RED WILD FLOWERS 



and is partly curled. The surface is shiny, and the 

 midrib is strong and conspicuous. Both leaves and 

 stem are often stained with red. After the flowering 

 season the spike extends several inches, and the 

 fruit ripens in the stiff, russet seed cases. Wood 

 Betony is found in sprawling clusters from April 

 to June, in shaded woods and thickets, where the 

 undergrowth is sparse and low. It ranges from 

 Nova Scotia and Manitoba to Florida, Kansas, and 

 Colorado, into Mexico. 



BEECH=DROPS. CANCER-ROOT 



Epifagus virginiana. Broom-rape Family. 



If you are not acquainted with these curious, leafless 

 parasites, you will very likely walk over many of them 

 without suspecting they are really anything but small, 

 dead twigs. They are invariably found in beech 

 woods, where they attach their roots to those of the 

 beech tree, and so flourish at its expense. They grow 

 from six to twenty inches or more in height, from a 

 thick, scaly base. The roots are brittle and fibrous. 

 The slender, smooth, branching stalk is stiff and 

 tough, and is purplish, brownish or yellowish in colour. 

 They have no leaves, but a few brownish bracts are 

 scattered along the stalk. The flowers are of two 

 kinds. The upper, or sterile ones are tubular, with 

 notches at their opening. They are curved to one side, 

 and contain four stamens and a pistil. The curving 

 tip of the latter projects beyond the tube. These small 

 flowers are striped with purple and white, and are 



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