PINK WILD FLOWERS 



as the faintly fragrant flowers. Joe Pye is found 

 from Canada to Florida and Texas. 



BURDOCK. COCKLE BUR. BEGGAR'S BUTTON. 

 CUCKOO BUTTON 



Arctium minus. Thistle Family. 



Children delight to gather the shaggy green burs 

 of the Beggar's Button and form them into birds' 

 nests, baskets, dolls, and a various assortment of 

 similar playthings. They well know, too, the bitter 

 taste they leave on the fingers. The Burdock is a 

 large, coarse, bushy, branching biennial, growing 

 from two to four feet high. The large, rough stalk is 

 very leafy, and is round and grooved. The tooth- 

 less, hollow-stemmed leaves are large, broad, and 

 alternating. They are pointed-oval in shape, more 

 or less wavy, and rather thin and veiny. The lower 

 ones are heart-shaped. The small flower head is 

 composed of numerous silky, tubular florets of vary- 

 ing shades of purple, gathered into soft tufts and set 

 in a rather large, conical green bur, which is thickly 

 covered with many sharp, spreading, long-hooked, 

 and sticky bristles. They are set on short stems in 

 irregular terminal, bunchy clusters. The root and fresh 

 leaves are employed as a remedy in blood and skin 

 disorders, and also for swellings and rheumatism. 

 In Japan the root is known as Gobo, and is a popular 

 vegetable in the country. Burdock is a familiar 

 plant commonly found around neglected buildings, 

 and along fence rows, roadways, and in pastures 



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