RED OE REDDISH PURPLE 11 



WILD SPIKENARD 



Vagnera racemosa. Smilacina racemosa 

 Lily-of-the- Valley Family 



Fruit. The berries grow in a long racemose 

 cluster at the terminus of the leafy, unbranched 

 stem. They are globular, and when fully ripe, 

 in late September, are translucent and a dull 

 red in color. Before this, they present a pecul- 

 iarly speckled appearance, being whitish, with 

 many red dots and splashes. The flesh is thin. 

 While the ovary is three-celled, with two ovules 

 in each, the developed berry contains but one or 

 two large seeds. The fruits have an aromatic 

 flavor. September. 



Leaves. The leaves are alternate, nearly 

 stemless, and have tiny hairs along the entire 

 wavy margins. Each is oval-lanceolate, with 

 a long, tapering point. They are so arranged 

 along the stem that the plane of the upper sur- 

 face is nearly parallel with the drooping stem, 

 thus exposing it most advantageously to the 

 light. 



Flowers. The small, white, six-parted flowers 

 grow in terminal, pyramidal clusters. May, July. 



