined with delicate pencilled lines of a darker hue;
soil, mostly dry woods or open pastures; nature of this innocent looking
herb a virulent poison.


INDIAN PIPE--_Monotropa uniflora_ (L.).

This singular plant has many names, such as Wood Snowdrop, Corpse-plant,
and Indian Pipe. The plant is perfectly colorless from root to flower, of a
pellucid texture and semi-transparent whiteness. There are no green leaves,
but instead broad and pointed scales, clasping the rather thick stem, which
is terminated by one snowy-white flower. The flower, when first appearing,
is turned to one side and bent downwards, but becomes erect as it expands
its silvery petals: these are five in number; stamens from eight to ten;
stigma about five-rayed; seed vessel an ovoid pod with from eight to ten
grooves; seed small and numerous. Though so purely white when growing, the
whole plant turns perfectly black when dried; even a few minutes after they
are gathered, as if shrinking from the pollution of the human hand, they
rapidly lose their silvery whiteness and become unsightly. To see this
curious flower in its perfection you must seek it in its forest haunts,
under the shade of beech and maple woods, where the soil is black and rich;
there, among decaying vegetables, grows this flower of snowy whiteness.

There are two species of the family. In a hemlock wood I found the equally
singular


PINE SAP--_Monotropa Hypopitys_ (L.),

a tawny-colored, scaled, leafless species, with several flowers, covered
with soft pale yellowish-brown wool, fragrant, and full of honey, which
fell from the flower cups in heavy luscious drops. This plant is of rather
rare occurrence; it is found here only in pine or hemlock woods, though
Gray speaks of it as common in oak and pine woods.


GENTIANS.

    "And the blue Gentian flower that in the breeze
      Nods lonely; of her beauteous race the last."
                                                   --_Bryant._

This interesting floral family takes its name from Gentius, a king of
Illyria, who is said to have been the first to discover and be benefited by
its sanative properties. The root used in medicine is, I believe, a native
of Spain. The Alpine Gentian--so often spoken of by tourists--is of low
stature, with very large intensely-blue upright bells; "a thing of beauty
and a joy for ever," even to behold it growing in serene loveliness on the
edge of the icy glaciers and rude moraines of the Swiss Alps.

Of all our native flowers the Gentians are among the most beautiful, from
the delicately fringed azure-blue (Bryant's flower) to the fair pale
softly-tinted Five-flowered Gentian, with its narrow bells and light-green
leaves. All are lovely in color and form, but none more deserving of our
attention than the large-belled Soapwort Gentian, known also by the
poetical name of


CALATHIAN VIOLET--_Gentiana Saponaria_ (L.).

This is the latest of all our wild flowers, coming early in the fall of the
year and lingering with us

    "Till fairer flowers are all decayed,
       And thou appearest;
     Like joys that linger as they fade,
       Whose last are dearest."

On sandy knolls, among fading grasses and withered herbage of our oak
plains, we see the royal deep blue open bells of this lovely flower, its
rich color reminding one of a queen's coronation robes.

This species somewhat resembles the European _G. Pneumonanthe_ (Linn.),
which is also known by the same poetical English name. In Sowerby's
"English Botany," under the head of the last named species, we find: "This
pretty little plant is worthy of cultivation, and is quaintly mentioned by
Gerarde, who says, 'the gallant flowres hereof bee in their bravery about
the end of August,' and he tells us that 'the later physitions hold it to
bee effectual against pestilent diseases, and the bitings and stingings of
venomous beasts.'"

Our Gentians are the last tribute with which Nature decks the earth--her
last bright treasures ere she drops her mantle of spotless snow upon its
surface.

We find our latest flowering Gentian early in September, and as late as
November. If the season be still an open one, it may be seen among the red
leaves of the Huckleberry and Dwarf Willows on our dry plains above Rice
Lake and farther northward. The Gentians seem to affect the soil on rocky
islands and gravelly, open, prairie-like lands, among wild grasses. The
finest, most luxuriant plants of _G. Andrewsii_ were gathered on islands in
our back lakes, growing in rich mould in rocky crevices. The Five-flowered
Gentian may be found on dry banks and open grassy wastes, while again the
exquisite azure-blue single-flowered Dwarf Fringed Gentian (_Gentiana
detonsa_--Fries) prefers the moist banks of rivulets and springs. In drier
places may be seen the stately many-flowered taller blue Fringed Gentian,
_G. crinita_ (Froelich). There is also a charming intermediate form of _G.
crinita_, about a foot high, with fewer flowers, but of a richer, fuller
azure tint. It is of the Fringed Gentian that the poet Bryant writes:

    "Thou blossom bright with Autumn dew,
     And colored with heaven's own blue,
     That openest when the quiet light
     Succeeds the keen and frosty night.

    "Thou comest not when violets lean
     O'er wandering brooks and springs unseen;
     Thou waitest late, and comest alone
     When woods are bare and birds are flown,
     And frosts and shortening days portend
     The aged year is at an end.

    "Then doth thy sweet and quiet eye
     Look through its fringes to the sky;
     Blue, blue as if the sky let fall
     A flower from its cerulean wall."

But, bewildered among so many beauties, I have wandered away from my first
love, the large dark-blue or open-belled Gentian, _Gentiana Saponaria_
(L.). The leaves of this species are somewhat clasping at the base and
pointed at the end, at first green, but assuming a purplish-bronze hue; the
smooth stem is also of a reddish purple, with the large open five-cleft
dark-blue corollas terminal on the summit, generally three blossoms;
between the axils of the leaves three or more somewhat smaller bells may be
found at intervals clustered on the flower stem. The beautifully-folded
deep purple buds are surrounded by the pointed bracts and leaves.

This species is less marked than _G. Andrewsii_ (Griseb.) by the toothed
appendages between the lobes of the flower; the absence of these plaited
folds gives our plant a wider, more open flower, which renders it more
attractive to the eye of the florist.

There is something almost disappointing in the closed sac-like blossom of
the


CLOSED GENTIAN--_Gentiana Andrewsii_ (Griseb.).

Lovely as it is, one would like to peep within the closed lips which so
provokingly conceal the interior. The tips of the corolla are white, but
the sac-like flower is of a full azure-blue, striped in some cases with
a deeper color. There are often as many as five buds and blossoms clustered
at the summit of the flower stem and in the axils of the deep green smooth
and glossy leaves.

[Illustration: PLATE XIV.

Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). P. 76.]

On parting the lips of the closed corolla we see at the narrowed neck some
toothed and sharply jagged appendages, which also may be observed in many
others of the Gentians in greater or lesser degree. This handsome species
is about eighteen inches high, with flowers more than an inch in length,
and loves rich leaf-mould near water on rocky islands.


FRINGED GENTIAN--_Gentiana crinita_ (Froel.).

Of the Fringed Gentians we boast three forms, all charming and attractive,
and it seems strange that such beautiful flowers should not have found
their places long ere this in our gardens. The seeds would not be difficult
to obtain from the tallest plant, _G. crinita_, as it blooms early enough
to ripen its pods before the heat of the summer has entirely given place to
frosts.

I have generally found the tall Fringed Gentian on dry, rather gravelly
soil and river banks. The buds of this flower are beautifully folded,
almost twisted, and are terminal, growing singly on long foot stalks; the
corollas rarely unfold fully; the plaited folds are inconspicuous or
absent. The color of the flower of this tall species is light blue, and
white at the base; the upper edges of the corollas are elegantly fringed
and cut. Though taller, and the bells more abundant, the lower, deeper
colored fringed varieties are more lovely.

There is a bitter principle in the roots of most of the Gentians;
especially is this strongly developed in the Five-flowered Gentian--_G.
quinqueflora_ (Lam.). This bitter principle is one of the characteristics
of the family, and probably our native plants might prove as valuable
tonics as the foreign root were they tested. The Five-flowered Gentian is
very unlike the bright and more showy blossomed species described above.
The flowers, in fives, are narrow bells of a delicate pale lilac tint,
clustered in the axils of the narrow light-green leaves; the plant is found
sometimes on dry, grassy banks, and in the angles of fences by the
roadside.

I have a specimen closely resembling the above species, sent from Iowa, the
chief difference being that the tips of the slender flower-tubes are of a
deep dark blue--our Canadian flower being only slightly tinted with very
pale lilac. I have never found any of the Gentians growing in the forest,
though several species seem to flourish in partial shade in open thickets.

With the Gentians I have brought to a close the floral season of the
Canadian year. A few stragglers may yet be found amongst late Asters and
Golden-rods, in sheltered glens and lonely hollows, but the glory of the
year has departed--gone with the last deep blue bell of the loveliest of
her race, the Calathian Violet, the solitary flower of the Indian Summer.
All that now remains for us is the bright frosted foliage of the dwarf oaks
and the scarlet-tinged leaves of the low huckleberry bushes; the brilliant
berries of the leafless Winterberry, _Ilex verticillata_ (Gray), and the
clustered garlands of the Climbing Bitter-Sweet, _Celastrus scandens_,
which hang among the branches of the silver-barked birch and other forest
trees, or near the margin of lake or stream; and the crimson fruit of the
frost-touched High-bush Cranberry, _Viburnum Opulus_--while on dry, stony
hills and rugged rocks the Bearberry covers with its creeping branches of
dark green shining leaves and gay scarlet fruit the scanty soil from which
it springs. Let us prize them, for from henceforth till the tardy Spring
revisits the earth its treasures of leaf and blossom will be to us as a
sealed book bound up in ice and snow. No more are we tempted by verdant
wreaths of glossy leaves or gaily tinted flowers. We must content ourselves
with wintry landscapes, snowflakes and frost-flowers, and the crystal
casing that covers the slender branches of the birches and beeches or hangs
in diamond drops on the tassels of the spruces and balsam firs.

Tread softly, traveller, lest the transient glory of our frost-flowers
dissolve at your feet. Emblems are they of earthly beauty, earthly riches
and earthly fame; but there are brighter gems and fairer flowers of
heavenly growth that fade not away but which will flourish in the Paradise
of God more glorious than the fairest beauties of our earthly home.




SECTION II.

FLOWERING SHRUBS OF CENTRAL CANADA.

    "Hie to the haunts right seldom seen,
     Lovely, lonesome, cool and green.
           Hie away, hie away,
          Over bank, over brae,
                Hie away."
                                    --_Waverley._


LEATHERWOOD--MOOSEWOOD--_Dirca palustris_ (L.).

The Leatherwood or Moosewood is one of the very earliest of our native
shrubs to blossom; little clusters of yellow funnel-shaped flowers appear
on the naked smooth-barked branches early in April; three or more buds
project from an involucre of as many scales covered thickly with soft brown
downy hair. The leaves, which expand soon after the falling off of the
flowers, are smooth, of a bright light green, oblong, entire, and placed
alternately along the stems. This pretty, shrubby bush seldom exceeds five
feet in height, but is often much lower. The bark is of a pale
greenish-gray, very tough, and while fresh and young not easily broken; it
becomes more brittle when thoroughly dried, losing its useful pliant
qualities. The bush settlers used the tough bark in its green state as a
substitute for cordage in tying sacks and for similar purposes. This hardy
shrub is, I believe, the only native representative in Canada of the
Mezereum family;[33] it has neither the fragrance nor the dark glossy
foliage of the Daphne or Spurge Laurel of the English gardens; but,
nevertheless, forms a pretty addition to our garden shrubberies, the early
blossom, abundant foliage and light scarlet globular berries being very
attractive. The New England people call the plant Moosewood, in allusion to
the hairy covering of the flower-buds; the Canadians call it Leatherwood,
and the Indian name for it is _Wycopy_, meaning a thong, on account of its
tough leathery bark. The specific name, _palustris_, would imply that it
was more particularly a marsh-loving plant; but the Leatherwood may be
found frequently growing on dry, gravelly ground, and is by no means
confined to wet, marshy soil. Dr. Gray says: "The name of a fountain near
Thebes was applied by Linnus to this North American genus for no
imaginable reason, unless because the bush frequently grows near mountain
rivulets."

  [33] The beautiful _Daphne Mezereum_, shown on Plate XVI., is not a
       native of Canada, although it is occasionally found growing wild in
       the woods near towns. The seeds may possibly have been carried there
       by birds. Some kinds of finches are said to eat the showy scarlet
       berries notwithstanding their intense acridity. This shrub was
       brought to America from Europe, but is thought to be of Eastern
       origin. The Persians call it _Madzaryoum_, from which word its
       specific name is derived. The pretty rose-colored sweet-scented
       flowers are produced in abundance along the naked branches in early
       spring, before the smooth green leaves unfold, followed later in the
       summer by clusters of bright scarlet berries.--J. F.

This shrub is found allover the Eastern Provinces of the Dominion and has
also a wide northerly range. I know of no especial uses, excepting the one
already named, among the settlers in the backwoods and the Indians, who use
the bark as loose handles for their bark baskets used in rough work.


FEVERBUSH--SPICEBUSH--_Lindera Benzoin_ (Meisner).

This highly fragrant shrub is commonly found growing in low, wet, marshy
ground, and is sought for by the Indians for medicinal uses; the bark and
twigs (for it is in these the aroma is contained), mingled with tobacco,
form one of their luxuries. The spicy, sweet-scented wood long retains its
flavor, even when dried, and is most agreeable. The bush is about four or
five feet high; the bark of the older branches is gray and smooth, but the
young twigs and leafstalks are blackish. The flowers in this, as in
Leatherwood, appear in umbel-like clusters in April, before the foliage is
developed; the blossoms are yellow or honey-colored, the leaves entire,
very smooth, darkish green, oblong and pale underneath. This shrub belongs
to the Laurel tribe, and is nearly allied to the Sassafras. The natives
make a fever drink of the twigs, besides chewing and smoking the bark.


TRAILING ARBUTUS--MAYFLOWER--_Epiga repens_ (L.).

(PLATE XVIII.)

The fragrant, graceful _Epiga repens_, the sweet Mayflower of the Northern
States and of our own Canada, is too lovely to be forgotten in these short
floral biographies; indeed, this pretty trailing evergreen is well
deserving of a place amongst the most cherished treasures of the
conservatory, for few exceed it in beauty and none in fragrance. It is to
be found within the pine forests, beneath trees where but a scanty herbage
flourishes, and on dry, sandy and rocky ground we see its evergreen shining
ovate leaves and delicate pink flowers covering the ground during the month
of May. The Americans know it by the name of Mayflower, so called from its
season of blossoming; in England it is a favorite greenhouse shrub, under
the name of Trailing Arbutus. The leaves rise on long footstalks from the
somewhat horizontal branches, and are unequal in size, the largest being
nearest to the summit; the leafstalks are clothed with clammy
reddish-colored hairs, which contain an odorous gum; the flowers are
tubular, divided into five segments at the margin, in color varying from
white to rosy-pink; the inside of the long tube is beset with silvery
hairs. The lovely waxy flowers are clustered at the summits of the creeping
stems, and give out a delightful aromatic scent. The classical name of our
pretty evergreen is derived from the Greek, and signifies "upon the earth,"
in allusion to its prostrate trailing habit.


BEAKED HAZELNUT--_Corylus rostrata_ (Ait.).

The Beaked Hazelnut is a small bush, not more than three to four feet high;
the leaves are large, oval, and coarse in texture, furrowed and dentate at
the edge. The catkins appear in April; the light crimson tufted pistillate
flowers in May. The nut is enveloped in a rough green involucral calyx,
which is undivided and closely invests it; this rapidly diminishes in size
above the nut, and is prolonged for about an inch; in shape it takes the
form of a hawk's bill, whence the specific name _rostrata_, or beaked, is
derived.

The calyx is closely beset with short bristly hairs, which pierce the
fingers, producing an unpleasant irritation; especially is this felt when
the fruit is ripe and the enveloping case is withered and dry. The nut is
sweet and well-flavored, and resembles the common Filbert more than the
wild Hazelnut of England. The bush seems to affect dry open ground and
copse woods. There is another native species, the


AMERICAN HAZELNUT--_Corylus Americana_ (Walt.).

This is a much taller bush, found chiefly in damp thickets, the long
slender wand-like nut-brown branches springing from a thickened rootstock
or stool, and reaching to a height of ten to fifteen feet in damp
localities. The sweet nut is round and thick shelled, the involucral calyx
spreading at the tips and more open than in the former species. The foliage
is round, somewhat cordate, or heart-shaped, coarsely pointed and serrated.
The flowers, which are of two kinds in this genus, come successively before
the unfolding of the leaves. The two species are very distinct in their
appearance and character, the Beaked Hazelnut bearing more likeness to the
Filbert, while the present species resembles the common Hazelnut.

The classical name, _Corylus_, is derived from a Greek word signifying a
helmet, from the shape of the calyx.


RED-BERRIED ELDER--_Sambucus pubens_ (Michx.).

The red-fruited Elder is often confounded by ignorant persons with the
_Rhus Toxicodendron_, to which the names of Poison Elder, Poison Oak, and
Poison Ivy have been given, thus transferring the evil qualities of the
poisonous _Rhus_ to a perfectly harmless shrubby tree, which deserves to be
redeemed from such slanders. The Red-berried Elder is widely distributed
over the Dominion of Canada.

In every waste place, on old neglected fallows which have been subjected to
the ravages of fire, in corners of fences, and even in gardens, if care be
not taken to ruthlessly root out the intruder, this hardy native may be
found. The panicles of greenish-white flowers may be seen in the month of
May, among black and burnt stumps and girdled pines, enlivening the coarse
verdure of the dull-green pinnated leaves and gray warty branches; the
flowers of this species, as well as those of the Black-berried Elder, _S.
Canadensis_ (L.), emit a faint but sickly odor. The flowers of the latter
species are whiter, borne in much larger and flatter cymes, and do not
appear until June.

The embryo blossoms of the Red Elder are formed soon after the fall of the
leaf in October, and may be distinctly seen in the large globular buds
which adorn the bare branches in winter; they are closely packed within the
protecting cases, like hard-green seeds, each flower-bud perfect, as if
ready to unfold in the first warm sunshine,--but not so, for the embryo
flower must lie dormant in its cradle till the next spring, when the warmth
of the May sunshine opens it out to life and light. The blossoms are
succeeded by an abundance of small berries, which, during the month of
June, ripen and adorn the landscape with their brilliant scarlet hues. The
juice of the ripe fruit is a thin acid, slightly partaking of the peculiar
flavor of the wood, not agreeable but perfectly wholesome. The gay berries
are a favorite food with wild birds, which soon strip the trees of their
ornamental clusters.


TWIN-FLOWERED HONEYSUCKLE--_Lonicera ciliata_ (Muhl.).

