The Arbutus 



B. O. Butler. 

 Easton, Md. 



No native plant has endeared itself more with the people of 

 New York and New England than the Arbutus. This, sweetest 

 of all spring flowers has a place in many hearts. Formerly it grew 

 in many places in New York State, even up close to large cities, 

 but now the patches of this trailing plant, with glossy green leaves 

 and pink faced blossoms, are fewer. The patches are becoming 

 smaller and smaller each year and in many instances have vanished. 

 The trailing spring flower, tinted like a shell, grows only in the less 

 occupied spaces of a region among the lonely pines or amid dry 

 leaves and mosses. Epigiea repens, the arbutus, is a member of 

 the heath family, which is restricted to a nimiber of shrubby 

 plants having attractive flowers, blossoming early in the spring. 

 The woody stem of the trailing arbutus, technically classifies 

 it among the shrubs. As a habitat it favors pine woods when 

 there is little competition for space. It has a branching leafy 

 stalk, trailing close to the ground under dry leaves and grasses 

 as the term repens signifies. 



In color the leaves are green and rusty and in shape oval. 

 The taut, strong midrib gives the margin of these glossy sur- 

 faced leaves an undulating character. The leaves occur at 

 regular intervals alternately upon the trailing stem. 



People show their love for the flower by tearing up the roots 

 along with the blossoms. Such selfish ignorance is fast reducing 

 the lovely plant to a mere tradition in many populous districts. 

 The lowly plant puts out its blossoms from under fallen leaves 

 just after the snow has m.elted or while lingering snow drifts are 

 still around. All winter long the buds lie hidden beneath drifts 

 of snow waiting for the first warm breaths of spring to unclose 

 them and as soon as the melting snow leaves bare the groimd 

 on southern slopes the buds begin to open and the arbutus is the 

 charming queen of Spring. In regions where it is fairly abundant 

 it is the one early blossom sought by all, "its delicate beauty 

 charming the eye as its delightful fragrance appeals to the sense 

 of smell". The blossoms are crowded together in bunches of 

 from three to eight at the end of prostrate hairy stems. The 



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