114 WILD FLOWERS AND FRUITS 



corolla 5-parted, divisions of corolla bent down- 

 ward, and above them a crown (corona) of upright 

 "hoods"; leaves oval to oblong (several in. long), 

 pale, short-stalked. Rich ground. Summer. 



Purple Milkweed {Asclepias purpurascens). Milkweed 

 family. 

 Max. ht. 4 ft.; stem stout; flowers similar to 

 above; leaves egg-shaped to oblong, downy beneath, 

 short-stalked. Dry ground. EaVly summer. 



Swamp INIilkweed {Asclepias incarnata). Milkweed 

 family. 

 Max. ht. 4 ft.; flowers similar to above; leaves 

 oblong to lance-shaped, acutely pointed. Swamps. 

 Common. Summer. (See Colored Plate I). 



3. Leaves opposite, stem hairy or downy, not with 2-lipped 

 corolla, flowers not in umbel, 4 petals. 



Meadow Beauty {Rhexia Virginica) . Malastoma family. 

 Ht. I ft. or over; stem 4-sided; large, showy flowers; 

 calyx urn-shaped, 4-pointed; petals 4, stamens 8; 

 leaves lance-shaped without stalks, toothed, pointed. 

 Fields and marshes. Summer. (See Colored Plate I) . 



See also Purple-leaved Willow-herb (11). 



4. Same as 3, but 6 petals. 



Purple Loosestrife {Lythrum Salicaria). Loosestrife 

 family. 

 Max. ht. 3 ft.; downy, slender; flowers large, 

 closely whorled in spike; petals generally 6; leaves 

 mostly without stalks, lance-shaped, sometimes in 

 whorls of 3. Swamps, etc. Early summer. 



Wax- weed (Cuphea viscosissima). Loosestrife family. 

 Max. ht. i^ ft.; gummy; flowers solitary or ra- 

 cemed, on stalks; calyx somewhat inflated and with 

 spur, 6 teeth; petals 6, unequal, with short stalks; 

 leaves egg-shaped to lance-shaped. Fields. Sum- 

 mer, autumn. Rhode Island, West and South. 



