WHITE 



SPRING-CRESS. 



Cardattiine rhomhoidea. Mustard Family. 



Rootstock.—'^\^x\AQx\ bearing small tubers. .SVc-w.— From a tuberous 

 base; upright; slender. Root-leaves. — \<o^xx\(S. and often heart-shaped. 

 Stem-leaves. — The lower rounded, the upper almost lance-shaped. Floivers. 

 —White ; large ; clustered. Calyx. — Of four early-falling sepals. Corolla. — 

 Of four petals. Stamens. — Six; two shorter than the others. Pistil. — 

 One. Pod. — Flat; lance-shaped; pointed with a slender style tipped with 

 a conspicuous stigma ; smaller than that of the crinkle-root. 



The spring-cres.s grows abundantly in the wet meadows and 

 about the borders of springs. Its large white flowers appear as 

 early as April, lasting until June. 



WHITLOW-GRASS. 



Dralia verna. Mustard Family. 



Scapes. — One to three inches high. Leaves. — All from the root ; oblong 

 or lance-shaped. Fknoers. — White ; with two-cleft petals ; clustered. 

 Calyx. — Oi four early-falling sepals. Corolla. — Of four petals. Staf?ieus. 

 — Six; two shorter than the others. Pistil. — One. Pod. — Flat; varying 

 from oval to oblong-lance-shaped. 



This little plant may be found flowering along the roadsides 

 and in sandy places during April and May. It has come to us 

 from Europe. 



WATER-CRESS. 



Nasturtium officinale. Mustard Family. 



Leaves. — Divided into roundish segments. Flowers. — White, clustered. 

 Calyx. — Of four early-falling sepals. Corolla. — Of four petals, twice the 

 length of the sepals. Stamens. — Six ; two shorter than the others. Pistil. 

 — One. Pod. — Linear. 



Although the water-cress is not a native of North America it has 

 made itself so entirely at home in many of our streams that we 

 hardly look upon it as a stranger. Whoever, after a long ramble 

 through the woods on a summer morning, lias plucked its fresh, 

 pungent leaves from some sparkling stream and added them to his 

 frugal sandwich, looks upon the little plant with a sense of famil- 

 iar gratitude, which we rarely feel toward an alien. 



lO 



