THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 69 



associations with each other, their friendships, possibly even 

 their affections. In some cases given one kind of plants in a 

 locality, you may forecast the almost certain presence of others. 

 Thus, with those already mentioned in this article, one learns 

 to expect the little wood-anemone, the betony, and the bell- 

 worts. The betony or louse-wort, is a member of the great 

 Figwort family, and like many of its congeners, is supposed 

 to be a partial parasite. That is, while it has regular foliage 

 and hence develops chlorophyll or leaf-green, it also attaches 

 itself to the roots of other plants of its environment, preying 

 to some extent upon them. The leaves are fern-like in appear- 

 ance and the flowers borne in dense spikes. They are decidedly 

 bi-labiate or two-lipped. The upper lip is dull dark ruddy, 

 curved into a scythe-like helmet and two-toothed at the apex. 

 The lower is yellowish. The calyx is bordered with magenta. 

 Generally where there is much of the plant, about an equal 

 number of the specimens are quite yellowish throughout. The 

 four curving stamens are sheltered from rain by the upper lip, 

 and the flower is fertilized by bees and bumble-bees. The plant 

 is not without a certain beauty, and one naturally regrets its 

 most familiar name. 



Hereabouts the commonest bell wort is the sessile leaved 

 kind, also strangely enough, known as "wild-oats." It is really 

 of the lily family, with a straw-colored, pendant bell. In a 

 book on our wild flow^ers we have been amused and grieved 

 to see it illustrated by a picture of real wild oats, which of 

 course is a grass. The artist had apparently sown his wild 

 oats, with curious results. Another species is far larger and 

 handsomer, with deep golden yellow convolute flowers, pen- 

 dant like the other, and with glaucous perfoliate leaves. It is 

 often seen cultivated. 



Providence, R I. 