Though we have not in Canada the sweet-scented and graceful Woodbine of the
bowery English lanes and hedgerows--the theme of many a poet's lay, from
Shakespeare and Milton down to Bloomfield and Clare--yet we have some
charming flowering shrubs that are too lovely to be disregarded by the
lover of Nature. Among our wild native species there is not one more
elegant than the Twin-flowered Honeysuckle, or Bush Honeysuckle. It is one
of the earliest of our shrubs to unfold its tender light-green leaves. A
few warm days in April--if the season be mild--and we may perceive the
slender sprays assuming a welcome tint of verdure, the glad promise of
spring.

The ovate leaves, of pale green, are delicately fringed with silken hairs,
at first of a slight purplish tint. The flowers appear in pairs, connected
twin-like from the axils of the leaves; in color something between a pale
primrose and greenish-white, often tinged with purple. The elegant drooping
bells are divided at the edge of the corolla into five pointed segments,
slightly turned outward, showing five stamens and one style, which projects
a little beyond the funnel-shaped flower. These graceful flowers, united at
the ovary, hang beneath the leaves on slender thready pedicels--so slight
that the least breath of air swings their light fairy bells. One might
almost be tempted to listen for some sweet music to issue from their hollow
tubes. The twin berries, when ripe, are of a semi-transparent ruby-red,
but, like the fruit of all the genus, they are tasteless or of a sickly
sweet flavor. They form a feast for birds and numerous species of flies,
which feed upon the pulp and juice. The country people give the name of
"Fly Honeysuckle" to this shrub--doubtless from having noticed how
attractive the fruit is to the insect tribes.

The Bush Honeysuckle thrives well in the garden under a moderate degree of
shade, and in black vegetable mould.[34]

  [34] It is claimed to be a valuable remedy in cases of dropsy.

The general habit of this shrubby Honeysuckle is upright, not climbing; the
branchlets are slender, with a pale grayish-green bark, and bent outwards,
which gives a light and graceful aspect to the bush. The juicy crimson
berries are oblong, united at the base, and contain several yellowish bony
seeds.


SMALL-FLOWERED HONEYSUCKLE--_Lonicera parviflora_ (Lam.).

This pretty clustered trumpet Honeysuckle is also a native of our Canadian
woods; a climber, but not often ascending to any great height, sometimes
low and bush-like. It might be termed a dwarf climbing Honeysuckle. The
flowers are showy and clustered in loose terminal heads; the tube is very
slender, and the segments of the corolla are narrowly pointed.

This shrub seems to accommodate itself to circumstances, as it does not
attempt to climb when transplanted to open ground, but forms a compact
bush.

The abundance of its pale red and yellow flowers, in light graceful
clusters and bluish-green foliage, make it a pretty ornament to the garden,
to which it takes kindly when transplanted; the only disadvantages are the
evanescence of its blossoms and its brief flowering season. The berries,
however, are abundant, and are of a pretty light reddish-orange color.


HAIRY YELLOW-FLOWERED HONEYSUCKLE--_Lonicera hirsuta_ (Eaton).

This is a large, robust species; the leaves are large, ovate, and downy
underneath, the upper pair perfoliate, forming a boat-shaped involucre to
the large hairy honey-colored clusters of flowers, which are terminal. The
stem of this rather handsome but coarse species is woody, branching and
slightly twining; the hairy yellow trumpet-shaped flowers exude a clammy
sweet dew, which attracts numbers of flies which hover about them with
those honey-loving vagrants the Humming-birds. This species is chiefly
found in open copses and on rocky islands. There are several other native
Honeysuckles.

Closely allied to the Loniceras is a pretty flowering shrub known as


FALSE HONEYSUCKLE--_Diervilla trifida_ (Moench).

This shrub is often found on upturned roots in the forest, but it also
flourishes in more airy situations, as the edge of open, cleared ground, in
the corners of rail fences, where it has access to sunlight and freer air.
It seldom grows higher than two or three feet, forming a low leafy bush,
the leaves oblong, slightly toothed, in opposite pairs; the branches are
covered with a smooth red bark; the footstalks of the leaves are also red,
the flowers funnel-shaped, the slender corolla divided into five lobes, the
lower lip trifid. The flowers, on slender peduncles, mostly in threes,
spring from the axils of the leaves. The small seeds are contained in a
hard two-celled, two-valved woody pod. The color of the flowers varies from
straw-color to tawny yellow. Under cultivation the _Diervilla_ increases in
size and abundance of the flowers; it is very hardy and will thrive in
sunnier spots than the more delicate Twin-flowered Honeysuckle, which
requires shade.


SNOWBERRY--_Symphoricarpus racemosus_ (Michx.).

Everyone is familiar with that pretty, ornamental garden shrub, the
Snowberry, so often seen in English shrubberies, as well as in our Canadian
gardens; but every admirer of it does not know that it is a native of the
Dominion and may be found growing in uncultivated luxuriance on the banks
of streams and inland waters, on the rocky banks of rapid rivers and lonely
lakes, whose surface has never been ruffled by the keel of the white man's
boat, spots known only to the Indian hunter or the adventurous fur-trapper.
There, bending its flexile branches to kiss the surface of the still
waters, its pure white waxen berries may be seen, looking as if some
cunning hand for very sport had moulded them from virgin wax and hung them
among the dark green foliage.

The blossoms of the Snowberry are small red and white bells, in clustered
loose heads along the ends of the light, flexible sprays; during the
flowering season the branches are upright, but they droop downward in
Autumn from the weight of the large round snow-white berries. The brown
bony seeds lie embedded in the granular cellular pulp. Though quite
innocuous, the fruit is insipid and more useful for ornament than for any
other purpose, as far as man is concerned, but forms a bountiful supply of
food to many of the birds that remain with us late in the Autumn. The plant
multiplies by suckers from the roots and by seeds. The leaves are small,
oval, slightly toothed, of a dull, dark bluish-green. This shrub is a
native of all the Northern States of America, extending northward and
westward in Canada. It belongs to the same natural order as the
Honeysuckle, that lovely creeping plant the Twin-flower, and the Elders.


SWEET-FERN--_Comptonia asplenifolia_ (Ait.).

The popular name by which this shrub is known among
Canadians--Sweet-fern--is improperly applied, and leads to the erroneous
impression that the plant is a species of Fern. It is a member of the
Sweet-gale family and belongs to the Natural Order _Myricace_.

The Sweet-fern grows chiefly on light loam or sandy soil, in open dry
uplands, and on wastes by roadsides, forming low thickets of small, weak,
straggling bushes, which give out a delicious aromatic scent--somewhat like
the flavor of freshly grated nutmegs; but the smell is evanescent, and soon
evaporates when the leaves have been gathered for any length of time. The
twig-like branches are of a fine reddish color; the leaves are long, very
narrow, and deeply indented in alternate rounded notches, resembling some
of the Aspleniums in outline, whence the specific name. The flowers are of
two kinds: the sterile in cylindrical catkins, with scale-like bracts, and
the fertile in bur-like heads.


SWEET-GALE--_Myrica Gale_ (L.).

This sweet-scented low shrub may be found bordering the rocky shores of our
inland Northern lakes in great abundance, and may be readily recognized by
its bluish dull-green leaves and the fine scent of the plant. The leaves
when stirred or crushed give out a fine aroma resembling that of the
Sweet-fern, _Comptonia asplenifolia_, but of higher flavor. The sterile
catkins, closely clustered, appear before the leaves; the seed is contained
in rough scaly heads; the leaves are toothed at the edges, broader at the
upper end and narrowing at the base. The whole bush scarcely exceeds four
feet in height, but throws out many small branches, forming a close
hedge-like thicket near the margins of lakes and ponds, those lonely inland
waters, where, undisturbed for ages, it has flourished and sent forth its
sweetness on the desert air--"just for itself and God." Yet the qualities
of this shrub have not been quite over-looked by the native Indians and by
some of the old inhabitants of the back country, who use the leaves in
home-made diet drinks and in infusions for purifying the blood.

As the luxuries of civilization creep in among the settlers, they abandon
the uses of many of the medicinal herbs that formerly supplied the place of
drugs from stores. The old simplers and herbalists are a cult now nearly
extinct. I am inclined to agree with a statement I once heard, to the
effect that hot stoves and doctors' drugs have fostered or introduced many
of the diseases that carry our young people to an early grave and have
rendered the old ones prematurely infirm.


NEW JERSEY TEA--REDROOT--_Ceanothus Americanus_ (L.).

There is an historical interest attached to the name of this very
attractive shrub which still lingers in the memories of the descendants of
the U. E. Loyalists in Canada and in the State of New Jersey, where the
leaves of the _Ceanothus_ were first adopted as a substitute for the
Chinese Tea-plant. Even to this day Americans will cross to Ontario in
summer to gather quantities of the leaves to carry back from our plains,
where it is found in great abundance. And while they commend the virtues of
the plant, they, no doubt, recount the tales of war, trouble and privation
endured in the old struggle waged by their grandfathers and
great-grandfathers for independence, when, casting away the more costly
tea, they had recourse to a humble native shrub to supply a luxury that was
even then felt as a want and a necessity in their homes.

The leaf of the New Jersey Tea resembles that of the Chinese very much, and
if it wants the peculiarly fragrant flavor that we prize so highly in the
genuine article, yet it is perfectly wholesome, and if prepared by heat in
a similar way might approach more nearly to the qualities of the foreign
article. Indeed, we are not sure but that it really does form one of the
many adulterations that are mixed up with the teas of commerce for which we
are content to pay so highly. Many years ago I was applied to by persons in
Liverpool to supply their firm with large quantities of the leaves, no
doubt for the purpose of adulterating the foreign teas in which they dealt.
Of course, the proposal was declined.

An old friend, one of the sons of a U. E. Loyalist, told me that for some
years after leaving the United States (the family were from Vermont), the
genuine Chinese Tea was rarely to be met with in the houses of the
settlers, especially with such as lived in lonely backwoods settlements,
that for the most part they made use of infusions of the leaves of the
Redroot, or New Jersey Tea, as they had learned to call it, of Labrador Tea
(_Ledum latifolium_), Sweet-fern (_Comptonia asplenifolia_), Mountain Mint
or other aromatic herbs, or even of the sprigs of the hemlock spruce. Many
of the old folks still retain a liking for the teas made from the wild
herbs, and use them as diet-drinks in the spring of the year with great
benefit to their health.

The light feathery clusters of minute white flowers of the _Ceanothus_ have
a charming appearance among the dark green foliage, and adorn the hills and
valleys of the grassy Canadian plain lands. Where the soil is light loam
the shrubs are lower; the flowers also are somewhat smaller, but very
abundant, and give out a faint sweet odor. In damper, more shaded spots,
the flower clusters are larger and are borne on long footstalks. The leaves
of the shrub are ovate, oblong, ribbed, and toothed at the edges. The root
is of a deep red color, astringent and used medicinally.

The flavor of the leaves is slightly bitter and aromatic. I consider this
pretty _Ceanothus_ to be one of the most ornamental of our native flowering
shrubs, and well worthy of introduction into our gardens. Abundant clusters
of delicate white flowers, that cover the bush during the months of July
and August, have the appearance, at a little distance, of the froth of new
milk. The flowers are slender, the petals hooded, spreading, on slender
claws longer than the calyx, which is five-lobed, colored like the petals.
The seed-vessel is three-lobed, splitting into three parts when dry; the
seed is round, hard and berry-like. The branches and woody stems wither and
die down in autumn, to be replaced by new shoots in the ensuing spring. In
height the shrub varies from two to five feet.


WILD SMOOTH GOOSEBERRY--_Ribes oxyacanthoides_ (L.).

Our woods and swamps abound with varieties of the widely diffused
Gooseberry and Currant family, and though at present neglected and
despised, they, no doubt, could, by proper treatment, be made valuable
and serviceable to man. Of the Wild Gooseberry there are several kinds, the
best and most palatable being the smooth-skinned, small purple Gooseberry,
_Ribes oxyacanthoides_; this is the least thorny of the genus, and by
cultivation can be rendered a nice and serviceable fruit for preserving and
other table uses.

[Illustration: PLATE XV.

1. Sweet-Scented Water-Lily (Nympha odorata). P. 86.
2. Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar advena). P. 90.]

This shrub grows in low ground or on the borders of beaver meadows and damp
thickets, and seems to be found in every part of the Dominion. The bush is
low, not more than from three to four feet in height, or less, with not
very prickly stems, and with smooth berries, generally in pairs; the calyx
of the flower is purplish and the fruit when ripe is of a dark purple
color; the leaves are smooth and shining, and pale beneath.


THORNBERRY--PRICKLY GOOSEBERRY--_Ribes Cynosbati_ (L.).

The fruit of this Wild Gooseberry is perfectly rough and spiny and is
troublesome to gather, but in old times it was sought for by the settlers
in the backwoods as a welcome addition to their scanty fare. By scalding
and rubbing the berries in a coarse cloth much of the roughness was
removed; in their green state the berries were used in the form of pies and
puddings, or, when softened, mixed with sugar and milk. When ripe they were
made into preserves, but the harshness of the bristly skin was not very
easily overcome, especially if the fruit was over-ripe. Still it was one of
the cheap luxuries that found a welcome place at the shanty table. This is
a tall bush from four to six feet in height, growing in dry rocky woods,
and bearing a profusion of greenish bells, in the month of May, from one to
three on each slender pedicel.

Another of our native Gooseberries, not so wholesome nor so useful, is the


SMALL SWAMP GOOSEBERRY--_Ribes lacustre_ (Poir.).

Very pretty in flower, but very bristly, and the fruit small, not larger
than peas, in slender racemes, of a purplish color and unpleasant flavor.
The blossoms are pink and hang in graceful bunches on the weak and very
prickly branches. This small bristly species resembles the


TRAILING HAIRY CURRANT--_Ribes prostratum_ (L'Her.).

This is the least desirable of the Currant family, being far from
wholesome. The whole plant is weak and reclining on the ground, often
rooting from the joints. The leaves are rather large, smooth and
five-to-seven lobed. The small round very pale red berries are hairy,
glandular, and of a very unpleasant taste and odor. I have known persons
made very ill by eating tarts made of the Hairy Currants. It is easily
distinguished by its trailing habit and hairy berries and erect racemes of
flowers. I have found it chiefly growing in low lands and thickets, near
swamps.

A larger bush, and of common occurrence in swampy ground, is the


WILD BLACK CURRANT--_R. floridum_ (L.).

When in blossom this Wild Black Currant is an ornamental object. The
flowers, of a pale greenish-yellow, are larger than the common garden
species, and droop in long graceful flowery racemes from the branches. The
leaves are of a grayish-green, sharply lobed; the bark gray and smooth;
berries very dark red, deepening when ripe to blackish-purple; they are
large and somewhat pear-shaped, in flavor not unlike the garden fruit. I
should think it possessed of a narcotic quality; certainly it is not very
agreeable, though some people like it, and it is extensively used as a
preserve. The bush takes kindly to cultivation but is, I think, more
ornamental than useful.


WILD RED CURRANT--_Ribes rubrum_ (L.).

This is said to be identical with our cultivated Garden Currant. In its
wild state the fruit is small, very acid, and not unpalatable or
unwholesome, but has a flavor of the astringent bark. This woody taste is
common to many of our fruits in their natural state, but seems to be much
reduced by care and cultivation.


JUNE-BERRY--SHADBUSH--_Amelanchier Canadensis_ (T. & G.).

The June-berries are not very ornamental shrubs, but their fruit is quite
pleasant and wholesome, especially when mixed with acid berries, such as
currants and cherries. The tallest of the genus is the Shadbush, which is
so called from the flowers appearing when the shadflies first rise from the
water in the month of May.

The elegant white flowers of this pretty tree (for it rises to the height
of twenty feet) adorn the banks of our rivers and lakes and enliven the
surrounding woods, breaking the monotony of their verdure by the contrast
of the snow-white pendent buds and blossoms. The branches of the Shadbush
are somewhat straggling; the leaves of a bluish-green, ovate and serrated,
white underneath; at first they are of a reddish-bronze, but they take a
bright tint of green when more mature. The flowers are on slender
footstalks, the petals narrow and wavy. The calyx remains persistent, as in
the pear and apple. The fruit is of a dark red, sweet and pleasant. This
tree loves gravelly banks and may usually be found near rivers. It is the
tallest of the June-berries; it thrives well under garden culture and is a
pretty object when in flower, but not so much so as the next variety,
_Amelanchier Canadensis_, var. _oblongifolia_, which is a tall, upright,
slenderly-branched pyramidal bush, rarely exceeding twelve or fifteen feet
in height; it is very symmetrical in its growth, forming a fine compact
pyramid, covered early in the month of May with an abundance of crowded
racemes of elegant white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink; the blossoms
come somewhat before the tender silken leaf-buds unfold. The foliage is
delicately and sharply cut at the margins of the thin ovate oblong leaves,
which are soft, silky and folded together. The fruit of this pretty
June-berry is small; when ripe it is of a pink or rose color, sweet and
juicy, but somewhat insipid; not so nice as another form which is known in
some places by the name of "Sheepberry."[35] This forms a handsome bush
about ten feet high, the flower and fruit larger than the former, the
berries dark red, almost purple when ripe in July, with a pleasant nutty
flavor. Open thickets on the sides of ravines on the Rice Lake plains were
favorite localities for the Sheepberry. Another dwarf June-berry, not more
than five or six feet high or less, grows in the sandy flats on these same
plains. This is a pretty, low shrub with greenish-white racemes of flowers
and oval leaves; fruit dark purplish-red and sweet, but the berries are
small, not larger than currants; the bark of the branchlets of this little
June-berry is dark red, and the leaves are very downy underneath; the fruit
is ripe in July and August, about the same time as the Huckleberries.

  [35] This is a local name; the name "Sheepberry" properly belongs to
       _Viburnum Lentago_.


DWARF CHERRY--SAND CHERRY--_Prunus pumila_ (L.).

The Dwarf Cherry, more commonly known as Sand Cherry, is chiefly found on
light sandy lands; it is a low bushy shrub, from eighteen inches to two
feet in height; the slender branches are inclined to trail upon the ground,
sometimes rooting; the centre stem is more upright. This little cherry has
a pretty appearance when covered with the clusters of small white
almond-scented blossoms, which on short slender footstalks spring, in twos
or fours, from the base of the small pale-green leaves that clothe the
reddish-barked branches; the fruit, not exceeding the size of a common pea,
is purplish-red, without bloom on the surface. The Sand Cherry abounds on
light plain-lands; it is the smallest of the wild Cherries and is far more
palatable than the fruit of some of the larger trees of the genus. In
flavor it partakes more of the nature of the Damson or Plum. Possibly under
cultivation the fruit might be greatly improved in size and quality; and
the plant is so pretty an object, whether in flower or fruit, that it would
repay the trouble of cultivation in the garden as an ornamental dwarf
shrub. So eagerly is the fruit sought for by the pigeons and partridges
that it is difficult to obtain any quantity even in its most favored
localities.


