and woolly, with smaller, white, purple-dotted, erect, 

 odorous flowers, a small leaf on the scape, and black, 

 round berries. It ranges from New York to Georgia in 

 May and June. 



ASPARAGUS, Asparagus officinalis, is a native of Europe, 

 escaped from cultivation in various parts of the country. 

 The young shoots make the delicious vegetable, which 

 we all know. The small, thread-like leaves of the plant 

 do not look like the lily tribe, but the bell-like, drooping, 

 greenish flowers, with their six small segments, point the 

 way. The fruit is a scarlet berry. The plant blooms 

 in early summer and again in autumn. 



PLATE IX, A 



FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL, WILD SPIKENARD, Vagnera 

 racemosa (Smilacina racemosa). Root. A thick, scarred 

 rootstock. Stem. Curved, simple, i-3 high. Leaves. 

 Oval, sessile, alternate, finely woolly. Flowers (a). 

 In a densely flowered, terminal panicle, small, creamy- 

 white. Perianth. Of six oblong segments. Stamens 

 (6). Six. Pistil (c). White. Fruit. A red berry 

 speckled with purple. 



These feathery tassels of creamy flowers grow pro- 

 fusely, from May to July in rich woods or thickets, across 

 the continent. 



V. amplexicaulis is similar, with clasping leaves and a 

 longer style. It grows westward. 



PLATE IX, B 



STAR-FLOWERED SOLOMON'S SEAL, V. stellata. Root. 

 A stout, fleshy rootstock. Stem. Stout, erect, 8'-2o' 

 high. Leaves. Veiny, sessile, somewhat clasping, 

 oblong-lanceolate. Flowers (d). In a few-flowered, 

 terminal raceme, star-shaped, larger than V. racemosa, 

 white. Perianth. Of six oblong segments. Sta- 

 mens 0). Six. Pistil (/). White. Fruit. A black or 

 green berry with six black stripes. 



This plant is stouter and less graceful than its sister, 

 V. racemosa, but its star-like flowers are more attractive. 



9 



