ON THE FLORA OF VERMONT. 69 



There are many of the Violets, some of which blossom 

 very early, others later and others during all the season. 

 At almost any time, from early spring until the snow 

 comes, one may find either a white, yellow or purple 

 flower of this family. The gi'eat rose family has numer- 

 ous representatives among us. We have different kinds of 

 Blackberry, Raspl jerry. Hawthorn, Wild Rose and Cherry, 

 as well as hosts of smaller species. Another largely rep- 

 resented family is that to which the Heath belongs, the 

 Ericaceae. Some, as the Kalmias, the mountain and sheep 

 Laurel, the Blueberries and others, grow in dry soil, on 

 rocky hills and in open fields ; others, as Cassandra, Andro- 

 meda, Labrador Tea and many species of Blueberry, Huck- 

 leberry and Snowl^erry, delight in swampy ground, and 

 the Pyrolas and Indian pipe or Monotropa in moist woods, 

 while yet others, as the Wintergreen, grow almost any- 

 where. A few species of this group are found, so far as 

 this state is concerned at least, only on or near the tops of 

 our higher moimtains, as the bog Billjerry and two or 

 three, others like it. The Bean family (Legummof^ce), 

 Mint family {Lahiatoi) and Figwort family (^Scrojihularia- 

 cece) are each represented by about thirty species, while 

 the Cresses (^Cniciferoi) and Knot-Grasses (^Pol ygonacece,) 

 have nearly as many. After the first of August the mem- 

 bers of the Sunflower family (Comjjositce), which before 

 are not very numerous in species, though some, as the 

 Dandelion and Daisy are very abundant in indi\'iduals, now 

 come in full force to take possession of the fields and 

 roadsides, and everywhere hosts of Asters, Goldenrods, 

 Thistles and others wave their many-flowered heads in 

 deflance of all attempts to destroy them. There are over 

 a hundred species of this family in the state, and many of 

 them are known as most troublesome weeds, as they are 

 not easily killed, spread very rapidly and grow luxuriantly. 



A family which perhaps embraces more grotesque and 

 strange forms of flowers than any other is called Orchida- 

 ceae. This, which besides being a singular group, is a 

 most beautiful one, is found, in some of its species all 