CHOKE-CHERRY--_Prunus Virginiana_ (L.).

Very tempting to the eye, when fully ripe, is the dark-crimson,
semi-transparent fruit of the Choke-cherry, and not unpalatable, but so
very astringent that it causes a painful contraction of the throat if many
berries are eaten at one time, though some persons are not much affected by
them and will take them freely without any ill consequences. The bush is
from eight to ten feet high, flowering abundantly and forming a pretty
object from the profusion of long graceful pendulous racemes of
greenish-white, which have an almond-like scent when fully blown. The
leaves also have a pleasant aromatic, bitter flavor like those of the peach
and almond, and form a good flavoring, resembling ratafia; when boiled in
milk for puddings and custards one or two are sufficient, and may be
removed when the milk has boiled. This flavoring is harmless and pleasant
and easily obtained.

The Choke-cherry never reaches to the dignity of a tree, like the Wild
Black and Wild Red Cherry of the woods, but forms a pretty flowery shrub of
straggling growth. It blossoms in June and ripens the fruit in August. In
respect of both flower and fruit it is very ornamental, and may be
introduced with advantage to the shrubbery--but so tempting are the ripe
berries to the smaller fruit-loving birds that it is soon stripped of its
rich crimson load of pendent fruit. The cedar or cherry-birds are sure to
find out the bush and visit it in flocks till they strip it entirely,
leaving the ground below strewed with the berries that have been shaken
off; possibly the ground-squirrels and field-mice thus come in for a share
of the spoils.


PRICKLY ASH--_Xanthoxylum Americanum_ (Mill.).

This is a handsome shrub with glossy pinnate leaves, the valuable qualities
of which are hardly sufficiently known and appreciated by those who know it
only for its ornamental appearance, when the crimson cases that envelop the
black shining seeds appear in clusters between the bright green leaves. The
leaflets are in five pairs, with one terminal, from an inch to two inches
in length, serrated at the edges, pointed, of a lively bright green, very
glossy on the surface; the stem and branches straight, covered with
whitish-gray bark; the branches set with stout woody prickles, which also
extend along the mid-rib on the underside of the leaves. The flowers are
yellowish-green, in close set clusters, appearing before the leaves. The
fruit is a round hard shining bead-like berry, on a little thready stalk,
two in each pod, at first a bronzed green, deepening to deep crimson when
ripe, opening and shewing the dark glossy seeds. The whole plant is highly
aromatic, especially the cases that enclose the seeds, which, when rubbed
between the fingers, emit a strong pungent odor like the scent of
orange-peel.

The root, bark, leaves, and fruit are bitter, pungent and aromatic. The
root and bark are used in dyeing yellow; they are also used medicinally in
extract for agues and intermittent fevers.

Though its most usual locality is on the banks of streams and in low
wettish ground, it will also thrive and increase rapidly on dry soil, and
on account of its stout woody stem it seems well suited for hedges. The
Prickly Ash will grow both from seed and by shoots sent up from the roots.
The fruit is ripe in August and September. The dry seed-pods are in great
request by smokers, who mix them with tobacco and regard the fine spicy
scent as a great luxury when they can obtain the berries from the Indians.

The following valuable remarks on the medicinal uses of this interesting
shrub were copied for me by my late, much valued friend, Dr. Low, of
Bowmanville, from an article in the _Journal of Materia Medica_, No. XII.,
December, 1859, by Dr. Charles Lee, on the Medicinal Plants of North
America:

"The 'Prickly Ash' is known also by the name of 'Yellowwood.' The bark
contains a fixed volatile oil, resinous coloring matter, gum and a
crystallizable substance. The berries contain a large amount of oil, one
pound yielding four fluid ounces when treated with alcoholic ether. The
Prickly Ash is employed as a remedy for affections of the spine, marrow,
and vascular system. The active properties consist of an ethereal oil, like
oil of turpentine; it is decidedly stimulant in languid cases of the
nervous system.

"In Asiatic cholera, during the years 1848-50, it was used with great
success by American physicians in Cincinnati: it acted like electricity, so
sudden and diffusive was the effect on the system.

"In the summer complaint of young children it is also used with great
success. The following is an excellent receipt for that disease among
children:

"Rhubarb-root, Colombo cinnamon--of each 1 drachm; Prickly Ash berries, 3
drachms; good brandy, half a pint. Add the bruised articles to the brandy,
shaking them occasionally for three or four days. The dose for a child of
two years old is a teaspoonful thrice a day in sweetened water. Where any
swelling of the body is apparent, equal parts of the tincture of Prickly
Ash berries and olive oil is of great use rubbed in over the abdomen. In
typhus and typhoid fevers the value of this tincture is very great. A
teaspoonful diluted with water may be given, in cases of great depression
and prostration, every twenty minutes; it is also used most successfully in
chronic rheumatism."

I make no apology for introducing the above, thinking it may prove a
valuable receipt.

Another of our lovely creeping forest evergreens is the


CREEPING SNOWBERRY--_Chiogenes hispidula_ (T. & G.).

This interesting little plant forms beds in the spongy soil of the damp
cedar swamps, spreading its matted trailing branchlets over the mossy
trunks of fallen trees. The foliage is dark green, very small, and
myrtle-like in texture, hard and glossy. The flowers, which are solitary in
the axils of the leaves, are not very showy; they are bell-shaped and
four-cleft at the margin, greenish-white in color. The berry is pure white
and waxy, and lying in the deep green mat of tiny evergreen leaves has a
charming effect.

_Chiogenes hispidula_ belongs to the Heath family and grows in cool peat
bogs and mossy mountain woods, in the shade of evergreens; the whole plant
has the aromatic flavor of the Teaberry or Aromatic Wintergreen,
_Gaultheria procumbens_.


HUCKLEBERRIES--BLUEBERRIES.

Several varieties of this useful and agreeable fruit are spread all over
the country, even to the farthest northern and eastern portions of the now
widely extended Dominion. Many of the species are hardy and will bear the
severity of almost Polar cold, and will flourish in the poorest soil. The
commonest to be met with are the large Blueberries, _Vaccinium
Pennsylvanicum_, _V. Canadense_ and _V. corymbosum_, which abound in the
oak-openings, in swamps, and on the stony islands of our back lakes.


DWARF BLUEBERRY--_Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum_ (Lam.),

is the earliest to ripen its large sweet berries. The flowers, which are
delicate waxy bells, appear early in May and with the young leaves are
pinkish in color. The leaves are lanceolate, with serrated margins, smooth
and shining on both sides. The berry is ripe early in July, and is the
earliest Blueberry brought to the market.

This is a low bush, one to two feet high, found growing in woods and on the
borders of swamps.


CANADA BLUEBERRY--_Vaccinium Canadense_ (Kalm.),

is a low shrub with downy branches and leaves, very similar to the above
but generally smaller and with shorter greenish flowers, striped with red;
the leaves are not serrated at the margin, and the fruit is not quite so
early. It generally grows in damper situations.


SWAMP BLUEBERRY--_Vaccinium corymbosum_ (L.).

This is a large handsome shrub, from five to eight feet high, found in many
varieties growing in swamps. The corolla is larger than either of the above
and of a purer white. The leaves are ovate and entire, and slightly
pubescent. The rich berries begin to ripen in August, and are the latest of
the season.

These pretty shrubs, laden with their luscious berries, may be found on all
dry open places. The poor Indian squaw fills her bark baskets with the
fruit and brings them to the villages to trade for flour, tea, and calico,
while social parties of the settlers used to go forth annually to gather
the fruit for preserving, or for the pleasure of spending a long summer's
day among the romantic hills and valleys, roaming in unrestrained freedom
among the wild flowers scattered in such rich profusion over those open
tracts of land where these useful berries grow. These rural parties would
sometimes muster to the extent of fifty or even an hundred individuals,
furnished with provisions and all the appliances for an extended picnic.

Many years ago, when the beautiful Rice Lake plains lay an uncultivated
wilderness of wild fruits and flowers, shaded by noble, wide-spreading
oaks, silver birches and feathery pines, an event occurred that excited
great interest in the neighborhood and for miles around, the excitement
even penetrating to distant settlements on the Otonabee, then the
border-land of civilization north of the Great Lakes.

It was in the month of July, 1837, that a large party of friends and
neighbors near Port Hope agreed to make a picnic party to gather
huckleberries and pass a pleasant summer day on the Rice Lake plains. They
made a large gathering in waggons and buggies and on horseback. Among the
children belonging to the party was a little girl about seven years of age,
a bright, engaging child. By some accident this little one got separated
from her family among the bushes, and they, supposing that she had gone
forward with some of their near neighbors and friends, started for home,
feeling no uneasiness until it was discovered that little Jane was not
among the returned party, and that no trace of her could be found. Then
came the stunning conviction that the child was lost--left alone to wander
over that pathless wilderness in darkness and solitude, perhaps to fall an
unresisting prey to the bear or the wolf, both of which animals at that
distant period roamed the hills and ravines of those plains in numbers,
unchecked by the rifle of the sportsman or the gun of the Indian hunter.

A few cleared spots there were, but these were miles apart, and it was not
likely that the timid child would find her way to any of the distant
shanties, so that no reasonable hope of the child finding shelter for the
night could be entertained. Under so sad a loss the distress of the
bereaved parents may easily be imagined. Their agonizing suspense, their
hopes and their fears, found a ready response in every kind and feeling
heart.

No sooner was it known that a young child was lost than hundreds of persons
interested themselves in the discovery and restoration of little Jane Ayre.
The people came from their farms; they poured out from towns and villages,
from the borders of the forest; wherever the tale was told came men in
waggons, on horseback and on foot, to scour the plains in every direction.
The Indians, under their Chief, Pondash, came under promise of a liberal
reward if they found the child. Day after day passed without tidings of the
lost one. As night came on each party returned only to say the child was
not found, and hope began to fade away in all hearts. It still lingered,
however, in that of the father.

It was now Thursday, and it was on the evening of the previous Saturday
that the little girl had been lost. The chances were indeed remote that she
would be found, or if found that she would be a living, breathing child.
However, about noon that day a horseman was seen riding at full speed
towards the farm, followed by a crowd that thronged the road. The lost
child was found! Alive or dead? There was a stop, a pause in the pulsation
of the woe-worn heart of the mother. Could it be that after five days of
famine and wandering, exposed to the rain and dews and the sun's hot rays,
that she should behold her child alive once more? Yes, it was even so, and
He who tempers the rough wind to the shorn lamb and shelters the unfledged
nestling of the wild birds had been her guard by night from the wild
beasts and her shield by day from the elements. No harm had befallen the
young wanderer save what naturally arose from exhaustion and fear in her
unusual position.

Each night she had lain down and, sheltered by a fallen pine tree, had
slept as soundly as if on her own little bed at home. The first night a
drenching thunder-shower had soaked her clothes, and she had lost her shoes
in the grass and had not cared to seek for them. Her face was much
sunburnt, and she said each day she had heard voices in the distance, but
her fear of strangers, and especially of Indians, had made her conceal
herself. One thing was remarkable--hope and trust in her father had never
deserted her young heart. She said she knew that he would never cease to
look for her till she was found. It was with the hope of seeing that dear
face that she came from her hiding-place and stood upon the log and looked
about her and was fortunately discovered by one of the searchers, whom she
knew by sight; and then what a cry of joy arose, such as those wild
plains had never echoed before, "The child! The child!" It reached the
father's ears, though distant far from the spot, and he scarcely believed,
for joy, till she was placed warm and breathing in his arms. The crowd
instinctively drew back for a space and left the father and child clasped
in each other's arms. Many a manly cheek was wet that day when they saw the
childish face, thin and wan as it was, nestling in the father's arms, her
thin browned hands clasped about his neck as if no power on earth should
part them again.

[Illustration: PLATE XVI.

Daphne Mezereum. P. 149. Flower April; Fruit August.]

Surely the father might have cried out in the fullness of his heart,
"Rejoice with me, my friends, for this my lamb was lost and is found!"

Years have passed away, and little Jane has long been a wife and happy
mother, and, no doubt, has often told her children the tale of her
adventure on the Rice Lake plains, and pointed them to the gracious Father
in Heaven who kept her under the shadow of His wing during those days of
danger and fear.

The plains are now cultivated in every direction; the huckleberries are
fast disappearing and will have to be sought for elsewhere.


FROST GRAPE--_Vitis cordifolia_ (Mx.).[36]

Those deep, embowering masses of foliage; those verdant draperies that fall
in such graceful leafy curtains from branch to branch, roofing the dark,
shady recesses of our wooded lakes and river banks; those light
feathery-clustered blossoms that hover like a misty cloud above the leafy
mass, giving out a tender perfume as the breeze passes over them, like
sweet Mignonette,--those are our native vines, our Wild Grapes.

  [36] _V. riparia_ (Michx.) of Gray's Manual, sixth edition.

Yon tall dead tree that stands above the river's brink is wreathed with a
dense mantle of foliage not its own. The changing hues of the leaves, the
deep purplish clusters of fruit, now partially seen, now hidden from the
view, have given a life and beauty to that dead, unsightly tree.

The ambitious parasite has climbed unchecked to the very topmost branch,
and now flings down its luxuriant arms, vainly endeavoring to clasp some
distant bough; but no, the distance is beyond its reach, and it must once
more bend earthward or, in lieu of better support, entwine its flexible
tendrils in a tangled network of twisted sprays, leafstalks, and embowering
leaves and fruit.

The fruit of the Frost Grape--our northern grape-vine--is small. The
berries, round, blue or black, with little or no bloom, very acid, but
edible when touched by the frost, and can be manufactured into a fine jelly
and good wine of a deep color and high flavor. Whole islands in the Trent
and Rice Lake are covered with a growth of this native Grape. There is not
a lake in Canada but has its "Grape Island," and many persons cultivate the
plants about their dwellings over light trellis work, under which
circumstances they will yield an abundance of fruit. They are also very
useful to conceal unsightly objects, such as outhouses. An old pine stump
can be converted into an ornamental object by nailing cedar poles--fastened
at the top--round it, and planting grape-vines about it, having first
prepared a bed of good earth and large stones to bank the lower part; a few
plants of the Wild Clematis intermixed with the Grape-vine, and a
sprinkling of Morning Glories, make a lovely pyramid and convert a defect
into a charming object during many months of the year.

The Wild Grape seems to flourish best in its natural state near the water,
but will grow and flourish well in gardens where it is given the support
of a trellis, or in any suitable position where it can climb. I have even
seen a dead tree specially planted for such a purpose.


FOX GRAPE--_Vitis Labrusca_ (L.).

This is the original of the cultivated Isabella Grape, which has long been
introduced into our gardens and vineries as worthy of the attention of
fruit growers.

The leaves of this species are very densely woolly, covered, especially
when young, with tawny, silky hairs; the fruit is of a dark purple, of a
musky flavor, whence its common name, Fox Grape.

This Wild Grape is found on the shores of Lake Erie and to the westward.
From the improvement made by cultivation in the size and quality of the
Wild Fox Grape we may perceive how much might possibly be done with others
of our wild fruits, which when introduced into our gardens would have the
advantage of hardiness beyond that of exotics in bearing the severity of
our climate. It seems reasonable to suppose that plants that are indigenous
to a country could, by due care, be brought to a state of higher perfection
than when under a foreign sun and soil, and that the culture of wild plants
would amply repay the cultivator. Attempts of this kind are rarely made or
persevered in, so that the result is not often satisfactory; either the
process is thought to be too slow, or we despise as common that which is
within our reach, valuing that which is more costly above what is easily
obtained, whilst we eagerly spend our money to obtain a foreign species,
which may possibly have been originally taken from our native woods and
wilds to a foreign country, there cherished and cared for, improved by
cultivation, and returned to us increased in value. It would greatly
enhance the pleasure of cultivation if we were ourselves able to show
native flowers and shrubs and fruits rendered equal to the imported kinds
by our own culture.

We might compare these wild plants to the neglected children of our poorest
classes. In the degradation arising from their uncared for state they
become as moral weeds in the great garden of life, neglected and passed by,
left to run wild, and shunned. But remove these children to a more genial
atmosphere; let them be taught the value of their souls, for which so great
a price was paid by their Redeemer; let them be clothed and fed and cared
for, made to feel that they are not despised in the eyes of their fellow
men; then their useful qualities brought into action, and their vices and
evil passions controlled, like the wild plants they will rise in value, and
beauty, and usefulness, becoming precious trees bearing fruit to the glory
of Almighty God--sought out and desired of all men. Who will cultivate and
improve this garden of human growth? Must it continue a wilderness, rank
and injurious, full of deadly poisons and unripe, crude and bitter fruits,
while within it, choked and hidden from view, are the germs of usefulness,
beauty, and happiness that only require the better soil, the fostering care
and gladdening sunshine of Christian love and kindness to make them what
their Creator would have them all to be? Truly "the harvest is great, but
the husbandmen are few."

Allusions to the grape-vine and vineyards are of frequent occurrence in
Scripture. Many and beautiful are the passages where the ancient Church is
symbolized by the poetical figure of the vine and the vineyard. How
touching is the appeal made by the prophet to the rebellious and idolatrous
people in the fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah: "And now, O inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my
vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not
done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes,
brought it forth wild grapes?"

Beautiful are the allusions made in the Song of Solomon in his invitation
to the beloved to go forth to the garden he had planted. "The fig tree
putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a
good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

"Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vines flourish,
whether the tender grapes appear."

Probably the culture of the vine was among the earliest labors of the
husbandman, and must have been of most ancient usage, the first work
enjoined by the Almighty Creator when he placed man in the Garden of
Eden--which was most likely a large and fertile tract of country already
enriched with every tree and herb and flower that would prove useful for
the support of life and contribute to man's enjoyment. Adam was instructed
by his Maker to till the ground and dress it and keep it.

This employment was ordained for health and pleasure, not for toil or
weariness. This last condition arose when sin had marred the fair beauty of
God's world and the sin-smitten earth no longer yielded its spontaneous
fertility as in the day when sinless man first stood in his innocence on
the then unpolluted earth, a fearless being in the presence of a holy God.

The vine, which might have formed a delightful portion of man's food in the
Edenic garden, must from henceforth yield its luscious grapes only by care
and labor. The wild vines must be pruned and trained and kept free from
noxious weeds and hurtful insects; they were no longer the fruit of the
Lord's vineyard. Who can tell but that our wild Canadian Frost and Fox
Grapes may not be the degenerated seed of the wild vines of that land of
the east into which Adam and Eve were banished?

