WHITE 



WILD BALSAM APPLE. 



Echinocystis lobafa. Gourd Family. 



Stem. Climbing; nearly smooth ; with three-forked tendrils. Leaves. 

 Deeply and sharply five-lobed. Flowers. Numerous ; small ; greenish- 

 white ; unisexual ; the staminate ones growing in long racemes, the pistillate 

 ones in small clusters or solitary. Fruit. Fleshy ; oval ; green ; about 

 two inches long ; clothed with weak prickles. 



This is an ornamental climber which is found bearing its 

 flowers and fruit at the same time. It grows in rich soil along 

 rivers in parts of New England, Pennsylvania, and westward ; 

 and is often cultivated in gardens, making an effective arbor- 

 vine. The generic name is from two Greek words which sig- 

 nify hedgehog and bladder, in reference to the prickly fruit. 



COLIC ROOT. STAR-GRASS. 



Aletris farinosa. Bloodwort Family. 



Leaves. Thin ; lance- shaped ; in a spreading cluster from the root. 

 Scape. Slender; two to three feet high. Flowers. White; small, grow- 

 ing in a wand-like, spiked raceme. Perianth. Six-cleft at the summit ; 

 oblong-tubular. Stamens. Six, orange-colored. Pistil. One, with style 

 three-cleft at apex. 



In low wet meadows and in grassy woods the tall white 

 wands of the colic root shoot above its companion plants. At 

 the first glance one might confuse its long clusters with the 

 twisted spikes of ladies' tresses, but a closer examination reveals 

 no real likeness between the blossoms of the two plants. Then, 

 too, the flat rosette of lance-shaped leaves from which springs 

 the white wand of flowers is a distinguishing feature of the colic 

 root. 



Its blossoms are wrinkled and rough outside, with a look of 

 being dusted with white meal, whence springs its generic title, 

 the Greek word for " a female slave who grinds corn." They 

 have a faint raspberry-like fragrance. This is really a striking 

 and interesting plant. 



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