374 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 

 549. ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE 



CIRCAEA LUTETIANA L. 



Common in shady places. Quite frequent in Farrar's woods 

 near the pond ; also east of the lake. An inconspicuous little plant, 

 the small flowers with the two heart-shaped petals and two stamens 

 presenting an odd appearance. The clubshaped bristly fruit ad- 

 heres closely to clothing, but is too small and scattered to make it 

 much of a nuisance as a burr. 



FAMILY 107. HALORAGIDACE^E. WATER-MILFOIL FAMILY 

 550. MERMAID-WEED ' 



PROSERPINACA PALUSTRIS L. 



Rather common in ditches in Green's marsh and along the rail- 

 road near the old thoroughfare. The flowers and fruit are incon- 

 spicuous but the gracefulness and adaptations of the plant make it 

 attractive. The submerged leaves, like those of the water-parsnip, 

 are finely dissected, while those of the aerial stems show more 

 and more solid expanse and substance to the blade, until they are 

 merely serrate. The leaves persist all winter under the ice in the 

 bottoms of pools, and assume a purplish pink hue, which, with their 

 lake-like form and symmetry of arrangement, makes them very 

 pleasing, especially when nearly everything else is barren. 



551. SPIKED WATER-MILFOIL 



MYRIOPHYLLUM SPICATUM L. 



Of the two species of milfoil found in the Lake Maxinkuckee 

 region this is much less common. It is not found in the large 

 lake at all, but occurs in the ponds along the railroad between the 

 lakes, and is abundant in the extreme south end of Lost Lake and 

 far down the Outlet. 



M. spicatum is the more delicate and graceful of the two found 

 here. Not much was found in flower. A few plants were seen in 

 blossom September 1, 1900, and on September 18 it was found in 

 fruit. 



In autumn, in the still water of the lake and lagoons, the termi- 

 nal portion forms elongated very compact conelike winter buds, 

 the apical portion being rounded or hemispherical, the lower part 

 gradually tapering to a long point. These buds are copper- 

 colored or reddish. The plant below them becomes fragile, breaks 

 up or decays. In early spring the bud elongates rapidly and forms 