Travellers in Palestine still speak of the luxuriant grape-vines flinging
their clusters of fruit and sweet-scented blossoms over the terraced steps
of rocky ravines, filling the air with perfume; but the vines are all wild
now and uncultivated. They want the careful hand of the vine-dresser and
husbandman to train them--type of the wasted inheritance of the ancient
people and of a degenerated priesthood.

Has the Christian Church no careless vine-dressers; are there no vines
bringing forth wild grapes; no briars and thorns that come up to choke the
Lord's vineyard, till it becomes an unfruitful wilderness?


BLACK HAWTHORN--PEAR THORN--_Cratgus tomentosa_ (L.).

Canada has many species of Hawthorn, but not the fragrant flowering May of
the English hedgerows, associated in the minds of Old Country people with
the pleasant spring days and bowery lanes of their childhood, when, as old
Herrick tells us, "Maids went maying." But even now in Merrie England the
May-queen's reign is over, in spite of poets' songs.

      LAMENT FOR THE MAY-QUEEN.

    No maiden now with glowing brow
      Shall rise with early dawn,
    And bind her hair with chaplets rare
      Torn from the blossomed thorn.

    No lark shall spring on dewy wing
      Thy matin hymn to pour,
    No cuckoo's voice shall shout 'Rejoice!'
      For thou art Queen no more.

    Beneath thy flower-encircled wand
      No peasant trains advance;
    No more they lead with sportive tread
      The merry, merry dance.

    The Violet blooms with modest grace
      Beneath her crest of leaves,
    The Primrose shows her paly face,
      Her wreaths the Woodbine weaves.

    The Cowslip bends her golden head,
      And Daisies deck the lea;
    But ah, no more in grove or bower
      The Queen of May we'll see.

    Weep, weep, then, virgin Queen of May,
      Thy ancient reign is o'er;
    Thy votaries now are lowly laid,
      And thou art Queen no more."

The Pear Thorn is one of the finest of our native species, often rising to
the height of from fifteen to twenty feet, with a stout rough-barked stem.
When in flower it forms a fine ornament to our open woods and thickets, for
it is not found in the depths of the forest; it haunts the open edges of
woods, and more especially is found along the banks of rivers and creeks.
The flowers are much larger, though less delicate in scent, than the
English Hawthorn. The leaves are thick and tough, but smooth and shining,
unequally toothed, ovate-oblong; thorns, long, sharp and slender. The white
cup-shaped flowers with dark anthers grow in handsome corymbs,
many-flowered on the summits of the sprays. The fruit is large, round and
of a bright scarlet or orange.


SCARLET-FRUITED THORN--_Cratgus coccinea_ (L.),

is no less ornamental than the former, and also forms a fine high flowering
bush; the fruit is of a pleasant acid taste and of a fine bright scarlet;
the leaves are thin, partly lobed and sharply cut at the rounded margin.
This thorn grows tall and slender in close thickets and shade, but seems
to prefer open ground and plenty of sunshine, when it forms a lovely
compact tree and flowers abundantly; the fruit is not so large as in the
last species, and is of a deeper red color.

The English White Thorn (_Cratgus oxyacantha_--L.) in some situations
grows beautifully, but is apt to dwindle and become mossy and gnarled in
unsuitable places where it is neglected.

I saw a most perfect specimen of the English White Thorn at Port Hope, on
the lawn at the residence of C. Kirkhoffer, Esq., at the western side of
the town; it was in full flower at the time, and formed one of the most
beautiful objects I ever saw; it was worth going miles to look upon it and
to inhale the sweetness of its abundant white blossoms.

There appears to have been little attempt made to cultivate our hawthorns
as hedge plants, though one might naturally suppose that such would have
been adopted in places where the difficulty and expense of obtaining rail
timbers is now being sensibly felt by the farmer. The cedar and hemlock are
largely used for garden enclosures. Why not try the hawthorn also?


SMALL CRANBERRY--_Vaccinium Oxycoccus_ (L.).

    "There's not a flower but shews some touch,
     In freckle, freck or stain,
     Of His unrivalled pencil."
                                     --_Hemans._

There is scarcely to be found a lovelier little plant than the common Marsh
Cranberry. It is of a trailing habit, creeping along the ground, rooting at
every joint, and sending up little leafy upright stems, from which spring
long slender thready pedicels, each terminated by a delicate
peach-blossom-tinted flower, nodding on the stalk so as to throw the narrow
petals upward. The leaves are small, of a dark myrtle-green, revolute at
the edges, whitish beneath, unequally distributed along the stem. The deep
crimson smooth oval berries are collected by the squaws and sold at a high
price in the fall of the year.

There are extensive tracts of low sandy swampy flats in various portions of
Canada, covered with a luxuriant growth of low Cranberries. These spots are
known as Cranberry Marshes, and are generally overflowed during the spring;
many interesting and rare plants are found in these marshes, with mosses
and lichens not to be found elsewhere, low evergreens of the Heath family,
and some rare plants belonging to the Orchidace, such as the beautiful
Grass Pink (_Calopogon pulchellus_) and _Calypso borealis_.

Not only is the fruit of the Low-bush Cranberry in great esteem for tarts
and preserves, but it is thought to possess valuable medicinal properties,
having been long used in cancerous affections as an outward application.
The berries in their uncooked state are acid and powerfully astringent.

There are two species of these low-growing Cranberries found in our
peat-bogs and swamps, one larger in all its parts than the other, with the
berries paler in colour and of better quality. This is _Vaccinium
macrocarpon_.

This fruit is successfully cultivated for the market in many parts of the
Northern States of America, and is said to repay the cost of culture in a
very profitable manner.

The Cranberry belongs to one of the sub-orders of the Heath family
(_Ericace_), nor are its delicate pink-tinted flowers less beautiful than
many of the exotic plants of that order, which we rear with care and pains
in the greenhouse and conservatory; yet, growing in our midst as it were,
few persons that luxuriate in the rich preserve that is made from the ripe
fruit have ever seen the elegant trailing-plant, with its graceful blossoms
and myrtle-like foliage.

The botanical name is of Greek origin, from _oxus_, sour, and _coccus_, a
berry. The plant thrives best in wet sandy soil and low mossy marshes.


WILLOW-LEAVED MEADOWSWEET--_Spira salicifolia_ (L.).

Frederic Pursh, in his "North American Flora," a valuable work but little
referred to, gives no less than seven different species of this Genus
Spira as natives of Canada, but the description of two or three will be
sufficient for the present limited work on the indigenous shrubs of this
portion of the Dominion. Of the white-flowered species, _Spira
salicifolia_, the Willow-leaved Meadowsweet, is the most commonly met with,
and is often found in gardens and shrubberies. It is a pretty, graceful
shrub, with clustered feathery panicles of white or pale waxy-pink flowers,
which are terminal on slender branches; the leaves are long, narrow and
thin, of a pale green, serrated on the margins. Our Spiras will not only
bear removal to the garden but will flourish luxuriantly under cultivation.
The only objection to their introduction to our borders is that they are
apt to become too intrusive.

A very slender form, with simple wand-like stems and terminal spikes of
small white flowers, may be found growing among the cracks and fissures of
the rocky shores of Stoney Lake and its numerous islets, rooting in sterile
spots among the few wild grasses that find nurture in the scanty mould that
is lodged in such crevices. This delicate little shrub may be found in
flower all through the hot months of July and August. The Spiras belong to
the Rose family. The popular name, Meadowsweet, seems hardly appropriate to
our pretty shrub, as it has very little fragrance. But this name for the
whole genus is taken from the beautiful and odoriferous British species,
_Spira Ulmaria_.


HARDHACK--ROSE-COLORED SPIRAEA--_Spira tomentosa_ (L.).

Of the several pretty shrubs belonging to the Genus _Spira_ which have
been introduced into cultivation, none deserves a place in our gardens more
decidedly than the above. It is a beautiful shrub, growing in wild
profusion in swamps and on the rocky shores of our small inland lakes. It
is about four feet high, with slender wand-like stems that rise from a
woody rootstock, clothed with dark green serrated leathery leaves, which
are smooth above but very downy underneath. The flowers are of a fine
rose-pink, in closely-flowered panicles, a little branching in the larger
heads. The bark of the stem is red and covered with down.

While this elegant shrub is chiefly found near water, it seems to prefer
gravelly or rocky soil for its habitation.


PURPLE SCENTED RASPBERRY--_Rubus odoratus_ (L.).

(PLATE XVII.)

In English gardens our beautiful Sweet-scented Raspberry is deemed worthy
of a place in the shrubberies, but in its native country it is passed by
and regarded as of little worth. Yet what can be more lovely than its
rose-shaped blossoms, from the deep purplish-crimson bud, wrapped in its
odorous mossy calyx, to the unfolded flower of various shades of deep rose
and paler reddish lilac. The flowers derive their pleasant aromatic odor
from the closely-set coating of short bristly glandular hairs, each one of
which is tipped with a gland of reddish hue containing a sweet-scented gum,
as in the mossy envelope of the Moss-rose of the garden. These appendages,
seen by the aid of a powerful microscope, are objects of exquisite beauty,
more admirable than rubies and diamonds, living gems that fill us with
wonder while we gaze into their marvellous parts and glorious colors.

All through the hot months of June, July and August a succession of flowers
is put forth at the ends of the branches and branchlets of our
Sweet-scented Raspberry--

    "An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds."

The shrub is from two to five feet in height, branching from the woody
perennial rootstock; the leaves are from three to five-lobed, the lobes
pointed and roughly toothed. The leaves are of a dullish green, varying in
size from several inches in diameter to mere bracts. The blossoms are often
as large as those of the Sweet-briar and Dog-rose, but when first unfolded
are more compact and cup-like. The fruit, which is popularly known by the
name of Wild Mulberry, consists of many small red grains, somewhat dry and
acid, scarcely tempting to the palate but not injurious in any degree. The
shrub is more attractive for its flowers than for its insipid fruit. We
have, indeed, few that are more ornamental among our native plants than
this _Rubus_. Canada possesses many attractive shrubs that are but little
known, which flourish year after year on the lonely shores of our inland
lakes and marshy beaver meadows, unnoticed and uncared for in their
solitary native haunts.

Closely resembling the Purple Flowering Raspberry is the White Flowering
Raspberry (_R. Nutkanus_--Mocino), the chief difference being in the color
of the flowers and the shape of the petals, which in the latter species are
of a lovely pure white and oval in shape. The whole plant is slightly
smaller and less bristly. The fruit is very similar in both species.


WILD RED RASPBERRY--_Rubus strigosus_ (Michx.).

The Wild Raspberry springs up spontaneously all over Canada. In the forest,
in newly made clearings after the fire has passed over the ground, on every
upturned root, in the angles of the snake-fences, and on every waste and
neglected spot, the Raspberry appears and takes possession of the land.
Truly this useful and palatable fruit proves a blessing and a comfort in
various ways to the poor, as well as a wholesome, welcome luxury to the
richer inhabitants of our towns and villages. During the fruiting season
the women and children are enabled to supply many household wants by the
sale of the red and black Raspberries; even the little ones are made to
contribute their small mite of labor, and may be seen in large parties
going out with tins and sundry small vessels to the Raspberry
grounds--wild, rugged spots that have been abandoned by the farmer as
worthless for the growth of roots and grain. He does not look beyond and
see that with our bountiful Provider there are no waste places. He who fed
the wandering multitude with manna in the thirsty desert, and brought forth
springs of water from the flinty rock, can give fruits to satisfy the wants
of His children in the Canadian wilderness. The wild berries are shared by
God's humbler gleaners, the small animals and flocks of birds; and even the
insects all come to this table that is spread abroad for them and us; "and
something gathers up all fragments and nothing is lost."

[Illustration: PLATE XVII.

1. American Brooklime (Veronica Americana). P. 57.
2. Purple Scented Raspberry (Rubus odoratus). P. 183.
3. One-flowered Pyrola (Moneses uniflora). P. 67.
4. Shin-leaf (Pyrola elliptica). P. 63.]

The fruit of the common Red Raspberry begins to ripen early in the month of
July, just about the time that the Strawberry ceases to be plentiful. The
flowers are not very ornamental, whitish, but not clear white, rosaceous in
form. The berry ripens very soon after the fading of the flowers.

The color of the fruit of the common Raspberry is of a light red, changing
with maturity to a dark crimson. The bush is upright and not very prickly.
The leaves have from three to five leaflets, grayish or dull green,
wrinkled and veiny, whitish underneath; leaflets serrate, unequally lobed,
pointed; the fruit is juicy and acid, not as sweet as that of the


BLACK RASPBERRY--_Rubus occidentalis_ (L.).

This species is distinguished from the above by its long arching flexile
branches, covered with purplish red bark, strongly-hooked prickles and
blackish fruit, very rich, firm and sweet. It loves to grow on hilly banks
and upturned roots in the shade of the forest, where it can send down its
long flexible branches, which bear an abundance of berries long after the
Red Raspberry has failed to yield a supply. Gray calls this Black Raspberry
by the familiar name of Thimbleberry; but it is a fruit of the Blackberry
(_Rubus villosus_--Ait.) that is commonly known by this name. The berries
of the Blackberry are not hollow, nor do they, like the last, separate from
the receptacle; they are conical, sweet and luscious to the taste, in
quality astringent, but not unpleasantly flavored. The berries ripen in
August; the foliage is veiny, coarse, with strong red prickles, the stems
strongly armed and covered with a dark-red bark, which with the root is
highly astringent and used both in the form of a tea and syrup in cases of
dysentery and summer complaint. The fruit in syrup is also considered
medicinal and useful in similar complaints.

A very pretty ornamental low creeping shrubby plant is the


SWAMP BLACKBERRY--_Rubus hispidus_ (L.).

The branches, very strongly armed with hooked prickles, are long and
slender, extending two or three feet over the ground; leaves, of three
leaflets, bright varnished green, rounded at the ends, more in form like
those of the Strawberry; flowers, rather large, very delicately tinted
with pinkish or else white, like a small single Briar Rose. This low
Blackberry seems to love rocky ground, creeping among stones and rooting in
the black mould in the crevices; the fruit is blackish-purple and pleasant
to the taste.


SWAMPBERRY--_Rubus triflorus_ (Richardson),

is a pretty low trailing plant, bearing somewhat insignificant white
flowers and ruby-colored juicy acid fruit; it ripens about the same time as
the Wild Strawberry, and the plants are seen running among the wild grasses
and strawberry vines, conspicuous by the lighter green leaves, which grow
in compounds from three to five, coarsely doubly serrate and sharply
pointed; the flowers in small bunches of three. Like that of all the genus,
the fruit is perfectly wholesome.


EARLY WILD ROSE--_Rosa blanda_ (Ait.).

(PLATE XX.)

    "Nor did I wonder at the lilies white,
      Nor praise the deep vermilion of the rose--

    "The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem
      For that sweet odor which in it doth live."
                                                --_Shakespeare._

The Early Wild Rose (_Rosa blanda_) is hardly so deeply tinted as our Dwarf
Wild Rose (_Rosa lucida_), but both possess attractions of color and
fragrance, qualities that have made the rose the theme of many a poet's
song. In the flowery language of the East, beauty and the rose seem almost
to be synonymous terms. The Italian poets are full of allusions to this
lovely flower, especially to the red Damask Rose.

A popular song in the days of Charles I. was that beginning with the
lines--

    "Gather your roses while you may,
      For time is still a flying,
    And that same flower that blooms to-day
      To-morrow may be dying."

The leaves of _Rosa blanda_ are pale underneath; leaflets five to seven;
flowers blush-pink; stem not very prickly; fruit red and round; the bush
from one to three feet in height.


DWARF WILD ROSE--_R. lucida_ (Ehrh.),

is widely diffused over Canada; it is found on all open plain-lands, but
shuns the deep shade of the forest. The bark is of a bright red, and the
young wood is armed with bristly prickles of a grayish color. When growing
in shade the half-opened flowers and buds are of a deep pink or carmine,
but where more exposed in sunny spots the petals fade to a pale
blush-color. This shrub becomes somewhat troublesome if encouraged in the
garden, owing to the running roots sending up many shoots. In its wild
state the Dwarf Rose seldom exceeds three feet in height; it is the second
and older wood that bears the flowers; the flower-bearing branches become
almost smooth or only remotely thorny. The leaflets vary in number from
five to nine; they are sharply serrated at the edges and smooth on the
surface; the globular scarlet fruit is flattened at the eye and is of a
pleasant sub-acid taste.

This beautiful red-barked rose grows in great profusion on the plains above
Rice Lake, clothing large tracts of hill and dale and scenting the evening
air at dew-fall with its delicate fragrance.

The Swamp Rose (_Rosa Carolina_--L.) is not uncommon, it is often seen
growing at the margins of lakes and rivers and at the edges of stony
islands; it will climb, with the aid of supporting trees, to the height of
eight and ten feet. The numerous and showy flowers are of a somewhat
purplish tinge of pink and are borne in corymbs; the leaves are whitish
underneath. This rose is armed with stout hooked prickles below, on the old
woody stem, but is smoother above; the flowers are more clustered than in
the other species.

The Sweet Briar is often found growing in waste places and in thickets near
clearings--the seed, no doubt, carried thither by those unconscious
husbandmen, the wild birds and the squirrels, that feed upon the heps as
they ripen. The leaves retain for some time their sweet fragrance that is
so delicious.

There is a delicate pale-flowered Sweet Briar Rose (_Rosa
micrantha_--Smith), having small foliage and numerous blossoms, stems low
and branching, and covered with hooked prickles, which has been found
growing on the high oak hills in the township of Rawdon, and which, I am
informed, is not uncommon in similar localities in Western Canada.


WAXWORK--CLIMBING BITTERSWEET--_Celastrus scandens_ (L.).

