COMPOSITE FAMILY 



221 



most beautiful fashion. It was the Bicolored 

 Goldenrod, and was one of the most decorative 

 plants I ever saw ; for weeks it remained a 

 joy to all beholders. 

 It is well known that 

 when a plant grows in 

 shady places it is likely 

 to have a greater leaf 

 area than when it o'rows 

 in the open sunshine. It 

 must have a larger sur- 

 face to collect the light 

 whenthe latter is compar- 

 atively dim. Now most 

 of tl]! Goldenrods live in 

 the op^n fields, having 

 rather narrow leaves ;but 

 the exquisite Elm-leaved 

 Goldenrod lives in woods 

 and copses, where 

 the shadows are thick 



SEASIDE GOLDENROD 



and diipet sunshine is a 

 fleeting thing. And so 

 we find that this species 

 has the broad, thin leaves of a shade-plant, leaves 

 with wel]4 developed stems, but otherwise so 

 similar to those of the Elm tree as to give this 

 Goldenrod its distinctive name. But it adds a 

 touch of color t'djihe somber shades of the woods 

 that we should not willingly do without. 



