FLORA OF THE MOUNTAIN. 245 



on the "mountains of Pennsylvania, near the Alleghanies." 

 (Mich., Gray.) 



The water-courses and humid tracts show large quantities 

 of several small species of the genus SALIX, or Willow. 

 They fringe the banks of mountain brooks and springs, and 

 form close, compact waving masses, or osier beds, in swampy 

 spots. The Common Alder (Alnus Serulata) is also found 

 in some places covering the banks of streams and moist 

 places, seeking with characteristic instinct the trails of 

 springs and fountains. With the Willow, being essentially 

 aquatic, or lovers of water in their propensities, their pre- 

 sence is always the harbinger of the appearance of that 

 element, their groves being thus the true haunts of the 

 aquatic gods, or " Water-walkers." These plants form a 

 beautiful and characteristic order of copse, or under-bush, 

 their wand-like stems and peculiar foliage marking them dis- 

 tinctly from the other species of bush. Thus variety, 

 which seems to be Nature's perpetual trick to enchant her 

 children with forms of beauty and elements of use, here 

 finds a stripe of newness wherewithal to demand attention 

 and admiration A descriptive catalogue of all the moun- 

 tain copse would be an attractive chapter, but a glimpse at 

 this beautiful department must satisfy us here. 



After dwelling on the lofty and imperial dendroid forms of 

 the vegetable world, also its royal families of smaller shrubs, 

 with their artistic beauty and almost regal pomp of orna- 

 ment and extravagance of dress, another class of plants, 

 still less imposing, but more graceful and lovely, press upon 

 the attention of the wandererer in the mountain woods. 

 This is the world of flowers, so called, as if perhaps they 

 existed to flower alone, and had no account to render of 

 themselves, but that they were revelations of the splendor 

 and perfection of things, and brought messages of light and 

 gladness to the soul. Of this numerous class many are 

 found distributed over the Alleghany. They are the fairest, 

 frailest, and most evanescent of all vegetable forms, spring- 



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