This highly ornamental climber, with its clusters of conspicuous berries,
is a great adornment to open woods during the late autumnal months, and
indeed all through the winter, twining round the stems of slender saplings
of white birch, cherry, ash, and elm, not unfrequently clinging so closely
to its supporter as to form an intimate union with the bark, its own smooth
slender stem, in serpent-like coils, forming graceful volutes round the
column of the unfortunate tree, which suffers from the close embrace that
stops the free circulation of the sap in its upward ascent to the branches.
The Climbing Bittersweet is a rapid grower, and consequently a bold enemy
that takes forcible possession of any young sapling which comes within its
reach; a very Old Man of the Sea that, once fixed, no blast of wind can
shake off. But while we take the liberty of railing at the unconscious
intruder, we must not omit to dwell upon its good qualities. Its brilliant
scarlet arils (coverings of the seeds) and orange fruit, that in profusion
ornament the tree about which it twines, enliven the dull woods at a season
when bright tints have ceased to charm the eye and all the glories of
maple, cherry, birch, ash, and beech lie mouldering on the ground at our
feet. We may then look upwards to some slender silver-barked birch or gray
butternut and admire the gorgeous scarlet festoons that hang so gracefully
among the naked leafless branches. The plant, too, is very attractive in
its spring verdure. The delicate leaves are ovate-oblong, narrowing towards
the point, finely serrated, alternate; the flowers, in raceme-like
clusters, are yellowish green, followed by round smooth berry-like pods,
which deepen, as the summer advances, from yellow to orange and from orange
to bright scarlet. When the seeds are ripe the pod divides and the segments
curl back and disclose the three-celled, three-valved berry, which has, in
each cell, one or two hard yellow seeds covered with a thin coating of
scarlet pulp which is called the aril; this is acrid and burning to the
taste. The Indians make use of the acrid juices of this plant, from the
inner bark of the root and the bruised berries, to compound an ointment
which is stimulant and healing for old sores, chilblains, and disorders of
a similar nature. In country places in England I have seen the berries of
the Black Bryony boiled down with lard for an application to chilblains,
which had a similar effect to the Indian Bittersweet salve. The Indians
also apply this remedy to burns. The inner bark is used as an orange dye by
the natives.[37]

  [37] The name Bittersweet is taken from the graceful English climber
       _Solanum dulcamara_ (L.), from a fancied resemblance between the two
       plants. The English Bittersweet is sometimes found in Canada on the
       borders of swamps and in low woods, but is an introduced plant.

There are several species belonging to this order found in Canada, but
though very ornamental in cultivation as shrubs, none are climbing, like
our forest Bittersweet, or give such enduring winter ornaments to our
houses. Mixed with the branches of spruce, hemlock, and balsam fir, it
forms a substitute at Christmas in our churches for the bright glossy
leaves and red berries of the English holly.

The Greek name of this ornamental shrub is derived from a word meaning
"latter season," on account of the fruit remaining persistent through the
winter.

If the Bittersweet were planted in shrubberies, or among trees in
plantations, it would become an enduring ornament and enliven the dullness
of our Canadian landscape with its bright colors during the long months of
winter.


LABRADOR TEA.--_Ledum latifolium_ (Ait.).

This is another of our medicinal shrubs, and was held in great repute among
the lumbermen and the old backwoodsmen for its sanatory qualities as a
strengthener and purifier of the blood, and as being good for the system in
various inward complaints. Some of the old settlers used a decoction of the
leaves as a substitute for tea, approving of the resinous aromatic flavor.
I was induced to try the beverage, but did not find it to my taste, though
it was on the whole preferable to hemlock tea, another favorite beverage
among backwoodsmen. As a medicine it doubtless deserves the commendations
bestowed upon it. Though I did not care for the decoction of the leaves, I
was charmed with the beauty of the plant when I first saw it growing on the
banks of one of the lakes north of Peterborough. The whole aspect of this
remarkable shrub is most interesting. In height it varies from two to four
feet; it is bushy in habit, but somewhat open and spreading; the leaves are
lanceolate, entire, very decidedly revolute at the margins, and clothed
with a dense rust-colored woolly felt beneath. The leaves are of a thick
leathery texture and dull brownish-green color. The flowers are white,
forming elegant umbel-like clusters at the summits of the slender sprays.
As the heads of flowers are very abundant, this shrub forms a striking
object when seen growing in numbers along the banks of lakes or in low
flats, for it will flourish both on wet and dry situations, nor does it
refuse to flower when brought into garden culture. It is a very ornamental
object, deserving to be better known than at present seems to be the case.
The leaves when bruised emit an agreeable resinous aromatic odor.

The roots of the Labrador Tea are wiry and covered with a bitter astringent
bark. Professor Lindley also mentions, in his "Natural System of Botany,"
the astringent qualities of another member of the family _Ledum palustre_
(L.), a slightly smaller shrub with narrower leaves and oval instead of
oblong pods; the stamens, too, are uniformly ten instead of five and seven
as in this species. _L. palustre_ is found in the north of Europe and also
in the far north in Canada.


WILD ROSEMARY--_Andromeda polifolia_ (L.),

is another of our native shrubs, and grows in peat bogs and on the swampy
margins of lakes, associated with Labrador Tea, the Pitcher Plant and the
elegant Low-bush Cranberry. The stems are from three to eighteen inches in
height, and bear on the summits of the branches of the previous year the
light pinkish flowers, which are three to eight in number, on rather long
pedicels and drooping in a one-sided raceme; the stamens are ten in number
and remain persistent on the dry berry-like capsule. The leaves are shining
green above, glaucous-white beneath, and have the margins so strongly
revolute as to appear almost linear. This plant is said to have astringent
and narcotic properties and to give intoxicating qualities to liquids in
which it is infused.

[Illustration: PLATE XVIII.

Trailing Arbutus (Epiga repens). P. 150.]


SILKY CORNEL--KINNIKINNIC--_Cornus sericea_ (L.).

This species is the true Kinnikinnic of the Indians of central Canada, the
leaves and bark being used by them in the place of tobacco, or mixed with
it. I have been told it is of an intoxicating quality. The bark is used
also as a tonic and febrifuge. The berries are pale blue; the flowers form
flat cymes and are greenish-white; the young bark is purplish. The bush
grows to the height of eight to ten feet, in low damp rich ground forming
dense thickets. There is a fine white silky fibre in the leaves, which may
be seen by breaking the mid-rib across. The thread is as fine and as frail
as the delicate web with which some spiders envelop their eggs--too fine to
be turned to any use.

The silken thread is not confined to this species alone, it exists in many
other trees and plants. In the nerves of several of the Dogwoods it is seen
quite as conspicuously as in _C. sericea_.


PANICLED OR PRIVET-LEAVED CORNEL--_Cornus paniculata_ (L'Her.).

This is a very pretty species of Dogwood found abundantly on the Rice Lake
plains, on the high dry hills between the hamlets of Harwood and Gore's
Landing. The bush is not more than four or five feet high, with light
branching sprays. The pretty white flowers are borne in convex cymes, or
sometimes in panicles, and are followed by snow-white berries. The foliage
is dark-green, often with a purplish-bronze tint; the leaves are long and
narrow, the nerves whitish, and the light veining distinctly marked; the
surface of the leaf is very smooth, but hardly shining. This pretty shrub
would be well worthy of being introduced into our shrubberies.

There are many other species of Dogwood which are common to our swamps and
thickets, some reaching to the height of small trees, as the Flowering
Dogwood, _C. florida_, which is held in great esteem in the United States
for certain medicinal qualities; it has been used as a substitute for
Peruvian bark in low fevers. The Indians are said to extract a red dye from
the roots. The fruit of the Flowering Dogwood is scarlet; the flowers, with
their showy creamy-white involucres, three inches across, are very
handsome, and are produced abundantly in the month of June. This very
handsome shrub grows in Western Canada, where it sometimes becomes a tree
and reaches to the height of twenty or thirty feet. A great contrast is
this stately species to the dwarf herbaceous creeping plant of our woods,
_Cornus Canadensis_.


RED OSIER DOGWOOD--_Cornus stolonifera_ (Michx.).

There are few of the native species of Cornel that are more ornamental than
the Red Osier Dogwood, the bright crimson wand-like branches of which, even
when stripped of their foliage, are an enduring ornament. Their rosy
foliage, mirrored on the surface of the smooth waters of lake or forest
stream, enlivens the landscape and delights the eye when the beauty of the
foliage of the surrounding trees and shrubs has been swept away before the
autumnal frosts and wintry winds.

In spring and early summer the white fragrant flowers, in crowded flat
heads, adorn the low shores. Later in the fall the white berries on the
bright red sprays are hardly less attractive. The fruit is unpalatable for
man, but is eaten by some of the water-fowl that have their haunts in the
lakes and inland waters. This species is the Kinnikinnic of the western and
prairie Indians.


PARTRIDGEBERRY--TRAILING WINTERGREEN--_Mitchella repens_ (L.).

Another of our pretty red-berried creeping forest plants is the
Partridgeberry. The flexile branchlets of this little plant, spreading from
the joints of the trailing stem, form a mat of dark green foliage covering
unsightly patches of decaying wood, roots, and stones with many a graceful
wreath, as if Nature kindly placed them there to veil the rugged ground
with grace and beauty, in the same way as the green ivy clothes and adorns
the mouldering ruin with its enduring verdure.

Each slender leafy spray of our pretty Wintergreen is terminated by tubular
star-shaped twin blossoms, which are divided at the margin into five
sharply-pointed segments, white, sometimes slightly tinged with pink. The
ovaries are united at the base of the flowers and form one double-eyed
round berry for each pair of flowers; the interior of the flower-tube is
hairy. The scent is sweet, faintly resembling that of the White Jessamine.

The berries remain persistent all through the winter. They ripen to
brilliant scarlet in the autumn and so continue till the return of spring.
Thus we may find fresh flowers, newly-set fruit and the ripe berries all
on the same plant. The small round leaves are veined with white, which
gives a variegated look to their dark green surface.

The berries are mealy and insipid but are eaten by the Indian women and
children as a dainty. These berries form food for the wood-grouse--our
Canadian partridge--and for the woodchuck and other small quadrupeds that
have their haunts in our forests and cedar swamps. The elegant wreaths of
dark variegated leaves and scarlet berries are sometimes used by Canadian
girls as ornaments for their hair; and I have seen white muslin evening
dresses trimmed with the sprays of this pretty evergreen, which had a
charming effect, besides showing good taste and economy combined in the
fair wearers.


HIGH-BUSH CRANBERRY--AMERICAN GUELDER-ROSE--_Viburnum Opulus_ (L.).

This fine shrub, with its large loose cymes of white flowers, makes a
goodly show during the month of June, mingling its snowy blossoms with the
surrounding foliage of dark evergreens on the wooded banks of forest
streams and along the low shores of inland lakes and islands. Not less
attractive is it when the full bunches of oval berries begin to ripen,
first turning to amber, then brilliant orange-scarlet, and lastly, when
touched by the frosts of autumn, to a transparent crimson. All through the
winter you may see the bright ruby fruit upon the bushes, among the
snow-clad branches, sometimes encased in crystal ice and magnified by the
magic touch of hoar-frost. Nor is the fruit of the High-bush Cranberry
altogether useless to the Canadian housekeeper; an excellent jelly is often
made from the acid juice and pulp of the ripe fruit, when strained from the
flat bony seeds and boiled with sugar; and though somewhat astringent, it
forms an excellent sauce for roasted mutton or venison, and, mixed with
water, is useful as a fever drink.

As a garden shrub this _Viburnum_ is considered very ornamental, from its
abundance of flowers and beautiful fruit. It is no other than the fertile
plant of the American Guelder-rose. The cultivated Snowball Tree of our
gardens is the same species, in which the fertile flowers have been
suppressed and the showy sterile ones, which only appear in small numbers
round the edge of the cyme in the wild plant, greatly increased in number
by the skill of the horticulturist. The _V. Opulus_ is also indigenous to
England. I remember finding the same flowering bush on the banks of a
lonely pond in Reydon Wood, Suffolk, and recognized the High-bush Cranberry
on the shores of the Otonabee River from its likeness to the shrub that had
attracted my notice in my woodland rambles in England.

The foliage of the High-bush Cranberry takes a bronzed-purple hue, turning
to a deep crimson in the Autumn. The leaves are large, three-lobed and
pointed. The flowers are borne on wide-spreading peduncled cymes, having
the central flowers very small but fertile; the marginal ones are
imperfect, being destitute of both stamens and pistils, but the corollas
are disproportionately large and give the beauty to the flower clusters of
this fine shrub.

The name Cranberry has been improperly applied to _Viburnum Opulus_, as it
has no affinity with the low creeping Marsh Cranberry, that most elegant
and charming little plant, with its delicate graceful flowers, myrtle-like
leaves, and pear-shaped ruby-colored fruit. Those persons who use the fruit
as a preserve know little of the exquisite beauty of the plant itself. To
be admired it should be seen in its native haunts, growing among the soft
peat-mosses of our marshes and bogs. The wreaths of fine dark foliage,
bearing the delicate pink waxy flowers on slender thready footstalks, and
the large berries in every stage of progress--green, yellow, deep red and
purplish red--resting upon the gray lichens and lovely cream-colored
peat-mosses, produce an effect worth seeing.

The name of the genus is supposed to be derived from the Latin word _vieo_,
to tie, on account of the flexibility of the branches of some of the
species. The word _viburna_, in the plural, seems to have been applied by
the ancients to all plants which were used for tying.


HOBBLE-BUSH--_Viburnum lantanoides_ (Michx.).

This shrub would appear to be typical of the genus, for the branches twine
and twist most irregularly; the lower ones are procumbent, often taking
root where they touch the ground, whence the popular name. The flowers of
this species somewhat resemble the last, but are more cream-colored and
appear earlier. The large handsome leaves are round ovate, heart-shaped at
the base, and, together with the young branchlets, are covered underneath
on the veins and veinlets with tufts of brown down. The ovoid fruit is
crimson, turning blackish, and although edible is not very pleasant.


MAPLE-LEAVED DOCKMACKIE--_Viburnum acerifolium_ (L.),

is a low pretty shrub, not uncommon in open thickets and damp woods. The
flowers are more delicate than, and not so conspicuous as, those of the
preceding, but it would make a pretty border shrub, bearing some
resemblance to the Laurestinus, with which it has been compared; the
foliage, however, is very unlike, being of a light-green color, veiny, and
lobed, coarsely-toothed and slightly downy underneath. The fruit is dark
purple or black, hard and flat, not edible. There is a larger species which
is known as the Larger Dockmackie or Indian Arrow-wood (_V. dentatum_--L.).
The Indians used the long straight wand-like branches of this shrub, when
seasoned by the smoke of the wigwam, for the shafts of their arrows; but
since they have been able to obtain rifles the flint arrow-heads have
fallen into disuse and are found no more in the Indian wigwam. This
primitive weapon (formidable it must have been) is found only on old
battle-fields, or by chance the settler picks up one in turning the soil on
his new burnt fallow, wonders at the curious shaped flint, and perhaps
brings it home, but more likely casts it away. It is a type of the
uncared-for race whose forefathers shaped the stone with infinite care and
pains.

There is another _Viburnum_,


SHEEPBERRY--SWEETBERRY--_V. Lentago_ (L.).

This species is found in rocky ravines and on the sides of dry hills. The
fruit is sweet and pleasant, and when cooked, with the addition of red
currants, forms a very nice preserve, pudding or pie. As the work of
settlement goes on many of our familiar wild shrubs and flowers disappear
from their old localities, and in time will be exterminated. Many, too,
that might be introduced into cultivated grounds and prove floral ornaments
in gardens, or useful for kitchen purposes, are doomed to be lost or
utterly neglected.

Is there no wealthy botanist, with ample means to do so, who will form a
garden on a large scale and gather together the forest flowers, shrubs and
ferns of Canada? It would be a work of great interest.


BUTTON-BUSH--_Cephalanthus occidentalis_ (L.).

A pretty shrub about five feet high, belonging to the _Rubiace_ or Madder
family, with light green smooth leaves, and round heads of closely set
whitish-green flowers. The corolla is tubular, slender; style thready and
protruding beyond the petals. The flowers have a sweet, faint perfume. This
shrub is chiefly found in low thickets on the borders of swamps. The
receptacle remains persistent on the bush in dry round button-like heads,
whence its common name. I am not acquainted with any particular qualities
possessed by this shrub. It flowers in August.


POISON IVY--POISON OAK--POISON ELDER--_Rhus Toxicodendron_ (L.).

The Sumac family boasts of two of the most poisonous vegetables yet known
in Canada, viz., _Rhus venenata_ or Poison Sumac, and _Rhus Toxicodendron_
or Poison Ivy. The former, _R. venenata_ (DC.), is an elegant shrub,
growing in swamps, with shining smooth odd-pinnate leaves, and from ten to
fifteen feet high, producing when touched a violent sort of erysipelas, in
some cases fatal in its effects. The leaflets, from seven to thirteen,
oval, entire, pointed; the flowers, small, insignificant, greenish, in
loose panicles from the axils of the upper leaves; berries green, smooth,
of the size of peas. This is spoken of as the most deadly of the poisonous
sumacs, but fortunately it is of rare occurrence. The common Poison Ivy,
however, is only too frequently met with; it grows in low ground or on
barren rocky islands, among wild herbs and grasses, in open thickets, at
the roots of stumps, and will often find its way into our gardens. It may
be found in cultivated fields, flourishing on stone heaps--indeed, wherever
its roots can find soil to nourish the plant the Poison Ivy may be
found. Of its injurious effects on the human body I can speak from
experience, having witnessed its baneful influence in many instances. Gray
describes its noxious qualities as "poisonous to the touch, even the
effluvium in sunshine affecting some persons."

[Illustration: PLATE XIX.

Strawberry Blite (Blitum capitatum). P. 136.]

There are various opinions regarding the way in which the virus is
communicated, and also in what part of the plant it exists, some persons
thinking that actual contact is necessary, others that it is emitted from
the leaves when wetted by dews and given out in sunshine; again it is
asserted by some to be the pollen of the flowers floating in the air and
resting on the skin which is the cause, while others say that the poison is
given out in a gaseous vapor at dewfall. All these suggestions may have
some foundation. I am inclined to think that the poisonous qualities of the
plant are given out in the heat of the day, when the sun's rays are most
powerful, and float freely in the atmosphere, as there are instances of
persons being affected in daytime when only passing within some little
distance of places where the plant abounded, without coming into actual
contact with it in any way.

To some persons the Poison Ivy is perfectly harmless. I, for one, have
gathered it for my herbarium in all stages of its growth, without receiving
from it the slightest injury, while other members of the family have
suffered severely from having been near it or walking among the shrubs
where it was growing. It is during the hot summer months that most of the
cases of poisoning occur, especially in June and July.

The first symptoms are redness about the eyelids, ears, and throat, which
quickly increase to angry inflamed blotches, rising in blisters, the whole
face becoming swollen so as to produce blindness for several hours or
days; the irritation of the skin is very great. Sometimes the poison
extends over the arms and body and legs; fever, headache and even delirium
will affect the patient, as in cases of severe erysipelas. Where the
constitution is at all unsound, the effects are worse to overcome, and it
is one of the evils induced by the virus that it produces in many cases a
chronic disposition to break out, year after year, at the time when the
plant is in its most flourishing condition. This has generally taken place
in June and July. Some homeopathists are said to treat the case with doses
of _Rhus Toxicodendron_, according to their system; others again use
belladonna. Country doctors give alkalies--soda, ammonia--and cooling
medicines. The old settlers apply the succulent juicy leaves and stalks of
the wild Canadian Balsam (_Impatiens fulva_) and other cooling herbs with
thick cream; but I should think that limewater, given with milk inwardly
and applied outwardly to the skin, as in burns, might prove a good remedy.
Where the disease caused by this poisonous plant is so often met with in
country places the most ready and certain remedies should be made known to
the public. Physicians who have had no experience of the disease produced
by the Poison Ivy are sometimes at a loss how to treat it successfully.

