82 



have all disappeared from the parks of the Bronx. The last 

 that I saw were sent to the Garden by a well-intentioned Scotch 

 foreman of Van Courtland Park, who had great sods of them 

 dug up hoping that we might be able to preserve them. 



The plants are often i to 3 feet high, usually much branched, 

 with the branches erect and 4-angled, with opposite ovate-acumi- 

 nate leaves. The parts of the flower are in 4, including the 

 white stamens, and the stigma is also white, 4-parted and sessile 

 on the tapering ovary; the seeds mature in October or November. 

 The flowers bloom late and all are familiar with Bryant's ex- 

 quisite lines: 



"Thou waitest late and com'st alone, 

 When woods are bare and birds are flown." 



The plant is eastern ranging from Quebec to Minnesota, south 

 to Iowa and Georgia. 



The genus was named for King Gentius of Illyria and 300 

 species are known, mostly natives of the north temperate zones, 

 ranging into alpine regions of Europe and America, also in the 

 Andes of South America. They are not often found in cultiva- 

 tion and are rapidly becoming rare or extinct. Besides many 

 alpine genera, various other beautiful and showy species and 

 genera occur at sea-level and in the tropics, notably the Sab- 

 batias or star-pinks, which are also rapidly disappearing from 

 our eastern sea-coasts. A few are aquatic or semi-aquatic. 

 Some of the plants have a bitter sap, which renders them a 

 valuable tonic, and they are still in use medicinally. 



Elizabeth G. Britton 



