FIGWORT FAMILY 



Low-lying meadows of New England along 

 the coast are frequently tinted by the Purple 

 Gerardias growing among the grass. Certain 

 sandy fields of Long Island are often a mass of 

 vivid color owing to the numbers of these deli- 

 cate blossoms. The rosy flowers are cup-shaped, 

 with five flaring lobes; within are four downy 

 stamens with rather large golden anthers. 



The Seaside Gerardia, Gerardia maritima, is 

 a smaller species, four to twelve inches high, 

 found along the coast usually in salt marshes; 

 color a pale rose-purple. 



Slender Gerardia, Gerardia tenufolia, is a 

 mountain form native to dry woods and thickets. 

 Its color is pale rose-purple varying to white, 

 marked with many blurred spots. Two of the 

 five lobes are not fully expanded. 



All the Gerardias bear beautiful flowers, and 

 their time of bloom extends from midsummer to 

 late autumn. They are supposed to be more or 

 less parasitic in their habits, drawing some nour- 

 ishment from the roots of other plants. 



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