HEART-LEAVED UMBRELLAWORT 



Mitabilis nyctagineus (Michx.) MacM. 



May - June Beside the railroad tracks, there in the cinder 



Waste places, roadsides ballast where fast wheels roar past many 



times a day, there stands a low, bushy plant 

 with delicate pink llowers like miniature azaleas. But it is not akin to 

 the elegant azaleas — this is the lowly umbrellawort which is related to 

 the garden four o'clock or marvel of Peru. Umbrellawort's flower resem- 

 bles the latter, but is smaller. It has a pleasant color of lavender-rose, 

 is prettily plaited and fluted, hangs forth its widespread bell, and in 

 the June sunshine the plant stands there making seeds and producing 

 more flowers through much of the sunnner. 



In spite of its habitat which so often is beside railroad tracks or 

 in waste places, the umbrellawort is a smooth, clean plant. The heart- 

 shaped leaves grow ()i)])osite each other on the jointed stem, which forks 

 above almost every })air of leaves. The flower clusters are placed at the 

 top of the stem, just above the last pair of leaves. 



Umbrellawoit is not in bloom all day long, not unless the day is 

 cool and clomly. Usually the flowers are open in the morning and have 

 closed by afterncon, but next day as the summer sun comes U}) and a 

 hot day begins all over again with the wild songs of indigo buntings on 

 the wires, new unihrcllaworts ()[;('n \vi;l(\ 



147 



