66 Bui,i,ETiN 145 



with upright branches only half that length. The foliage is 

 much like the hemlock tree, hence its name. Like this, the 

 leaves are narrow and flat and appear to be two-ranked, giving 

 a light spray-like efifect. They are, however, somewhat larger 

 and darker colored than those of the hemlock tree, so as quickly 

 to attract the attention. In autumn the red pulpy berries about 

 one-fourth of an inch in diameter stud the branches like coral 

 beads and at once serve to distinguish this from any other Ver- 

 mont plant. Practically no use is made of the yew in Vermont. 

 It is, however, worthy of planting for ornamental purposes, 

 especially on cool moist banks under partial shade where few 

 other plants can rival its rich combination of evergreen foliage 

 and red fruit. The berries are sometimes reputed as poisonous. 

 There is some evidence that the leaves, if browsed, may injure 

 animals and that the seed also contains a similar poison, but the 

 pulp of the berries is edible. 



SWEET-GALE FAMILY. MYRICACEAE 



Vermont has two shrubs of this family, each attractive in 

 its way, but neither generally common. They are readily 

 separable by the shape of their leaves. As shown in the accom- 

 panying sketches, the sweet-fern has a leaf three to six inches 

 long, deeply cut into many rounded lobes, whereas the sweet- 

 gale leaf is small and only slightly toothed. Closely allied to 

 these is the bayberry or wax-myrtle of Massachusetts and south- 

 ward, which produces berries so richly coated with wax that 

 they have been used for making candles and soap. 



SWEET-FERN. Myrica asplenifolia L. 

 This is a shrub about one to three feet high with slender 

 finely cut leaves, as described above, that give it a fern-like ap- 

 pearance. When crushed, these have a strong spicy aroma, 

 hence its common name was well chosen although actually it is 

 not a fern. The fragrance of the dry leaf when burned is 



