GOATS-BEARD 



Aruncus dioicus (Walt.j Fern. 



May - June It is a stoop iioilli liillsido whoro tho oaks stand 



Steep wooded hills t.ill and small ciisp tViiis i^row. Al'tor tho hopaticas 



and l)l()()(li()()t ;in(l dutrhniairs hieochos bloom in 

 April, there is little othci' Mooni on that cold north slope until late May 

 and early Juno, and then something- w under t'til h;i|>p('n-. The wild spiraea, 

 the goat's-hoard. hlossoms. 



The botan\- l)ooks call it iKint's-hoard. I)ui a name like that cannot 

 justly descril)o the niamiiliciiit Ijranching sj)ikos ot i)alest cream-colored 

 fuzzy flowers — l)loss{)ming plumes which stand thi'ee feet tall above the 

 low, busby, compact plants, (ioat's-board is in bloom on the side of the 

 bill, and lor a while the hillside is lit with a s|)ecial glory ot its own. 



Goat's-hoard is one of the Kose family, hut the family resemblance 

 is not as obvious in the llulfy. fuzzy Spiraeas and Aruncus as they are 

 in the mon^ obvious strawberry and cincpiofoil. Xevertbeless, the large 

 comjiound li'aves easily coulil be larg\' lompound rose loaves; the char- 

 acteristics of tho flower mechanisms are there, too. 



The goat's-l)oard is fragrant, much as tho cultivated Astilbe is. 

 Ooat's-beard lo<iks liki^ a tall, loose-lloworod Astilbe and as such is worthy 

 of a place not only in the woods but in gardens everywhere. This tall 

 plant is typical ul moi>t ravines and hillsides aiul is closely associated 

 with wild hvdranjrea. 



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