Cnapter 26 



AMERICAN WIU) FLOWERS 



An appreciation of plant life involves more than an under- 

 standing of how plants live and their relations with man in terms 

 of their economic importance. We live in the midst of a green 

 world, populated by living organisms which are our neighbors in 

 life. We drive along streets shaded by trees, relax in gardens made 

 restful by ornamental plants, travel over plains and mountains 

 whose scenic value is greatly enhanced by the vegetation covering 

 them; we camp, hunt, fish and hike in countless national and 

 state parks where the trees, shrubs and wild flowers add interest 

 to the drab earth. To know a few of the common plant neighbors 

 who live in these various environments which touch upon ours, 

 to be able to recognize them by name as old friends, to under- 

 stand their distribution and origin — all make for a fuller and 

 richer life. 



In previous pages, we have become acquainted with some of 

 the trees which make up the forest vegetation of the United 

 States. There are, however, many smaller herbaceous plants 

 whose flowers add an interesting touch to our fields and wood- 

 lands; all of these belong to the Angiosperm group of the Seed 

 Plants. It is impossible within the compass of a single chapter to 

 do more than suggest a few of the more common families of wild 

 flowers whose representatives should be familiar to Americans. 

 These families are grouped into the two main subdivisions (see 

 p. 103) of the Dicots and Monocots. The Dicot families have 

 broad leaves characterized, in most cases, by netted venation, and 

 possess flowers whose perianth, when present, usually consists 

 of four, five or an indefinite number of petals or sepals. The 

 Monocot families, on the other hand, have flowers whose perianth, 

 when present, consists of three or six parts, and leaves which are 

 usually narrow and long, with parallel venation. Arranged 



435 