Every one should be acquainted with the appearance of the Poison Ivy, so
that it may be avoided when out in the country among weeds and thickets,
rocks and waters.

This wicked little plant is not without its attractions to the eye; it
varies in height from about one foot to two, but will climb, when meeting
with support, to ten and fifteen feet.[38] I have seen it against a stone
building, growing along with the Virginia Creeper up to the windows of a
lofty second story building, no one having discovered the mischievous
intruder, though very different in foliage from the Creeper. The leaves are
three-foliate, thin, of a dull palish green, smooth, but not glossy. The
leaflets are broad at the base, indented, hardly deep enough to be called
lobed, in some instances only a little waved at the margins, pointed,
thickened at the junction of the stem. One of the leaflets is generally
larger and more lozenge-shaped than the other two, but they vary a good
deal in size and form. Sometimes there is a winged lobe on the larger and
outer one. Towards evening the leaves droop downwards, exposing less of the
surface to the air and night dews.

  [38] This is the variety _radicans_.

The plant spreads by means of the roots, which send up shoots from beneath
the surface; the stem of the plant is woody, thickening at the joints of
the leafstalks. The flowers appear near the tops of the shoots in little
upright panicles; they are of a pale greenish-white; the berries ripen in
August and are of a dead white, yellow, or dun-colored. About the time of
the ripening of the berries the leaves begin to droop earthward and turn to
beautiful tints of orange, varying to brilliant scarlet, which, with the
white fruit, has a pretty effect.

The Rhus contains a black dye which is indelible and which no washing will
remove. It is a pity that it cannot be utilized. Professor John Lindley
says: "An indelible black dye is produced by the juice extracted from the
plant," and adds, "This appears to be a property in common with many plants
of this order. The _Stagmaria verniciflua_ furnishes the black lac which is
used as a varnish in Japan. The resin produced by this tree causes
excoriations and blisters on the skin. The Cashew-nut is another member of
the order, all which are more or less remarkable as dye woods, or for some
medicinal uses, or acridly poisonous."


STAG-HORN SUMAC--_Rhus typhina_ (L.).

Though belonging to a very poisonous order of plants, our common native
Sumac is more noted for its useful than its hurtful qualities. Both the
Dwarf Sumac, _R. glabra_, and the common _R. typhina_ are to be found all
through Western Canada, in groves and on old neglected clearings, on rocky
islets and by roadsides, the seeds being largely sown by the birds that
feed upon the berries.

The foliage of the Sumac is very graceful and highly ornamental to the
landscape in the fall of the year, when its long drooping pinnate leaves,
from nineteen to thirty-one-foliate, assume the most glowing tints of
orange, scarlet and crimson. The flowers are of two kinds, or dioecious, in
close conical upright heads, terminating the branches; the fruit, small
round berries, beset with soft crimson acid hairs, which remain persistent
on the receptacle, around which they cluster and give to the tree a
strikingly ornamental appearance. These beautiful crimson velvet-like cones
continue all through the cold wintry weather, forming a continual feast for
the late going and early coming birds--a bountiful provision for those
pensioners on God's providence who "neither sow nor reap, and yet our
Heavenly Father feedeth them."

The term Stag-horn I imagine to have been suggested not only by the
extended branches but also by the fine brown downy covering that clothes
the branchlets and stems of the leaves and flower-bearing shoots,
resembling the velvety down on the young horns of deer when they first
sprout forth.

The wood of the Stag-horn Sumac is of a fine yellow color, and the chips
and bark are used as dyewoods. The bark is used in tanning and the root as
a powerful astringent and tonic in intermittent fever, while the acid fruit
can be converted into a strong vinegar, and is so used, I am told, in New
England. I have, however, never seen the fruit of the Sumac made use of in
this country for any household purpose.


SMOOTH DWARF SUMAC--_R. glabra_ (L.).

This also is widely diffused through Canada. It is a pretty shrub, but
troublesome, from sending up so many shoots; it rises from a very low size
to ten and twelve feet high. It is very similar to the last, but the
foliage is narrower, glaucous-white underneath; the eleven to thirty-one
sharply-toothed and pointed leaflets are very smooth on the surface and
take on brilliant orange and scarlet colors before fading. The stem is also
smooth and glaucous, like the leaves. There is another dwarf species, _R.
copallina_ (L.), found in rocky soil, the chief characteristic of which
consists in the winged margin of the leafstalks; it is a lower and smaller
shrub than _R. glabra_, and is exceedingly rare in Canada.


BLACK ALDER--WINTERBERRY--_Ilex verticillata_ (Gray).

This red-berried shrub belongs to the Holly family, but we have in Canada
no tree which takes the place of the British Hulme or Holly Tree, with its
glossy prickle-armed evergreen leaves, green bark, and brilliant garniture
of scarlet berries.

    "It is green in the winter and gay in the spring,
     And the old holly tree is a beautiful thing."

The Holly among the Romans denoted peace and goodwill and possibly for this
cause was chosen by the early Christians as symbolical of the peaceable
character that should distinguish the followers of the Lord Jesus
Christ--the Prince of Peace. The earliest notice of decking the churches
and dwelling-houses with holly is in the reign of Henry VI., by some pious
but now forgotten writer--a chronicler of old customs--who, devoutly
lamenting over the disuse of some observances in church matters, consoles
himself with the remark that "Our churches and houses are decked with
rosemary, holly and ivy, with other goodlye shrubbes that keepe ever green;
doubtless to reminde us that the childe then borne was God and man, who
shoulde spring uppe as a tender floure to live in oure hartes, and there
dwelle for ever more."

Our woody red-berried Winterberry is the nearest relation we have to the
Holly in Ontario, but it is not prickly, neither is it an evergreen.

The crest of the Strickland family is the Holly Tree; of the Gordons, the
Ivy. This custom of heraldic bearings, especially the crest surmounting the
coat of arms, is very ancient, and may be referred back to the time when
writing was not in use, when it formed a sort of pictorial history as to
the origin of the family. We find it here among Indian tribes, each tribe
and the members of it being known by its totem or heraldic sign. Thus we
have the "Eagle Tribe," the "Crane," the "Crow," the "Snake," etc., the
figure of bird, beast, tree, or reptile being the sign adopted by the heads
of the tribe, or chiefs, as the sign manual to be appended to any deed or
treaty; scratched or figured with pen, charred stick, or knife, or whatever
is the instrument at hand, the totem is rudely drawn, and is the
superscription of the tribe.

The individual name is derived from some circumstance independent of the
totem of the tribe; whatever object first meets the eye of the child is
given as a name. Thus we find "Opechee" (robin), "Omemee" (wild pigeon),
"Snowstorm," "Red Cloud," "Westwind," "Murmuring Waters," and other
poetical names descriptive of natural objects or events.

The Holly is endeared to us by many interesting associations connected with
childhood and youth and extending up to extreme old age.

    It gladdens the cottage, it brightens the hall,
    And the gay Holly Tree is beloved by all;
    It shadows the altar, it hallows the hearth,
    An emblem of peaceful and innocent mirth.

    Spring blossoms are lovely, and summer flowers gay,
    But the chill winds will wither and chase them away;
    While the rude blasts of autumn and winter may rave
    In vain round the Holly--the Holly so brave.

    Though the brave old English gentleman no longer now is seen,
    And customs old have passed away as things that ne'er have been,
    Though wassail shout is heard no more, nor Mistletoe we see;
    They've left us still the Holly green, the bonny Holly-tree.

There is an old couplet that is common in the north of England about the
Holly:

    "O the oak, and the ash, and the bonny holly tree,
     They flourish best of all in the north countrie."

The dark hued evergreen leaves of the Holly, with their rich garniture of
vivid scarlet berries, which remain persistent all through the winter and
far into the spring, have been so often described or alluded to in print
that they must be well known to all. From its use in adorning houses and
the churches from Christmastide till Candlemas or the beginning of Lent,
the Holly is much thought of and valued by young and old in England; but we
miss both the evergreen leaves and the old associations in our Canadian
Holly, and so it is less cared for on that account. The bush--for it never
rises in this country to any height--is from eight to ten feet high; it is
mostly found in damp swampy soil or on the banks of streams and beaver
meadows, partaking of the habits of the alder, which it resembles in its
love of moisture.

The leaves are ovate, somewhat narrowed at the base, serrate at the edges,
thin, and not spiny, rather downy underneath; the branches and branchlets
are dark colored; flowers greenish, on very short stalks, clustered in the
axils of the leaves; the bush stiff and upright; leaves deciduous; berries
bright red, remaining on the branches through the winter, much sought for
by the wild pigeon and Canadian partridge.

There is another shrub of the same order known as the


MOUNTAIN HOLLY--_Nemopanthes Canadensis_ (DC.),

which is found northwards in cold bogs. Early in May, the swamps where this
shrub abounds have a warm reddish-brown hue from the color of the young
leaves; this soon turns to a delicate green, which again changes as it gets
mature to a bluish glaucous green. The rose-colored berries are gracefully
borne on long pedicels and are sometimes found in great profusion, when
they present a beautiful effect. The berries of these hardy shrubs are a
great resource for food to the "wee hopping things," our late and early
birds, and together with the dry seeds of the Mullein and Rough Amaranth,
which harbor many insects in their husky seed-vessels, support them till
the spring returns bringing food and gladness to the earth, when the Great
Father opens His hand and filleth all things living with plenteousness.

[Illustration: PLATE XX.

1. Early Wild Rose (Rosa blanda). P. 187.
2. Beard-tongue (Pentstemon pubescens). P. 138.]





SECTION III.

GRASSES.

    "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed.
     And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed."
                                                         --_Gen. i. 11-12._


In drawing this little volume on the native plants to a conclusion, though
many have been left unnoticed or unknown by me, I must say a few words
respecting the grasses; not, indeed, to add a botanical description of this
most beautiful and graceful tribe of plants, which deserves a volume from
the pen of one who has given greater attention to the subject, and which
seems to me to require the knowledge of a scientific botanist. To do
justice to that I must confess I am not competent; any knowledge that I
possess is simply that of an observer and a lover of the beautiful works of
the Creator.

The student of botany will not be content merely with my superficial,
desultory way for acquiring a more intimate acquaintance with the
productions of the forest and the field; and to such I would recommend a
more particular study of our beautiful native wild grasses, including the
rushes and the sedges. At present the field has not been entered upon
fully, if even its very borders have been gleaned, unless by that
industrious and indefatigable botanist, Professor John Macoun, whom we
might well call the Father of Canadian Botany.

But though I cannot venture to treat the subject of the grasses as a
botanist, I cannot pass them by without introducing a few of the lovely,
graceful things to the notice of my readers. And if my remarks should prove
rather desultory in their range from prairie to forest, and from field to
lake or to swampy bank of creek or marsh, I beg my friends to bear with me
a little while.

Drooping gracefully in wide branching panicles, we find on our wild plains
a soft pale-flowered grass, known by the Indians as Deer-grass, _Sorghum
nutans_ (Gray), in the herbage of which the deer found (for it is a thing
of the past) both food and shelter. The husk or glumes of this beautiful
grass are hairy or minutely silky, which gives a peculiar soft grayish tint
to the bending pedicels of the pale spikelets. The culm is from three to
four feet high, the leaves hairy at the margins.

Another grass, _Andropogon furcatus_ (Muhl.), more showy but not so
graceful, being more upright in its habit of growth, differs very much from
the above. This grass is tall, jointed, stiffer in the stem; leaves of a
brighter green; heads of flowers spiked, but also branching; glumes of a
rich red-brown, made more conspicuous by the bright golden yellow anthers.
This grass is also a plain grass, and is known by the same familiar name as
the former; the Indians say, "Yes, both deergrass; deer like that, too." It
was to increase the growth of this grass that the Indians, at intervals of
time, set fire to the Rice Lake plains on the high plateau of land to the
eastward, where there was a great feeding ground for the deer and their
fawns. For many years this tract of land was covered with oak brush, with
only a few old trees that had escaped being injured by the fire. Now,
indeed, we have noble oaks of many species, fine branching, well developed
trees of white, black, red, scarlet, and overcup oaks, that adorn the
plains and form avenues of the concessions and sidelines, most ornamental
and grateful to the eye of the traveller. It must have been nearly a
century ago since these plains were last burnt over--not within the memory
of the oldest settler in the township of Hamilton. Yet deep down, some six
or seven feet below the surface, the charred remains of oaks are found to
prove the truth of the Indian name, "The Lake of the Burning Plains."
Indian names have always some foundation; adopted from peculiar
circumstances, they have acquired a sort of historical value among the
people.

The name of "Rice Lake" is derived from the fields of Wild Rice, _Zizania
aquatica_ (L.), which abound in the shallower waters of this fine inland
sheet of water, and give the appearance of low verdant islands clothing its
waters. When the Rice is ripened and the leaves faded a golden tint comes
over the aquatic field, and the low Rice islands, as they catch the rays of
the sun, take the form of sands glowing with yellow light. Where the water
is low these Rice beds increase so as nearly to fill the shallow lakes and
impede the progress of boats, changing the channel and altering the aspect
of the waters.

In the month of June the tender green spikes of the leaves begin to appear;
in July the Rice begins to push up its stiff, upright stalk, sheathed
within the folds of which are the delicate, fragile flowers; from the
slender glumes the beautiful straw-colored and purple anthers hang down,
fluttering in the breeze which stirs the grassy leaves that float loosely
upon the surface of the water, rising and falling with every movement. The
plant grows in lakes, ponds, and other waters where the current is not very
strong, to the depth of from three to eight feet or even deeper. The grassy
or ribbon-like flexible leaves are very long. I remember a gentleman who
was rowing me across the lake drew up one at a chance on his oar and
measured it, the length being eleven feet; but with the culm and flower it
would have measured twelve or thirteen feet in length.

The month of September or later, in October, is the Indian's Rice harvest.
The grain, which is long and narrow and of an olive green or brown tinge,
is then ripe. The Indian woman (they do not like to be called squaws since
they have become Christians) pushes her light bark canoe or skiff to the
edge of the Rice beds, armed not with a sickle, but with a more primitive
instrument--a short, thin-bladed, somewhat curved wooden paddle, with which
she strikes the heads of ripe grain over a stick which she holds in her
other hand, directing the strokes so as to let the grain fall to the bottom
of the canoe; and thus the Wild Rice crop is reaped to give pleasant,
nourishing and satisfying food to her hungry family.

There are many ways of preparing dishes of Indian Rice: as an ingredient
for savory soups or stews; or with milk, sugar and spices, as puddings; but
the most important thing to be observed in cooking the article is steeping
the grain--pouring off the water it is steeped in and the first water it is
boiled in, which removes any weedy taste from it. It used to be a favorite
dish at many tables, but it is more difficult to obtain now.

The grain, when collected, is winnowed in wide baskets from the chaff and
weedy matter, parched by a certain process peculiar to the Indians, and
stored in mats or rough boxes made from the bark of the birch tree--the
Indian's own tree. Formerly we could buy the Indian Rice in any of the
grocery stores at 7s. 6d. per bushel, but it is much more costly now, as
the Indians find it more difficult to obtain. Confined to their villages,
they have no longer the resources that formerly helped to maintain them.
The birch-bark canoe is now a thing of the past; the Wild Rice is now only
a luxury in their houses; by and by the Indians also will disappear from
their log houses and villages and be known only as a people that were but
are not. I am not aware of any other edible grain that is indigenous to
Canada. The Foxtail, _Setaria viridis_ (Beauv.), indeed, has hard seeds,
but it is utilized only in some places, where it abounds to the farmer's
great disgust, as food for his hogs and fowls.

The marsh-growing Redtop or Herd Grass, _Agrostis vulgaris_ (With.), is
used as hay. We have many other wild, coarse grasses also that are
harvested, and the prairies abound with nutritious plants of this order
which are a great resource for the support of the cattle during all
seasons. What would become of the settler's beasts in the North-west
provinces but for the prairie hay? Very beautiful varieties of the lovely
prairie grasses have been gathered by kind friends and sent to me from this
"Wild North Land."

One, the cruel Arrow Grass, _Stipa spartea_ (Trin.), is a great nuisance to
the settler, the barbed shaft, with curiously twisted awns, piercing hands
and feet or insinuating its hard points into the flesh or clothing. The
long, twisted arrows of this grass have a curious fashion of winding
themselves together, forming a sort of hard rope; the barbed seed lies
below, attached to these twisted arrows. There is also on the prairies a
wild grass known by the descriptive name of Porcupine Grass; possibly the
Arrow Grass may be the same plant with another name. But turning from this
uninviting Prairie Pest, as the settlers call it, I would call attention to
the useful and sweet-scented Indian Grass, which supplies the poor Indian
woman with the material which she weaves into such lovely, tasteful,
ornamental baskets, now almost her only resource for materials for her
basket-work, by which industry she can earn a small addition to her scanty
means of obtaining food and clothing. Were it not going beyond the bounds
of my subject, I might plead earnestly in behalf of my destitute and too
much neglected Indian sisters and dwell upon their wants and trials; but
this theme would lead me too far away from my subject. The Indian Grass, so
called, _Hierochloa borealis_ (Roem. & Sch.), is little known in its native
state, as it is only the Indians themselves who know where to seek for it.
This is among lonely lakes and forest haunts. The soil where it grows is in
low sandy flats, especially on shores where the soil is composed of
disintegrated, friable rocks, reduced to gritty, coarse sand, where it can
push out its slender white running roots most freely; and there it sends
up, early in May, its culms and light panicles of shining flowers. The
glossy straw-colored plumes and purple anthers make this grass a very
lovely object. The leaves, too, are of a shining bright full green. It is
the earliest of any of the grasses to push up its pointed blades above the
ground; and, so far as my knowledge of the plant goes, for I have had it in
my garden for many, many years, it is the earliest to blossom. Only when
dried, or rather withered, does it give out its sweet scent, which it
retains for years.

I have braided the long ribbon-like leaves and made dinner-mats of them,
and also chains tied with colored ribbon, after the Indian fashion, and
sent them to friends in the Old Country to lay like lavender in their
drawers. One thing I must observe of the Indian Sweet Grass, although it
grows readily, and flourishes in any odd corner of the garden in which you
plant it, it rarely puts forth a flowering stem; nor can I account for
this, unless it may be the absence of some specialty in the native soil
that is lacking, and for the need of which it may grow luxuriantly as to
leaf but bring no fruit to perfection.

