324 HOW TO KNOW WILD FRUITS 



seed ; and two smaller empty cells. The seed 

 coats are hard. The berries begin to ripen in 

 July, and the spikes show fruit in various stages 

 of development, with buds and flowers at the 

 summit well into September. 



Leaves. — The ovate, usually entire leaves 

 grow in pairs. The stems are quite short. 

 The leaves are dark green above and lighter 

 beneath. 



Flowers. — The small bell-shaped pink blos- 

 som is four- or five-toothed. It is hairy at the 

 throat. 



This is a common inhabitant of old-fashioned 

 gardens, and lingers about abandoned farm- 

 houses or even the cellars. It strays beyond 

 the garden bounds and often occurs along the 

 roadsides. It grows also along rocky banks in 

 New England to Pennsylvania and westward. 

 It is most attractive in September, when the 

 spike is nearly full of matured fruits. 



Symphoricarpos pauciflorus appears in the 

 mountains of Vermont and Pennsylvania and 

 westward. The leaves are smaller than the 

 preceding, and the berries grow singly or in pairs 

 in the uppermost leaf axils. 



