FROSTWEED 



Helianthemum canadense ( L. ) Michx. 



Summer Flower of tho Sun— this i.- lleliantlu'unniu wliosc Latin 



Sunny woods naiiir means jii>t that. At the top of the slender woody 

 stem tliere opens a hriirht. ])ale yellow blossom, nuich 

 like a small yellow sin<:le rose. It opens only on a sunnv dav. and lasts 

 just as long as the sun is in the sky. At sundown the petals "drift to the 

 «rround and hy mornin<r a new Imd has reaehed the point of heing ready 

 to open when the sun shines. 



Frostweed has a reason, also, lor it.^ eommon name. T>ate in autumn 

 the stiff brown stem, hereft of leaves and its sun-lovin? llowers. still 

 stands in the winds whipjiinu out of the nortli. The nights are chill, and 

 frost fonns hy morninir. The thin, ruddy hrown hark near the base of 

 the frostweed's stem is eraeked, antl crystals ot frost protrude an<l sparkle 

 in the sunshine. 



Frostweed is never connnon hut is scattered over many parts of the 

 Country in dry irravclly hills and sandy slopes. Here the root probes dee])ly 

 for moisture. The unitranchin<i sinij)!*' stem rises stiflly into the sunshine, 

 and bears along it ])airs of narrow, slightly downy leaves. The frostweeds 

 and rock roses, in the family Cistacvae. are a small group comprising 

 only three genera: Helianthemum, Hudsonia, and Lechea. The latter 

 two are snuiU upright plants with tiny llowers ; all three choose sandy 

 places in which to thrust their roots and spivad their leaves and flowers. 



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