Among the common wild grasses, we have many kinds, known by such
expressive names as Redtop, Blue Joint, Herd-grass, Beaver Meadow Grass,
Wild Oats, Wild Barley, Foxtail, Squirreltail, Poverty Grass, Cock's-foot,
Couch or Spear Grass, Millet, with many others, named or unnamed, that are
peculiar to certain localities, in open fields, in the shade of the forest,
the thicket, the banks of creeks, in water, or on dry waste lands. There is
no spot but has some grass, or rush, or sedge, or reed; they spring up by
the water-courses, on the dry parched sands of desert places, and in our
path by the wayside; thus we find this lowly herb, under some
distinguishing form, wherever we go. Is it not intended as a silent monitor
to remind us of the frailty of our earthly being, by bringing back to us
the words of the Psalmist: "As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower
of the field so he flourisheth: for the wind passeth over it, and it is
gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more."--Psalms ciii.

How often in the inspired words do we find similar allusions made to the
grass in language alike practical and touching.

"The voice said, Cry! And he said, What shall I cry?

"All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the
field:

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall
stand forever."--Isaiah xl. 6-8.

Thus the grass that we tread beneath our feet, as well as the fairest
flower, has alike a significance and a teaching to lead us up to the throne
of Him who makes the grandeur of the heavens above and the lowliest plant
on earth to speak to us of His goodness, His wisdom and His fatherly care
for all. Let me close with the lesson of faith that Christ the Lord himself
gave to his disciples: "If God so clothe the grass of the field, . . . .
shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"




INDEX


  _Acta alba_, 32

  _Acta spicata_, 32

  Adder's Tongue, 33
    White-flowered, 34

  _Agrostis vulgaris_, 213

  Alder, Black, 205

  _Allium tricoccum_, 49

  Alum-root, 59

  Amaranth, 137
    Rough, 208

  _Amaryllis lutea_, 24, 79

  _Amelanchier Canadensis_, 163

  American Brooklime, 57

  American Guelder-rose, 196

  American Hazelnut, 151

  American Snakeroot, 20

  _Andromeda polifolia_, 192

  _Andropogon furcatus_, 210

  Anemone, Wood, 20 _et seq._
    Tall, 22
    Crocus, 23

  _Anemone cylindrica_, 22

  _Anemone dichotoma_, 21

  _Anemone nemorosa_, 20

  _Anemone patens, var Nuttalliana_, 23

  _Anemone Virginiana_, 22

  _Antennaria dioica_, 111

  _Antennaria margaritacea_, 97, 113

  _Antennaria neodioica_, 112

  _Antennaria plantaginifolia_, 112

  _Antirrhinum_, 138

  _Apios tuberosa_, 95, 109

  _Apocynum androsmifolium_, 101

  _Apocynum cannabinum_, 102, 103

  Apocynums, 97, 101, 102

  _Aquilegia Canadensis_, 39

  _Arace_, 27

  _Aralia Canadense_, 44

  _Aralia nudicaulis_, 92

  _Aralia quinquefolia_, 93

  _Aralia racemosa_, 91

  _Aralia trifolia_, 93

  Arbutus, 117, 150

  _Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi_, 119, 140

  _Arethusa bulbosa_, 105

  _Arisma Dracontium_, 26

  _Arisma purpureum_, 26

  _Arisma triphyllum_, 15, 16, 27

  Arrow-head, 90, 91

  Arrow-leaved Violet, 4

  Arrowroot, 28

  Arrow-wood, Indian, 199

  Arum, 26
    Spotted, 27

  _Arum maculatum_, 27

  _Arum mucronatum_, 27

  _Asclepias Cornuti_, 96

  _Asclepias tuberosa_, 95

  _Asclepiadace_, 101

  Ash, Prickly, 166

  Asphodel Lily, 35

  Aster, 75, 110, 114, 116, 135

  _Aster stivus_, 115

  _Aster cordifolius_, 115

  _Aster multiflorus_, 115

  _Aster puniceus_, 115


  Balsam, Canadian, 37, 84, 202
    Wild, 84

  Baneberry, 10, 32
    Red, 32
  Barley, Wild, 215

  _Batatas edulis_, 89

  Beaked Hazelnut, 151

  Bean, Sweet, 95
    Wild, 95
    Indian, 109

  Bearberry, 119, 140, 146

  Beard-tongue, 138

  Bellflower, Rough-stemmed, 81

  Bellwort, 32

  Bergamot, Wild, 130

  Betony, Wood, 17

  Bindweed, 104

  Birthroot, 36

  Bishop's Cap, 15

  Bittersweet, Climbing, 146, 189 _et seq._
    English, 191
    Indian, 191

  Black Alder, 205

  Black Hawthorn, 178

  Black Raspberry, 180

  Blackberry, 97, 186
    Swamp, 186

  Blazing Star, 134

  _Blitum Bonus Henricus_, 137

  _Blitum capitatum_, 136

  Blood-root, 11, 37

  Blue Cohosh, 10, 32

  Blueberry, 169
    Dwarf, 169
    Swamp, 170

  Boneset, 123-125

  Branching White Wood Violet, 6

  Briar Rose, 187

  Brooklime, American, 57

  Bryony, Black, 190

  Bunchberry, 52

  Buttercup, Tall, 13

  Butterfly Weed, 95

  Button-bush, 200

  Button Snakeroot, 133


  Calathian Violet, 142-146

  Calopogon, Grass-pink, 104, 181

  _Calopogon pulchellus_, 104, 181

  _Caltha palustris_, 15, 56

  _Calypso borealis_, 105, 181

  Campanula, 66, 82

  _Campanula Americana_, 81

  _Campanula aparinoides_, 81

  _Campanula rotundifolia_, 80

  Canada Blueberry, 169

  Canadian Balsam, 37, 84, 202

  Cardinal Flower, 138

  Cashew-nut, 203

  Cassava, 28

  _Castilleia coccinea_, 40, 41, 64, 68, 138

  _Castilleia miniata_, 41

  Catnip, 130

  _Caulophyllum thalactroides_, 10

  _Ceanothus Americanus_, 158

  Celandinie, 19

  _Celastrus scandens_, 146, 189

  _Cephalanthus occidentalis_, 200

  Chamomile, 114

  Checkerberry, 117

  Cherry, Dwarf, 164
    Sand, 164
    Wild Black, 166
    Wild Red, 166

  _Chelone glabra_, 138

  _Chenopodium album_, 137

  Chickweed Wintergreen, 60

  _Chimaphila umbellata_, 67

  Chinese Tea Plant, 159

  _Chiogenes hispidula_, 168, 169

  Choke-cherry, 165

  Chrysanthemum, 114

  _Circa alpina_, 100

  Cistus, 83

  Cladonia, 75

  Clary, 43

  _Claytonia Caroliniana_, 24 _et seq._

  _Claytonia Virginica_, 24 _et seq._

  Clematis, Wild, 174

  Climbing Bittersweet, 146, 189 _et seq._

  Closed Gentian, 144

  Clover, Yellow, 82

  Cohosh, Blue, 10, 32
    Red, 32
    White, 32

  Coltsfoot, Yellow, 114

  Columbine, Rock, 39, 40
    Wild, 39, 40

  Common Mullein, 131

  _Comptonia asplenifolia_, 157-159

  Coneflower, 115, 116

  Convolvulus, White Dwarf, 103

  _Convolvulus spithamus_, 103

  _Coptis trifolia_, 51, 52

  Coral-root, 106

  _Corallorhiza striata_, 106

  Coreopsis, 116

  Cornel, 53, 140
    Low, 66
    Panicled, 193
    Silky, 193

  _Cornus Canadensis_, 52, 194

  _Cornus circinata_, 53

  _Cornus florida_, 53, 194

  _Cornus paniculata_, 193

  _Cornus sericea_, 193

  _Cornus stolonifera_, 194

  Corpse Plant, 141

  _Corydalis aurea_, 31

  _Corydalis glauca_, 31

  _Corylus Americana_, 151

  _Corylus rostrata_, 151, 152

  Cowslip, Water, 15

  Cranberry, 74, 180 _et seq._
    High-bush, 146, 196
    Small, 180
    Marsh, 180, 197
    Low-bush, 181, 192

  Cranesbill, 58, 60

  _Cratgus coccinea_, 179

  _Cratgus oxyacantha_, 180

  _Cratgus tomentosa_, 178

  Cream-fruit, 101

  Creeping Spearwort, 14

  Crowfoot, 10, 13, 111
    Water, 14
    Yellow Water, 14
    White Water, 14

  Cuckoo-pint, 29

  Currant, 160
    Trailing Hairy, 162
    Wild Black, 162
    Wild Red, 163

  _Cuscuta Gronovii_, 108

  Cypripedium, 44 _et seq._

  _Cypripedium acaule_, 46

  _Cypripedium arictinum_, 45, 46

  _Cypripedium parviflorum_, 47

  _Cypripedium pubescens_, 46, 47, 68, 80

  _Cypripedium spectabile_, 45


  Daffodil, Wood, 32

  Damson, 165

  Dandelion, 115, 127, 128

  _Daphne Mezereum_, 149

  Day-flower, 103

  Death-flower, 35
    White, 36
    Red, 36

  Dicentra, 30

  _Dicentra Canadensis_, 29

  _Dicentra cucullaria_, 31

  _Diervilla trifida_, 155

  _Diplopappus umbellatus_, 115

  _Dirca palustris_, 148

  Dockmackie, Maple-leaved, 198
    Larger, 199

  Dodder, Golden, 52, 108

  Dogbane, 97, 101
    Spreading, 101, 194
    Red Osier, 194

  Dog-rose, 184

  Dog-tooth Violet, 33

  Dog Violet, 5

  Dogwood, 52, 66, 193
    Flowering, 194

  Douro Lily, 35

  Downy Yellow Violet, 5

  _Drosera longifolia_, 73

  _Drosera rotundifolia_, 73

  Dutchman's Breeches, 30

  Dwarf Blueberry, 169

  Dwarf Cherry, 164

  Dwarf Ginseng, 93

  Dwarf Wild Rose, 188


  Early Crowfoot, 13

  Early-flowering Everlasting, 111, 114

  Early Everlasting, 19, 111, 114

  Early White Violet, 2, 3

  Early Wild Rose, 187

  Easter Flower, 35

  _Echinacea purpurea_, 116

  Edelweiss, 111

  Elder, Black-berried, 152, 157
    Red-berried, 152
    Poison, 152, 200

  _Eleocharis acicularis_, 14

  Enchanter's Nightshade, 100

  Endive, Wild, 128

  _Epiga repens_, 150

  _Epilobium angustifolium_, 97

  _Ericace_, 66, 181

  _Erythronium albidum_, 34

  _Erythronium Americanum_, 33

  _Eupatorium ageratoides_, 123, 124

  _Eupatorium perfoliatum_, 123, 124

  _Eupatorium purpureum_, 123

  Eupatorium, White, 114

  Euphorbia, 28

  Evening Primrose, 98

  Everlasting, Early, 19, 111, 114
    White, 97
    Neglected, 112
    Plantain-leaved, 112
    Pearly, 113

  Eye-bright, 43


  False Foxglove, 132

  False Honeysuckle, 155

  False Mitrewort, 16

  False Solomon's Seal, 54

  Fern, 157

  Feverbush, 149

  Filbert, 151

  Fireweed, 97, 114

  Flag, Large Blue, 61

  Flax, Wild, 83
    Yellow, 83

  Fleabane, 114

  Fleur-de-Luce, 61, 62

  Flowering Wintergreen, 17, 18

  Fly-flower, 18, 31

  Forget-me-not, 57

  Fox Grape, 175

  Foxglove, False, 132, 133

  French Willow, 98

  Fringed Gentian, 143, 145

  Frost Grape, 173

  Frost Plant, 83

  Fumitory, 29
    Golden, 31


  Galium, 82

  Gall of the Earth, 120

  _Gaultheria procumbens_, 117, 169

  Garlic, Wild, 49, 50

  Gayfeather, 133, 134

  Gem-flower, 16

  Gentian, Alpine, 142
    Dwarf Fringed, 143, 145
    Five-flowered, 142, 143, 145
    Closed, 144
    Soapwort, 142

  _Gentiana Andrewsii_, 143, 144

  _Gentiana crinita_, 143, 145

  _Gentiana detonsa_, 143

  _Gentiana Pneumonanthe_, 143

  _Gentiana quinquefolia_, 145

  _Gentiana Saponaria_, 142, 144

  _Geranium maculatum_, 58

  Gerardia, 132, 133, 138
    Oak-leaved, 133

  _Geranium pusillum_, 60

  _Geranium Robertianum_, 59

  Geranium, Scarlet, 41
    Wood, 58-60

  _Gerardia pedicularia_, 133

  _Gerardia purpurea_, 132

  _Gerardia quercifolia_, 132, 133

  Giant-taper, 131

  Ginger, Wild, 44

  Ginseng, 93
    Dwarf, 93

  _Gnaphalium decurrens_, 113

  _Gnaphalium polycephalum_, 112

  Gold Thread, 51

  Goldenrod, 75, 134
    Lesser, 109

  Golden Fumitory, 31

  Golden Dodder, 52, 108

  Good King Henry, 137

  _Goodyera pubescens_, 85

  Gooseberry, Wild Smooth, 160
    Prickly, 161
    Small Swamp, 162

  Grape, Frost, 173-175
    Fox, 175
    Isabella, 175

  Grass Pink, 104, 181

  Grass, Scorpion, 57
    Deer, 210
    Arrow, 213
    Foxtail, 213, 215
    Redtop, 213, 214
    Herd, 213, 215
    Indian, 213, 214
    Porcupine, 213
    Prairie Pest, 213
    Poverty, 215
    Cock's-foot, 215
    Couch, 215
    Spear, 215
    Blue Joint, 215
    Beaver Meadow, 215
    Squirreltail, 215

  Ground Nut, 95

  Guelder Rose, American, 196


  _Habenaria fimbriata_, 107

  _Habenaria viridis_, 107

  Hairy Yellow-flowered Honeysuckle, 155

  Hairy Woodsia, 75

  Hardhack, 75, 183

  Harebell, 80, 107

  Hawkweed, 114

  Hawthorn, Black, 178
    English, 179

  Hazelnut, Beaked, 151
    English Wild, 151
    American, 151

  Healall, 130

  Heath, 117, 169, 181

  _Helianthemum Canadense_, 83

  _Helianthus strigosus_, 126

  Hemp, Indian, 101, 103

  Hepatica, 8 _et seq._

  _Hepatica acutiloba_, 8, 9

  _Hepatica triloba_, 8, 9

  Heptandria, 60

  Herb Robert, 59

  _Hierochloa borealis_, 214

  High-bush Cranberry, 146, 196

  Hobble-bush, 198

  Holly, 191, 205 _et seq._
    Mountain, 208

  Honeysuckle, 71, 157
    Bush, 153
    Fly, 154
    False, 155
    Hairy Yellow-flowered, 155
    Small-flowered, 154
    Twin-flowered, 153, 156

  Hooded Violet, 3

  Horsemint, 130

  Huckleberry, 117, 143, 164, 169

  Hulme, 205

  Humming-bird Flower, 84

  Hyacinth, Wood, 29

  Hya-hya, 101


  _Ilex verticillata_, 146, 205

  _Impatiens fulva_, 84, 202

  _Impatiens pallida_, 84

  Indian Arrow-wood, 199

  Indian Bean, 109

  Indian Bittersweet, 191

  Indian Grass, 213, 214

  Indian Hemp, 101, 103

  Indian Pipe, 141

  Indian Potato, 95

  Indian Strawberry, 136 _et seq._

  Indian Tobacco, 140

  Indian Turnip, 26 _et seq._

  _Iris versicolor_, 61, 62

  Ivy, Poison, 84, 152, 200 _et seq._


  Jack-in-the-Pulpit, 29

  _Jatropha manihot_, 28

  Jessamine, White, 195

  Jewel Weed, 84

  June-berry, 163


  _Kalmia glauca_, 74

  Kingcup, 19

  Kinnikinnic, 140, 193, 195


  _Labiat_, 130

  Labrador Tea, 74, 159, 191

  Lady's Bed-straw, 82

  Lady's Slipper, 44
    Showy, 45
    Stemless, 46
    Yellow, 47

  Lady's Tresses, Slender, 85

  Lamb's Quarters, 137

  Large Blue Flag, 61

  _Lathyrus palustris_, 94

  Laurel, 150
    Spurge, 149

  Laurestinus, 198

  Leatherwood, 148

  _Ledum latifolium_, 74, 159, 191

  _Ledum palustre_, 192

  Leek, Wild, 49

  _Leontopodium alpinum_, 111

  Lesser Snowy Trillium, 36

  Lettuce, Wild, 116, 119, 128

  Liatris, 127

  _Liatris cylindracea_, 133

  _Liatris scariosa_, 134

  _Lilium candidum_, 78

  _Lilium Philadelphicum_, 78, 79

  _Lilium pomponium_, 79

  Lily of the Valley, Wild, 66

  Lily, 54, 79, 86 _et seq._
    Tiger, 30
    Golden, of Palestine, 79
    Wild Orange, 78
    Orange, 79, 134
    of the Nile, 89

  Lion's-foot, 120

  _Lindera Benzoin_, 149

  Linna, 66, 69 _et seq._

  _Linna borealis_, 69, 71

  _Linum sulcatum_, 83

  Liver-Leaf, 8, 10

  _Lobelia cardinalis_, 138

  _Lobelia inflata_, 140

  Lobelia, Red, 138
    Blue, 139

  _Lobelia syphilitica_, 139

  _Lobelia spicata_, 140

  Long-spurred Violet, 5

  _Lonicera ciliata_, 153

  _Lonicera hirsuta_, 155

  _Lonicera parviflora_, 154

  Loose-strife, 107

  Lords and Ladies, 29

  Lotus, 89

  Lousewort, 17

  Love-Lies-Bleeding, 137

  Lungwort, Blue, 107

  Lupine, 48, 68, 104, 134

  _Lupinus perennis_, 68, 80


  Madder, 200

  Mad-dog Skullcap, 93

  Madzaryoum, 149

  Mandrake, 55

  Maple-leaved Dogmackie, 198

  Marigold, Marsh, 15, 56

  Marsh Marigold, 15, 56

  Marsh Pea, 94

  Marsh Speedwell, 57

  Marsh Vetchling, 94

  _Maruta Cotula_, 125

  May-apple, 55

  Mayflower, 150

  Mayweed, 125

  Meadowsweet, Willow-leaved, 182

  _Mertensia maritima_, 107

  Mezereum, Daphne, 149

  Mignonette, Wood, 16

  Milktree, 101

  Milkweed, Pink-flowered, 96
    Shrubby, 101

  Milkwort, 17
    Slender Purple, 20

  Millet, 215

  Mimulus, 93

  _Mimulus ringens_, 93, 138

  Mint, 66, 130
    Mountain, 159

  Miskodeed, 24

  _Mitchella ripens_, 195

  _Mitella diphylla_, 15

  _Mitella nuda_, 15

  Mitrewort, 15
    False, 16

  Mocassin Flower, 44, 47, 68, 80, 134
    Pink-flowered, 45
    Hairy, 47
    Lesser-flowered, 47

  _Monarda fistulosa_, 130

  _Moneses uniflora_, 67

  Monkey-flower, 93, 138

  _Monotropa Hypopitys_, 141

  _Monotropa uniflora_, 141

  Moose-flower, 35

  Moosewood, 148

  Moostoos Ootasee, 17

  Morning Glory, 103, 174

  Moss, Lake Erie, 51
    Sphagnous, 71
    Peat, 74
    White Peat, 74, 75

  Moss Pink, 51

  Mountain Holly, 208

  Mouse-root, 79

  Mulberry, Wild, 184

  Mullein, Common, 131, 208

  _Myosotis palustris_, 57

  _Myrica Gale_, 74, 158

  _Myricace_, 157


  _Nabalus albus_, 119

  _Nabalus altissimus_, 120

  Narcissus, 79

  Nasturtium, 85

  Neglected Everlasting, 112

  _Nelumbium luteum_, 89

  _Nelumbium speciosum_, 89

  _Nemopanthes Canadensis_, 208

  _Nepenthes distillatoria_, 77

  New Jersey Tea, 158

  Nodding Trillium, 35

  _Nuphar advena_, 86, 90

  _Nuphar Kalmiana_, 86

  _Nuphar lutea_, 86

  Nympha, White, 86

  _Nympha Lotus_, 89

  _Nympha odorata_, 86, 88

  _Nympha tuberosa_, 86


  Oak, Poison, 152, 200

  Oats, Wild, 215

  _OEnothera biennis_, 98

  _OEnothera pumila_, 99

  One-flowered Pyrola, 67

  One-sided Pyrola, 65

  Orange Lily, 79, 134

  Orchid, 45, 48, 76, 85, 104 _et seq._
    Fringed Pink, 107
    Pearly White, 107

  Orchis, 44, 74, 105 _et seq._
    Ram's-head, 45
    Showy, 48
    Beautiful, 48
    Bird's-foot, 105
    Small Round-leaved, 105
    Striped, 106
    Larger Fringed, 107
    Northern Green-man, 107
    Pink Fringed, 107
    White-fringed, 107

  _Orchis spectabilis_, 48

  _Osmunda regalis_, 75

  _Oxalis Acetosella_, 82

  _Oxalis stricta_, 82


  Painted Cup, 40 _et seq._

  Painted Trillium, 38

  Panicled Cornel, 193

  Papoose-root, 10, 11

  Partridgeberry, 195

  Pasque-flower, 23

  Pea, Marsh, 94

  Pear Thorn, 178

  Pearly Everlasting, 113

  Peat Moss, 74

  _Pedicularis Canadensis_, 17

  Pencilled Violet, 4, 5

  _Pentstemon pubescens_, 138

  Peppermint, 130

  Persicaria, Water, 90, 91

  Phlox, 50

  _Phlox divaricata_, 50, 51

  Pine Sap, 141

  Pink-flowered Moccasin Plant, 45

  Pipsissewa, 68

  Pitcher Plant, 74, 76, 192

  Plantain-leaved Everlasting, 112

  Plantain, Rattlesnake, 85

  _Platanthera rotundifolia_, 105

  Plum, 165

  _Podophyllum peltatum_, 55

  Poison Elder, 200

  Poison Ivy, 84, 152, 200 _et seq._

  Poison Oak, 200

  Poison Sumac, 200

  Polygala, 18, 20

  _Polygala paucifolia_, 17, 18

  _Polygala polygama_, 20

  _Polygala Senega_, 18, 20

  _Polygonatum biflorum_, 54

  _Polygonum amphibium_, 91

  _Polypodium vulgare_, 75

  Polypody, Rock, 75

  Pond-lily, Yellow, 86, 90

  _Pontederia cordata_, 91

  Portland Arrow-root, 28

  Portland Sago, 27, 28

  _Portulaca grandiflora_, 129

  _Portulaca oleracea_, 129

  Potato, Sweet, 89
    Indian, 95

  Prenanthes, 114

  Prickly Ash, 166

  Prickly Gooseberry, 161

  Primrose, Evening, 98

  Prince's Pine, 67

  Privet-leaved Cornel, 193

  _Prunella vulgaris_, 130

  _Prunus pumila_, 164

  _Prunus Virginiana_, 165

  Pulse, 68

  Purple-scented Raspberry, 183

  Purple Trillium, 36

  Purslane, 129

  Pyrola, One-sided, 65
    Round-leaved Lesser, 65
    One-flowered, 67
    Sweet, 104, 135

  _Pyrola chlorantha_, 66

  _Pyrola elliptica_, 63, 64, 67, 80

  _Pyrola rotundifolia_, 65

  _Pyrola secunda_, 65


  Ragroot, 114

  Ragwort, 114

  Ram's-head Orchis, 45

  _Ranunculace_, 9, 10, 14

  Ranunculus, 10
    Alpine, 118

  _Ranunculus acris_, 13

  _Ranunculus aquatilis_, 14

  _Ranunculus fascicularis_, 13

  _Ranunculus multifidus_, 14

  _Ranunculus reptans_, 14

  Raspberry, 183 _et seq._
    Wild Red, 97, 184
    Purple Scented, 183
    White Flowering, 184
    Black, 186

  Rattlesnake Plantain, 85

  Rattlesnake Root, 119

  Red-berried Elder, 152

  Red Baneberry, 32

  Red Cohosh, 32

  Red Death-flower, 36

  Red Osier Dogwood, 194

  Redroot, 158

  Redtop, 213

  Rheumatism Weed, 68

  _Rhus copallina_, 205

  _Rhus glabra_, 204, 205

  _Rhus Toxicodendron_, 152, 200

  _Rhus typhina_, 204

  _Rhus venenata_, 200

  _Ribes Cynosbati_, 161

  _Ribes floridum_, 162

  _Ribes lacustre_, 162

  _Ribes oxyacanthoides_, 160, 161

  _Ribes prostratum_, 162

  _Ribes rubrum_, 163

  Rice, Wild, 91, 211

  Rock Columbine, 39, 40

  Rock-rose, 83

  Rock Saxifrage, 111

  _Rosa blanda_, 68, 187, 188

  _Rosa Carolina_, 189

  _Rosa lucida_, 187, 188

  _Rosa micrantha_, 189

  Rose-colored Spira, 183

  Rosemary, Wild, 192, 193

  Rose, Wild, 68, 75, 104, 107, 135
    Sweet Briar, 184, 189
    Damask, 187
    Early Wild, 187
    Dwarf Wild, 187, 188
    Swamp, 189

  Round-leaved Lesser Pyrola, 65

  Round-leaved Sundew, 73

  _Rubus hispidus_, 186

  _Rubus Nutkanus_, 184

  _Rubus occidentalis_, 186

  _Rubus odoratus_, 183

  _Rubus strigosus_, 184

  _Rubus triflorus_, 187

  _Rubus villosus_, 186

  _Rubiace_, 200

  Rudbeckia, 110, 127

  _Rudbeckia hirta_, 115


  Sage, 17, 43

  Sago, Portland, 27, 28

  _Salvia Sclarea_, 43

  _Sambucus Canadensis_, 152

  _Sambucus pubens_, 152

  Sand Cherry, 164

  _Sanguinaria Canadensis_, 11

  _Sarracenia purpurea_, 74 _et seq._

  Sarsaparilla, Wild, 92
    Five-leaved, 93

  Sassafras, 150

  Satin-flower, 19

  Saxifrage, 66
    Rock, 111

  Scarlet Cup, 40 _et seq._, 68, 104, 138

  Scarlet-fruited Thorn, 179

  _Scutellaria galericulata_, 94

  _Scutellaria lateriflora_, 93

  Senega, 17

  Serpentaria, 120

  _Setaria viridis_, 213

  Shadbush, 163

  Shamrock, 82

  Sheepberry, 164, 199

  Sheep-Laurel, 74

  Shin-leaf, 63

  Showy Lady's Slipper, 45

  Showy Orchis, 48

  Side-saddle Flower, 74

  Silk-weed, 96

  Silky Cornel, 193

  Skullcap, Mad-dog, 93
    Common, 94

  Slender Lady's-tresses, 85

  Slender Purple Milkwort, 20

  Small Cranberry, 180

  Small-flowered Honeysuckle, 154

  Small Round-leaved Orchis, 105

  Small Swamp Gooseberry, 162

  Smiling Wake-robin, 35

  _Smilacina bifolia_, 66

  Smooth Dwarf Sumac, 205

  Snakehead, 138

  Snakeroot, 17
    American, 20
    White, 124
    Button, 133

  Snapdragon, 138

  Snowball Tree, 197

  Snowberry, 156
    Creeping, 168

  Snowdrop, Wood, 141

  Snow-flower, 8

  Soldier's Drinking Cup, 76

  Solidago, 109

  _Solidago gigantea_, 135

  _Solidago latifolia_, 134, 135

  Solomon's Seal, False, 54

  _Solanum dulcamara_, 191

  _Sorghum nutans_, 210

  Sow-thistle, 115

  Spatter Dock, 90

  Spearmint, 130

  Spearwort, Creeping, 14

  Speckled Jewel, 84

  Speedwell, 57
    Marsh, 57
    Water, 57

  _Sphagnum cymbifolium_, 74

  Spice Wintergreen, 117

  Spicebush, 149

  Spignet-root, 92

  Spikenard, 91

  Spinach, 136

  Spira, Rose-colored, 183

  _Spira salicifolia_, 75, 182

  _Spira tomentosa_, 75, 183

  _Spira Ulmaria_, 182

  _Spiranthes gracilis_, 85

  Spreading Dogbane, 101

  Spring Beauty, 24

  Spurge Laurel, 149

  Squaw-berry, 52

  Squirrel Corn, 29 _et seq._

  Squirreltail, 215

  Stag-horn Sumac, 204

  _Stagmaria verniciflua_, 203

  Starflower, 60

  Stemless Lady's Slipper, 46

  _Stipa spartea_, 213

  Strawberry Blite, 136

  Strawberry, Wild, 19
    Barren Wild, 111
    Indian, 136 _et seq._

  _Streptopus roseus_, 54

  Strychnia, 101

  Sumac, Poison, 200
    Stag-horn, 204
    Smooth Dwarf, 205

  Sundew, Round-leaved, 73

  Sunflower, 110, 115, 116, 126, 127
    Wild, 126

  Swampberry, 187

  Swamp Blackberry, 186

  Swamp Blueberry, 170

  Sweetberry, 199

  Sweet Briar, 184, 189

  Sweet-fern, 157, 159

  Sweet-Gale, 74, 157, 158

  Sweet Potato, 89

  Sweet-scented Water Lily, 86

  Sweet Wintergreen, 63

  _Symphoricarpus racemosus_, 156


  Tall Buttercup, 13

  Tansy, 116

  Tapegrass, 89

  Tapioca, 29

  _Taraxacum Dens-leonis_, 127

  Teaberry, 117, 169

  Tea, New Jersey, 158

  Tea Plant, Chinese, 159

  Thimbleberry, 186

  Thimble-weed, 22

  Thistle, 114

  Thorn, Pear, 178
    Scarlet-fruited, 179
    English White, 180

  Thornberry, 161

  Thoroughwort, 121, 123, 125

  _Tiarella cordifolia_, 16

  Tiger Lily, 30

  Tobacco, Indian, 140

  Touch-me-not, 84

  Trailing Arbutus, 150

  Trailing Hairy Currant, 162

  Trailing Wintergreen, 195

  _Trientalis Americana_, 60

  Trillium, 35 _et seq._, 134
    Nodding, 35
    White, 35, 36, 48
    Lesser Snowy, 36
    Purple, 36
    Red, 37
    Painted, 38

  _Trillium cernuum_, 35

  _Trillium erectum_, 36

  _Trillium erythrocarpum_, 38

  _Trillium grandiflorum_, 35, 36, 68

  _Trillium nivale_, 36

  Turnip, Indian, 26 _et seq._

  Turtlehead, 138

  _Tussilago Farfara_, 114

  Twinflower, 69, 157

  Twin-flowered Honeysuckle, 153, 156

  Twisted Stalk, 54


  _Uvularia grandiflora_, 32

  _Uvularia perfoliata_, 33

  _Uvularia sessilifolia_, 33


  _Vaccinium Canadense_, 169

  _Vaccinium corymbosum_, 169, 170

  _Vaccinium macrocarpon_, 181

  _Vaccinium Oxycoccus_, 180

  _Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum_, 169

  _Vallisneria spiralis_, 89

  _Verbascum Thapsus_, 131

  Veronica, 57

  _Veronica Americana_, 57

  Vetch, 107

  Vetchling, Marsh, 94

  _Viburnum acerifolium_, 198

  _Viburnum lantanoides_, 198

  _Viburnum Lentago_, 164, 199

  _Viburnum Opulus_, 146, 196, 197

  _Viola blanda_, 2, 5

  _Viola Canadensis_, 6

  _Viola canina_, 5

  _Viola clandestina_, 3

  _Viola cucullata_, 3, 111

  _Viola Dicksoni_, 3

  _Viola odorata_, 2

  _Viola ovata_, 4

  _Viola prionosepala_, 4

  _Viola pubescens_, 5

  _Viola renifolia_, 4

  _Viola rostrata_, 5

  _Viola sagittata_, 4

  _Viola subviscosa_, 4

  Violet, 1 _et seq._
    Early White, 2, 3
    Hooded, 3
    Wood, 3
    Arrow-leaved, 4
    Pencilled, 4, 5
    Long Spurred, 5
    Dog, 5
    Downy Yellow, 5
    Canada, 6
    Branching White Wood, 6
    Dog-tooth, 33
    Blue, 111

  _Virburnum dentatum_, 199

  Virginia Creeper, 202

  _Vitis cordifolia_, 173

  _Vitis Labrusca_, 175

  _Vitis riparia_, 173


  Wake-robin, Smiling, 35

  _Waldsteinia fragarioides_, 111

  Water-Lily, Sweet-scented, 86
    White, 86, 90
    Yellow, 89

  Water Persicaria, 90, 91

  Water Speedwell, 57

  Waxwork, 189

  White Cohosh, 32

  White Death-flower, 36

  White Dwarf Convolvulus, 103

  White-flowered Adder's-tongue, 34

  White Snakeroot, 124

  White Trillium, 35, 36, 48

  White Water Crowfoot, 14

  Wild Bean, 95

  Wild Bergamot, 130

  Wild Black Currant, 162

  Wild Columbine, 39, 40

  Wild Flax, 83

  Wild Garlic, 49

  Wild Ginger, 44

  Wild Leek, 49

  Wild Orange Lily, 78, 134

  Wild Red Currant, 163

  Wild Red Raspberry, 97, 184

  Wild Rice, 91, 211

  Wild Rosemary, 192, 193

  Wild Smooth Gooseberry, 160

  Wild Strawberry, 19, 111, 136 _et seq._

  Wild Sunflower, 126

  Willow-herb, 97

  Willow-leaved Meadowsweet, 182

  Wind Flower, 8, 21

  Winterberry, 146, 205

  Wintergreen, 17, 68, 80, 130, 140
    Flowering, 17, 18
    Chickweed, 60
    Sweet, 63
    Spice, 117
    Aromatic, 117, 169
    Box-leaved, 118
    Trailing, 195

  Wood Anemone, 20 _et seq._

  Wood Betony, 17

  Woodbine, 153

  Wood Daffodil, 32

  Wood Geranium, 58-60

  Wood Hyacinth, 29

  Wood Mignonette, 16

  Wood Snowdrop, 141

  Wood Violet, 3

  Woodsia, Hairy, 75

  _Woodsia Ilvensis_, 75

  Wood-sorrel, 82
    Yellow-flowered, 82

  Wycopy, 149


  _Xanthoxylum Americanum_, 166


  Yellow Coltsfoot, 114

  Yellow Flax, 83

  Yellow-flowered Wood Sorrel, 82

  Yellow Lady's Slipper, 47

  Yellow Pond Lily, 86, 90

  Yellow Water Crowfoot, 14

  Yellowwood, 167


  _Zizania aquatica_, 91, 211




       *       *       *       *       *




TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:


The following changes have been made to the original text:

  Page xii: Punctuation added after "Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea.)"
            for consistency.

  Page xvii: Punctuation added after "LAKEFIELD, ONT" for consistency.

  Page 4: Comma added after "_Viola renifolia_ (Gray)".

  Page 7: Punctuation removed after "we find mention of this".

  Page 17: Missing quotation mark added before "Moostoos Ootasee."

  Page 47: Punctuation removed after "YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPERS" for
           consistency.

  Page 54: Punctuation changed to comma after "(Gray)".

  Page 76: "receptable" changed to "receptacle".

  Page 83 (Footnote 23): Em-dash added before "A. D. C." for consistency.

  Page 87 (Footnote 24): Em-dash added before "A. D. C." for consistency.

  Page 89: Punctuation added after the L in "Vallisneria spiralis_ (L)" for
           consistency.

  Page 92: "improve" changed to "improves" in "boiled down with the milk
           improves the flavor".

  Page 124: Punctuation changed to a comma after "the well-known herb".

  Page 130: Missing punctuation added after "Benth".

  Page 140: "Kinnikinic" changed to "Kinnikinnic" for consistency.

  Page 144: Punctuation added after "Grisb".

  Page 145: Punctuation added after "Froel".

  Page 172: Duplicate word "the" removed in "nestling of the wild birds".

  Page 173: "fulness" changed to "fullness".

  Page 179: Punctuation changed to comma after "_Cratgus coccinea_ (L.)".

  Page 191: "dulness" changed to "dullness".

  Page 200: "receptable" changed to "receptacle".

  Page 219: Comma removed after "_Amaryllis lutea_, 24, 79".

  Page 221: Comma added after "Spreading, 101".

  Page 221: Page number 194 added for "Dogwood, Flowering".

  Page 221: "albidum" in "Erythronium albidum" italizied for consistency.

  Page 222: Comma removed after "Labrador Tea, 74, 159, 191".

  Page 223: Removed duplicated entry of "Tiger, 30;".

  Page 226: Comma added after "_Viola cucullata_, 3".

  Page 227: Comma added after "Long Spurred".


In addition all semi-colons used in the index to separate entries have
been removed for esthetic reasons. The entries were instead put on
separate lines.

Other variations in spelling and inconsistent hyphenation have been
retained as they appear in the original book.




[End of _Studies of Plant Life in Canada_
by Catharine Parr Traill and Agnes D. Chamberlin]
